Achtung Baby/Zooropa remasters CONFIRMED for Fall 2011 by Rolling Stone

[Catman]

Honestly, I don't think anyone can get me down on this release. A remastered Achtung and Zooropa? I'm picking this bad boy up day 1

 

[theedgeu2]

Honestly, I don't think anyone can get me down on this release. A remastered Achtung and Zooropa? I'm picking this bad boy up day 1

Same here. I can't wait for these and no matter what I'm going to get these. Even if the price is jacked, I think these'll be worth it.

 

[U2girl]

I hope they're separate remasters. Depending on the extras, I might be interested in AB.

 

[U2girl]

Is there anything inaccurate about what McGuiness said?

If people don't want it, people won't buy it, and prices will adjust themselves accordingly. I'm not convinced that any U2 fan needed the $120 Rose Bowl super-ultra-deluxe Blu-Ray box set. (I sure didn't -- I got the 2 disc DVD set, which suited me just fine; and I know that a number of people on this board benefited from LiveNation's $40 screw-up.) No one needed the $70 deluxe No Line on the Horizon box set either, or the $50 Joshua Tree box set, or the $50 Unforgettable Fire boxset. But people bought it -- and clearly, bought it enough to make it worthwhile for the band to continue. I'm not sure that McGuiness is being particularly controversial because he talks about the responsiveness of the audience to a particular price-point. Crass, maybe. But Rolling Stone is a magazine about the music business, for pity's sake.

McGuiness' job is to make sure his clients get paid the proper amount for the material they put out. I don't think anyone has yet complained about the quality of the remasters thus far; while they are clearly labors of love, a lot of work goes into them (the essays, the packaging, the remastering, finishing old outtakes). The label -- and, ultimately, the band -- accrues more cost by releasing different remasters at different price points, but doing so allows people to buy what they can afford. Better than that than forcing fans to only buy the $70 ultra-deluxe remaster.

It is, unfortunately, show business. Particularly in the music industry, particularly these days.

Shrug.

Good value for the money. That is the point Mc$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ is getting at.

The only deluxe/remaster I bought was JT. And it was worth it.

Looking at the input so far, so will AB.

 

[wolbersu2]

I hope they take a look on what Nirvana does with their 20th anniversary of Nevermind.... (4 audio cd's a dvd....)
Paul McGuinness cannot be trusted these days, so I'm just happy when an official releasedate appears....

 

[Galeongirl]

Honestly, I don't think anyone can get me down on this release. A remastered Achtung and Zooropa? I'm picking this bad boy up day 1

Same here!

 

[nielsgov]

That quote of McGuinness is extremely disrespectful to all fans.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

i just hope the bonus tracks are more than 100 remixes and two unreleased songs: one instrumental and another with new vocals.

Jesus Drove Me = sounds like some bad CCM metaphor

it's just proof jesus, take the wheel was ripped off u2's demo.

 

[canedge]

Honestly, I don't think anyone can get me down on this release. A remastered Achtung and Zooropa? I'm picking this bad boy up day 1

At the end of the day thats what matters

 

[canedge]

Mc$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

Why is this thread so hard on McGuiness? Its not like the band are innocents.

 

[nirniva]

They'd have to be crazy to not release AB and Zooropa separately. One would think a lot of casual fans don't really care about Zooropa, but would buy AB in a heartbeat.

 

[bicyclejoe]

What the hell would even be on Zooropa deluxe?

That's a question I really really really want a confirmed answer to.

Reading the article, it would appear the Zooropa remastered reissue would contain B-sides (slow dancing, etc) and might be part of a larger deluxe box set with Achtung.

 

[Steved1998]

I think $50 is reasonable for remasters like JT and TUF, which were just one album in each box. Since the AB remaster is two albums together, I think it would be reasonable to charge up to $70. I bought the mega version of NLOTH for about $65 and I don't think it was worth it for a big flat book, weird movie, and a creased poster, so I hope it's worth it if the AB-Z remaster costs more than that.

If it's more then 65-70 I'll just download it and buy it when the price comes down or there is a sale somewhere down the road. That's as high as I'm willing to go on something like that.

McG can kiss my ass if he wants to act like that

 

[nielsgov]

They'd have to be crazy to not release AB and Zooropa separately. One would think a lot of casual fans don't really care about Zooropa, but would buy AB in a heartbeat.

I hope/think you'll be able to choose.

 

[canedge]

Probably be something like this.

YouTube - ‪Pearl Jam Vs. / Vitalogy Super Deluxe Unveiling‬‏

A 91 to 94 dealieeo

 

[canedge]

Some re-issues are well cared for. The Bob Dylan Book from a few years back was a great example with ticket stubs, handbills, lyric sheets all with incredible faithful reproduction.

 

[nirniva]

Probably be something like this.

A 91 to 94 dealieeo

Nice! I would totally buy a deluxe vinyl AB/Zooropa box set if it was done this well.

 

[Grumpy Old Man]

Excellent news and long awaited. I think Bruce set the benchmark last year with the Darkness box set. It will be interesting to see what U2 come up with.

 

[nathan1977]

I think it has gotten a little insane over the last few years but then again so has professional sports. I suppose there are two schools of thoughts coming from the U2 camp. One they are offering quality products, be it books, glossy photos, packaging and the second line is that they are setting the bench mark for quality in music/publishing the 21st century.

