MrPryck2U
ONE love, blood, life
Holy Joe was never released as a single but was a B Side on the Discotheque single.
Naturally, U2 baffled all when they chose to perform Holy Joe live at a KMart in NYC announcing the tour.
Pop 25th Anniversary Thread... What do you want?
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Holy Joe was never released as a single but was a B Side on the Discotheque single.
Naturally, U2 baffled all when they chose to perform Holy Joe live at a KMart in NYC announcing the tour.
pacemaker
Refugee
While we're on the subject...
The most notable thing about this performance, surely, is that it may be one of the final public appearances of The Edge's naked head.
Also, I'm just now noticing that they're performing NEXT to the LINGERIE section, and IN the POP GROUP section.
Jeez this is bad.
cobl04
45:33
Every song on Pop is at least an 8/10. If God Will Send His Angels is probably my least favourite, but there's enough going on musically and lyrically to keep it interesting. Miami is a fucking belter.
fun fact - the k-mart closed and will soon be a Wegmans. Which is better.
womanfish
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
Just saw a quote on U2start's IG, Said that Howie B came into the room where the band was all sitting getting ready to eat, and he said, you gotta fucking listen to this, He played his mix of Miami at full volume and the band went nuts, saying said what the fuck have you done?!? They loved it and it went on the album.
Please more moments like this from the band!!!
pacemaker
Refugee
That's likely taken from one of my favorite articles of all time:
https://u2-stage-and-studio.tripod.com/id101.html
EDIT* maybe not this article - I can't find that quip right now - but the link is still worth a click and a read
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fixed
ImOuttaControl
Refugee
I've loved the Garage Mix of Holy Joe since I first heard it, though it's too raw and wouldn't fit very well on POP. To me it has the same rawness as the early version of All Because of You, Xanax and Wine and Native Son.
Hollow Island
New Yorker
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Holy Joe Guilty Mix is better than half of Pop. Add that and I'm Not Your Baby (skysplitter dub), drop If God & Playboy, rejig the order, and you have a stronger, darker, more cohesive album. If God...always sounded like a "we need a song that sounds like U2" song to me.
Irvine511
Blue Crack Supplier
I distinctly remember Bono saying, “this is the b-side” before they played it, as I skipped class to watch them on mtv at the time.
I think they had to have something new to play, and that was what they could play. It took them a while to figure out Discotheque.
It’s this kind of not-thought-through-ness that makes me believe their stories about Pop being rushed. They were trying to comment on the extreme commodification of art, how all music eventually winds up in the discount bin, but it just wound up cheapening them and the album … kind of similar to what the Apple thing did, only on a smaller scale.
Got to credit them for always swinging for the fences. When it works, we get JTa sun Zoo TV and the Super Bowl performance and i/e. And when it doesn’t, it’s so cringe, like “… we’re stealing it back” and the Apple thing and playing on a barge to no one except the Statue of Liberty and this.
DaveC
Blue Crack Addict
they could have easily played staring at the sun, especially considering it was scheduled for a single release. it's not a complex song. my high school band that lasted a month could play it and sound decent.
i actually like holy joe as a fun b-side, but playing that song in that situation was a crazy choice. i truly think that at that point they thought they were untouchable and their shit didn't stink. it was neither the first nor the last time that the band acted that way.
Interesting. yeah I can't picture where it would have fit on the album.
I must have skipped class too (I was a Jr. in high school), because I distinctly remember watching it live. The tour announcement was huge news here because they announced a Salt Lake PopMart date and they hadn't been here since the War tour in '83. One of the few PopMart shows in the US they actually sold out.
Bang.
They were able to come back from this one because they were still fairly young and the olds weren't that old yet and the youngs just kinda shrugged and forgot about the whole Pop thing anyway.
They weren't able to come back from the apple mess because they were old and the other olds are old and spend their days listening to fucking baby shark and the encanto soundtrack whole the youngs were all how bout no boomers but ironically the supadupa youngs now like songs from the Joshua tree because a lion and a fucking hedgehog sang them.
