Customer Reviews

U2: Numb [VHS]

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Coming in the middle of U2's ZooTV romp through America, Numb defies the music video public with something so ordinary it's near revolutionary. The Edge(who sings lead for this track) is seated, and is molested by an assortment of characters while he sits there oblivious to it all thanks to his watching TV. The EBN Remix isn't quite as good and got on my nerves after a few viewings, but it's worth passing through for Unitl the End of The World, directed by Wim Wenders. A visual treat and a fitting treatment for such a great song.

U2: NUMB
1993 Polygram/Island Video

1. Numb
dir. by Kevin Godley
4:18

2. Numb (video remix)
created by Emergency Broadcast Network
4:52

3. Love is Blindness
dir. by Matt Mahurin
4:23

This short VHS tape contains three music videos. The first is the well known MTV hit "Numb" which features an up close shot of The Edge's face with many "distractions" occurring on either side. People rub their feet on him, women kiss him, they wrap his head in stuff, etc. I think its a funny video for a cool song.

The next video is the EBN remix of Numb. EBN was a video sampling group from the 1990s that released one album on TVT records called 'Telecommunication Breakdown'. Years after Island Records sued the copyright infringement group Negativland into the basement*, U2 themselves became interested in sampling as a statement on their ZOO TV tour. They got EBN to produce this remixed version of "Numb" and provided some new footage of The Edge speaking the lyrics. This remix samples clips from old industrial training videos and incorporates machine sounds and drill sargeants (two of EBN's trademarks). I think they did a great job.

The last video is of course "Love is Blindness" which is a beautiful video to go with a beautiful song. The video is mostly edits of blurry footage of nature, water, and the band members. It is put together in a very poetic way and I'd say its one of U2's better videos from the 1990s. As far as I know this video has never been released on DVD format.

This and the 'Passengers Original Soundtracks' are from the time when U2 was really trying out new things musically. I really enjoy this VHS and still watch it every now and then.


*-for the full story, see the book 'FAIR USE: THE LETTER U THE NUMERAL 2', published by Seeland in 1995.