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Editorial Reviews

Like The Joshua Tree before it, "The Unforgettable Fire" is given a lavish multimedia overhaul in its deluxe reissue treatment, with the fanciest edition containing a bonus CD plus a bonus DVD, and the simplest just containing the CD. That second CD rounds up all of the stray, mid-'80s tracks from U2, most notably all of the Wide Awake in America EP (strangely, the studio cuts "Love Comes Tumbling" and "The Three Sunrises" are swapped in the running order) and two previously unreleased tracks -- the moody "Disappearing Act," and the instrumental "Yoshino Blossom" -- that both feel like incomplete outtakes. In addition to an alternate, extended, single version of "Pride (In the Name of Love)," the disc contains all of the "Pride" B-sides from all the various territories -- the OK "Boomerang I" and "Boomerang II," long versions of "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" and "4th of July" -- along with the two B-sides from "The Unforgettable Fire" ("Bass Trap," "Sixty Seconds in Kingdom Come"), the NME vinyl promo of "Wire (Celtic Dub Mix)," and a Kevorkian remix of that track, and finally a Daniel Lanois version of "A Sort of Homecoming." Apart from Wide Awake, almost all of this material emphasizes how U2 was growing in the studio and finding meaning within that -- compare how the Lanois mix of "Homecoming" is built on percolating worldbeat and changes the feel of the record -- and while that might not result in many unheard songs, it does foster an increased appreciation for the group's growth on Unforgettable Fire. [The bonus DVD in the Super Deluxe Edition rounds up the music videos from the album -- "The Unforgettable Fire," "Bad," "Pride (In the Name of Love)," the latter in an alternate version as well -- along with a documentary on the making of the album, U2's set from the June 15, 1986, A Conspiracy of Hope Concert in New York, two tracks from their 1985 Live Aid set, and a June 1985 performance of "11 O'Clock Tick Tock." In contrast to the bonus CD, this DVD emphasizes U2's power as a live act, helping this super-deluxe edition stand as a testament to a pivotal, transitional period in the band's history.] Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

• Listener Rating:
• Ratings: 4