The Plan to Leak Mercy to the Radio

[lazarus]

Laz, would you be happier if U2 hadn't touched Take You Down?

If no, why would you be happier if U2 don't touch Mercy? No-one here has the faintest idea how that song may evolve. Indeed, considering the fact it was considered for inclusion on the album, what we have is potentially close to the final version, so if U2 hold onto it for another album, it may not even change and this hysteria that it will be butchered is misplaced! Or it may evolve into a couple of legendary songs that we like more than Mercy itself. NO-ONE KNOWS and making pessimistic predictions is just stupidly cynical.

Let's not force U2's hand here. They're the artists. They have the creative licence, not any of us.

Axver, others have already tried to draw these parallels which are incompatible, to put it lightly. I have Take You Down. I'm quite familiar with it. I'm aware of what it spawned. And Take You Down is far, far from being some kind of masterwork. It is not epic, and it SOUNDS like a work in progress.

Mercy, on the other hand, has been called by many the best song U2 has recorded in years. It's was on many people's Top 10 after only being around for months. It's an extremely powerful track. Take You Down is the sound of a band opening doors, peeking around corners, and looking for something different. Mercy is what they FOUND there. There is NOTHING, I repeat NOTHING superior to Mercy that can be extracted from Mercy. It is in a finished state, and Bono himself called it "the best B-Side you've ever heard". If they do revisit the track, it will be to make it more akin to whatever other new material they would be working on for another album.

And that's what has me worried. Yeah, U2 are the artists. But artists don't always make the best choices. For some, POP was a misstep. For others, ATYCLB was a backwards step. For some, Miami is like nails on a chalkboard. For others, Hands That Built America is an awkwardly written and sung aural sleeping pill. For some, the new mixes and Best of selections were fresh looks at older material. For others, they were an unnecessary and poorly chosen waste of time.

I'm hoping that an updated Mercy doesn't become a really bad choice to a lot of people. To you, it sounds "stupidly cynical", to me it's legitimate apprehension.

 

[Aardvark747]

It was on many people's Top 10 after only being around for months.

No.8 for me!

All i'm hoping for, is the Mercy we have now, to be included on the next album. Tho it would be interesting to see, if it was changed in any way, how many ppl prefer this version we have now - to a new one.

 

[gareth brown]

so...can we have an update please?

Has anyone heard this on the radio? If they have that'd be rather odd...

And now Discotheque LP's suddenly done a U-turn for whatever reason and instead of leaking it to the radio now plans on writing to the band, how's that going?

 

[AtomicBono]

There is NOTHING, I repeat NOTHING superior to Mercy that can be extracted from Mercy.

There is absolutely no way you can know that. Or do you think Mercy is the greatest song recorded by anyone in the history of mankind? Even if that's the case, you cannot know nothing better can come of it. Personally I hope they don't tamper with it much or at all, because as it is now it's in my top ten and the third most played song on my iPod (tied with Discotheque ). But if U2 thinks they can make better, who am I to say no, you can't?

 

[stargift]

i really don't think u2 will let whatever happens with the song affect their agenda. oh yes, they definitely have plans for this song because of the coy way they have answered questions about it.
On another note. If u2sj sees this, can you tell us if any of the other songs on the mercy disc seem to be a different mix or quality from the released cd.

 

[lazarus]

There is absolutely no way you can know that. Or do you think Mercy is the greatest song recorded by anyone in the history of mankind? Even if that's the case, you cannot know nothing better can come of it. Personally I hope they don't tamper with it much or at all, because as it is now it's in my top ten and the third most played song on my iPod (tied with Discotheque ). But if U2 thinks they can make better, who am I to say no, you can't?

Give me a fucking break. Yeah, they could also go back and theoretically make a better song out of the pieces of Streets, Bad, or One. But it isn't going to happen.

Obviously no one here knows the future. But to suggest that a band notorious in recent years for overproducing stuff on album only to have it improve live, or known to tamper with songs on single mixes and new mixes which yield questionable results at best, is going to turn a fantastic track into something even better is not exactly a safe guess.

Once again, there are people on here that think U2 can do no wrong, or that every decision they make is right. And that is NOT the case. You're delusional if you think otherwise.

The band clearly has enough sense and skill to record something as great as Mercy. So it's not like I think they're a bunch of fools. And perhaps Larry was right in keeping it off HTDAAB--I don't know if it would have fit. But I don't think it needs any more polishing. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. For every person who thinks it "wanders aimlessly", there's another who thinks it epic and full of mystery.

 

[U2girl]

Mercy does need work. Very few U2 songs lasting over 5 minutes can get away with it, and Mercy isn't one of them. I feel it's heavily borrowing from 90's (AB to be exact) - lyrics, sound, even vocal (to Bono's credit). As most of that decade, it gets seriously overrated.

Bono's B-side comment tends to suggest they're not considering throwing it away - and since it hasn't appeared on any of the 4 (so far) singles from the Bomb - the only thing I can think of it's coming on the next album. With Fast cars and it being the last recorded songs on those sessions it may even be a hint of their new direction.