There's no question that given the challenges faced by the industry, bands are trying to figure out a way forward, and it's a bit cloudy for everyone. U2 is hardly alone in this regard, and I would say that, given their willingness to release multiple versions of remasters, provide low-cost tickets to concerts, etc., they're doing the best they can in the current climate. They're not perfect (U2.com is proof enough of that), but McGuiness' job is to make sure his clients are well-compensated for the work they do, and at the end of the day, the band still puts in a lot of work.

Also important to remember that there is arguably more product now than there's ever been -- with live DVDs, Best Of compilations, remasters, fan club albums, and (oh yeah) the occasional new album, there is more material out there now, in part no doubt to counter-balance shrinking revenue. (20 years ago people bought CDs for $18. Now we're getting them for oftentimes less than half that.)

How much did that super deluxe Pearl Jam box set cost? I see it on Amazon for the low low cost of $189. Outrageous? Or just the cost of doing business? Springsteen's "Darkness" deluxe set retails for around $90. Is what it is.

 

[trojanchick99]

Here's more from the Rolling Stone article on the re-issue. Damn I'm excited about this.

On the most recent dates of U2's 360° Tour, the band members have been showing grainy footage of themselves hanging out in Berlin during the recording of Achtung Baby — a rare moment of unabashed nostalgia that also hints at what's next from U2. This fall, the band will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the album that hit the reset button on its sound — along with the LP's accompanying Zoo TV Tour and its 1993 follow-up, Zooropa — with ambitious reissues, complete with unseen video footage and rare recordings.

"I'm blown away listening to some of the rough mixes and the outtakes," says the Edge. "There's some very interesting alternative versions that we discovered of songs that wouldn't have seen the light of day, alternative lyrics, different arrangement styles — it's like Achtung Baby out of focus."

It's likely there will be separate reissues of Achtung Baby and Zooropa, along with a deluxe box set that incorporates both albums as well as video and/or audio from Zoo TV. "There will be multiple formats," says U2's manager, Paul McGuinness. "If you pile a lot of extra material and packaging and design work into a super-duper box set, there are people who will pay quite a lot for it, so you can budget it at a very high level and pump up the value." The band is also working on a U2 app for the iPad and other tablets that could be involved with the releases.

The group recently filmed a new performance of songs from the period in a Canadian theater, reportedly for use in a documentary directed by Davis Guggenheim, who worked with the Edge on the guitar doc It Might Get Loud. The band has also discovered substantial unseen footage from the early Nineties. "We were filming everything," says McGuinness. "There's a lot of material that has never really been seen, and seeing it will be quite startling."

U2 Go Back to the Nineties With Massive 'Achtung Baby' Reissue | Rolling Stone Music

 

[Swan269]

this sounds so fucking amazing

"I'm blown away listening to some of the rough mixes and the outtakes," says the Edge. "There's some very interesting alternative versions that we discovered of songs that wouldn't have seen the light of day, alternative lyrics, different arrangement styles — it's like Achtung Baby out of focus."



this doesn't sound like any of the remix stuff...thank goodness.

what i mean is, not that all of the remixes are bad, but i am hoping that the bonus material is not just a rehash of the club remixes but what edge is talking about here.

 

[nathan1977]

this sounds so fucking amazing

i am hoping that the bonus material is not just a rehash of the club remixes but what edge is talking about here.

I hope some of the Axtung Beibi stuff we've already heard gets a proper finish. I for one would love to hear great completed versions of "She's Gonna Blow Your House Down" (complete with actual lyrics, not just Bongolese), as well as "Take Today", "Jitterbug Baby", and "I Feel Free."

 

[Roland of Gilead]

I am already looking at 3 Pink Floyd "Immersion Editions" getting released in Sept, Nov, and Feb at $110 Cdn. a pop. Now this big daddy. Ka-Ching!

 

[Hewson4life]

eagerly anticipating the remasters

 

[nirniva]

"...it's like Achtung Baby out of focus."

I'm picturing an insane, brilliant mix between Achtung Baby and Loveless. It probably sounds nothing like that, but if it does...

 

[corianderstem]

My Bloody Zooropa?

 

[Utoo]

Edge's quote may address not only the Axtung Beibi Outtakes/Salome Outtakes (i.e., radically different versions or pieces of songs), but also what was on the Achtung Baby Solicitation Tape, which included things like a clip of One with different vocals. I'd be curious to see which type of "alternate versions" they include. My guess is that the latter is much more likely. They may toss in 2 of only the most refined Axtung tracks added on, but there's no way in hell we're getting something like Discs 4-7 of the Salome Outtakes, which are essentially nothing but drum and synth loops.

 

[cobl04]

Yeah I'm pretty excited about this now. The JT deluxe box set was incredible well done, 50-odd page booklet, photos, bsides, DVD...

 

[mrex]

I wonder if they will rework any old songs and put out something new like Dissapearing Act, or Wave of Sorrow.

Also, what McGuiness says is "pump up the value" not "pump up the profit."

He knows there's a market for high end stuff, so they are making it. They also seem to really want to get people into the shops to buy music, and these types of sets are one way to do it.

 

[canedge]

My Bloody Zooropa?

Loveless Baby