U2 - The Achtung Baby Working Tapes
In the winter of 1990,
U2 were hard at work in Hansa Ton recording studios in Berlin, Germany. The
ultimate result of this effort would be the November '91 release of their next
album, Achtung Baby. However, in December 1990 that album was a great
way off, because U2 (unlike most other bands) entered the studio with very few
lyric or song ideas.
Instead, U2 came into the
studio to create as well as record. Here they sought inspirations for songs
from playing together. They would 'etch' out ideas while improvising around
some basic idea, or riff. Since all this 'jamming' was taking place in a recording
studio, even the simplest of ideas was captured on tape. The highlights of these
tapes were then edited down and compiled into 'working tapes' recorded onto
DAT (Digital Audio Tape) cassettes. Tapes of this nature were used to hold possible
song ideas, as well as a means for Brian Eno (and others) to hear the band's
progress and make suggestions about the music.
In April of 1991, it was
announced that such tapes had found their way into the hands of bootleggers.
Since then, the U2 'working tapes' have been pressed in a variety of forms.
May 1991 - THE NEW U2: REHEARSALS
AND FULL VERSIONS
The debut pressing of the
sessions. Available on vinyl only, as two separate double album packages. The
covers were identical except for the colours of the lettering. One cover featured
silver lettering, while the other had gold. In this pressing both LP's of the
silver lettered album proved to be identical. This resulted in four LP's being
released, but with only three LP's worth of material.
June 1991 - THE NEW U2:
REHEARSALS AND FULL VERSIONS
It was widely rumoured
that the set had been pressed again, but this time without any duplication between
the LP's. If true, this meant that there were now four LP's worth of material
available.
Nov. 1991 - THE NEW U2:
REHEARSALS AND FULL VERSIONS
This time the pressings
were released as a boxed set of 5 LP's. Surprisingly, there was no duplication
within the set. All of these LP's were pressed on translucent vinyl, in either
blue or green (pink pressings have also been rumoured). There were now 5 LP's
worth of material available, which came to a staggering total of 3 hours, 27
minutes, and 28 seconds.
Feb. 1992 - SALOME: THE
[AXTUNG BEIBI] OUTAKES (sic)
This was the release that
had been deemed "too hot" to ever be pressed. The complete three and half hours
worth of material were now available as a triple compact disc set. Since these
CD's were mastered from the original DAT recordings, there's no quality loss
between the original working tapes and these CD's. Thus the sound quality is
far superior to the LP's. The title (Salome) is believed to have been a working
title used during the Achtung Baby sessions, but it's not clear which song it
was referring to.
With these releases U2 found
themselves in the dubious position of being: "the first major band to have studio
sessions released before the finished product was either released, abandoned or
the group broke up".
U2's manager Paul McGuinness
reacted to the bootlegs by releasing a press statement accusing the bootleggers
of cheating the fans by passing off inferior material. He also stated that the
finished product had evolved by leaps and bounds from what was being illegally
circulated.
Regardless of the superior
polish of the finished material released as Achtung Baby, the material
found on the bootlegs is fascinating in and of itself. The most compelling aspect
about the bootlegged material is that, rather than offering slightly alternative
versions of tracks found on the finished record, they instead reveal the song
writing process itself. Familiar solos, bass lines, bridges and riffs abound,
and there is also a host of interesting songs that didn't find their way onto
Achtung Baby.
What follows are pseudo
"liner notes" for the Achtung Baby 'working tapes'. For the purpose of
these notes, the Salome triple CD set is used as the source of reference.
Due to the nature of the
recordings, the actual TITLES of the songs are unknown. This makes discussions
of the material very difficult unless you happen to have the CD's available
for play at the moment of conversation, or are able to remember the running
order of each disc. Therefore, "Fan Working Titles" (hereafter referred to as
FWT) have been created. These are only meant as an aid when discussing and digesting
this material, and do not represent what U2 might have actually called the songs.
FWT's also help keep a lineage evident as a song evolves.
These "notes" attempt to
describe the songs musically and provide an audible association with the FWT's.
