Unforgettable Fire (W/Book) (Dlx) (Slip) [Deluxe Edition, Original recording remastered]

U2 | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 26, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Deluxe Edition, Original recording remastered
• Label: Island
• ASIN: B002JTHFV2
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,207 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #43 in Music > World Music > Europe > British Isles > Ireland
  • #94 in Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk > General AAS

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. A Sort Of Homecoming [Remastered]

2. Pride (In The Name Of Love) [Remastered]

3. Wire [Remastered]

4. The Unforgettable Fire [Remastered]

5. Promenade [Remastered]

6. 4th Of July [Remastered]

7. Bad [Remastered]

8. Indian Summer Sky [Remastered]

9. Elvis Presley & America [Remastered]

10. MLK [Remastered]

Disc: 2

1. Disappearing Act

2. A Sort Of Homecoming [Live]

3. Bad [Live]

4. Love Comes Tumbling [Remastered]

5. The Three Sunrises [Remastered]

6. Yoshino Blossom

7. Wire [Kevorkian 12" Vocal Remix]

8. Boomerang 1

9. Pride (In The Name Of Love) [Remastered Single version]

10. A Sort Of Homecoming [Danny Lanois Remix]

See all 16 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Robert Hilburn/LA Times/2004

"The War album in 1983 signaled the maturation of U2 as artists, but this CD was the real creative breakthrough."

"this ain't mere genius, this is rock `n' roll"

4.5 out of 5 stars! This transitional, hit-or-miss set, U2's first collaboration with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, followed 1983's breakthrough, War. When things click, it bridges that record's fight-the-power arena rock with the texture fetishism of its follow-up, The Joshua Tree. The transcendent "Bad" is the triumph, but the bonus disc adds fascinating experiments, including the excellent Bowie-drag outtake "Disappearing Act" and some funky B sides that borrow from Eno's Talking Heads playbook (see "Boomerang II"). They're working notes from the band's first great reinvention; it wouldn't be its last.

Product Description

Deluxe Edition: containing 2 CDs; the remastered album, and the bonus audio CD which features B-sides and previously unreleased material, a 36 page booklet with liner notes by The Edge, Brian Eno, Danny Lanois and Bert Van de Kamp

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars U2's Quantum Leap, October 27, 2009

By 

D. A. Rich (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unforgettable Fire (W/Book) (Dlx) (Slip) (Audio CD)

This is a review of the 2009 Deluxe Edition (2CDs) of U2's The Unforgettable Fire.

As a college DJ, I was one of the first Americans exposed to, and to play, the music of U2 when their debut album Boy was released in 1980. That album, together with their third album, War, cemented U2's status as a major rock band. But it was their next studio album, The Unforgettable Fire, that catapulted U2 to superstar status. The experimental nature of U2's first of many collaborations with producer Brian Eno and engineer Daniel Lanois and the strong songwriting on the album, together with a growing awareness that U2 was a unique, politically conscious band, gave U2 a special cache and took them to another level. The following year, U2 was one of the most highly anticipated acts at the 1985 Live Aid concert, and their follow-up studio album, The Joshua Tree, was probably the best album of the 1980s. The groundwork for that masterpiece, however, can be found on The Unforgettable Fire.

Unlike U2's prior, more straightforward, work, The Unforgettable Fire had an atmospheric feel to it, undoubtedly as a result of Brian Eno's involvement. I always felt, however, that the album sounded somewhat muddy, and the initial CD release of the album certainly was. This new re-mastering cleans up the sound without compromising the atmospheric feeling that pervades the album. The album has probably never sounded better than it does here. Larry Mullin's drums, Adam Clayton's bass, the Edge's guitar and Bono's voice just leap from the speakers. The albums closing song, MLK, is just phenomenal.

The second bonus disc is not too shabby either. It includes various B sides and outtakes, including all of the Wide Awake in America EP. That EP's "live" versions of Bad and A Sort Of Homecoming are actually superior to the studio versions, and they sound terrific on this new re-mastering. The second disk also includes a cameo appearance by Peter Gabriel on another version of A Sort Of Homecoming.
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The Deluxe version is very nicely packaged in the same manner as U2's prior "deluxe" releases (The Joshua Tree, Boy, October, War and Under A Blood Red Sky). The CDs are housed in a booklet that contains the lyrics to the songs on the original album as well as some nice pictures and essays by Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, Bert van de Kamp (commenting on the album) and the Edge (commenting on the bonus material).

