A Celebration Appreciation Thread!!!

[An Cat Gav]

When i first became a U2 fanatic in 1987 i read and read so much about them, I bought all their albums, videos etc read all i could. I kept hearing about this track, A Celebration.
I couldnt find it anywhere, I heard so many great things about it, it attained an almost mythical status in my mind.
Then finally on BBC Radio 1 they played a documentary called the rise and rise of U2 and low and behold, they played A celebration.
The sound just exploded in my head!! It was far better than I'd imagined. SO raw and powerful, the guitar riff is one of the Edge's best ever. A nice departure from October and introduction to War.
I think A Celebration is an almost perfect creation.
I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[hcbiggs2002]

A Celebration is also one of my favourite U2 songs too! Infact I love it so much that I've posted the video on myspace web page!
But for those of you who haven't seen it, check it out here:-

http://s8.photobucket.com/albums/a40/MsBonou2/?action=view&current=U2-ACelebration.flv

 

[An Cat Gav]

Oh yes!!
I forgot to mention that it also has one of the most amazing videos of all time!
Check out those Red Trousers Bono's wearing, Adams perm, horse racing tinker kids AND those space age state of the art effects!!
Seriously though, I love the video as much as I love the song!!

 

[Bonochick]

This song is great! I like to put it on mix CDs for people.

 

[hcbiggs2002]

I've always wondered what the whole 'concept' of the video was!?! Apart from lowest budget possible, and who on earth picked those red trousers for Bono to wear?!? Bet he wouldn't be seen dead in them now!?! But you gotta love it, eh!! There's a true greatness in this song, the sound of things to come!!

 

[ponkine]

I'm in love with that song, damn it, U2 knew how to ROCK in the early days

I saw the video for the first time a long time ago, when (I have to admit) I knew just a bit about the early days, you know, I Will Follow, Sunday Bloody Sunday, New Year's Day and no more than that

After watching and listening to this song I started to get into the early albums. I discovered wonderful stuff in Gloria, The Electric Co, Surrender, Out Of Control, etc, etc

It's such a pity U2 are clearly ashamed of October and post October days They didn't even include Gloria on The Best of 1980-1990 and it's quite possible when they release it on DVD they`ll include some other videos like In God's Country, Red Hill Mining Town, God Part II, etc ... but no Gloria, Two Hearts Beat As One, A Celebration, etc

 

[neutral]

I've always wondered what the whole 'concept' of the video was!?! Apart from lowest budget possible,

I bet that had a lot to do with it. I do love the song though, and the video is hilarious.

 

[gman]

Al join the A Celebration Appreciation society too pls.
I rekon that is u2s best attempt at an old fasioned 45 pop record!
I remember this record being something akin to the holy grail in first half of 80s, certainly where i live. Then I got my copy on 7" vinyl. Still got it at my dads. Except he has dissowned me so it may well be binned along wi all my substantial u2 vinyl collection including many harder to get items. GAWD i hpe not.

 

[An Cat Gav]

I'm in love with that song, damn it, U2 knew how to ROCK in the early days

I saw the video for the first time a long time ago, when (I have to admit) I knew just a bit about the early days, you know, I Will Follow, Sunday Bloody Sunday, New Year's Day and no more than that

After watching and listening to this song I started to get into the early albums. I discovered wonderful stuff in Gloria, The Electric Co, Surrender, Out Of Control, etc, etc

It's such a pity U2 are clearly ashamed of October and post October days They didn't even include Gloria on The Best of 1980-1990 and it's quite possible when they release it on DVD they`ll include some other videos like In God's Country, Red Hill Mining Town, God Part II, etc ... but no Gloria, Two Hearts Beat As One, A Celebration, etc

Sad but true, the videos to Gloria, 2 hearts etc are absolutely fantastic, there was a great"live" version of Fire on top of the pops(UK) that i had on video, i bet that wont be on there either...

 

[Bono's shades]

I've been a fan for almost 20 years, but I didn't hear A Celebration until about three or four years ago when VH1 Classic played the video in all its cheesy, low-rent glory. I love this song so much! It's pure adrenailine and Edge's guitar riff is so perfect. Unfortunately, U2 seems to have forgotten this song's existence.

 

[LMP]

U2 turning into beams of light at a prison

underrated song in every sense

 

[Hoodlem]

I must admit, A Celebration is one of my favorites from the early 80s. I tend to forget about it because it's not on an album. They really should bring this one back live. Never gonna happen though. Of course I would have said the same thing about ACD/ITH.

