how was mercy released?

[bridonohue]

i am sure i read this somewhere last year, but i can't remember. how was mercy released?

 

[Galeongirl]

it is not released, a fan got to hear from Bono to 'watch out for mercy'

a few weeks later she got a copy of HTDAAB, from a friend and it had Mercy on it as 12th track

it got cut off in the last minute by U2, so it was an early copy of the cd...

Edge told a fan a few weeks ago that they're thinking of reworking mercy... so who knows, it might get a release after all...

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

http://forum.interference.com/t169473.html

 

[bridonohue]

http://forum.interference.com/t169473.html

thanks headache, but that post doesn't really answer my question.

i know what mercy is, and i know it wasn't released as an official track, but it was obviousluy taken from the recording sessions.

i was looking for how did it get out. it is not someone standing down on the quay with a cell phone, so how did it leak?

galeongirl, thanks for your answer. i think i read something similar to this, but is this one of those rumors that just gets past around because it is plausable. has a source been identified? just curious.

 

[Canadiens1131]

From a whisper to a scream.

 

[Axver]

It was released by an Interference member, U2SJ. It was given to her by a friend who is also an Interference member, but I can't remember this person's screen name right now. Utoo recently wrote a great post detailing Mercy's history on another thread but I can't remember which bloody thread it was.

 

[U2Man]

Utoo is a know-it-all-

 

[Axver]

Utoo is a know-it-all-

Utoo is a cool know-it-all-

 

[phanan]

a few weeks later she got a copy of HTDAAB, from a friend and it had Mercy on it as 12th track

The person who leaked it on this site did not have a copy of the CD. The song was copied to her from someone else who had it.

If someone has the time to do a search, the original thread can be found. Perhaps later if nobody has done it, I'll dig it up.

 

[phanan]

Weird how we pretty much posted that at the same time.

 

[biff]

I found it: http://forum.interference.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=170434&perpage=15&pagenumber=10

From skott100:

"and another thing, to fill in the backstory, it was me who gave U2SJ the copy of Mercy way back when. Here's how it went down...

I got HTDAAB about a week and half before it came out from an friend in the music business with Interscope connections. (It was on a cassette of all formats!) I went to my bass players house and we converted it into digital so we could go about learning the songs early (we play in Zoo Station, a Northern California U2 Tribute Band) and get the songs to our bandmates. The next night, we had a show at the Britannia Arms in San Jose and U2SJ had a little get together at her house afterwards. I had the CD with me, and it took some convincing but eventually she agreed to put it on the stereo for her and all the U2 fans that were there. There was some concern about "ruining the surprise" but as soon as the volume went up everyone was into it. And I thought it was cool to be around a group of fans like that, all of them hearing the album for the first time. Anyway, Mercy was on that advance copy. I didn't know what the title was because the tracklisting that had already been posted at U2.com didn't feature it. I left the CD for her as a souvenir, and that was that.

I wasn't there when she met Bono who told her to "look out for Mercy" but she did tell me the story and I think she had a photo. If memory serves, she met him when he and edge came to Cupertino to unveil the U2 iPod and Complete U2 iTunes Box Set with Steve Jobs. Wasn't that about two weeks before HTDAAB came out? I'm sure some trainspotter will look it up.

I only post this because she gets crap from time to time from people who don't believe her story. That's how it went down. She's a lovely girl and as honest as the day is long."

 

[Axver]

Thanks for finding that, biff! It means I can continue to be lazy today.

 

[biff]

It also means you were wrong (Utoo-wise). Shock and horror!

Headlines: "Axver is wrong! Planets collide, cheeses curdle, cows fly, politicians cease to be mendacious!



Hope you have a great 2007!

 

[stargift]

Since it sounds like Mercy might possibly be in a 'demo stage' on the cassette you have, were any of the other tracks any different from the official released cd? If not, that might possibly mean that Mercy was considered finished at that point even though now that it isn't on the cd Edge supposedly says that it needs more work.
Next, is it possible to post your cassette copy without any enhancements at all?

 

[Axver]

It also means you were wrong (Utoo-wise). Shock and horror!

Headlines: "Axver is wrong! Planets collide, cheeses curdle, cows fly, politicians cease to be mendacious!



Hope you have a great 2007!

OK, that got me off my lazy arse.

Utoo's post that I mentioned is also on that thread, a bit earier. It's on this page, with "the story of Mercy" as its title in bold: http://forum.interference.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=170434&perpage=15&pagenumber=6

I hope your 2007 is great too!

 

[bridonohue]

thanks a lot for posting all the info guys.

sorry i wasn't able to find it on my own.

 

[Utoo]

It also means you were wrong (Utoo-wise). Shock and horror!

Utoo is a know-it-all-

I'm in bed for a day with fever, chills & puking up a storm, and look at all the love I get!

For the record, skott100's addition to the story didn't come out until just a few weeks ago.


In the meantime, everyone wash your hands and don't get sick!

 

[skott100]

Since it sounds like Mercy might possibly be in a 'demo stage' on the cassette you have, were any of the other tracks any different from the official released cd? If not, that might possibly mean that Mercy was considered finished at that point even though now that it isn't on the cd Edge supposedly says that it needs more work.
Next, is it possible to post your cassette copy without any enhancements at all?

Oh that cassette is long gone, sorry. The only other significant difference that I can recall is "just give me what I want and noooo ooooone geeeeetttttssssss huuuuuuurrrrrrrrrt" in Vertigo has the audio slow down like the video version of the song.

 

[phanan]

So is the rough version of Mercy that was originally posted way back when the same quality that was on the cassette? Or did it sound just as good as the regular album tracks? I thought I recall reading that it didn't upload very well or something.

Or perhaps I'm way off here.

 

[skott100]

Yes. I am reasonably certain that there is only one version of Mercy circulating out there. It sounds unmastered and some of the levels are funky but that could be due to the limiations of the cassette format.

Also, the first verse is entirely too long, but that's just a matter of (my) opinion. ;-)

 

[phanan]

Wow, that's weird that it would sound like that on the cassette. I was hoping it was of the same quality as the released songs from HTDAAB.

Oh well. Thanks for providing us with this info!

 

[zoocarolina]

It was released on ITUNES on the Complete U2 package along with several alternate versions of HTDAAB songs.

 

[Cask]

It was released on ITUNES on the Complete U2 package along with several alternate versions of HTDAAB songs.

Nope, Mercy was not included in that Complete U2 package.