These are followed by one or more "sound bites" of lyrics from Bono. These "sound
bytes" further aid in the identification of the track for conversational reference,
and are labelled with the approximate time of their occurrence in brackets.
The quoted material under "Bono -" are silly and/or amusing things Bono says
(as opposed to sings).
Track 1 (5:59) | |
FWT: | Salome' |
Notes: | This song must have been the most painful to evolve, since there are more takes of it than any other on SALOME. You can virtually sing the words to Salome' (from the CD single Even Better Than The Real Thing) to this take. Perhaps it's title here still should be Got To Get Together Now, but it's Salome' for identity purposes. The bassline leads one to believe this is an early form of ZOO STATION. Later takes also support this theory. |
Words? | "Love, baby please don't go" "We got to get together now...break!" |
Track 2 (4:11) | |
FWT: | Where Did It All Go Wrong? |
Notes: | Here, all 4 members of U2 keep up a frantic pace resulting in a fast, hard driving song that sounds GREAT! It's very repetitive, but that's the hook. It's all 4 members of U2 moving pretty fast. The music skips at 2:21. |
Words? | "Did you want it Did you get it" "Did you feel it" |
Track 3 (3:44) | |
FWT: | Where Did It All Go Wrong? |
Notes: | A much more catchy version with a cool, albeit out of place, bridge. |
Words? | "Did you get it Did you need it Did you really get what you wanted" |
Track 4 (6:48) | |
FWT: | Heaven And Hell |
Notes: | U2 playing the same instrumental backing as DOCTOR DOCTOR, but with Bono singing completely different words. A great slow song with a nice "fat" organ sound. |
Words? | "Nothing's feels like this before now You're heaven and hell Baby, you're heaven and hell Heaven and hell" "Oh, heaven and hell Anytime I wanna chance to hold you I wanna chance to kill you I wanna chance to keep you awake at night When the sunlight bursts through the room But you can't always get everything you want You take cards from all under the table You're heaven Heaven and hell Baby you're heaven Heaven and hell Yeah, you're heaven Heaven and hell" |
Bono- | "The organ, just organ" [4:24]. The band stops, organ picks up, and then band comes back in. "Organ" [5:36]. The organ cuts in beautifully. "This time when we come in, I want it quietly. Not the drums but everyone else." [5:44] |
Track 5 (2:36) | |
FWT: | Doctor Doctor |
Notes: | U2 playing the same instrumental backing as HEAVEN AND HELL, but Bono singing completely different words. The music "skips" at 1:47, fades out at 1:51, and back in at 1:55, and then back out again at 2:35. |
Words? | "I can't hold you back" "Doctor, Doctor Tell me what to do I got heartbreak in my pocket I got sunlight next to you Doctor, doctor Will the difference be adjourned" |
Track 6 (3:57) | |
FWT: | Jitterbug Baby |
Notes: | This song fades in with a bouncy guitar riff and Bono singing in a low voice. There's plenty of reverb on Bono and plenty of Edge "cutting" to ensure this song being scrapped early on. The words are quite lost in the mix. |
Words? | "Jitterbug Baby" "Ahhhhhaaaahhhh Ahhhhhaaaahhhh Jitterbug Baby" "Jitterbug, I got my high heeled shoes" "Ooohhhhoooooh Ooohhhhoooooh, ya!" "Jitterbug Baby Out love is bad When the sun is burning And our love comes to I got my high heel love (?) I am running to My little Jitterbug Baby Ahhhhhaaaahhhh" |
Bono- | "Ok, here we go!" [2:28] |
Track 7 (9:16) | |
FWT: | Salome' |
Notes: | A real bridge take. You can hear U2 take a song that wasn't working for them and change it drastically to try and make something out of it. The change was for a slower "less crowded" sound which results in a bored sounding band. Towards the end of the take you can hear the familiar ZOO STATION-ish sounds coming forth in bursts. At 5:31 Bono sings something that prompts Larry to drum a little faster, this in turn has The Edge (around 6:40) changing his guitar melody. It changes the whole sound quite a bit! At 7:00 Bono re-introduces lyrics from the beginning of the song (why?), but soon calls out "We're going into the F, going down to the F" which brings them into some place completely different. "E minor" from Bono changes the sound of things even further. It seems something happens on the spur of the moment that changes the song more than the simple chord changes. At 7:37 things really start coming together, so much as to prompt Bono to say (at 7:55) "That's really great stuff, Larry Mullen." Further toying with the song ultimately wears them down, and at 9:10 the steam runs out very suddenly. |