So is the deluxe version worth ponying up the dough if you already own copies of the music? That depends on how big a U2 fan you are. There is no doubting that this is a nicely packaged much better sounding version of a classic album with some excellent and some interesting bonus material.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AMAZING!, October 26, 2009

By 

Chauncey Gardner (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unforgettable Fire (W/Book) (Dlx) (Slip) (Audio CD)

U2 in a rare pantheon of artists, being together for over 30 years, fans get the rare gift of seeing the band evolve musically before their collective eyes. The Unforgettable Fire was the first album produced with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, and represents a huge leap forward both musically and lyrically. This album represents the sound of the band that would become the mega-selling act for decades to come.

The remastering reveals who new layers to the music, a crispness and clarity that only enhances epic tracks like THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE, BAD and PRIDE (IN THE NAME OF LOVE). The bonus disc confirms the power of the bands live performances, and growing strength of the bands songwriting, with tracks like DISAPPEARING ACT and YOSHINO BLOSSOM so strong, its surprising they didn't make the final cut.

Well worth revisiting THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars U2's Unforgotten Fire (The Spark that Set the Flame), October 30, 2009

By 

Boy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unforgettable Fire (W/Book) (Dlx) (Slip) (Audio CD)

This pristine remaster, supervised by The Edge himself, is a must for all fans of U2's 1984 breakout album. A number of great bass lines and synth parts are much more audible now, while the more familiar guitar and vocal parts are clearer and brighter sounding.

As with any great remastered record, there will be parts you'll feel you're hearing for the first time, even though you've listened to them countless times before. Remember how it first felt to upgrade from cassette tapes to CD? (dating myself, aren't I?) Well, that's how it felt when I first listened to this remaster.

For those who are not yet familiar, UF contains some of the band's all-time greatest efforts, including the soaring "A Sort of Homecoming," the all-time classic "Pride (In the Name of Love)," and the stirring title track. The album is a heady hybrid of dreamy and abstract alt-rock experimentation, side by side with propulsive and impassioned rock anthems. UF was easily the band's best record to date, and clearly paved the way for their '86 masterpiece, THE JOSHUA TREE.

But I think most buyers are already familiar with this classic record, so I'll get to the bonus disc.

PROS:

The brilliant new song, "Disappearing Act," recorded this year between concerts in France, is a track that keeps getting better after even a dozen or more listens. Complex, melodic, and featuring a distinctive metallic drum beat, this was originally an unfinished track from the '84 Slane sessions.

The WIDE AWAKE IN AMERICA EP is included in full here, with the songs reshuffled to flow better. The live version of "Bad" is far better than the original LP version, and "Three Sunrises" should not only have been included on THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE, but it should have been the first or second single!

The previously unreleased instrumental track is fantastic, a sort of sonic bridge between "New Year's Day" and "The Unforgettable Fire," with Edge once again doing double-duty on guitars and piano. Curtains of howling electro-feedback and a great performace from the rythym section make "Blossom" a total winner.

The B-side "Sixty Seconds in Kingdom Come" has always been a favorite of mine, although it is often regarded as a throw-away. See what you think....

But Danny Lanois' stupendous remix of "A Sort of Homecoming" is what makes this disc an absolute must for all U2 fans. Lanois essentially replaced Edge's ethereal guitars with driving acoustic rythyms and a brilliant recontextualizing of the "Oh- come-away" chant. It's hard to believe, but this version is even better than the real thing.

CONS:

"4th of July" and "11 O'Clock Tick-Tock" seem like filler material, as they are virtually identical to the original versions. The single version of "Pride" is also almost identical, although its extra repetitions of the chorus is pretty cool.

The rare old-school remixes of "Wire" are good, but not great. One is pretty similar to the album version, while the "Celtic Dub" mix shakes things up more.

The b-side tracks are all interesting, if not spectacular. The ambient "Bass Trap" is almost unrecognizable as a U2 song, and the "Boomerangs" never seem to go anywhere...kind of like actual boomerangs, really....

SO...

All in all, this is probably the best of the bonus discs from the recent series of Edge-supervised remasters (BOY through JOSHUA TREE, so far). The unreleased material is sweet, WIDE AWAKE IN AMERICA sounds better than ever, and the "Homecoming" remix is beyond the beyond.

In short, an absolute must for all hard-core U2 fans. Now let's hope they hurry up and get working on that super-duper-deluxe ACHTUNG BABY remaster...