Achtung Baby/ Zooropa remaster/ reissue - Part III/ three

[last unicorn]

Wow, it's amazing how quickly some people here are ready to jump to conclusions and into the old "the sky is falling" attitude just because a bunch of journalists don't like the movie. We should have learned from experience that journalists aren't exactly U2-friendly these days, most of them are prepared to rip everything the band is doing. I don't worry. I haven't expected them to discuss every little detail about the AB album. I didn't expect this to be a movie about the making of the album. I think it's more about the band and the dynamics in the band and that's what I find interesting. Surely it would have been nice to hear them discuss some detail about certain songs, but in order to make that movie interesting for non-diehard U2 fans they must focus on other stuff as well instead of having the band and producers discuss every detail of every single song. That would be boring, honestly. I'm more interested in what kept the band together back than and what keeps them together right now. If the movie concentrates on these aspects, I'm fine with it. Otherwise I would have only watched it once and then shelved it, like so many other U2 releases. Since U2 like to focus on the present and future and don't like to look back so much I haven't exactly expected them to make a movie that is only about past events.

 

[chrissybaby]

Yeah, I think a lot of us were expecting a "Classic Albums" type film.
I guess I'm just readjusting my expectations!

 

[gareth brown]

I wasn't expecting anything like the classic albums series but I'm hoping every song is touched on in SOME way? I'd hate to see this film and find some songs don't feature at all would just be weird - i haven't read every reply here though so I don't know if its the case

 

[BVS]

I wasn't expecting anything like the classic albums series but I'm hoping every song is touched on in SOME way?

I never expected this. This would have been a "classic ablum" series DVD, and only interesting to fans such as us. With bringing Guggenheim in it was obvious that they wanted something different, something that just captured a mood and was a little more interesting to a wider audience.

 

[gareth brown]

ok cool well like I said I never expected anything like Classic Albums, and as the rest of my post said it'd just be a shame if the songs aren't touched on at all. just 30-60 seconds or whatever mentioning the less wider known songs. Songs that aren't One, which a lot of the film will obviously ponder on when, as you say, capturing the mood etc.
I don't expect a long section with The Edge sat at a mixing desk playing the isolated drum track of Acrobat, but if the song or any other wasn't mentioned it'd just be strange.

 

[bicyclejoe]

So if you can't trust the media, guess you can't trust this review tha gives the film 8/10
TIFF11 Reviews: Wim Wender's Pina, U2 Doc From the Sky Down - ComingSoon.net

The weak-minded- always prefer to blame the messenger

 

[lazarus]

ok cool well like I said I never expected anything like Classic Albums, and as the rest of my post said it'd just be a shame if the songs aren't touched on at all. just 30-60 seconds or whatever mentioning the less wider known songs. Songs that aren't One, which a lot of the film will obviously ponder on when, as you say, capturing the mood etc.
I don't expect a long section with The Edge sat at a mixing desk playing the isolated drum track of Acrobat, but if the song or any other wasn't mentioned it'd just be strange.

Agreed. While the personal story is interesting, this album has been criminally underrated in terms of its musical prescience, as a lot of the stuff they were doing sonically was out of step with what was happening in 1991 rock (from Guns 'n' Roses to Nirvana), as well as ahead of its time.

It would be a shame for the trip-hop sound found in So Cruel and Tryin' To Throw Your Arms to be overlooked, for example, as well as the industrial influences. If we only get the obligatory Madchester influence mention it would be pretty sad.

 

[slimongi]

New pictures from 1 CD & 2 CD version + LP BOX

 

[morgan1098]

Those are definitely mock-ups, but are they legitimate Universal mock-ups or just someone messing around with photoshop?

If they're legit, then the packaging for the 2-CD version has been changed from previous reissues. Boy through Joshua Tree had hardback book packaging in a slipcase. That's way better than the flimsy digipak in that photo.

 

[Galeongirl]

Ha they didn't dare to put the Adam shot out full frontal after all.

 

[doctorwho]

Ha they didn't dare to put the Adam shot out full frontal after all.

Not enough room?

 

[gareth brown]

urrrgh....not to moan before anything's confirmed but if that's the two disc edition then that's disappointing.

given how fancy the more expensive Achtung Baby box sets are and how all the others had the really nice book/slipcases, why does Achtung Baby suddenly stop the trend and come out in a cardboard sleeve? that'll look shit next to the rest of them

 

[Popmartijn]

I kinda like the 2CD version. If only because it looks like the original digipack I bought way back in 1991.

 

[gvox]

Not enough room?

 

[patternshirt170]

I kinda like the 2CD version. If only because it looks like the original digipack I bought way back in 1991.

I never knew of an AB digipak from 1991, All I remember was the jewel case one with the booklet with too many pages for that packaging [and by now several tears in the corners], however I take it this is it?

Those reissue images must be fakes, not only the phoney looking cgi box but the vinyl record grooves are a bit off for the length of the tracks...

 

[morgan1098]

Yes, ^that's the digipak from 91. And yes, if legit, that new 2-CD packaging is pretty much the same thing.

Those photos are definitely not actual photos of the final product, which is why they look fake. However, they MIGHT be legitimate product mock-ups from Universal, showing a general idea of what the product will look like once it has been manufactured. Or, they could just be photoshop jobs that some fan put together. Who knows...