Words? | "We got to, got to get it together..." "Oh, honey child, oh honey child, honey child" "I like when the hi-hi-hi-hi-hi-lights burnin'" "I feel this love is getting higher" |
Bono- | "Chorus! Ah, la la got to get to gether now Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Ya got to get to gether now- stop! Two, three, four" |
Track 8 (5:37) | |
FWT: | Salome' |
Notes: | The beginning sounds almost like a "remixed" version of the song. U2 seem to be taken by the idea of radically changing the songs in an effort to spur creativity. There's a great deal of "production" on this take; plenty of assorted effects and sound loops. The vocals can be heard, but it is difficult to understand much of what is being said. This songs later evolution into ZOO STATION is most evident in this take, especially toward the end (ie, the fuzzy booming sound at 3:14). The familiar ZOO STATION loop of clanking bells can also be heard throughout the song. |
Words? | "Well, you're high as a kite Burning with all your might" |
Track 9 (8:49) | |
FWT: | Sunset In Colors |
Notes: | A loose melody, mostly instrumental with a very bright sound. A very good song consisting mainly of The Edge on lead guitar. |
Words? | "Here comes the sunset, it comes in colors... Don't change it" "I'm lost and I'm wasting all your time Here comes changes, coming all the time" |
Bono- | "I still can't hear my voice. Can you turn it up? Yeah, nice... A little reverb?" |
Track 10 (6:08) | |
FWT: | Chances Away |
Notes: | Demo sounding with only a few words from Bono (though he seems to know the music!). Bono sings bits of TAKE YOU DOWN, another song from these sessions. This is an early form of UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD. The familiar riff is heard at the end of the choruses [4:14]. |
Words? | "Don't hide away... You've got to take your chances" |
Bono- | "Adam go around until you can hear the drums. You know the chords by now. It's the same thing." [3:16] "Okay, it's the verse. Okay, verse- one, two three..." [5:20] |
Track 11 (1:40) | |
FWT: | Chances Away |
Notes: | Fades in for short while and then back out again. Odd. Perhaps there is something in this short clip that U2 wanted to keep for future reference? |
Track 12 (6:35) | |
FWT: | I Feel Free |
Notes: | Both Bono and The Edge sing vocals on this track, making it sound more planned, rather than the brainstorming session we heard in CHANCES AWAY. Almost immediatley we hear the familiar riff from CHANCES AWAY, only this time it is the basis of the song instead of the second half of the chorus. This is an early form of UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD. |
Words? | "We shadow down, shadow down by the water" "Don't lock me down, lock me down I feel free I feel free And I Feel Free I Feel Free" "Iiiieeeee feeeeeeeeeeeel freeeeeeeeeeee yeeaahh!" |
Track 1 (4:31) | |
FWT: | I Feel Free |
Notes: | A fantastic shriek from Bono at the beginning. The UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD guitar riff is the basis for the whole song. Vocals are mostly Bono, but The Edge provides backup. This take is much more free-form than Disc 1, Track 12. This is an early form of UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD. |
Words? | "Where did you go Where did you go I'd really like to know" "I.. I.. I.. feel free..." |
Track 2 (2:02) | |
FWT: | Sweet Baby Jane |
Notes: | Bono sings the first verse acapella (and stammers on a word!) in a thick 'Bongloese'. The Edge follows him with guitar, then they both join up. Adam comes in later. No Drums. |
