"Common One" by VAN MORRISON. A Review Of The 1980 Album Now Reissued And Remastered In 2008 With Bonus Tracks.

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"...Let Us Go There Again…Go To Haunts Of Ancient Peace…"

"Common One" is part of the 2nd wave of Van Morrison remastered reissues to hit the shops in 2008 (see full list below).

UK and Europe released Monday, 7 July 2008 (8 July 2008 in the USA) - "Common One" by VAN MORRISON on Polydor/Exile 5308760 (Barcode 600753087602) is an 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster with Two Previously Unreleased Bonus Tracks and boasts truly superlative remastered sound quality and an upgraded booklet. It plays out as follows (70:44 minutes):

1. Haunts Of Ancient Peace [Side 1]
2. Summertime In England
3. Satisfied
4. Wild Honey [Side 2]
5. Spirit
6. When Heart Is Open
Tracks 1 to 6 make up the album "Common One" - released September 1980 in the UK on Mercury Records 6302 021.

BONUS TRACKS (Previously Unreleased):
7. Haunts Of Ancient Peace (Alternate Take)
8. When Heart Is Open (Alternate Take)

The Band consisted of:
MICK COX on Lead Guitar
HERBIE ARMSTRONG on Acoustic & Electric Rhythm Guitar
MARK ISHAM on Trumpet and Flugelhorn
PEE WEE ELLIS on Saxophone and Flute
TONI MARCUS on Sitar and Violin
JOHN ALLAIR and MARK JORDAN on Keyboards
DAVID HAYES on Bass
PETER VAN HOOKE on Drums
(Strings on "Summertime In England" and "Wild Honey", the Choir on "Haunts Of Ancient Peace" and the extra horn section on "Wild Honey" were all arranged by Pee Wee Ellis)

96K/24 Bit remastered from the original analogue master tapes; the sound quality on this re-issue is BEAUTIFUL - clear and clean. The booklet is naff though, functionary at best - it reproduces the lyrics (Alternates included too) and session details, but no new photos, no history of the record - an opportunity missed.

As most of the tracks are lengthy, his sessioned musical partners in the band get to stretch out - and what superb musicianship is on display here - one second all jazzy and trippy, the next soulful and peaceful. Choirs and strings combine too - to devastating effect. Even when the songs threaten to get `too' carried away, Van brings it all down to quiet patches, where his vocal raps are inspired and now an integral part of his live set. The opener "Haunts Of Ancient Peace" is just lovely - PEE WEE ELLIS blowing away soulfully. But ELLIS really gets to let rip on the concert/fan favourite "Summertime In England" that doesn't actually wear out its 15-minute plus timing. The brass and melody on "Wild Honey" sounds like a Manhattans/Harold Melvin soul song - warm and lovely - it washes over you so sweetly - with the rhythm section’s tight playing brought out by a great remaster. If I was to point out a downside, it would be the sax solo on "Spirit", it's harsh and a little shrill - maybe it was recorded that way. Also the 15-minute floating album closer "When Heart Is Open" is a little hissy - when none of the other tracks display any. But these are minor niggles.

The bonus Alternate Take of "Haunts..." is roughly the same length as the finished album version - just over 7 minutes, but it sounds like a run through - a rehearsal - its nice, but nowhere near as good as the finished version. "When Heart Is Open" is a different kettle of fish altogether - I love it! It has a cool SITAR opening and shorter playing time of just under 8-minutes. There's also beautiful violin playing from TONI MARCUS towards the end. If anything, it ends too soon. I suspect fans will be raving about it soon!

To sum up - "Common One" isn't the dizzy heights of "Astral Weeks" for sure, but it is a great Van Morrison album - deeply steeped in mysticism and his endless quest for inner peace. And at last, it sounds JUST BEAUTIFUL. Highly, highly recommended.