 

[canedge]

Here is the old digipack one.

http://u2discography.free.fr/u2/albums/achtung/achtung-djpack2.jpg
http://u2discography.free.fr/u2/albums/achtung/achtung-djpack.jpg
http://u2discography.free.fr/u2/albums/achtung/achtung-djpackb.jpg

 

[theedgeu2]

If this turns out to be real then that's really disappointing for the 2 Disc Deluxe. It definitely will look strange next to the other 2 Disc remasters I have, once again if this is what the actual sets are. I'm reeeaaally hoping these are photoshops.

 

[lazarus]

Come on, they're not going to replicate the original pressing. That's ludicrous.

 

[BVS]

This source has been wrong 99% of the time, most of the time trying to pretend they have some inside connection.

So if they did the bad Photoshop job or just got fooled by it, who knows?

 

[gareth brown]

the spine of the single disc looks identical to the original CD (UK one anyway, someone able to tell me if it's the same in the US/elsewhere?) except there's obviously no multicoloured Island Records bar at the top of the spine now they're with Mercury.

It would be REALLY weird if they just released it in an identical CD case, even using the older style jewel cases instead of the super-jewel boxes that all the other single disc re-issues have come in.................i can't believe I'm even typing this nitpicky crap

it's bad enough with the multi-disc sets having overlap with Zooropa material(!) but that's another silly gripe.
from an aesthetic point of view, to suddenly change the packaging of the single/double disc editions out of the blue so when you put it next to the other six it sticks out, would just look really stupid and make this whole lengthy re-issue campaign look really lopsided....

but hey i'm rambling for no reason to distract me from this shit tv programme i'm watching so i'm just hoping those mock-ups are fakes...

what's this source that's been wrong 99% of time, by the way?? sorry I think I've missed that in all these threads!!

 

[canedge]

I actually think that the old digipack is one of the best u2 items in a very long time.
We'll wait and see.

 

[gareth brown]

i'd NEVER seen that until this thread, I love the look of it actually! Whenever I read about it being released in a digipak over in the states, I always thought that it was just some pretty standard cardboard foldover with a plastic bit stuck in to hold the CD. like singles used to come in I realise now it's obviously a bit different with an album though that really does look great though, love the photos in it.

 

[lazarus]

the spine of the single disc looks identical to the original CD (UK one anyway, someone able to tell me if it's the same in the US/elsewhere?) except there's obviously no multicoloured Island Records bar at the top of the spine now they're with Mercury.

It would be REALLY weird if they just released it in an identical CD case, even using the older style jewel cases instead of the super-jewel boxes that all the other single disc re-issues have come in.................i can't believe I'm even typing this nitpicky crap

it's bad enough with the multi-disc sets having overlap with Zooropa material(!) but that's another silly gripe.
from an aesthetic point of view, to suddenly change the packaging of the single/double disc editions out of the blue so when you put it next to the other six it sticks out, would just look really stupid and make this whole lengthy re-issue campaign look really lopsided....

but hey i'm rambling for no reason to distract me from this shit tv programme i'm watching so i'm just hoping those mock-ups are fakes...

what's this source that's been wrong 99% of time, by the way?? sorry I think I've missed that in all these threads!!

Not only would it stick out from the previous Remasters, but you wouldn't be able to easily differentiate between the new release and the originals that a store might have in stock. So, this is 100% bullshit, and not really worth any further discussion.

 

[gvox]

Not only would it stick out from the previous Remasters,

It's going stick out from the previous Remasters, regardless of whether this photo is legit or not.

One of these things is not like the others....

 

[morgan1098]

i'd NEVER seen that until this thread, I love the look of it actually! Whenever I read about it being released in a digipak over in the states, I always thought that it was just some pretty standard cardboard foldover with a plastic bit stuck in to hold the CD. like singles used to come in I realise now it's obviously a bit different with an album though that really does look great though, love the photos in it.

The AB digipak came about here in the US because the record companies were starting to phase out CD "long boxes" because they were just a waste of cardboard and bad for the environment, etc. But retails stores balked at this idea because they didn't think they could sell as many CDs if they just had jewel cases on the shelves, without a larger, eye-catching long box.

So as a compromise, a very few releases (including Achtung Baby, a Bonnie Raitt album, and a few others) were released in digipaks, but the digipaks were halfway unfolded with two small plastic holders on each side to hold them in place. This made them slightly smaller than a CD "long box," thus satisfying retail stores who wanted CDs in larger packaging and also eliminating the wasteful long box. You just took off the shrink wrap, threw away the two small plastic holders, and then you could fold up your digipak down to normal size...

Obviously, this idea never took off! It wasn't long before standard CD jewel boxes became the norm over here, with no extra packaging. But it makes the AB digipak (and others from that era) interesting artifacts in the history of CD packaging.

 

[gareth brown]

Ah wow that's really interesting! cheers for that potted history
Never knew longboxes were the standard packaging over there - I thought they were only for sort of special releases, and for some reason I pictured lots of classical CDs coming in them to make them look fancier

But no that's really cool - now the longboxes for 3" CDs make a lot more sense. - i still think 3" CDs in little jewel cases/sleeves for singles should have been the standard from the beginning, would've looked very nice next to full size albums just like with vinyl

 

[lazarus]

Mine finally fell apart a few months ago; the panel with the song titles and times came off after 20 years.

I was considering buying another used digipack while they're still somewhat cheap.

 

[Danny Boy]

IIRC, AB was only available in a digipack for the first week of release, then they rolled out the jewel cases.

Maybe I'm remembering wrong, but I know I bought the digipack on day of release and the jewel case shortly after.

 

[lazarus]

Not true. The one I got at the midnight sale was a jewel case. I bought the digipack lard to replace the one stolen out of my car.