AndrewCowley
Refugee
Did you ever hear SATS from the opening show of the PopMart tour? An embarrassing and bumbling mess. They even stopped and restarted it, not that doing so helped.
pacemaker
Refugee
Albums That Should Exist: U2
I haven't listened to this tracklisting, but they took an interesting approach to "trim the fat". I love blogs like this that piece together alternate (histories of) albums. The available material for Pop isn't as exciting as, say, a "lost" Traveling Wilburys or Pink Floyd album. Whether via official release or leak, hopefully one day we get access to more.
I also remembered that I was able to restore my Complete U2 to my iTunes recently, so I'm going to go back through and listen to the various edits and mixes from the era.
I haven't listened to this tracklisting, but they took an interesting approach to "trim the fat". I love blogs like this that piece together alternate (histories of) albums. The available material for Pop isn't as exciting as, say, a "lost" Traveling Wilburys or Pink Floyd album. Whether via official release or leak, hopefully one day we get access to more.
I also remembered that I was able to restore my Complete U2 to my iTunes recently, so I'm going to go back through and listen to the various edits and mixes from the era.
OP
OP
ascender_RS
Refugee
Some of those early shows were real car crashes but make for interesting listening. I still find it baffling as to how much rehearsal time this band need at times - its another subject that's been done to death on here when it comes to how static their setlist is and how they very rarely seem to go off piste. I guess its the perfectionist in them again.
Pop rocks from start to finish. I also add in a couple of the B sides to my Pop playlist, but even in a song like IGWSHA, there's lots going on in the mix to keep you interested.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
As soon as he said he was tampering with the album version of Wake Up Dead Man, I grew very skeptical. I don't think Velvet Dress needs work, either. It sounds SO good on the album, a unique atmosphere.
And doing a hatchet job on an album without changing the track order at all, or thinking about B-sides (North and South of the River is a no-brainer addition), is odd.
zoopop
Rock n' Roll Doggie
For the time Popmart was a mega show (still is today). In 1997 going to the show and seeing that setup and let alone playing on it was such a undertaking I'm sure. The timeline for them was a mess:
POP was to come out Fall 1996: The most expensive/produced tour ever was booked & ready to roll out but the lead single or album wasn't ready
January 1996: Discotheque hits the airwaves. And the album is still not finished.
Feb 1997: Popmart Press Conference. Mega Tour is announced. Tickets go onsale. Big news and its all over radio/MTV/VH1. Album still not out but we do have a press conference
March 1997: Pop is released. SATS is released.
April 25th 1997: Opening night of tour and they stumble out of the gate
There was no time for promotion as they had to go straight to rehearsal and even then they tried to play 10 songs (most ever I think) from POP. As for Holy Joe being played live I think they just wanted something simple to play without the full band setup. The stage area looked really small.
If U2 had the 2nd leg & beyond show on opening night they would have been talk of the rock scene in the late 90s.
mikal
Blue Crack Addict
I think for the masses at least, the fact that they screwed up 2 songs on opening night wasn't really that damaging. It's more that the album just didn't really take off like Achtung Baby did. It didn't have a "One" or "Mysterious Ways" that was all over the radio. Public mindset shifted too. They accepted the ridiculous, over the top Bono in 1992. 5 years had past, other fads were big, and all of a sudden you had a short haired Bono talking about hip hop and techno, and it just didn't stick.
I love Pop and it will always be in my top 3 U2 albums, but I get why it flopped.
zoopop
Rock n' Roll Doggie
I was at the Las Vegas show and SATS was a screw up the crowd was pretty forgiving. The 2nd start was fine.
I remember Bono stopped it and got on Larry. Funny how the best live versions of POP songs that night were DYFL, Angels, & Miami.....which were all dropped later on.
I remember Bono stopped it and got on Larry. Funny how the best live versions of POP songs that night were DYFL, Angels, & Miami.....which were all dropped later on.
cobl04
45:33
This cunt prefers the shitty, truncated, boring acoustic version of WUDM over the iiiincredible gut-wrenching metallic album version?
womanfish
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
Yeah, reading the POP part got me fuming. It's bad enough when someone says, "I liked all their albums until POP". I'm not really sure how you can love AB, and Zooropa and not love POP, other than you are someone that lets critics dictate your opinion.
Anyway, the method of "fixing" the album by pretty much just shortening the songs? I mean, they are 4 to 5 minute songs, mofo almost 6, but every second of it is wonderful.
