What would be the way to do justice to Mercy?

[cobl04]

There's been ideas thrown around already - leaking it to radio, releasing it as the leda single off the next album, the last track on their last album, etc. But I have a great idea -

It is U2's final show, performed at Slane Castle, Ireland. They play like a 30 song show, with traditional closer '40' ending the show. Then as they walk off Edge starts to play Mercy.

Good as.

 

[Achtung_Bebe]

There's been ideas thrown around already -

indeed, there has! I don't mean to put up a stink, but wow, the Mercy love is unfaltering.

on that note, Uncle Jesse says:

"Haaaaaaaaave Mercy."

 

[Axver]

Use it as a b-side for a better song.

I don't even see how COBL_04's idea makes sense. Why would they play it last at their final show? It doesn't seem to have any significant reason to justify its use as the final U2 song ever.

 

[Achtung_Bebe]

Not to mention it would be a real buzz kill following '40'

 

[Ellay]

Or they could refuse to play it ever again, sending it into myth like the live acrobat performance.

 

[cobl04]

I knew people would be against it but you couldn't say that if you heard it you would sit there in a bad mood because they killed the mood after 40. Maybe they can play it before 40. I just think it sounded like a good idea - especially for the people who aren't members of this forum.

 

[Flying FuManchu]

Information for - "What would be the way to do justice to Mercy?"

How about improve the lyrics at the least?

 

[Utoo]

Tack it onto the Best Of 2000-2010. No album release. Play it live 5 times. Or better yet, play it once at a rehearsal, drive everyone crazy, and have half of Interference start petitions for the band to play it.

 

[Tiger Edge]

To have mercy on us and stop making Mercy threads.
It's such an overrated, boring, bad song.

 

[Bonochick]

It is U2's final show, performed at Slane Castle, Ireland. They play like a 30 song show, with traditional closer '40' ending the show. Then as they walk off Edge starts to play Mercy.

Good as.

*daydreams*

I "Mercy".

 

[jonnytakeawalk]

The only way they could have done justice to mercy wuld have been to put it on Bomb.

Putting it on u2's next album won't work cause hopefully they will be taking a different direction, away from ATYCLB and Bomb! *begs*

 

[Dorian Gray]

drop a verse, have it mastered, release on the next record.

if you're worried about it being out of place on what might be an experimental record, consider that there's always a straightforward song or two on a u2 record. Zooropa had 'The First Time' for example. This still fit nicely

 

[Danny Boy]

drop a verse, have it mastered

Yeah that. Specifically the "binary code" verse. Plus maybe add a chorus and an ending.

Seriously folks, the song is just a demo.

If history repeats, the band will start off recording Mercy, and by the time they're done tweaking it, it will be a 4-minute rocker called "Particle Beam," and the only remnants of Mercy will be a couple of Edge's guitar licks...

 

[Zoocoustic]

If history repeats, the band will start off recording Mercy, and by the time they're done tweaking it, it will be a 4-minute rocker called "Particle Beam," and the only remnants of Mercy will be a couple of Edge's guitar licks...

This is my prediction as well.

And mark my words, whatever shape Mercy evolves into on the next album, it will be regarded by most hard-core U2 fans as "crap" compared to the "original" version that we know today.

 

[BVS]

How about improve the lyrics at the least?

 

[discotech]

Yeah that. Specifically the "binary code" verse. Plus maybe add a chorus and an ending.

Seriously folks, the song is just a demo.

first of all, the song has 3 choruses, and ends with a chorus. it doesn't need another one. and it only has 2 verses, and only having one verse then a bridge would be bad.


secondly, the band themselves have told us that the song was scrapped at the last minute, so it is not a demo anymore. besides, it doesn't even sound like a demo. it is a complete song, with a ton of guitar tracks, great vocal track, and of course great performances by adam and larry.




i think the only way for justice is to make it a b-side to a single off the next album (not the first single), and play it live. a lot. i'm hoping it will find a spot as a great track on the next album.
















oh yeah, or this: http://s35.you sendit.com/d.aspx?id=3U1BPGJRY408A17LNSYQW8TAJ9

 

[BVS]

secondly, the band themselves have told us that the song was scrapped at the last minute, so it is not a demo anymore.

The fact that it was scrapped at the last minute has nothing to do with if it's a demo or not. It's very clear it's not a final take, the sound quality and the "rambling" of the track shows that.

 

[Bono's shades]

I don't suppose it's occurred to anyone that the reason U2 decided to scrap the song is they just don't think it's that great?

 

[Tiger Edge]

I don't suppose it's occurred to anyone that the reason U2 decided to scrap the song is they just don't think it's that great?

Nope.

At least half the people here anyways.

 

[Flying FuManchu]

Why the ?


