Mercy - Update - News on "Mercy" 03/09

[bonocomet]

Can you read these online anywhere? I never heard of this before.

I don't know if the liner notes are on line anywhere. They came as a pdf file with The Complete U2. Most of the liner notes were written by Bill Flanagan, but some of the sections were by Edge including The Unreleased and Rare section.

I took a screen shot of it here, sorry I didn't know how else to post it.

Maybe I could put the complete notes in a file and upload? I'll check on that.

 

[lazarus]

That was a nice little read, thanks!

 

[U2girl]

Interesting. So those Bomb songs are in fact Chris Thomas productions.

 

[gweeps]

Flower Child sounds complete.

 

[ktrivedi]

Can anyone send me a copy of Mercy? ktrivedi70@hotmail.com. Thanks.

 

[Silence]

Thnx Comet

 

[Bonovox2]

Does anyone have a downloadable format so I can jam to in the car??

jsmekiv@aol.com

Thanks.

Bonovox2

 

[zoocarolina]

I just started some trouble in another thread bc I honestly think Magnificent is a reworked Mercy based on some of the lyrics and overall concept ...

 

[gweeps]

I just started some trouble in another thread bc I honestly think Magnificent is a reworked Mercy based on some of the lyrics and overall concept ...

The two songs sound completely different.

Bono carries themes to other songs all the time.

 

[zoocarolina]

The two songs sound completely different.

Bono carries themes to other songs all the time.

True, but I think both originated from the same place and this song is an evolved Mercy, sort of what I think Mercy hoped to be...

 

[MagooUK]

maybe it'll be the single for the Best Of 2000-2010

I'd love that. Fantastic song.

 

[nirniva]

Does anyone remember the thread where I threatened to leak it to the radio stations unless U2 agreed to give it a release?

That was fun.

Wasn't around at the time, but that sounds awesome.

 

[Zoocoustic]

Mercy is a gem for the hardcore U2 fans. As far as I'm concerned, best song of the 00's other than Beautiful Day. We won't ever see it on any albums or "best of" compilation. Perhaps after they've retired on some massive box set, but not before then.

 

[icebergy]

Get over it People Mercy would NOT! have fit on NLOTH

In my opinion mercy is a good song but is in the Atuclb and Htdaab era in song writing. Nloth is a dark layered album where mercy is a four piece rock session an i dont think it would have fit

 

[The_acrobat]

Agreed. My advice: just make Mercy track 13 on HTDAAB on your itunes, and just pretend it's supposed to be on that album. It's actually a good album closer.

 

[Popmart Shopper]

I think Mercy would have been better at the end of HTDAAB more so than this album but Whoa NLOTH would seriously give Achtung Baby a run for its money if track 12 was MERCY!

 

[pacemaker]

I just wish we had an official version of Mercy. As much as it gets talked about around here, I can barely listen to it because of the bootleg sound quality of it.

Unless there's a few versions out there and I have the shitty one?

 

[Sleep Over Jack]

I think it would have fitted, maybe as track 5?

 

[MMP]

Glad and I hope they never release this officially.

 

[Popmart Shopper]

I just wish we had an official version of Mercy. As much as it gets talked about around here, I can barely listen to it because of the bootleg sound quality of it.

Unless there's a few versions out there and I have the shitty one?

You Tube has a decent version.

 

[gweeps]

"What's the use of religion if you're any good?"

Love this line.

 

[Niceman]

Agreed. My advice: just make Mercy track 13 on HTDAAB on your itunes, and just pretend it's supposed to be on that album. It's actually a good album closer.

I've been doing this since 2004. I mean, the lyrics are even in the HTDAAB book!

They should just include it there on the remaster.

Oh, and the album works even better as 14 tracks with Are you Gonna Wait Forever in-between Fast Cars and Mercy.

 

[lazarus]

Was this thread really necessary?

There was already a decent thread on the main EYKIW.

Try using the search engine, especially when creating something just to bash fans of the song. It's also not "just" a four-piece song, it's just as dense as some of the material on AB.

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

I think it would have fitted perfectly since it doesn't have a very traditional songwritting style and it's like Bad, which is on TUF and NLOTH resambles that album a little. They could have changed it a bit and made it more like the others but I think it would have made the album a whole lot stronger and deeper.

 

[ndmaxfield]

I've posted this 20 or so times since last Summer, but I believe the song in this clip from U2.com is the reworked Mercy (which, I hope, we shall see very soon).

http://media.u2.com/flash/highlights/larryinstudio.swf

 

[lazarus]

I don't hear that at all.

 

[GretzkyU2Yanks]

Mercy not included on the new u2.com membership bonus CD. which basically has all the rarities from the complete U2.

I think this means there are potential plans for it, or maybe Im being too hopeful.

 

[Galeongirl]

I don't think it means any potential plans. It's just another regular fuckup of U2.com, as usual.

U2 doesn't acknowledge Mercy as a song like we do. It's just a leftover for them.

 

[GretzkyU2Yanks]

I dont believe its 'just' a leftover.

all these songs are leftovers and theyve been included:

Levitate
Love You Like Mad
Smile
Flower Child

Mercy was closer to being included on an album than any of those songs. So the band must think its as good as these songs, so why wouldnt it be lumped in with those songs if they didnt have hope for it to be something someday??

not that Im ever expecting it to be released on an album at this point, but the fact that its not included with these songs, means to me that the band thinks there is something still there. Im sure they have tons of songs like this that we dont even know about. Too good to be a bside at the time, not working quite right to be on the album and then its forgotten.

 

[gareth brown]

yeah, if it wasn't THAT good it probably would've been thrown out with the other iTunes songs. I'd love it if somewhere down the line all these unreleased tracks like Mercy were released, there's obviously the risk that it'd just ruin it for some people all these unfinished/unreleased things coming out but for some hardcore people it'd be great