20 years since the Mercy leak

[pepokiss]

Thats right. I should've posted this yesterday because on November 10, 2004, MERCY was leaked right here on this website/forum.

On U2Chile we did an investigation on the history of the song and the leak, which you can find here: La historia de "Mercy": 2004 - 2024 - U2Chile.net

But ti make it simpler, here it goes:

Oct 12 // First mention of Mercy on Interference without even knowing it's name - Blender Pictures

Oct 26 // First mention of Mercy by Bono to user U2SJ - A Beautiful Night in San Jose!

Nov 10 // U2SJ posts a thread called "I think I have Mercy" - MERGED --> I think I have Mercy!!!!! + Mercy, the b side w/ Achtung Bab + Mercy!?!?!

Nov 10 // spanisheyes helps U2SJ upload the song and posts the very first Mercy download link - MERGED --> I think I have Mercy!!!!! + Mercy, the b side w/ Achtung Bab + Mercy!?!?!

And after that everything exploded.

Crazy that 20 years later were finally going to get the song, but not exactly the same. From the short clip we have it sounds over-produced and the Lyric change doesn't make sense. Yes, I'm a "give me the original version" guy. But at least it's something.

Happy Mercy-versary!

And to U2SJ is, wherever she is, thank you so much!
I wonder if she still has the CD

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

If they were smart they would have put it on streaming last night without telling anyone.

 

[phanan]

The funniest part of re-reading that thread is how long it took of all us to download something back then.

 

[mikal]

I guess I didn't know that it was originally meant to be the 12th and final track, which is cool! Man, would have been known as one of their top closers!

 

[lazarus]

Is U2SJ the most important person in the history of this forum?

Yes.

 

[vertigo2024]

One of U2's greatest songs ever. The original 2004, 10 different live versions from 2010, and now this unreleased version on the shadow album 2024.

 

[TinKnight]

Wow what a deep dive! I remember discovering Mercy maybe 2-3 years later - no idea how I got a copy, I was a child and not very technically savvy lmao.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Is U2SJ the most important person in the history of this forum?

Yes.

Dalley Beach would like a word

 

[Hewson]

Dalley Beach would like a word

Fake The Edge ftw.

 

[U2inUtah]

Fake The Edge ftw.

It was the fake Edge pandemonium that first brought me to this forum. So I guess that’s who I can blame for wasting my life on here!

 

[jay canseco]

I was here and loved it all!

 

[dan_smee]

I’m calling your church

 

[lazarus]

Cheers,

J

 

[jay canseco]

Haha! The memories!

 

[scrumpyjsk]

What I can never understand is why a clean rip of the song couldn’t be achieved. @U2SJ remained an active user of the forum and was online as recently as 11 days ago. It’s been 20 years and – grateful as I am for the existence of the song – 128kbs was the best outcome?

This is on my mind more than ever after the release of the travesty that is ‘The Luckiest Man in the World’.

 

[lazarus]

A good point. Ripping a CD shouldn’t have been a major hurdle. I would have locked that disc in a safety deposit box if it had been handed to me by an insider.

 

[mikal]

What if U2SJ has been planning on a FLAC Rip 20 years later this whole time!

 

[Party Boy]

Those halcyon days of Interference when you couldn't get a word in edgeways..

 

[lars4mf]

Luckiest is better than the live 2010 lyric change. This new version retains all the same elements. Yes, where is a high quality rip of the leak after 20 years! Let’s make this happen.

 

[dan_smee]

The hiss still makes me think a cassette was involved somewhere in the lineage - even if U2SJ had a cd. A high quality cd rip of a low quality source file ain’t improving anythibg

 

[lazarus]

I always assumed people DMed U2SJ years later to ask about getting a better copy but did anyone??

 

[U2SJ]

Hello! Love this thread and just posted a few words about Mercy on my own thread. I’m so happy we all have Mercy now!!!!

 

[DaveC]

Those halcyon days of Interference when you couldn't get a word in edgeways..

i see what you did there lol