I think Bono's written better and Bono seemingly rambles? Hot is cold type word juxtapositions...

Sure its reminiscent of Bono's lyrics from the Unforgettable Fire era but I don't think that's a strength.

 

[xaviMF22]

How about improve the lyrics at the least?

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

is there an unwritten rule that we must always have a mercy thread in this forum?

 

[Axver]

is there an unwritten rule that we must always have a mercy thread in this forum?

It's the new Pop vs ATYCLB.

 

[thelaj]

Re-record Pop, and put Mercy on there. That would sure be good for forum discussion.

 

[SpaceBoy]

Mercy was finished, it was one of the very last tracks the band decided to cut from the Bomb. The only reason it sounds so demo-ish is because it was ripped from a cd at an extremely low bitrate. Bono also said it would be "the best b-side you've ever heard".

 

[gareth brown]

THANK YOU! The original source of the track was a CD-R or god knows what and as it was passed on the audio quality just dipped, though it's a bit odd that when it was originally uploaded that MP3 had the hiss and so on...what the hell did U2SJ use to rip it?!

But seriously...can people please stop playing the 'It's a demo! It's unfinished! They need to finish it!' card because the horse you're flogging has died, lay in state and been given a full burial with honours! I think people saying crap like that are just fishing for whatever problem they can find with the track simply because they don't like the fact that so many people are enjoying it! The fact that the track was removed at the very last minute from the album is proof enough, surely, that the track was finished and up to U2's standards to be on the last album were it not for the fact that 'How To...' would have run over an hour.

Had Mercy stayed on the record and 'Crumbs...' or 'One Step Closer...' been in it's unreleased place instead, you'd all be saying "No, Crumbs/One Step Closer shouldn't be released...it's rambling and unfinished...change those crappy lyrics! It needs more etc. etc.' about them! Especially the latter! It boggles the mind how people can trash 'Mercy' and still see no problem with the tracks that were unfortunately left ON the album! I don't see anyone bitching about 'Fast Cars'...

ANYWAY - The idea of keeping Mercy for the next 'Best Of' sits fine with me. I'd rather they just kept it and tried fucking around with other sounds and experimenting with god knows what than for them to stick to the sound they've made for the last six years. Though, even on Achtung Baby and Zooropa there was 'typically U2' tracks to balance it out and they never hurt so maybe it would fit on the next album...who knows? Not a B-side though, i think it deserves more than that.

 

[Flying FuManchu]

I think Fast Cars is better than Mercy...

 

[Danny Boy]

it's a bit odd that when it was originally uploaded that MP3 had the hiss and so on...what the hell did U2SJ use to rip it?!

It was originally ripped in 128 kbps WMA, which would not introduce hiss into the recording. Digital compression produces artifacts, but not hiss. I can only assume that the hiss is in the original recording.

The fact that the track was removed at the very last minute from the album is proof enough, surely, that the track was finished...

1) We do not know that the version that was leaked was the "final" version.

2) I don't recall the band ever specifically saying the song was finished. It was dumped around the time they did the Spin interview, which was some weeks before the album release.

It boggles the mind how people can trash 'Mercy' and still see no problem with the tracks that were unfortunately left ON the album!

I do have problems with some of the tracks on the album, but they still sound more finished than Mercy.

Not a B-side though, i think it deserves more than that.

Honestly, I doubt we'll ever see it released, even as a b-side. Why would an unreleased *ahem* demo show up on a best of compilation?

 

[Utoo]

It was originally ripped in 128 kbps WMA, which would not introduce hiss into the recording. Digital compression produces artifacts, but not hiss. I can only assume that the hiss is in the original recording.

......

1) We do not know that the version that was leaked was the "final" version.

Even after I spent a few days researching how the song got leaked (since I wasn't here yet at the time), I still think the story is VERY screwy. Bono talked about it to U2SJ, apparently randomly. Then U2SJ happens to be the sole person who gets a copy of it from "a friend." She didn't know how the friend had gotten it and apparently never asked (which really is the oddest part).

Muchas, muchas gracias to her for putting it out there for the rest of us. And the more I read of old posts, the more I felt bad for her because she seemed to get scared afterward about how big of a buzz it got.

Still, very, very, very screwy.

 

[WildHoneyAlways]

I don't suppose it's occurred to anyone that the reason U2 decided to scrap the song is they just don't think it's that great?

Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!

I knew people would be against it but you couldn't say that if you heard it you would sit there in a bad mood because they killed the mood after 40. Maybe they can play it before 40. I just think it sounded like a good idea - especially for the people who aren't members of this forum.

Whoa, wait a second. Why is this a good idea? How many people outside of this forum have any clue what Mercy is? Few, very few. Actually, I envy them. They are blissfully unaware of the tripe that is mercy.