 

[salty72]

Most certainly one of my favorite U2 songs. I remember learning that the song and the video existed when I was a sophomore in high school. That summer(this was in 1988)USA Network had a late night music show called Night Flight. One night, Night Flight did a two hour special on U2. All they played were U2 videos and the 3rd video into the show was A Celebration. The narrator introduced the video as "the rarely seen clip, A Celebratioin". Fortunately I was prepared and was recording the 2 hour show and when Celebration came on, I went ape sh*t. I fell in love with the song right away and I watched the video over and over. It was from that evening that I started my quest to find the 7" single. It took me fours years of hunting, but in 1992 at a record show, I scored the single(along with a few others). One of the happiest days of my U2 collecting career. Still a kick-butt song IMO!!!

 

[Screwtape2]

I love this song too.
The video is pretty funny. My favorite part is when Adam and Larry come out of the door/ vortex thing. That part looks like something out of Ghostbusters. They probably spent most of thier budget on that "special" effect.

 

[U2democrat]

Shake! Shake!

It's a great song. Hilarious video. I would like to see their reactions to watch it now


I wish it were more widely released.

 

[LMP]

i think larry had the master tapes to the video destroyed in a glorious backyard bonfire.

 

[U2democrat]

Thanks to this thread I now have A Celebration stuck in my head.

 

[craigp]

im writing this while a celebration is playing on repeat!!! i love this song and the rather cheesey video. i saw a performance of it on you tube while adam singing the "SHAKE! SHAKE!" part!! too bad u2 dont feel the same way as i do

 

[Cassandra]

A Celebration is the song that made me a U2 fan. I had heard songs from the first 2 albums, but AC really did it for me. I was disappointed when it didn't appear on any albums. It took me 15 years before I could get my hands on the song-I bought a 45 single from someone in 1995 at the very beginnings of the blue crack! Now the only copy I have is on a bootleg b-sides cd.
I still listen to the song at least once every couple of months especially when I get in a funky mood and listening to U2 will get me out of it.

And I remember that Night Flight U2 special too!

 

[ponkine]

WATCH THIS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBGXAov6dDY

where's the full concert, damn it?

 

[ponkine]

does anyone knows how to create a DVD?. I mean, I've found TONS of excellent stuff on on www.youtube.com (just search for example "U2 1981" or "U2 1982"). Extremely rare performances, TV shows I've never seen before, etc. Even the earliest known U2 gig (not TV performance) filmed, Belfast 1981, a rare alternate video ot Two Hearts Beat As One, etc

If someone could make something like U2 Anthology 1980-1983 DVD it would be GREAT

 

[bmgwd89]

A Celebration is indeed a great song, it is definitely one of my favorite songs from the early U2 period.

 

[Nisse]

Love the guitar riff, the lyrics are a bit lame but the actual music is in class with Gloria, IWF or NYD..

 

[martha]

This song has worked its way to #5 on my faves list. I used to only have a taped video of the song; nothing on vinyl or cd. Then a cerain someone burned me a copy. Now I have it forever.

 

[cobl04]

can someone send please?

thefonz_29@hotmail.com

 

[Screwtape2]

It was great live. I really wish they would bring it back into the set. This is the best live version of the song I've sense or heard:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP54yAtLF7o

 

[blueeyedgirl]

Big U2 regret not buying this single. I had the option to buy this as an import single in 1982, and was so outraged that it cost about $3.70 when a local single was all of $1.99 that I thought I'd buy it when it was released locally.

Of course, it never was

In my defence, I was a poor student and $3.70 was a lot!

 

[martha]

U2 hindsight can be painful.

 

[jmccuanu2]

I agree with many others on here, A Celebration I think is one of their best. It has that classic U2 sound, and personally I think the lyrics are just fine. I love the line, "I believe in the powers that be/But they won't overpower me."

Like one of the posters above said, the first time I heard this song was on Night Flight with the U2 special. Fortunately, I was recording it and still have the VHS tape to this day. And just to make sure I always had it, along with the tape I bought an album called KZEW Rare Rock Collection that has it on there, it was the only song I have purchased off of The Complete U2 from ITunes, and just last summer I bought a 45 rpm off of Ebay. No other song has inspired me to seek it out more than A Celebration.

The video is a bit cheesy, to be sure, but hey, the song is CLASSIC U2, and I really wish they would embrace it more. It is nothing to be ashamed of!! LONG LIVE A CELEBRATON!!

 

[Utoo]

WATCH THIS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBGXAov6dDY

where's the full concert, damn it?

Here's half an hour of it (remove the space):

http://www.mega upload.com/?d=ISO1B00K

It's from Hattem, May 14, 1982. I don't know if the whole show is circulating. If it is, I'd love to get it!

I love A Celebration---both the song and the video. I think one of the reasons it was never released is because it's so overly "pop," which the band were trying to avoid at the time. Still, a great song. It'd be awesome to hear it pop up live now and then.