Words? | (This was only attempted because the first verse is just Bono with no backing) "And I'll come in to say goodbye Took in seargant maims my b-bye More than dreams and the bottom'll come When she would encumber writing well" (Good luck on further figuring out what he's singing) "And if you catch me I'll take your time" "Sweet baby Jane, sweet baby Jane Sweet baby Jane, sweet baby Jane" "And if you call, I'll come running And if you ask, I will be given And if you need me, I will be here" |
Track 3 (5:35) | |
FWT: | Morning Child / Don't Turn Around |
Notes: | This song is an early form of WHO'S GONNA RIDE YOUR WILD HORSES. Bono sings "sweet morning child" a few times then later sings "don't turn around" to the same melody. Bono asks for lyrics! Bono tells The Edge [4:17] "Say 'don't turn around' over and over again" and The Edge creates instant backup vocals. The audio cuts to silence for about one second at 4:48. When it returns Bono says, "Try not to do that". At the end of the take Bono says "That alright mates?", someone replies, "Yeah, that was real perfect." |
Words? | "Baby sweet talking baby Around.. Don't turn around and see Don't turn around We're suffering the same Don't turn, we'll break" "Don't turn around, don't turn around again" "Don't turn.. Caledonia Caledonia, Caledonia.. Don't turn around" |
Bono- | "I don't know too many words" "Is this the chorus?" "It's the verse again?" "This is the chorus, yeah..." "Sing 'don't turn around' over and again so I can keep singing" (and The Edge sings backup). |
Track 4 (4:00) | |
FWT: | Morning Child / Don't Turn Around |
Notes: | This song is an early form of WHO'S GONNA RIDE YOUR WILD HORSES. In this take you can really hear the acoustic guitar. The bridge here is similar to how it turns out on the album (only better in my opinion; Bono barely sings at all during this bridge). Bono starts singing "morning child" towards the end of the take. |
Words? | "No, don't... ask why. Oh, no don't ask questions" "Morning morning morning morning child Oh, lonely child" |
Track 5 (5:09) | |
FWT: | Morning Child / Don't Turn Around |
Notes: | This song is an early form of WHO'S GONNA RIDE YOUR WILD HORSES. Bono sings "don't say goodbye" several times in the same melody as he sings "morning child" and "don't turn around". Bono goes for some vocal calisthetics toward the end of the take. |
Words? | "I've been down there, been down I've been down, I've been down there... I've been down there, oh, I've been down there" "Don't you turn around, don't turn around" "Oh, in your eyes an angel dies Love in the shadows and in December rain" "Oh, don't say goodbye, don't say goodbye..." etc. |
Track 6 (6:29) | |
FWT: | Take Today |
Notes: | Nice instrumental song with harmonica and horns. |
Track 7 (4:51) | |
FWT: | Even Better Than The Real Thing |
Notes: | This is pretty much an instrumental version of EVEN BETTER THAN THE REAL THING. You can practically sing along with this one. The crescendo ending is fantastic, much better than the commercial version. |
Track 8 (7:44) | |
FWT: | She's gonna Turn Your Head Around |
Notes: | This "version" sounds very little like what it later evolves/changes into. The vocals have a heavy, plate sounding reverb. The audio is quieter than other tracks. It fades out early. Bono sings "she's gonna take her chances, gonna take her chances" to what will be the melody of "She's Gonna Turn Your Head Around". He also sings some other stuff to the same melody. Bono adlibs though much of the song. Doesn't Larry ever get tired? |
Words? | "How does it feel when you're letting go" "How does it fell when you're out of control" "Is anybody calling? Is anybody home? Is anybody home" "I'm calling out for love. Is anybody home" "Sugar cane, sugar cane, sugar cane, sugar cane" etc. "Midnight is when the day begins Midnight" |
Bono- | Sounds like a lot of improvisation here. "Just drums" [2:55] (the band cuts to just drums for a bit) "Edge- dooh dooh dooh" [7:11] (The Edge follows Bono's vocals w/guitar) "Doo doo dooo dooo dooo" [7:37] |
Track 9 (7:38) | |
FWT: | She's Gonna Turn Your Head Around |
Notes: | There is now much less echo, more song structure, and a normal volume level. The chorus, "she's gonna blow your house down, she's gonna turn your head around, she's gonna blow your house down", is now consistent. This take KICKS! |