Sound- and lyric-wise it doesn't belong on Bomb (neither does Fast cars), and the band (not just Larry) decided right to keep them off this album.

Of course, there are always people who think they know better than the band and freak out anytime they re-record a song, thinking U2 is uncapable of improving the originally released version.

 

[XHendrix24]

Mercy does need work. Very few U2 songs lasting over 5 minutes can get away with it, and Mercy isn't one of them. I feel it's heavily borrowing from 90's (AB to be exact) - lyrics, sound, even vocal (to Bono's credit). As most of that decade, it gets seriously overrated.

..So you're basically saying that it sounds like something from the 90's, and since you don't like the 90's, it needs to be changed. Also, you say that Mercy isn't a song that can get away with lasting over five minutes. Well, who decides that? You?

I'd say that since the majority of people on this site seem to love Mercy, that it's fine as it is. Realistically, since it was supposedly tacked onto the end of a copy of the CD in that form (along with the fact that it was dropped from the tracklisting only after they were finished with the CD), I'd assume that it's pretty much done. And I'm not completely sure that everyone understands that the version we have is more than likely a finished product (albeit a poor-quality copy of a finished product).

Also, for one who claims that "there are always people who think they know better than the band," you seem to be quite self-assured in saying that Fast Cars doesn't belong on HTDAAB (considering it was on a large amount of copies of the album) and that Mercy "needs work," since the band obviously thought it was finished enough to put on the CD, since it made it to so late in the process and was eventually dropped not because it was "unfinished," but because they felt it didn't belong on the album. That smells kind of like hypocrisy to me.

 

[AtomicBono]

..So you're basically saying that it sounds like something from the 90's, and since you don't like the 90's, it needs to be changed. Also, you say that Mercy isn't a song that can get away with lasting over five minutes. Well, who decides that? You?

I'd say that since the majority of people on this site seem to love Mercy, that it's fine as it is. Realistically, since it was supposedly tacked onto the end of a copy of the CD in that form (along with the fact that it was dropped from the tracklisting only after they were finished with the CD), I'd assume that it's pretty much done. And I'm not completely sure that everyone understands that the version we have is more than likely a finished product (albeit a poor-quality copy of a finished product).

Also, for one who claims that "there are always people who think they know better than the band," you seem to be quite self-assured in saying that Fast Cars doesn't belong on HTDAAB (considering it was on a large amount of copies of the album) and that Mercy "needs work," since the band obviously thought it was finished enough to put on the CD, since it made it to so late in the process and was eventually dropped not because it was "unfinished," but because they felt it didn't belong on the album. That smells kind of like hypocrisy to me.

KILT YOU ESSE!!

like I said, I personally think Mercy is perfect as it is, it doesn't need tampering... and if U2 does mess with it, I hope they don't cut the length much. I love that it's all long and epic.

Anyone else thinking that we seriously might see a 2006 album?

 

[XHendrix24]

like I said, I personally think Mercy is perfect as it is, it doesn't need tampering... and if U2 does mess with it, I hope they don't cut the length much. I love that it's all long and epic.

And while I'm not sure about a 2006 album, I'd love to see it happen. If Bono will take a break from politics for a second and focus on the band, I think it might be possible.

 

[AtomicBono]

And while I'm not sure about a 2006 album, I'd love to see it happen. If Bono will take a break from politics for a second and focus on the band, I think it might be possible.

I'm thinking that since the G8 convention happened and all maybe he won't campaign quite as much...granted they didn't give all that we were hoping for but they did give a lot, probably more than expected... so maybe Bono can sorta pass the torch on to some of the other people that run the ONE/Make Povery History campagins and focus on the music for awhile. Of course I admire and support his political work and the issue is urgent, but I think it's time for someone else to take over that issue for awhile. LET'S GO MERCY 2006!!!

 

[trashdaveed]

Has anyone actually mentioned to the band the insane response that the song has received? I know they're aware of Interference, but maybe they don't even know how much their fanbase loves the song. Some of you here get momentary contact with the band during the tour right? I seem to remember alot of people who wait in hotel lobbies etc....maybe they should tell U2 (or member therein) to check out the frenzy it's caused and that might help its future inclusion. I don't know...has this been done? Perhaps someone should start a petition to have them play it on the Fall leg (or people start bringing Play Mercy signs). Whatever happens, it's a nice little treasure that we all have...so that's a good thing...thanks again to that girl from about a year ago.

 

[U2girl]

..So you're basically saying that it sounds like something from the 90's, and since you don't like the 90's, it needs to be changed. Also, you say that Mercy isn't a song that can get away with lasting over five minutes. Well, who decides that? You?

