Great news!

[MrBrau1]

I really don't want ANYTHING from HTDAAB on the "new" U2 album. Otherwise, it will be yet another ATYCLB

With "Achtung Baby" you got songs from "Rattle & Hum."

You have no clue what your talking about.

 

[Varitek]

The article reads like a summary of 4 months of this forum.

And I'm looking forward to an officially released Mercy, b-side or album. I don't care which one it is; I love the song and I want to hear it officially released because they'll mix it well. If it fits on the album they should include it, and by "fits" I mean if it is one of the best 10-12 songs they have (I agree with Needle point that any great U2 song can belong anywhere). I'm not sure it will ever be a big public hit because it's so long and I don't want to see it cut a minute just for public appeal. I just want a high-quality copy!

 

[zoopop]

Where do you get this? People have claimed this before and it makes no sense to me. The song may have less-than-perfect sound quality, but that's because it's a bootlegged copy. The song was removed from the tracklisting at the final stage with Fast Cars. if Fast Cars sounds finished than Mercy probably is too.

That doesn't mean they won't change it (read: fuck it up) before it appears on an album, but it sounds like it's done to me.

Chalk me up with the other people who think it's the best thing they've recorded this decade.

You can't tell you think thats the finished mix. U2 even admits to it being leaked and I'm sure they'll spruce it some for an official release. Plus Bono vocals have a bit too much reverb

 

[Utoo]

It'll be great to hear everyone bitch about it.

Agreed. As if we needed an absolute guarantee that there will be a ridiculous amount of bitching about the new album once it comes out, here it is----"mercy should've been changed;" "mercy shouldn't have been changed;" "it shouldn't have been on the album;" "bono said it'd be on the album and now it's not there!"

 

[Saracene]

Am I the only one who really doesn't get the hype over this one song?

No, you're not. I just listened to it on YouTube and to me it sounds like a generic U2 song with nothing catchy or memorable to write home about.

 

[ahittle]

It's got a great chorus - my first reaction is negative about pulling in leftovers, but they've always done it...

As far as Fez influences, there are a lot of ways to change arrangements on this song. That siren-like guitar could be replaced by some crazy middle-eastern strings or something. I think they want to make a more cohesive record than Bomb this time, so I can't imagine them not adapting the song if they choose to use it,

 

[the tourist]

No, you're not. I just listened to it on YouTube and to me it sounds like a generic U2 song with nothing catchy or memorable to write home about.

Well thank you. Now I'm not the only person in the world who is meh about it. That said, I do like the vocals on the verses.

 

[dabiggestu2fan]

I've never liked Mercy and found it long and boring and greatly overrated i'de be happy to see a VERY reworked and different sounding Mercy as a B-side but not in the album. Just my $0.02

 

[Trinity3000]

Am I the only one who really doesn't get the hype over this one song?

I don't get it.

when i hear mercy i throw up in my mouth a little bit.

Gold

 

[last unicorn]

when i hear mercy i throw up in my mouth a little bit.

That's pretty rude.

I guess you never listen to radio nowadays, because you must do a lot of throwing up.

For me, Mercy is one of the best songs they've done in years. That's just my opinion. It represents what U2 are all about today. I hope they keep it and they don't change it too much, please don't overproduce it.

 

[dabiggestu2fan]

Actually last unicorn I agree with headache i knda throw up in my mouth a little bit too when i hear mercy

 

[purpleoscar]

The problem with Mercy as it is

There is great potential there because the melody and singing is great, but the lyrics are full of cliches about love that even Bono made fun of The Beatles for.

Second if you don't agree with Bono's politics, (because he says one thing and does another, AKA Acrobat), it's just another rant on socialism by a rich guy. Love is not the answer for everything, and how many times have I heard that before? Music is an emotional medium and so you are not likely to get all your lessons on philosophy and economics from songs. Songs would be boring if they did include lots of rational thought in it. We ask too much from music. If it can have layers of meaning and sonic layers it will last longer but if it is heavy handed it will turn off lots of people. Most people who didn't like the last album it was basically because of the politics of blame and making the west guilty for everything on other countries. Even left leaning people are getting tired of it. People are not buying into the idea anymore that Africans are these helpless people that have no ability to control their own lives. That's bigoted in of itself. I expect politics in music so I'm not surprised and I look for melodic music because it's so hard to find good melodies or heartfelt singing. Mercy's lyrics have to get better. I can see myself playing this song and feeling embarrassed that someone might be in the room to hear it.

"Love is when I lie." Jeez Bono is sounding like an egotistical jerk.

 

[the tourist]

That's pretty rude.

I guess you never listen to radio nowadays, because you must do a lot of throwing up.

I don't throw up when I hear it, but I throw up when I listen to most radio. That's the beauty of iPods--never having to listen to the radio again.

 

[luna_lovegood]

Man! can't wait to see the reaction once we hear it on the album/released as a B-side....Not only will there be 36 million new threads on whether or not its a peice of shit or a miracle, but every damn U2 fan on the net will be clammering to have their say about whether or not it sounds better or worse that the leaked version!

and p.s the tourist, I completely agree about iPods. I haven't listened to the radio in 3 years. Its been bliss!

 

[innocent_eyes]

That's pretty rude.

I guess you never listen to radio nowadays, because you must do a lot of throwing up.

For me, Mercy is one of the best songs they've done in years. That's just my opinion. It represents what U2 are all about today. I hope they keep it and they don't change it too much, please don't overproduce it.

Ditto!

I'd be thrilled with a cleaned up version of Mercy on an album!

LOVE IT THE WAY IT IS!!!!!!

 

[doctorwho]

i have to agree with this.

Really? "Mercy" is a good song, but needs lots of cleaning. Vocals are really strong and I recommend against doing them again unless Bono is even stronger or can add another element to them. However, the lyrics are fairly straight-forward, the sound could easily fit on UF or JT and it's just a solid song.

When I compare it to BD, "Vertigo", COBL, WO, "Kite", L&PorE, "Yahweh" or even fun songs like "Elevation" and ABoY, "Mercy" is just middle of the road. It's far better than, say "A Man and a Woman" and songs like "Stuck" and "Sometimes", but not as good as some of U2's other work this decade.

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

Yes Really, Dr. Boohoo

MY TARDIS
MY TARDIS
MY TARDIS

 

[wtonis]

I was thinking about this Mercy discussion while playing the Berlin outtakes from 1990. There was one song that sounded done (except for some lyrics). Eventually this song developed into the Fly, Ultra Violet and the Lady with the spinning head...

If on the new album, could 'Mercy' have been developed in one or two different directions??

 

[doctorwho]

Yes Really, Dr. Boohoo

MY TARDIS
MY TARDIS
MY TARDIS

Don't be hatin' just because you like the wrong U2 songs.

 

[the tourist]

I was thinking about this Mercy discussion while playing the Berlin outtakes from 1990. There was one song that sounded done (except for some lyrics). Eventually this song developed into the Fly, Ultra Violet and the Lady with the spinning head...

If on the new album, could 'Mercy' have been developed in one or two different directions??

Then one of the two songs might be somewhat decent. The one which involved the verses.