Words? | "She's gonna blow your house down She's gonna take your head off She's gonna take you down" |
Bono- | "Bridge! How does it feel when you've gone into the bridge now? How does it feel when you're in the bridge? Bridge, in the bridge, in the bridge, and chorus! She's gonna blow your house down, take your head around, she's gonna blow your house down." "Let's do the bridge again." "Bridge. Dah, dah, dah, dah.. AND INTO THE CHORUS!" |
Track 10 (5:33) | |
FWT: | Back Mask U2 |
Notes: | This is an early form of SO CRUEL. The connection becomes more evident later on. There's plenty of percussion playing backwards behind the band. The sound is slow and depressing. Bono mumbles through most of the song (a la ELVIS PRESLEY AND AMERICA). Toward the end it becomes mainly instrumental, although at x:xx we hear a line we know from SO CRUEL. |
Words? | "And the day is dry And there's no water And you can't see the road ahead You can only see her" "Woman... Woman..." "A promise comes to this house Where no one can sleep" |
Track 11 (7:41) | |
FWT: | She's Gonna Turn Your Head Around |
Notes: | Bono says "wake up!" a lot. The melody has changed a little bit. Bono sings, "better wake up, better wake up tonight, better find a new plan, better wake up tonight." to the chorus melody of SHE'S GONNA TURN YOUR HEAD AROUND. Bono sings in a very high pitched voice towards the end, "she's gonna blow your house down, she's gonna turn your head around, she's gonna take you down." It's as if he finally figured out the chorus! |
Words? | "How does it feel when your head is full of soul" "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" |
Bono- | "Here comes the chorus" [0:27] "Better wake up, wake up tonight Better sing a new song... so long" [4:29] |
Track 12 (6:32) | |
FWT: | Take Today |
Notes: | This version has Bono singing, and The Edge doing backup. Sounds sort of "family" like. The audio cuts to silence for about 1/10th of a second at 5:14. Another drop out is heard at 6:28. |
Words? | "And you know And you know that's going to be alright No one's gonna tear No one's gonna tear us apart Every summer Every summer's gonna be alright I'll come by At July Yeah, come by in July Every summer" "If you want to take tomorrow, Then you've got to take today" |
Bono- | "You're on the air... Okay, here we go..." [0:14] "...then you've got to seize the day" [4:23] |
Track 1 (1:05) | |
FWT: | Someone |
Notes: | This is a short clip of a song that sounds like a jam session. Something must be in this clip that U2 wanted to save for later development. |
Words? | "And you're calling out to someone you believe is in your heart" |
Track 2 (3:11) | |
FWT: | Back Mask U2 |
Notes: | This is an early form of SO CRUEL. This is evident not only in the percussion, but also in the general emotion of the song (specifically, the last two lines of the take). One can really understand what Bono is singing! |
Words? | "When the night turns mean on you And the day is dry And there's no water around And you can't see the road ahead You can only see her... White and alive She's laughing in the face of love Your love is white and alive This is your last chance in my dreams In my dreams she stands over me Surrounded on all sides She has taken the higher ground And I'm the willing victim of her love And faith my favorite drug And faith my favorite drug I'm sick for love Sick for her love Sick foods you sell Just the sight of you makes me wobble I can't see straight, walk or talk to anyone else I can't even talk to you White and alive I'm laughing in the face of your face White and alive Sick for love Sick for love So, between the horses of love and lust I'm trampled underfoot" |
Track 3 (4:19) | |
FWT: | Acrobat |
Notes: | This song is ACROBAT with slightly different words. It is the only song that survived these sessions virtually unchanged. Bono sings "Don't let (X) take you down", where X seems to be assorted different things, people, etc. It's hard to actually pick any but a few out. A GREAT guitar solo from The Edge. |
Words? | "Don't let them take you down" "Don't let the teardrops grind you down" "Don't let the tears take you donw" "And you know that you try and you try To make it right, to make it so To make it sweet, they make it hard" "How does it feel to be burned by the sun" |