PS:
30 Van Morrison albums are re-issued in remastered form throughout 2008 and into early 2009. Each title contains an upgraded booklet; previously unreleased bonus tracks and all will be at mid-price. The releases are in 4 batches as follows:

28 January 2008 (7 titles)
Tupelo Honey (1971), It's Too Late To Stop Now (2 CD Live Set) (1974),
Wavelenght (1979), Into The Music (1979), A Sense Of Wonder (1985),
Avalon Sunset (1989) and Back On Top (1999)
(see SEPARATE REVIEWS for all 7)

30 June 2008 UK/1 & 8 July 2008 USA (8 titles)
Veedon Fleece (1974), Common One (1980), Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart (1983), Live At The Grand Opera House, Belfast (1984), No Guru, No Method, No Teacher (1986), Enlightenment (1990), A Night In San Francisco (2CD Live Set) (1994) and The Healing Game (1997)
(see also SEPARATE REVIEWS for "Veedon Fleece", "Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart", "Enlightenment", the live 2CD set "A Night In San Francisco" and "No Guru, No Method, No Teacher")

September 2008 (7 titles)
Saint Dominic's Preview (1972), A Period Of Transition (1977), Beautiful Vision (1982), Poetic Champions Compose (1987), Hymns To The Silence (2CD Studio Set) (1991), How Long Has This Been Going On (Live At Ronnie Scott's) (1995) and Tell Me Something - The Songs Of Mose Allison (1996)

January 2009 (8 titles)
Hard Nose The Highway (1973), Irish Heartbeat (with The Chieftains) (1988),
Too Long In Exile (1993), Days Like This (1995), The Story Of Them (2CD Set) (1999), The Skiffle Sessions - Live In Belfast (with Lonnie Donegan & Chris Barber) (2000), Down The Road (2002) and What's Wrong With This Picture? (2003)

PPS:
Those hoping to see desperately needed sonic upgrades of his 1st and 2nd album masterpieces on Warner Bothers "Astral Weeks" (1968) and "Moondance" (1970) or even "His Band & The Street Choir" (late 1970) will be disappointed to hear that they're NOT in this re-issue campaign - on either side of the pond. "Astral Weeks" and "Moondance" in particular have both been languishing around on crappy-sounding non-remastered CDs for over 20 years now and they're glaringly obvious omissions in this supposedly 'extensive' re-issue campaign. These universally recognized masterpieces have long deserved 2CD DELUXE EDITION treatment (some tracks in remastered form are available across the 3 volumes of "Best Of"). However, I've recently been informed by a good source that all 3 are NOW AVAILABLE since June 2008 in JAPAN in RHINO REMASTERED form. See the excellent Japanese site CDJAPAN.CO.JP for details (worded in English).

"No Guru, No Method, No Teacher" by VAN MORRISON. A Review Of The 1986 Album Now Reissued On A 2008 Remaster With Bonus Tracks.

VAN MORRISON is part of my Series "SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters 1970s Rock And Pop" Download Book available to buy on Amazon to either your PC or Mac (it will download the Kindle software to read the book for free to your toolbar). Click on the link below to go my Author's Page for this and other related publications:

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"A Creature All In Rapture…"

"No Guru, No Method, No Teacher" is part of the 2nd wave of Van Morrison remastered reissues to hit the shops in 2008 (see full list below). Released Monday 30 June 2008 in the UK and 1 July 2008 in the USA, it boasts truly superlative remastered sound quality, an upgraded booklet and 2 bonus tracks for the first time - one of which is an entirely new song.

Here's the layout (60:26 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 10 make up the original album - it was released in July 1986 on Mercury
Tracks 11 and 12 are previously unreleased bonus tracks - "Oh The Warm Feeling (Alternate Take)" and "Lonely At The Top" (the new song)

96K/24 Bit remastered from the original analogue master tapes; the sound quality on this re-issue is truly beautiful - clear, clean and a joy to the ears. Throw in the really strong song material, superb musicianship and bonuses actually worth owning and you're already reaching for the credit card!

The upgraded booklet has the lyrics to the Alternate Take and New Song after the rest of the album, session notes and beneath the see-through inlay is a photo that matches the original artwork. Disappointingly, there's no new liner notes, no interview, no photos - no extra history of the tracks - where they fit in - shame that.

The bonus tracks are the best of the 4 CDs I've bought so far in this 2nd batch; the alternate version of "Oh The Warm Feeling" is really lovely and sounds like a proper album track with the same production values - not like some outtake or a poorly recorded demo. The new song, "Lonely At The Top" is ok - a bit disappointing to be truthful, and although it doesn't tell us in the liner notes, I'd swear that's BRIAN KENNEDY's vocals in the background.

For my money, this is the best remaster so far - and finally gives this underrated gem the sonic muscle it's long deserved. Highly recommended.

