What's the story with "Cry" ?

[Registered Dude]

Listening to the remasters on Apple music and I notice this "song" gets a separate billing from The Electric Co. Not sure I've ever picked up on that before

Was there ever a full version of this song?
Is it tacked onto the Electric Co because the two songs are thematically related?
Why does Is That All? feature the same riff?

so many questions.

 

[The_acrobat]

I think in the case of "Is that all?", they felt like they had this awesome riff (The Cry) laying around doing nothing (at that point "The Cry / The Electric Co was not a classic live combo yet) and they tacked it onto ITA?, which needed an intro/bridge. Why not? It's a good riff, it was in the right key and timing.

Not sure if it was ever a full song in itself or not. I'm not very aware of it's history.

PS- I know that they did play The Cry-Electric Co together a lot back in those days, but that was before U2 had ever released a live album and had that pairing cemented in their legacy. To them, it was probably just a riff they didn't know what to do with.

 

[Registered Dude]

Not sure if it was ever a full song in itself or not. I'm not very aware of it's history.

That's the interesting thing to me.. I dont think anyone is.. it's just a riff and lyric that made it into U2 lore.

 

[Oregoropa]

It's in the top 25 songs of most played live songs. Tough one for casual fans to get on the sporcle quiz


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[Headache in a Suitcase]

Where's Axver when you need him? I've always wondered about this as well.

 

[cobl04]

It has always been just a tag intro to The Electric Co.. I would not at all be surprised if it's listed separately because they got the setlist from Axver's site.

October was a rush job, Is That All? was recorded as they were being kicked out of the recording studio if I remember correctly, so they just took The Cry riff and thrashed it into a song to stick on the end of the album.

 

[Axver]

Haha cheers Headache. I think what's been said covers it fairly well really.

Truth be told I'm not entirely happy with having it listed separately on U2gigs, but that ship has sailed. Unless we figure out a way to implement medleys it won't be changed.

Was there ever a full version of this song?

I'm unaware of one.

Is it tacked onto the Electric Co because the two songs are thematically related?

That's my guess. Its origins are obscure. It just shows up one day during the first European leg of the Boy Tour. The Electric Co. itself had only been in the live set for a few months. It then hung around as a permanent intro/micro-song for five years, before resurfacing to open a majority of the Vertigo Tour versions in 2005. It doesn't even really change, besides Bono sometimes (probably by mistake) altering the lyrics.

Why does Is That All? feature the same riff?

What Cobbler said re: desperation. I'm surprised they did all-new lyrics rather than expanding on the theme of The Cry.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

So it is true... If you say Axver three times in a row he appears!

 

[Hewson]

It has always been just a tag intro to The Electric Co.. I would not at all be surprised if it's listed separately because they got the setlist from Axver's site.
.

I recall seeing it listed separately on bootlegs in the 80's so I don't think its because of BeetlejuiceAxver's site.

 

[Axver]

I founded the website after I saw my first show in 1977.

I was born ten years later and it's been all downhill from there.

 

[Registered Dude]

Its origins are obscure. It just shows up one day during the first European leg of the Boy Tour. The Electric Co. itself had only been in the live set for a few months. It then hung around as a permanent intro/micro-song for five years, before resurfacing to open a majority of the Vertigo Tour versions in 2005. It doesn't even really change, besides Bono sometimes (probably by mistake) altering the lyrics.

you're a gem.

I'm surprised they did all-new lyrics rather than expanding on the theme of The Cry.

Yep. Because Is That All? is all the bums.

 

[Hewson]

I founded the website after I saw my first show in 1977.

I was born ten years later and it's been all downhill from there.

So is the real Axver:

A.

B.

C.

or

D..

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

All of the above?

 

[YBORCITY]

Hands down D! I think I actually met him at a Boston show .... Vertigo Tour possibly???

 

[Galeongirl]

Hands down D! I think I actually met him at a Boston show .... Vertigo Tour possibly???

The resemblance is uncanny!

 

[Axver]

Definitely C. When I'm not working on U2gigs I'm an international cricketer. I'm surprised nobody realised this before.

Hell, at that Boston show I was wearing a New Zealand cricket shirt. THE CLUES WERE THERE PEOPLE.

 

[dazzledbylight]

Listening to the remasters on Apple music and I notice this "song" gets a separate billing from The Electric Co. Not sure I've ever picked up on that before

Was there ever a full version of this song?
Is it tacked onto the Electric Co because the two songs are thematically related?
Why does Is That All? feature the same riff?

so many questions.

Hey RD
can answer a bit on this.
The first interview I read with u2 was done before they hit the US back in Fall 1980 . Bono mentioned that The Cry was about hard times economically, drugs, and else-wise.

 

[Registered Dude]

Hey RD
can answer a bit on this.
The first interview I read with u2 was done before they hit the US back in Fall 1980 . Bono mentioned that The Cry was about hard times economically, drugs, and else-wise.

really?

wow, that's cool. thanks.. great memory!

 

[Halup]

There's a bit of discrepancy on the title of this song, as it is usually listed as The Cry, but on the first place it was released, as a bside to Fire in 1981, was listed as Cry. Because of this I always refer to it as just Cry.

 

[bono_man2002]

D..

 

[dazzledbylight]

really?

wow, that's cool. thanks.. great memory!

Thanks!

I still have a,copy of the interview, look at it every few years.

It's my little u2 rarities treasure.

 

[david]

Remember the kid in the Home Alone movies? This is him now. Feel old?



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[Tinwal]

That guy looks like the Ice King going through a midlife crisis...


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