Track 4 (5:56) | |
FWT: | Salome' |
Notes: | The bass line (reminicent of some Rolling Stones song) is the tell-tale clue that reveales this to be an early form of ZOO STATION. It's very difficult to distinguish any lyrics. |
Words? | "...and the shotgun" (?) "We've got to get to gether now" |
Track 5 (5:09) | |
FWT: | Morning Child / Don't Turn Around |
Notes: | Same take as the Disc 2, Track 5, except here the beginning has been partially omitted. |
Track 6 (5:16) | |
FWT: | Take You Down |
Notes: | This song is an early form of LADY WITH THE SPINNING HEAD, which later evolved into ULTRA VIOLET (Light My Way). The guitar solo was used again in THE FLY, and the bridge moved on to be used as the intro to ULTRA VIOLET (Light My Way). The Edge is NOT signing backup, it's Bono! The left and right channels are different takes of Bono singing to the same backing music. Each channel sounds quite different from the other, and the two only come together in one or two places. The vocals are not completely isolated to the left or right channels. In each channel you can faintly hear the other. During the guitar solo and bridge you can only hear one vocal track (in both channels). Hendrix like solo, wow! A frantic ending. This song rips! Much, MUCH better than LADY WITH THE SPINNING HEAD. |
Words? | RIGHT CHANNEL: "Oh, wont you get it up and get My heart in the sunlight" "Going to the back light Going back to the way we were Ahh, hahh Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up dead man Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up dead man" LEFT CHANNEL: "They're trying to take you down" "And out you call You want it so And out you call" |
Bono- | "I was singing a bit late in here" (The band slows down for a bit) "I know sometimes you get it wrong You got to get it wrong Sometimes you get it wrong You take it anymore..." |
Track 7 (5:24) | |
FWT: | Going Down South |
Notes: | Instrumental. Sounds like some 'hill billy' rock band. All that's missing is someone on washbasin and whisky jug. |
Track 8 (3:52) | |
FWT: | Salome' |
Notes: | This is Bono screwing around with a 12-string guitar while the backing of Salome'(Disc 3, Track 4) is playing. He's presumably trying to work out something, but God only knows what. This take becomes truly annoying to the listener after a couple of minutes (then again it was never meant to be LISTENED to). The pluking of strings from the 12-string can be heard, while in later takes, you hear strumming and chord progressions. |
Track 9 (13:08) | |
FWT: | Salome' |
Notes: | More Guitar overdubbing amounts to 13 minutes of an idea being pounded to death from an assortment of angles with plenty of reverb. |
Track 10 (6:03) | |
FWT: | Salome' |
Notes: | Oh God! More guitar overdubbing, although this time it seems more 'idea oriented'. U2 should be given credit for being a great band, but the process of creating a song via this method is about as pleasant as giving yourself a root canal. |
Track 11 (8:05) | |
FWT: | Salome' |
Notes: | The take starts with someone announcing: "Bono, 12 string...take 2." Not much progress here. It seems like someone is toying with the mix during this take. By the end of the track, the vocals and guitar are turned down so as to make the 12 string, percussion, and bass more prominent. |
Track 12 (12:04) | |
FWT: | Salome' |
Notes: | This track begins with a few seconds from the previous track (with it's percussion and bass biased mix). Then it's onto more 12-string overdubbing. Fades in and out a couple of times. What they were trying to isolate is not apparent. |
BONO ON BOOTLEGS:
"The only thing that can
piss you off is if people are charging a lot of money for something that isn't
very good. It [the Achtung Baby working tapes] got bootlegged in Berlin and
it was just like having your notebook read out. That's the bit I didn't
like about it. There were no undiscovered works of genius, unfortunately,
it was more just gobbledy-gook..."
But he admits going out
and buying a copy of that bootleg anyway!
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