http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/irelan...6398986878.html

 

Mixed reactions to redone classic U2 albums

REMASTERED VERSIONS of U2's first three albums were released yesterday to mixed sales reactions.

 

The three albums - Boy (1980), October (1981) and War (1983) - were digitally remastered from the original tapes following the success of the remastered edition of The Joshua Tree last year.

 

While sales of the CDs appeared slow in Dublin music shops HMV and Tower Records, manager of HMV on Grafton Street John Rooney said there had been strong initial sales, with people waiting outside the shop before it opened yesterday morning. He added that Boy was proving to be the most popular album with vinyl versions "selling really strongly which is fantastic".

 

This was echoed by manager of Tower Records Clive Branagan, who said, "U2 vinyl sales will do really well, especially considering there has been an increase in vinyl sales around the country".

 

Manager of Galway's Zhivago Sound and Vision Eugene Carroll said the store had sold only one copy of War and one of Boy, while manager of the Merchants Quay branch of Golden Discs in Cork David O'Donovan said sales were "not great".

 

Mr Donovan blamed the high costs for slow sales.

 

One customer in Tower Records in Dublin yesterday said he had bought the albums for his wife.

 

"Her birthday is on Monday. She is a huge fan of U2. She got the original tapes over 20 years ago."

 

© 2008 The Irish Times

 

 

I saw all three albums in the HMV shop yesterday, deluxe editions, cost a fortune :cry:

Yes. :cry:

 

I can't afford to spend money on sexed up versions of cds I already have. It's all Gordon Brown's fault :angry:

Yep, I blame that twit aswell :teresa:

 

I don't have the originals, just downloads

Anyone brought this yet? would be great to have a collectors item :w00t:

 

http://www.atu2.com/news/article.src?ID=5051

 

U2 Typo To Become Collectors Item

 

 

 

 

The reissue of U2's War album may become a collector's item, if you get in early.

 

The cover for the first run of title has a misprint. Early versions of the artwork contain incorrect track listings and credits for the bonus CD.

 

The tracklisting on the outer slipcase and the disc itself is correct but there is an error in the inside booklet.

 

The faulty covers have been shipped to Europe and international territories.

 

Rare U2 releases in the past have become hot auction items. It is expected that because of the rarity of the covers in the market, that these faulty versions of War may generate interest for collectors.

 

The correct tracklisting is:

 

1. Endless Deep

2. Angels Too Tied To The Ground (Previously Unreleased Track)

3. New Year's Day (7" single edit)

4. New Year's Day (USA Remix)

5. New Year's Day (Ferry Corsten Extended Vocal Mix)

6. New Year's Day (Ferry Corsten Vocal Radio Mix)

7. Two Hearts Beat As One (Long Mix)

8. Two Hearts Beat As One (USA Remix)

9. Two Hearts Beat As One (Club Version)

10. Treasure (Whatever Happened to Pete The Chop)

11. I Threw a Brick Through a Window/A Day Without Me (Live From Werchter)

12. Fire (Live From Werchter)

 

 

 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/worl...icle4493885.ece

 

From The Sunday Times

August 9, 2008

 

The Bachelors outsell U2

An album by the 60s crooners charts higher in UK than Bono's remastered discs

Jan Battles

 

 

Could their fans be suffering from déjà vu-2? Despite their much-hyped release, sales of the remastered editions of U2’s first three albums have tanked, entering the UK charts more than 70 places below a compilation of 40-year-old hits from the Bachelors, a trio of Dublin-born balladeers who were big in the 1960s.

 

In fact, the 1960s threesome is heading for gold album status in the UK with its greatest hits collection.

 

Whereas in the case of U2, it seems that the public still has not found what it is looking for — new material from the band.

 

The reissued versions of U2’s Boy (1980), October (1981) and War (1983) have failed even to break into the top 75 in Britain, selling fewer than 2,000 copies each in their first week on general release.

 

The Bachelors’ greatest hits collection debuted at No 7.

 

I Believe — The Very Best of the Bachelors, which contains the group’s biggest hits Diane, Charmaine and the eponymous title track, has almost achieved gold status over the same period — selling close to 100,000 copies in its first three weeks on release.

 

Con Cluskey, who with his brother Dec formed two-thirds of the Bachelors, said: “We were expecting to get into the chart, but we didn’t know how high up we’d get. The music has always been good, I Believe, Charmaine, Diane — they were good the first time around and they’re bound to be good the second time as well.”

 

The trio last featured in the British charts way back in the early 1970s.

 

“When started, they used to talk about us in their act, in terms of us being the first Irish band to hit the charts,” said Con Cluskey.

 

The Bachelors’ album is predicted to still be in the top 10 when the UK top 40 chart is announced later today.

 

All three U2 records dropped out of the top 200 last week. The Edge, U2’s guitarist and songwriter, personally oversaw the remastering of the three albums, which were reissued in several formats — as a standard single disc, a de luxe double-disc version including a collection of b-sides, live tracks and rarities, and a vinyl version. The packaging on all three titles has been restored and expanded with new liner notes for each record, previously unseen photos and full lyrics.

 

After its first week on release, Boy reached No 76 on the UK album chart, War was one place below, while October was placed at 79. There was also a muted reception given to the belated 20th anniversary edition of U2’s best-known album The Joshua Tree, which charted at No 51 last December.

 

American fans have been even less keen on the latest U2 releases. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the market research firm, War sold about 5,000 copies, appearing at No 146 on the Billboard chart before dropping out, Boy sold marginally less, to chart at No 169, while October sold just over 4,000 to reach No 189.

 

It may be that fans would prefer to buy new U2 material. The group’s 12th studio album — the first original work since 2004’s How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb — is due for release towards the end of the year. The delivery date was reportedly pushed back because the band was unhappy with the initial work in the studio and started over again. The record’s title is rumoured to be No Line on the Horizon, after the band’s record company registered the internet domain name. Atomic Bomb sold 10m copies and picked up eight Grammy awards.

 

Meanwhile, the Bachelors are revelling in their renewed success. The Cluskeys and John Stokes left Dublin in 1962 and toured all over Britain, notching up 18 chart hits. In 1964 the trio had more records in the UK top 10 than the Beatles.

 

After the hits dried up in the 1970s, there was an acrimonious split that saw Stokes leave the band. In 1984 both sides ended up in the High Court in London, arguing over the right to the band's name.

 

The Cluskeys still tour as Con and Dec — the Bachelors.

 

Universal Music released the greatest hits package after it bought up the band’s old records as part of the Decca catalogue. The Cluskeys have been appearing on British television shows promoting the compilation. “It’s quite amazing,” said Con Cluskey. “It’s magic for us to be back in there among all those people. Here we are, a couple of lads from Dublin, and we’re back in the charts again.”

 

-_-