Eurochart for Week 39
BB has updated the Eurochart Top 100 Albums & Singles
All that's left is HTDAAB, which slips from 21 to 28. Heckuva run, though, with their whole back catalogue, HTDAAB and all three of the singles released in Europe.
Now, after most of us gave HTDAAB up for dead in the U.S., it's come back some 40+ positions from the very edge of the BB Hot 200, getting back to 150 in 3 weeks. If we can get a heavily promoted single to go along with the tour, awards season, and holiday sales spike, HTDAAB might just have another big run-up here in the U.S. between late September through the Grammy Awards in February. Another plan that would bump the album sales worldwide would be to offer the live DVD, with more bonus material, released around December 1st. I hope that it's the Milan show, as it blows away my Chicago boots. If all these things come together as described, that would be great.
Finally, it's hard for me to believe that U2 are booking venues here and there for next SUMMER to keep promoting HTDAAB. New album after 4th leg of the tour? Or are we looking at several more HTDAAB singles released over the next year? Who knows, but I would be thrilled with a new album next Spring and the extended "Vertigo: Have Mercy" Tour throughout 2007.
Another reason why I think this is feasible is that this may just be it for U2...and they will want to go out on top, both with successful new material and without any peers with respect to live performances. I think one more studio album and a Best Of would satisfy their current contract, and if not, they have a lot of options to release a Best Of Live, Multiple live CD's capturing multijple eras, and one thing I've always wished they would do: release a double disc album & call it something like "The evolution of U2 live: studio versions gone from good to great." Yeah, that's a long title, but so are their last two albums.
It's pretty well known here at Interference that U2 have constantly evolved certain songs, into much better songs over time. Some great hits were made into classics, and other good songs were made great. Some of the songs people may have dismissed after hearing the original studio version could potentially be pretty big hits if some of the live evolutions were captured in the studio. This would NOT be the lame attempt to rework "failed" songs from POP. Also, not all the usual "hits" would be included...only where live versions evolved into better songs than the original. For this list, I'm skipping right to UF, as the earlier albums sound like they could have been recorded live, except for OOC from Slane Castle. Here is an example of what I'm thinking, and I think it could potentially sell very well as an album, and produce several hit singles:
Disk 1
Out of Control (Slane, Any Elevation Show, etc.)
Bad (Chicago May 7=incredible; Elevation "w/ordinary addictions")
A Sort of Homecoming (WAIA EP, several others)
Streets (combine POPMART with Elevation versions)
Running to Stand Still (Zoo TV from Sydney)
Bullet the Blue Sky (Funked up POPMART w/best Edge Solo)
Angel of Harlem (Slane Castle took it up a notch)
All I want is You (Beautiful song but even better live)
One (more Edge guitar, extra lyrics at the end, many options)
Mysterious Ways (Edge's screaming solo, extended w/more lyrics)
Love is Blindness (Genius Edge Guitar in video version on Numb)
Acrobat (never heard it live, but turn Edge loose on new version)
The Fly (Elevation slow build falsetto, Vertigo guitar reverb, solo)
Disc 2
The Wanderer (Let Bono sing it)
Discoteqhue (POPMART Version)
MOFO (POPMART Version)
If God will Send His Angels (Single version w/extended lyrics)
Please (Single version with better "build-up" of live version)
Kite (change last verse to repeat of "salt in the sea" repeat)
In a Little While (Several incredible versions from Elevation Tour)
New York (Take most rockin' version from Elevation Tour)
POE/Walk On (Tribute to Hero's version perfect w/POE intro)
Love & Peace (Same as above but from Vertigo Tour)
COBL (Magical live...capture that in the studio)
OOTS (Take Milan II version with Orchestra and Edge's guitar sig)
Miss Sarajevo (Again, Milan II, where Bono sung and HIT the opera notes)
I'm not looking for an argument...this is just something I've noticed more and more since AB. Many U2 songs just take on new life over the years, while others don't come off very well live or simply can't be improved on live IMO. WOWY, even with the "shining stars" part and extra lyrics at Slane...it's just so great as an original, even though it's a live favorite. Same with Pride INOL, but studio version actually sounds better. While these two hits bring a lot of energy in a live setting, I don't think they've really evolved into something much better than the original version, and high energy w/crowds singing along don't belong in the studio anyway. 40 is another perfect example.
Anyway, comments welcome, as the list of songs that U2 have taken to a new level live is very long. Plus, I've only heard live versions of properly released concert videos and maybe 20 bootlegs. I'm sure there are a lot more versions of these songs, and others, that blow away the original studio versions. Perhaps U2 doesn't release this the "normal" way, but offers it online only for fanclub members here, at U2.com, @U2, and maybe one or two more. Anyway, every U2 fan has their own special wish from U2...this just happens to be mine.