I'd say that since the majority of people on this site seem to love Mercy, that it's fine as it is. Realistically, since it was supposedly tacked onto the end of a copy of the CD in that form (along with the fact that it was dropped from the tracklisting only after they were finished with the CD), I'd assume that it's pretty much done. And I'm not completely sure that everyone understands that the version we have is more than likely a finished product (albeit a poor-quality copy of a finished product).

Also, for one who claims that "there are always people who think they know better than the band," you seem to be quite self-assured in saying that Fast Cars doesn't belong on HTDAAB (considering it was on a large amount of copies of the album) and that Mercy "needs work," since the band obviously thought it was finished enough to put on the CD, since it made it to so late in the process and was eventually dropped not because it was "unfinished," but because they felt it didn't belong on the album. That smells kind of like hypocrisy to me.

Did you even read the whole post?

I said it needs work; by that I mean primarily shortening because it is too long - it has nothing to do with it sounding like early 90s. (being so similar to the early 90s U2 only helps in overrating it on this forum)
What I posted was my opinion, I didn't decide anything. Quit assuming.

For every "Mercy is a classic" post I have also seen a "Mercy is overrated" post. Maybe it is done; maybe not. We can't really know until it is officially released.

Fast cars was only on UK (Japan also?) versions, so what? I don't think it fits on Bomb - evidently so did the band - and I explained why. Same goes for Mercy.

Do you know the difference between "this needs work" and "this doesn't belong on the album"?

 

[Axver]

Look, at the end of the day, U2 have the artistic licence, not us. Whether or not any of us like how they use that licence is totally irrelevant.

 

[trashdaveed]

I'm really sorry to have jumped in late, but if anyone would be so kind to either send me an mp3 of Take you down (ambivalency@hotmail.com) or repost it on rpdshr (or even ysi again), I would be eternally grateful. Have mercy. (also sorry for the pun)

 

[blueyedpoet]

can i get take you down too...rchad@ucla.edu...thanks

 

[AtomicBono]

Take You Down: http ://s49.y s i .com/d.aspx?id=1SG3V3CG8VFRP1KOJHXOXLVE94

 

[trashdaveed]

Thanks!!!

 

[discothequeLP]

take you down was not an official track ready for release: ad-libbed vocals and bono's "i'm singing the middle eight"

 

[gareth brown]

where did anyone say it was ready for release?

At the end of the day 'Mercy' is as finished as the 11 official tracks and 'Fast Cars' on 'How To...' and anyone saying differently is just letting themselves believe that because it's got this whole mystique around it and isn't supposed to be released. It sounds fine, bordering on perfect and IF/WHEN we get an official release with proper sound quality, THEN it will sound fine...

On that note, I wouldn't mind hearing this officially on a proper record, so any other morons planning on 'leaking Mercy to the radio', don't bother please...

 

[GAGV]

Isn't the ABOY single better?

 

[beLIEve]

How many versions?

Take You Down: http ://s49.y s i .com/d.aspx?id=1SG3V3CG8VFRP1KOJHXOXLVE94

This song sounded much cleaner and closer to being finished than the version I listen to...in fact, they are very different. Anyone have the version that has Bono doing a lot of Scat singing (maybe in Spanish) and the riff being from UTEOTW? It's over 7 minutes long, and it could be called "Take You Down" or "I Feel Free". It wanders around quite a bit and is no way near finished, but I have always really liked it.

It's been so long...where did I get this? Is it part of the "Axtung Bebi" outtakes? Seems like I've had it for at least 10 years, but I just can't remember where it came from. I like it much better than the above version which obviously spawned The Fly and Ultraviolet Rays. The version I'm talking about spawned UTEOTW. Maybe the entire album was derived from all the various versions of "Take you Down".

 

[Ellay]

Re: How many versions?

This song sounded much cleaner and closer to being finished than the version I listen to...in fact, they are very different. Anyone have the version that has Bono doing a lot of Scat singing (maybe in Spanish) and the riff being from UTEOTW? It's over 7 minutes long, and it could be called "Take You Down" or "I Feel Free". It wanders around quite a bit and is no way near finished, but I have always really liked it.

It's been so long...where did I get this? Is it part of the "Axtung Bebi" outtakes? .

Both versions are on the 3 CD Salome outtakes set.

I doubt the scat singing's in spanish, it's just Bonoglese, and yes that's the riff from UTEOTW which appears in various guises,

 

[mlrg]

Mercy is 10x better than Take You Down

Mercy is a finished song.

Take You Down is a spin off between Lady With a Spinning Head and Salome

 

[U2DMfan]

I remember the "I FEEL FREE" definitely used the End of the World guitar riff.

 

[gareth brown]

...it's THE riff...it's obvious, why is it even being discussed?!

 

[norsehorse23]

hey, i have never neither mercy or this take me down song... where do you get it.

 

[norsehorse23]

i meant heard neither song

 

[ramblin rose]

i meant heard neither song

You haven't heard Mercy? I guess Alex has been holding out on you.

I'm sure someone will post it, if not I can do it when I get home from work.

 

[norsehorse23]

Yeah, i just emailed your nephew