PS:
30 Van Morrison albums are re-issued in remastered form throughout 2008 and into early 2009. Each title contains an upgraded booklet; previously unreleased bonus tracks and all will be at mid-price. The releases are in 4 batches as follows:

28 January 2008 (7 titles)
Tupelo Honey (1971), It's Too Late To Stop Now (2 CD Live Set) (1974),
Wavelenght (1979), Into The Music (1979), A Sense Of Wonder (1985),
Avalon Sunset (1989) and Back On Top (1999)
(see SEPARATE REVIEWS for all of the above)

30 June 2008 UK/1 & 8 July 2008 USA (8 titles)
Veedon Fleece (1974), Common One (1980), Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart (1983), Live At The Grand Opera House, Belfast (1984), No Guru, No Method, No Teacher (1986), Enlightenment (1990), A Night In San Francisco (2CD Live Set) (1994), “Common One” and The Healing Game (1997)
(see also SEPARATE REVIEWS for "Veedon Fleece", "Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart", "Enlightenment", the live 2CD set "A Night In San Francisco" and "Common One")

September 2008 (7 titles)
Saint Dominic's Preview (1972), A Period Of Transition (1977), Beautiful Vision (1982), Poetic Champions Compose (1987), Hymns To The Silence (2CD Studio Set) (1991), How Long Has This Been Going On (Live At Ronnie Scott's) (1995) and Tell Me Something - The Songs Of Mose Allison (1996)

January 2009 (8 titles)
Hard Nose The Highway (1973), Irish Heartbeat (with The Chieftains) (1988),
Too Long In Exile (1993), Days Like This (1995), The Story Of Them (2CD Set) (1999), The Skiffle Sessions - Live In Belfast (with Lonnie Donegan & Chris Barber) (2000), Down The Road (2002) and What's Wrong With This Picture? (2003)

PPS:
Those hoping to see desperately needed sonic upgrades of his 1st and 2nd album masterpieces on Warner Bothers "Astral Weeks" (1968) and "Moondance" (1970) or even "His Band & The Street Choir" (late 1970) will be disappointed to hear that they're NOT in this re-issue campaign - on either side of the pond. "Astral Weeks" and "Moondance" in particular have both been languishing around on crappy-sounding non-remastered CDs for over 20 years now and they're glaringly obvious omissions in this supposedly 'extensive' re-issue campaign. These universally recognized masterpieces have long deserved 2CD DELUXE EDITION treatment (some tracks in remastered form are available across the 3 volumes of "Best Of"). However, I've recently been informed by a good source that all 3 are NOW AVAILABLE since June 2008 in JAPAN in RHINO REMASTERED form. See the excellent Japanese site CDJAPAN.CO.JP for details (worded in English).

"Gold" by STEPPENWOLF. A CD Remaster Sensation!

This review is part of my Series "SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters 1970s Rock And Pop" Download Book available to buy on Amazon to either your PC or Mac (it will download the Kindle software to read the book for free to your toolbar). Click on the link below to go my Author's Page for this and other related publications:

                       http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00LQKMC6I

"...Sookie Sookie..."

As you can see from this release's dull artwork and naff title, on the outside, this reissue has all the imagination and aesthetic appeal of a cold hamburger on a Monday morning. It's the kind of compilation you'd probably ignore in the rack of your local music emporium. "Gold" for God's sake!! So why review it - and should you give it the time of day? Because of what's contained on the "inside".

I've had various compilations throughout the years in order to have Steppenwolf tracks in my collection - both British and American issues - and some like 'The Beat Goes On' British 2CD set of the first two albums - are excellent. But they are all rendered redundant by this fantastic 2CD anthology. The difference lies in the STUNNING RE-MASTERED SOUND engineered by ERICK LABSON. This is way better than anything else previously issued and the sheer numbers of tracks also make it seriously great value for money. LABSON is one of those great unsung heroes of CD re-issues. Working on the huge and varied Universal catalogue, he has a monumental 800+ credits to his name for Engineering, Mastering, Restoration and Digital Remastering stretching back to the early Nineties. So he knows his way around a master tape or two. His exceptional tape work is behind the following generic titled series you've probably seen across Amazon's vast store (most are from the Universal catalogue):

"20th Century Masters The Millennium Collection"
"Blues Classics Remastered & Revisited"
"Chess 50th Anniversary Collection"
"The Definitive Collection"
"Gold"
"Rock `N' Roll 50th Anniversary Edition"

His mastering/re-mastering ROCK credits include: The Who's "My Generation Deluxe Edition", Neil Diamond's "Play Me: The Complete Uni Studio Recordings", Joni Mitchell's "The Beginning Of Survival", Wishbone Ash's "Argus" and Three Dog Night's "The Complete Hit Singles" - and as anyone who owns these will know, they are all exceptional in their sound quality - and thorough in their presentation.

