I have a theory.

[cobl04]

Just thinking about this as I was walking home from school and wanted to know what you guys think.

My theory is as to why Mercy was left off the album. The obvious reason is it probably wasn't finished or refined. But my theory is that you can't have two standout/epic/massive/dramatic songs on one album. In my opinion the standout/epic/massive/dramatic from the albums I own are -

War - Sunday Bloody Sunday
The Unforgettable Fire - Bad
The Joshua Tree - Where The Streets Have No Name
Achtung Baby - One
ATYCLB - Kite
HTDAAB - City of Blinding Lights

Now, you can either have one standout/epic/massive/dramatic on an album or you can have an even album with no standout. This is where JT and AB differ. AB is more even, while JT has the epic Streets.

I think Mercy could have been left off the album because it too is quite standout/epic/massive/dramatic and you already have that track in COBL.

So in conclusion - you either an album with one standout/epic/massive/dramatic track and the rest a fair bit worse or you have an album with no standout/epic/massive/dramatic track and the album has good, even songs.

What do you think?

 

[mobvok]

But my theory is that you can't have two standout/epic/massive/dramatic songs on one album.

Edited for hopefully the last time.

If you're saying that having a great song makes the other songs worse by comparison, then that's a risk I'm willing to take.

 

[U2DMfan]

It was just too long, no big conspiracy theory


article quoted:

"We're not fully agreed on what to do here," Bono explains, "so maybe you should vote, too."

The problem, if it can be called that, lies in the album's running order. After numerous attempts, U2 have yet to find a satisfactory flow, leading them to believe that there may be too many songs. So, right now, they must decide which tunes should be sacrificed.

As it stands, the album is three seconds shy of an hour and, as Bono says, "too much of a good thing is a bad thing," so drastic measures need to be taken.

"I have a theory," Mullen begins, and a reverential silence descends as the drummer -- traditionally the first band member to be shouted down in these situations -- states his case. After just five minutes, it has been unanimously decided that the track "Mercy," a six-and-a-half-minute outpouring of U2 at its most uninhibitedly U2-ish, must go.

Hence a song that any self-respecting band would be proud to call a single becomes what Bono immediately anoints "the best B-side you've ever heard."

Later, another more experimental candidate entitled "Fast Cars" ("an Irish/Mexican vibe") gets evicted, and the album becomes a lean and lithe 11 tracks.

taken from BLender Magazine article "Walk on Water"

 

[Chizip]

taken from the little book that came with the super duper deluxe version of HTDAAB there was a sketch that made it look like the tracklisting was originally going to be:

Vertigo
Miracle Drug
Sometimes
Love and Peace
City of Blinding Lights
Mercy
Man and a Woman
One Step Closer
All Because of You
Original of the Species
Yahweh

 

[nickypiemcg]

Just thinking about this as I was walking home from school and wanted to know what you guys think.

My theory is as to why Mercy was left off the album. The obvious reason is it probably wasn't finished or refined. But my theory is that you can't have two standout/epic/massive/dramatic songs on one album. In my opinion the standout/epic/massive/dramatic from the albums I own are -

War - Sunday Bloody Sunday
The Unforgettable Fire - Bad
The Joshua Tree - Where The Streets Have No Name
Achtung Baby - One
ATYCLB - Kite
HTDAAB - City of Blinding Lights

Now, you can either have one standout/epic/massive/dramatic on an album or you can have an even album with no standout. This is where JT and AB differ. AB is more even, while JT has the epic Streets.

I think Mercy could have been left off the album because it too is quite standout/epic/massive/dramatic and you already have that track in COBL.

So in conclusion - you either an album with one standout/epic/massive/dramatic track and the rest a fair bit worse or you have an album with no standout/epic/massive/dramatic track and the album has good, even songs.

What do you think?

I don't think that is the reason at all. For a kickoff I would class WOWY as standout and epic. Do you realise that you're saying they left mercy off the album because it is standout? Do you not think that sounds kind of silly? Especially as HTDAAB and ATYCLB are albums full of singles

 

[Ellay]

Personally I wouldn't count One or Kite as 'epics' but I see where you're kinda coming from. (i would consider zoo station and walk on as the epics on AB and ATYCLB)

You missed out 'Zooropa' on zooropa.

and perhaps Please would have been the epic on Pop, had it been finished.