And then came the WUDM part. Oh my god. Seriously, the greatness of this song, the exquisite and perfect bookend to the 90's trilogy of excellence, and you want to use a little snippet? Fuck right off.
mikal
Blue Crack Addict
Yeah the only thing I'd maybe switch is replacing "If God Will Send His Angels" with "North and South Of The River" but that's even a stretch. I'd be fine making room for both.
And I would have made "Mofo" the lead single.
And I would have made "Mofo" the lead single.
the tourist
Blue Crack Addict
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- 27,919
I feel like maybe I’m in the minority on here, but I don’t really care for North and South of the River. One of my least favorite songs of the era. I’d replace Last Night On Earth and Please with the single version, remove If God Will Send His Angels, and slightly modify the order. And add Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me if I’m not only pulling songs from those sessions.
01 Discotheque
02 Do You Feel Loved
03 Mofo
04 Miami
05 The Playboy Mansion
06 If You Wear That Velvet Dress
07 Last Night On Earth (single version)
08 Staring At The Sun
09 Gone
10 Please (single version)
11 Wake Up Dead Man
Those changes alone make me like it even more, and I don’t dislike it by any stretch of the imagination as is.
01 Discotheque
02 Do You Feel Loved
03 Mofo
04 Miami
05 The Playboy Mansion
06 If You Wear That Velvet Dress
07 Last Night On Earth (single version)
08 Staring At The Sun
09 Gone
10 Please (single version)
11 Wake Up Dead Man
Those changes alone make me like it even more, and I don’t dislike it by any stretch of the imagination as is.
ImOuttaControl
Refugee
This. 95%. I love the album, but I would keep the single version of IGWSHA, Single version of LNOE and Please. In a perfect world, have Miami "finished" more like the live version. Perfection!
North and South of the River- Not a bad song, but I don't think it fits. (I think it would have fit ATYCLB nicely--in place of Peace on Earth. I'm perfectly fine with it being a rarity, non album track though. In particular I love the live version:
mikal
Blue Crack Addict
You bring up a good point bout the live version.
The only thing I wish is that a couple of the tracks sounded a bit more like the live versions:
- Please
- LNOE Outro
- Miami
pacemaker
Refugee
A few stray observations (after listening again on the final leg of a move I’ve been trying to make for three years):
- the tambourine work on DYFL and IGWSHA is amazing. Also the hi-hat in the right channel throughout most of Playboy Mansion rules.
- the shabbiness of how this record is really something special… there’s a lot of weird timing and off kilter performances for a record built around drum loops and sequencers. Also, there’s mic popping in Velvet Dress and WUDM (at the very least). Whether by design or necessity, they went for performance and feel as opposed to perfection.
- Miami through WUDM is kind of an insane run of songs, second only to the final 3 on Achtung Baby
… aaaaaand
- Staring at the Sun might actually be the worst song on the record (though, speaking of shabbiness/ timing issues… it shines in those departments)
- the tambourine work on DYFL and IGWSHA is amazing. Also the hi-hat in the right channel throughout most of Playboy Mansion rules.
- the shabbiness of how this record is really something special… there’s a lot of weird timing and off kilter performances for a record built around drum loops and sequencers. Also, there’s mic popping in Velvet Dress and WUDM (at the very least). Whether by design or necessity, they went for performance and feel as opposed to perfection.
- Miami through WUDM is kind of an insane run of songs, second only to the final 3 on Achtung Baby
… aaaaaand
- Staring at the Sun might actually be the worst song on the record (though, speaking of shabbiness/ timing issues… it shines in those departments)
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
I always felt SATS was the weakest track as well, in no small part because it’s the least adventurous. The breakdown section is cool but the rest is 90s U2 on autopilot trying to be Oasis. Not a bad or skippable track, just my least fav.
I also disagree with studio NASOTR not fitting. It sure does sonically, and complements Please thematically. But i’m a more-is-more guy who would also throw I’m Not Your Baby on there too. A sonic feast that also has some blistering guitar work.
I also disagree with studio NASOTR not fitting. It sure does sonically, and complements Please thematically. But i’m a more-is-more guy who would also throw I’m Not Your Baby on there too. A sonic feast that also has some blistering guitar work.
mikal
Blue Crack Addict
Such an underrated track from that decade.
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