Back to "Gold". The set covers the first and better part of Steppenwolf's output from 1968 to 1974. For the uninitiated and prospective buyer, the albums are listed below and then after the discography, what track is from what album:

1. Steppenwolf (1968)
2. Steppenwolf The Second (1969)
3. At Your Birthday Party (1969)
4. Monster (1970)
5. Steppenwolf Live (1970)
6. Steppenwolf 7 ((1970)
7. For Ladies Only (1971)
8. Forgotten Songs & Unsung Heroes (John Kay Solo LP, 1972)
9. My Sportin' Life (John Kay Solo LP, 1973)
10. Slow Flux (1974)

DISC 1
1. Born To Be Wild (Steppenwolf)
2. Sookie Sookie (Steppenwolf)
3. Everybody's Next One (Steppenwolf)
4. Your Wall's Too High (Steppenwolf)
5. Desperation (Steppenwolf)
6. The Pusher (Steppenwolf)
7. The Ostrich (Steppenwolf)
8. Take What You Need (Steppenwolf)
9. Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf The Second)
10. Don't Step On The Grass Sam (Steppenwolf The Second)
11. Tighten Up Your Wug (Steppenwolf The Second)
12. It's Never Too Late (Steppenwolf The Second)
13. Jupiter's Child (At Your Birthday Party)
14. Rock Me (At Your Birthday Party)
15. Monster: Suicide/America Medley (Monster)

DISC 2
1. Move Over (Monster)
2. Power Play (Monster)
3. Hey Lawdy Mama (1970 7" single)
4. Snow Blind Friend (Steppenwolf 7)
5. Who Needs Ya (Steppenwolf 7)
6. Renegade (Steppenwolf 7)
7. Foggy Mental Breakdown (Steppenwolf 7)
8. Hippo Stomp (Steppenwolf 7)
9. Screaming Night Hog (1970 7" single)
10. For Ladies Only (For Ladies Only)
11. Tenderness (For Ladies Only)
12. Ride With Me (For Ladies Only)
13. I'm Movin' On (John Kay solo - Forgotten Songs & Unsung Heroes)
14. My Sportin' Life (John Kay solo - My Sportin' Life)
15. Drift Away (John Kay solo - My Sportin' Life)
16. Straight Shooting Woman (Slow Flux)

Fans will note that 8 out of the 11 tracks on their Dunhill 1968 debut LP are on Disc 1, 4 from the 2nd album too and a hunk off of '7' - all great news. The sound quality is glorious. If you can't play them through Media Player, then go to the iTunes Store and click a 25 second listen to "Sookie Sookie" and "Everybody's Next One" and you'll hear what I mean - just stunning! It would be a fan's dream if Labson could get to do "extended versions" of their 1st two classic albums "Steppenwolf" and "Steppenwolf The Second" - both of which deserve to be given as much status as anything that rocked out of the late sixties. I do wish Steppenwolf weren't forever attached to 'that' song - solely - almost as if it's all they ever did!

Universal’s GOLD Series:
Each title usually consists of 2CDs, each is digitally remastered/mastered from the original tapes and each is a comprehensive anthology with many titles properly presented for the first time anywhere.

Some of the record labels covered are: ABC/A&M/Brunswick/Cadet/Checker/Chess/Coral/Duke/Dunhill/Island/MCA/Mercury/Tamla Motown/Verve/Vogue - and many more besides under the Universal umbrella. They began to appear in 2004 and are on-going into 2008. There are huge numbers of artists in the series right across the musical spectrum - here's the list:

Aerosmith, The Allman Brothers Band, Joan Armatrading, Louis Armstrong, Asia, Burt Bacharach & Friends, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, The Beautiful South, Chuck Berry, James Brown, J.J. Cale, The Carpenters, Cinderella, Joe Cocker, The Commodores, The Cranberries, Cream, Bing Crosby, The Crusaders, Neil Diamond, Eric B. & Rakim, Fairport Convention, Ella Fitzgerald, The Four Tops, Peter Frampton, Connie Francis, The Gap Band, Marvin Gaye, Billie Holiday, Engelbert Humperdinck, Buddy Holly, John Lee Hooker, Joe Jackson, The Jam, Etta James, Rick James, Tom Jones, B.B. King, Kiss, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Kool & The Gang, Patti LaBelle, Level 42, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Brian McKnight, The Mamas & Papas, Bob Marley & The Wailers, John Martyn, The Mavericks, The Moody Blues, The Neville Brothers, Olivia Newton-John, The Oak Ridge Boys, The Ohio Players, Robert Palmer, Parliament, Poco, Lionel Richie/Cmmodores, The Righteous Brothers, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Rush, Scorpions, Nina Simone, Dusty Springfield, Squeeze, The Statler Brothers, Status Quo, Cat Stevens, Rod Stewart, The Style Council, Sublime, The Supremes, Tears For Fears, The Temptations, Pete Townshend, Traffic, Various – AM, Various – Classic Country, Various – Disco, Various – 80’s, Various – 80’s British, Various - More Motown Classics, Various – Motown Classics, Various – Old School Jams, Various – Reggae, Various – 70’s Gold, Various – 60’s Gold, Various – Southern Rock, Sarah Vaughan, The Velvet Underground, Dinah Washington, Grover Washington Jr., Barry White, Whitesnake, Hank Williams and Zamfir.

On the down side, because of commercial limitations and a crowded marketplace, for some artists here, the "gold" series is probably all we music lovers are going to get in terms of their work presented to us in top sound quality. The naff artwork and unimaginative presentation in general, hasn't and doesn't help. This series seems to have come out and gone away - ignored by a public awash with such titled compilations. Which is a damn shame, because the quality of the material, the huge number of tracks on each - and above all, the simply brilliant sound-quality, means that they're all languishing unloved, unnoticed and unused in digital purgatory somewhere near you. My advice is – if you see an artist you like on the “Gold” series – buy it!

For a few dollars/handful of pound coins, you can acquire this great Steppenwolf 2CD set - and be like me - start searching second-hand vinyl stores again for good copies of their original LPs - because you've just rediscovered how bloody good they were and still are!

I can't recommend this 2CD retro enough. Buy with the utmost confidence and enjoy!!

"War" by U2 (July 2008 Universal/Mercury Music Group/Island Interscope Records 2CD 'DELUXE EDITION' Reissue) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"....We Can Break Through...We Can Begin Again...

On New Year's Day..."

U2's third album was unleashed on an expectant world in late February 1983 and launched them as a genuine global phenomenon. This long overdue CD Remaster is released today, Monday 21 July 2008 in the UK and then 22 July 2008 in the USA and other territories. Also released today are "Boy", their 1980 debut and "October" their second album from 1981. Alongside Audio Engineers Arnie Acosta and Bernie Grundman, the band’s guitarist The Edge has personally overseen the remastering of all of them utilising the same team that brought us the amazing quality re-issue of "The Joshua Tree" last year (2007).

DISCS:

Here in the UK - "War" by U2 (like the others) comes in no less than 4 physical variants. The single CD is a straightforward remaster with an extended and upgraded booklet (it's one of those new round corner jewel cases) and costs £10 (Universal/Mercury Music Group/Island/Interscope Records 1764647 (Barcode 602517646476). 

The second is this issue - the 2CD Deluxe Version at £20 - the 2nd disc being the B-sides of singles and new previously unreleased mixes (Universal/Mercury Music Group/Island/Interscope Records 1761675 (Barcode 602517616752). 

The third variant is a Limited Edition containing the 2CD Deluxe Edition housed in a DVD sized card box with a T-Shirt of the album sleeve - it costs a frankly ludicrous £35 and is a waste of space and money in my book (Universal/Mercury Music Group/Island/Interscope Records 17797994 (Barcode 602517616752). 

Last is the humble 10-track LP of "War" by U2 on Universal/Mercury Music Group/Island/Interscope Records B0010832-1 (Barcode 602517616745) - it's housed in a repro of the original gatefold sleeve and is pressed on 180 grams vinyl with upgraded liner notes - it costs £15 and is a limited edition (mastered for vinyl by Bernie Grundman). 