 

[starvinmarvin]

I don't know what Mercy's fate will be. Nobody knows, probably the band included. I mean, anyone who's heard it will tell you that the song is special, but I can also see why they left it off HTDAAB - it doesn't fit in with the "let's make every song a potential is single" vibe on HTDAAB. I know Bono called Mercy "the best B-side you've ever heard," but it hasn't been a B-side yet and wasn't on the Itunes rare collection, so what's the story here? I suspect that they're saving it for the next album. It's way too good to throw away as a b-side, or to lock it in a vault somewhere, and although it's not a potential hit, it needs to be showcased properly on an album. The version of Mercy that got leaked doesn't sound like it is mixed or mastered properly, so either it is an early version of the song or else the band will re-record it again to polish it up. I have a feeling that Mercy will be indicative of the next album's sound, which will find U2 continue in "guitar rock" mode once again, but the structure of the songs will be more epic in scope, and there won't be such a determined effort to write catchy pop singles.

Just as a side note, does anyone else here feel that Mercy sounds like lost Pete Townshend song. The guitar work is similar to his playing, and when Bono goes for the high notes in the chorus I swear it sounds ALOT like a younger Roger Daltrey.

 

[namkcuR]

I don't know if I buy the thing about the album being too long with it. That article says it was 59:57. I made a playlist with all thirteen songs in it in Winamp and it was 59:35. Accurate enough. But what I don't get is that that's not much longer than several other U2 records.

Achtung Baby clocks in at 55:23.
Pop exceeds this hypothetical Bomb's running time at 1:00:05.

Those are U2's longest records, I think, with the exception of R&H.

ATYCLB is 53:04, which amazingly is exactly the same as the real Bomb's running time. But this is ATYCLB w/GBFG and Bomb w/Fast Cars. Without the extra tracks, they might dip under 50.

U2 have shown several times that they don't mind releasing lengthier records, so why now? If you have 80 minutes on a CD, why cut it off at 50 or 55 when you have more perfectly good songs to put on and more than enough space left on the CD to do it with? Is there any justifiable reason for this?

I would think that after waiting for over four years for this record, that the fans, I mean the real fans, wouldn't mind having 13 tracks instead of the typical 11 *gasp*.

Is there anything genuinely wrong with an hour long record with this running order?

Vertigo
Miracle Drug
Sometimes
Love And Peace Or Else
City Of Blinding Lights
Mercy
All Because Of You
A Man And A Woman
Fast Cars
Crumbs From Your Table
One Step Closer
Original Of The Species
Yahweh

 

[Swan269]

Mercy=COBL,Bad, and Miracle Drug

 

[Joshua87]

Just as a side note, does anyone else here feel that Mercy sounds like lost Pete Townshend song. The guitar work is similar to his playing, and when Bono goes for the high notes in the chorus I swear it sounds ALOT like a younger Roger Daltrey. [/B]

Yes, I would have to completely agree. I always thought both the bands styles were very similar (no coincidence the who is my second favorite band). Townshend was much like the edge in the fact that he wasnt a blues soloist and was fabulous at writing melodies, using technology, and maximizing his use of few notes. As for Bono/RD, Im not quite sure about that one lol, maybe ill have to pay a little more attention to it. But they are similar in having the same power, range, etc.

 

[Miricale_Drug]

Is there anything genuinely wrong with an hour long record with this running order?

Vertigo
Miracle Drug
Sometimes
Love And Peace Or Else
City Of Blinding Lights
Mercy
All Because Of You
A Man And A Woman
Fast Cars
Crumbs From Your Table
One Step Closer
Original Of The Species
Yahweh

There is no Vertigo Rerprise. When burning a copy of HTDAAB for a friend, as a joke i put on Vertigo II and he htought it was genuine ( i used the single mix)

 

[namkcuR]

There is no Vertigo Rerprise. When burning a copy of HTDAAB for a friend, as a joke i put on Vertigo II and he htought it was genuine ( i used the single mix)

There's a single mix? I thought the single was identical to the album version?

 

[starvinmarvin]

Yes, I would have to completely agree. I always thought both the bands styles were very similar (no coincidence the who is my second favorite band). Townshend was much like the edge in the fact that he wasnt a blues soloist and was fabulous at writing melodies, using technology, and maximizing his use of few notes. As for Bono/RD, Im not quite sure about that one lol, maybe ill have to pay a little more attention to it. But they are similar in having the same power, range, etc.

