Whoops

I really didn't mean to follow up a U2 post with another U2 post, but guess what? That's what I'm gonna do. This has been banging around my head for a while and just need to get it down so I can be free of it.

I read a review about six years ago covering U2's second compilation of greatest hits and the reviewer pointed out how the "Electrical Storm" remix that showed up on the bonus disc was a better mix of the actual song that appeared on the album version. I found I completely agreed.

And then I started noticing things. As I got increasingly bored with the band's Eno/Lanois studio productions, the remixes from the same time period got more and more interesting.

When "Atomic Bomb" came out one of the songs that annoyed me to no end was "Original of the Species" because it seemed like it had so much potential but landed completed flat. It was such a boring song.

And then someone leaked the "Original Of The Species (Killahurtz Casa De Angeles Mix)" of the song and it was like a revelation. The track included this steady backbeat that helped firm up the song and included some alternate vocal takes from Bono that all of sudden made the song interesting.

Similarly, the Jacknife Lee mix of "Vertigo" turned the playful romp from the band into this hard-edged rock song that worked on a whole new level.

I started to notice that as the band brought in new and interesting producers to play with some of the band's singles after these albums were released you ended up with better versions of the songs than what they'd originally put out.

Now, I'm not taking about the standard dance remix treatment most of their songs get when the albums come out but actual alternative takes of the songs by fringe producers. A lot of it works amazingly well. And it just proves to me again that U2 needs to cut the apron strings and experiment with a young, brash producer in the studio.

Below is a list off the top of my head of altnerate mixes of U2 songs that are better than the album version:

1. Electrical Storm (William Orbit Mix)
2. Original Of The Species (Killahurtz Casa De Angeles Mix)
3. Get On Your Boots (Justice Remix)
4. Elevation(Influx Remix)

And a couple that are at least as good as the original and toy with being better:

1. No Line on the Horizon ("Get on Your Boots" Single Remix)
2. Vertigo (Jacknife Lee 10" Version)
3. New Year's Day (USA Remix)