This review is for the 2CD DELUXE EDITION of "War" by U2 - here's the layout:

CD1 (42:11 minutes):

1. Sunday Bloody Sunday [Side 1]

2. Seconds 

3. New Year's Day 

4. Like A Song...

5. Drowning Man 

6. The Refugee [Side 1]

7. Two Hearts Beat As One

8. Red Light 

9. Surrender 

10. "40"

Disc 1 is the 10 track original album, issued March 1983 on Island ILPS 9733, remastered 2008 (42:11 minutes)

CD2 (59:29 minutes):

1. Endless Deep

2. Angels Too Tied To The Ground 

3. New Year's Day (7" Single Edit)

4. New Year's Day (USA Remix)

5. New Year's Day (Ferry Corsten Extended Vocal Mix)

6. New Year's Day (Ferry Corsten Vocal Radio Mix)

7. Two Hearts Beat As One (Long Mix)

8. Two Hearts Beat As One (USA Mix)

9. Two Hearts Beat As One (Club Version)

10. Treasure (Whatever Happened To Pete The Chop)

11. I Threw A Brick Through A Window/Day Without Me (Live)

12. Fire (Live) 

Disc 2 is the B-sides of 7" and 12" singles from Germany, the UK and the USA along with two brand new mixes of "New Year's Day" - all tracks remastered in 2008. It should also be noted that the CD lists 12 tracks, but the booklet lists only 11 – and in the wrong order! Looks like the track list was changed at the last minute, but the booklet wasn’t upgraded to reflect this – a bit sloppy to say the least considering the expensive price of the 2disc set. Whether this is a mistake or a hidden track - is unsaid, but the song not listed on the packaging is number two, "Angels Too Tied To The Ground". 

PACKAGING:

Housed in an outer hard card sleeve is a 36-page hardback booklet with lyrics, album history by noted writer NIALL STOKES, 7" singles pictured, photo outtakes from the videos and a detailed breakdown of the tracks on Disc 2. The booklet is extended over the single CD version by about 12 pages and there are informative notes by The Edge on how and why some of the B-sides were recorded. Both CDs are picture discs with 2 members of the band on Disc 1 and the other 2 on Disc 2. A nice touch is the way the card leaves that hold the CDs have slits at their base to let the disc slide out a fraction (it would have cut through anyway). It's a small thing, but nice attention to detail. The packaging is good, and classily presented, but the best bit is the SOUND...

SOUND:

Remastered by ARNIE ACOSTA at Bernie Grundman Mastering, the tapes and remasters were also overseen by THE EDGE and the quality achieved is FANTASTIC! I've waited like most fans for over 20 years to hear "Seconds", "Drowning Man", "Surrender" and "40" in truly great sound quality and this re-issue delivers that in dollops. The drums are clear and loud, the guitars and keyboards passages leaping out of the speakers at you - the live-in-the studio recordings now brought to the fore and given the real muscle they needed. As I say - FANTASTIC STUFF. Fans will really delight in this.

EXTRAS:

The extras, however, are a very mixed bag. “Endless Deep” is the non-album B-side to the German and UK 7” singles of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and is a sort of a meandering instrumental – interesting but hardly great. "Angels Too Tied To The Ground" is much better though and new to me - it's got to be an outtake from the sessions - musically it sounds like a rehearsal for "New Year's Day". It's a fully formed song and would have made a great B-side - it's a superb little ditty - and without question one of the best surprises on here. Fans will eat this one up. Unfortunately, tracks 5 and 6 are - in my mind - absolute travesties. They're 1999 Ferry Corsten remixes of "New Year's Day" which sound like those endless crap versions that came off the "Pop" album's CD singles - they're staggeringly inappropriate to an 1983 album and its unique sound. What were they thinking about - tagging these on here - they're so out of place as to be laughable? "Treasure..." is the B-side to the UK issue of "New Year's Day" while 10, 11 and 12 make up the 3 other songs on the UK double 7" pack of "New Year's Day". The live tracks are good, but not that well recorded. All in all, with 4 mixes of "New" and 3 mixes of "Two", Disc 2 is a very boring and disjointed experience. In truth, I doubt I'll be returning to these soon, despite their rarity value.

To sum up, Disc 1 is 10 out of 10, but Disc 2 is pushing 5.

"War" is a superb U2 album and still stands up to this day - and this great remaster has only reminded us of that. Shame that Disc 2 lets the side down somewhat. Fans will have to own this 2CD Deluxe Edition, while the casual buyer should opt for the single disc version instead...