Hey, I love the Who too, especially Townshend's playing. I completely agree that Pete and Edge have a really similar approach to the guitar, and that they are both pioneers when it comes to exploring new technologies.

They're your second favorite band? They're probably my third fave (behind Beatles, Stones). U2 is my fourth favorite band, although they might be creeping up the list since I saw them in April. I'm on a real U2 kick now, so who knows - they might end up being second....noone will ever touch the Beatles though

PsS .I think that the chorus/bridge for All Because of You sounds like vintage Who too.

 

[starvinmarvin]

There's a single mix? I thought the single was identical to the album version?

Yes, I'm not sure what the exact "name" for the mix is though (I don't have an mp3 of it). Do you have the bonus DVD that was shipped with HTDAAB? There is an alternate "studio" video of Vertigo on it that uses that mix. It's not much different than the album mix, and inferior IMO, but its OK

 

[thrillme]

"After just five minutes, it has been unanimously decided that the track 'Mercy,' a six-and-a-half-minute outpouring of U2 at its most uninhibitedly U2-ish, must go."

U2 at its most uninhibitedly U2-ish?

Wouldn't that "Atomic Bomb" an even bigger sellout, as some people claim?

 

[popacrobat]

Yes, I'm not sure what the exact "name" for the mix is though (I don't have an mp3 of it). Do you have the bonus DVD that was shipped with HTDAAB? There is an alternate "studio" video of Vertigo on it that uses that mix. It's not much different than the album mix, and inferior IMO, but its OK

are you talking about the banjo mix? lol.

or just the one when they were in the studio playing?

there is no "single mix" of it though

 

[Aardvark747]

are you talking about the banjo mix? lol.

Banjo mix...

 

[starvinmarvin]

Yeah, the banjo mix is funny, but the alternate Vertigo video on the DVD does have a slightly different mix.

 

[alh77]

I think it's a Jacknife Lee mix

 

[SpaceBoy]

The mix on the DVD has just a tad of different guitar at the end instead of the jacknife lee synths.

 

[U2girl]

It doesn't fit with the rest of the album lyrically or musically, neither does Fast cars and most U2 albums have 11 songs anyway.

Despite the best B-side comment from Bono, it hasn't appeared on any singles yet - I'm thinking it will appear on (one of) the next album(s).

 

[AtomicBono]

Is there anything genuinely wrong with an hour long record with this running order?

Vertigo
Miracle Drug
Sometimes
Love And Peace Or Else
City Of Blinding Lights
Mercy
All Because Of You
A Man And A Woman
Fast Cars
Crumbs From Your Table
One Step Closer
Original Of The Species
Yahweh

Yes there is...you put Mercy in the middle of the fuckin' album. If it went on HTDAAB at all, it would have to end it. I mean really, what could follow it? Then again Bad was smack dab in the middle of UF... but with HTDAAB I can't just stick Mercy in the middle.

I'm thinking they cut the song because it doesn't quite match with the HTDAAB sound... hopefully like starvinmarvin said it is an indication of the direction U2 is headed in!

 

[Miricale_Drug]

Vertigo DOES have a single mix:

Its 3:11

and the stereo sound is diffrent. Its much more mono-esque

 

[the tourist]

It's gonna be just like Slow Dancing.... Willie Nelson's gonna sing it for a b-side.

 

[Sleep Over Jack]

I have a feeling that Mercy will be indicative of the next album's sound, which will find U2 continue in "guitar rock" mode once again, but the structure of the songs will be more epic in scope.

I agree with this...the next album will be more guitar-driven (hopefully a LOT of guitars - a Bono interview from 2004 states that he had loads of great riffs and hooks for 'Bomb, but they took a different direction eventually) but with greater creative ambition and like you say, more epic and expansive. We have to remember that although HTDAAB didn't end up a "dragon" it still had more guitar than ATYCLB...so I hope the next one will up the ante again, but to a higher level.

 

[the tourist]

Mercy -- U2's most overrated song!

 

[the tourist]

Even more overrated than One....

 

[Axver]

Even more overrated than One....

On this forum: Mercy. In general: One.

 

[the tourist]

On this forum: Mercy. In general: One.

I stand corrected.

 

[U2DMfan]

If you think Miracle Drug is vintage U2, I can see why you may not get it.