amusing commentary on live albums

[popkidu2]

U2 Toronto Song Released On Single
Friday October 19, 2001 @ 05:30 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

U2
In two weeks time, uberband U2 will be releasing an EP single for their current hit, "Stuck In A Moment That You Can't Get Out Of"... and, there's going to be some Canadian content on it - a live Toronto performance from earlier this year.
The single, slated for October 30, has already been released in some parts of the world, but with a different tracklist. Instead of offering one fixed set of B-sides for each of their singles, U2 have always tended to release various versions internationally; occasionally you can even find two completely different sets of B-sides within the same country.
So, while some of your across-the-sea friends have already had their "Stuck" single since the spring, and continually rave to your jealous self about how cool the rough, Beatlesesque B-side, "Big Girls Are Best" is, Canadians will see a different version pop up in record shops shortly. The Canuck (and possibly U.S.) version features yet another remix of the ubiquitous "Elevation" and a live, acoustic version of "Stay (Faraway So Close)," taken from the band's second sold-out show at the Air Canada Centre, last May.
The complete tracklisting for one of the North American editions of "Stuck In A Moment That You Can't Get Out Of" is as follows:
Stuck In A Moment... (radio edit)
Stuck In A Moment... (acoustic version)
Stay (live from Toronto)
Elevation (The Vandit Club Mix)
This isn't the first time a Canadian live track has made it on to a U2 single. 1997's North American version of "Please" (the one with the giant heart on the cover) features a decent, but not quite heart-stopping "With Or Without You" performance from Edmonton. Still, if U2's made a habit of putting out various live videos and B-sides throughout their 20+ year career, when can we expect an official live set to arrive in stores?
After all, if Pearl Jam can release 347 double-disc live sets, when is Ireland's premier boy band going to get around to putting out complete editions of Elevation (to say nothing of Popmart, Lovetown and ZooTV/Zooropa/Zoomerang)?
C'mon, Bono... make half the proceeds go to some sort of worthwhile cause, find some cool artist or misunderstood refugee to do the arty packaging design and start selling them online to the masses. If you've got the reputation for being THE most premiere live acts in the universe, you may as well flaunt it. Besides, we at ChartAttack have never heard "Hawkmoon 269" live and we missed out on the Elevation-era version of "The Fly" - we'd be happy to plunk down $30 a piece to get the chance to hear them.
Having hundreds of live U2 albums also presents the possibility of the CDs becoming just as much a schoolyard collectible as one of those stupid Pokemon cards. Just think... kids all over the world, trading official "bootlegs" with their pals and peers just so they can hear tracks they had previously missed out on.
"Hey, Jimmy. I'll trade you my Bono-goes-off-on-nuclear-disarmament-and-gun-control for your Bono-references-Mandela-in-his-campaign-to-get-people-to-stop-hunting-whales."
"Sold!"
-Erik Missio

I think I agree w/ this guy?

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I can't change the world, but I can change the world in me.

[Guy With The Stuff]

Originally posted by popkidu2:

Just think... kids all over the world, trading official "bootlegs" with their pals and peers just so they can hear tracks they had previously missed out on.

I love it! That would be so cool, but I doubt kids have that good taste!

[SkeeK]

The only reason I don't want U2 to release official recordings of all their shows is there is no way in hell I would be able to afford all of them.