I'm quick with the news on this one - it only broke last night at 11:30pm...via a plastic carrier bag.

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U2 announces ‘The Unforgettable Fire’ reissue box set via plastic shopping bag

U2’s The Unforgettable Fire will be remastered and reissued in a “super deluxe” box set this October that will include “B-sides, rare and previously unreleased songs, and film and video footage.”

Oddly, news of the release — the sixth in the band’s ongoing catalog reissue campaign — came not via press release or posting on U2’s official Web site. Rather, fans attending the opening concerts of the band’s 360° World Tour in Barcelona this week picked up plastic shopping bags at the merchandise tables that advertised the forthcoming reissue, according to fan site U2tour.de.



Pictured above, the text on the bag reads: “Coming October 2009: The Unforgettable Fire, 25th anniversary edition.” It lists the album being available in “super deluxe, deluxe, CD, vinyl and download” formats, and shows images of the Unforgettable Fire reissue, as well as the five past releases: Boy, October, War, Under a Blood Red Sky and The Joshua Tree.

It’s worth noting that The Unforgettable Fire is pictured as a larger box set, like the expanded Joshua Tree set that launched the band’s reissue series in 2007 (and featured a full bonus concert from Paris on DVD), rather than the CD-sized sets of the band’s first four titles that were released last year.

Perhaps in recognition of the anniversary of the 1984 album — which marked the band’s first collaboration with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois — U2 dusted off the album’s long-neglected title track (see video below) and “MLK,” in addition to the obligatory “Pride (In the Name of Love),” at its two Barcelona concerts this week.

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Source:

http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2009/0 ... d-box-set/

Great stuff - my second favourite U2 album, and the one with (I think) the best b-sides.

Steve W

This is exciting news Steve. I love this album and apart from a couple of tracks it barely gets a mention when discussing the bands albums. Whilst I was pleased with the 'Joshua Tree' box this package is actually more appealing to me.

A clever way to promote the up and coming reissue

Absolutly love this album.To me it was the highest point that U2 every made it to .
From te very start until the final track i would be hard pushed to find a song that i didn't like.
It also contains my favourite u2 song,Bad.I'm now trying to learn how to play it but without much success at the moment.

Cool! I think that's one I will buy, though I haven't bought any of their stuff for a long time. I love this album!

Apparently they've gone back and finished some old unfinished tracks:

http://www.nme.com/news/u2/46802

Steve W

I wonder what else is going to be part of the package. It's on Amazon as a pre-order but gives no info whatsoever.

Now officially announced at the U2 site for a 26th October release.

Still no details on the full track listing, though.

http://www.u2.com/news/title/the-unforg ... remastered

Steve W

Here we go:

http://salu2podcast.wordpress.com/2009/ ... tracklist/

Main Album

1. A Sort of Homecoming
2. Pride (In the Name of Love)
3. Wire
4. The Unforgettable Fire
5. Promenade
6. 4th of July
7. Bad
8. Indian Summer Sky
9. Elvis Presley & America
10. MLK

Second CD

1. 11 O’Clock Tick Tock (unreleased version)
2. Bass Trap
3. Boomerang I
4. Boomerang II
5. Love Comes Tumbling
6. 60 Seconds In Kingdom Comes
7. The Three Sunrises
8. Sunday Bloody Sunday (live from Live Aid)
9. Bad (live from Live Aid)
10. Walk On the Wild Side
11. Ruby Tuesday
12. Satellite of Love
13. Disappearing Act (unreleased track)
14. Yoshino Blossom (unreleased track)

Concert DVD

U2 in Dortmund, West Germany, November 21, 1984 at Westfalenhalle (set list on U2tours.com)

Bonus DVD

1. Barry Devlin Slane Document
2. U2 at Conspiracy of Hope
3. U2 at Live Aid
4. Unforgettable Fire documentary (Barry Delvin)

(@U2 note: We don’t know the difference between Nos. 1 and 4 on the bonus DVD. The documentary (#4) was already released on the U2 Go Home: Live at Slane Castle DVD in 2003.)

When the 'bag' announcement came up I listed possible extra tracks as:

4th of July (alternate, b-side version)
Boomerang I
Boomerang II
A Sort of Homecoming (live) *
Bad (live) *
The Three Sunrises
Love Comes Tumbling
Bass Trap
Sixty Seconds in Kingdom Come
Wire (dub mix - NME 7" flexi disc)
Maggie's Farm/Cold Turkey (live - Self Aid concert)

* Alternate mixes of these two were released in Australia

Shorty after recording the album The Edge produced a soundtrack LP to the film Captive. Most U2-y are Rowena's Theme and Heroine (Theme from Captive), the second of which featured Sinéad O'Connor.

It's a shame the Wire re-mix doesn't appear to have made it, as it was only ever available on flexi-disc, so there isn't a decent quality version out there - the others are mainly available on CD if you look for them.

Steve W

Looks like some fine stuff's gonna be included. The Germany concert is fantastic and well worth seeing again

Hold your horses - the tracks have now been confirmed at U2's official site, and they're different to those listed above.

Here's the official word:

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The Unforgettable Fire Bonus Audio CD.

Disappearing Act
A Sort of Homecoming (live)
Bad (live)
Love Comes Tumbling
The Three Sunrises
Yoshino Blossom
Wire (Kervorkian Remix)
Boomerang I
Pride (In The Name of Love)
A Sort of Homecoming
11 O'Clock Tick Tock
Wire (Celtic Dub Mix)
Basa Trap
Boomerang II
4th of July
Sixty Seconds in Kingdom Come


As the comments on our earlier story have been suggesting, The Unforgettable Fire - with the arrival of Brian Eno and Danny Lanois in the studio - has a special place in the heart for many fans and a lot of the tracks on this bonus CD have been unavailable for a long time.

Two of the titles from those Slane Castle sessions have never been available: 'Yoshino Blossom', and 'Disappearing Act', which the band recently completed. A Sort of Homecoming and Bad are live versions, from The Unforgettable Fire Tour that were on the highly sought after collectors item EP Wide Awake in America.

The version of 11 O'Clock Tick Tock was the b-side to 'Pride (In The Name of Love)' while Wire (Celtic Dub Remix) was previously on 7" vinyl given away free with NME in May 1985.

And The Unforgettable Fire DVD Collection looks like this:

The Unforgettable Fire
Directed by Meiert Avis

Bad
Directed by Barry Devlin

Pride (In The Name Of Love)
Directed by Donald Cammell

A Sort Of Homecoming
Directed by Barry Devlin

The Making Of The Unforgettable Fire - documentary
Directed by Barry Devlin

Additional Material

U2 at A Conspiracy Of Hope Concert
1. MLK
2. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
3. Bad
Recorded live at Giants Stadium, New Jersey, USA, 15th June 1986

U2 at Live Aid
1. Sunday Bloody Sunday 2. Bad
Recorded live at Wembley Stadium, 13th July 1985

Pride (In The Name Of Love) - Sepia version
Directed by Donald Cammell

11 O'Clock Tick Tock - Bootleg version
Live from Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland, 29th June 1985

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Going back to my original hopes, that's everything on my original list apart from the live Maggie's Farm.

Extras, too. Apart from the two newly discovered tracks there are 2 mixes of Wire, and the alternate mic of 11 O'Clock Tick Tock.

TOP BANANA!

Steve W