Search - U2 :: U2 Deluxe Edition Box Set

Welcome home old friends

Eric E. Weinraub | Issaquah, Washington United States | 08/04/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"From the opening riff of I will Follow, I had chills ... Like U2, I'm in my 40s and this was the music of my teen years. I may have been a little late to the U2 party becoming a fan with the release of October. That said, I always felt that that the one knock on all 3 of their first albums was production, not the mix. Between money and technology some of the band was lost between their performances in the studio and what we got in the shop. That has finally been taken care of. Edge has done an outstanding job of bringing these albums finally and completly to life. I am reminded of the re mastering job that Jimmy Page did on the Zeppelin catalog.



The bonus tracks, as a whole, are both invigorating and illuminating. Many memories came back to me as I remember many of these songs from now long lost 12" singles. I hope I am not the only one who remembers the 12" single. My one complaint, albeit small, is the utterly poor choice of bonus tracks on War.



...and the poster is a nice touch"

If you're a fan, this one's a must have

Martin Balogh | 07/31/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Like many fans of U2's early work, I fell off the bandwagon after the Joshua Tree but this box set gets you all the goodies (and then some) that were never released on vinyl or CD, or at least not officially... and I don't count the Apple/iPod MP3 crap that was released with the U2 iPod. I have all their original first pressing singles and it's great to finally have them on a very good sounding CD, as auditioned on my mega-buck all tube system.



There's a great first version of "Fire" called "Saturday Night" that, to me, is worth the price of admission alone. Never heard it before, never knew it existed. I think it's better than "Fire". Lyrics are completely different but the instrumentation is basically the same. Killer.



Oh, did I mention the packaging? First rate. Jeez, I sound like a shill for their record label. I could write more but I think I'll go back to listening. Best 65 bucks I've spent in awhile."

Not a bad release, but it has flaws

Synesthesia | 01/06/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this Deluxe Edition as soon as it became available and I was excited when it came in the post. Delivery was fine, everything was there, the box was in good shape, but I feel that the box itself could have been put together a lot better. Sometimes, when I am moving and organising my things, the little books containing the discs tend to slip right out, onto the floor and the box itself could be easily crushed. I wasn't too thrilled about that. I love packaging as much as I do the actual music inside, that's why I'm a collector. So that knocks some points off for me. The books, however, I did enjoy. Probably more than the music.



As for the actual music, I was a little bit disappointed with it. I already own all three albums and admittedly, I was lacking the bonus material, which helped me in deciding whether or not to buy this release, or just save my money for a more worthy release, like the Under a Blood Red Sky remaster. The upgrades to the music are nice, but not enough for me to rave over and the bonus material, most notably on the War end of things, was very disappointing to say the least. I've listened to the War Bonus disc maybe all of once or twice. Who really needs that many versions of New Year's Day? I think that the studio version got played enough, thanks.



My last complaint is the price. Yes, the price. For what was asked for this product, I do not feel it lived up to it's worth. The remastering is OK at best and the bonus material leaves a lot to be desired, though I will say I do frequently listen to the Boy and October bonus discs. The price is awfully steep for what's inside and the box looked to me like not much thought had gone into it at all. 6 Discs enclosed in hardback books with a poster would warrant a price like this, but like I tend to say ... quality over quantity, my friends. I feel it could have been much better than it was - especially for what it cost."