|
Imserba Webstore - The Unforgettable Fire (Super Deluxe Edition 2CD+DVD)
|
List Price: $69.98
Our Price: $54.99
Your Save: $ 14.99 ( 21% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Island
|
Average Customer Rating:  
|
|
Binding: Audio CD
Brand: Uni
EAN: 0602517924178
Format: Box set
Label: Island
Manufacturer: Island
Number Of Discs: 3
Publisher: Island
Release Date: 2009-10-26
Studio: Island
|
|
|
|
|
|
Editorial Reviews:
|
|
Limited Edition Box Set: containing 2 CDs (remastered album and bonus audio CD), a DVD with live footage, documentary and videos, a 56 page hardback book with liner notes by The Edge, Brian Eno, Danny Lanois, Bert Van de Kamp and Niall Stokes, and 5 photographic prints Deluxe Edition: containing 2 CDs; the remastered album, and the bonus audio CD which features B-sides and previously unreleased material, a 36 page booklet with liner notes by The Edge, Brian Eno, Danny Lanois and Bert Van de Kamp
|
|
|
Spotlight customer reviews:
|
Customer Rating:
Summary: The "Fire" is truly "Unforgettable"
Comment: The remasters thus far have been great and this one continues that tradition. The inclusion of additional material and other little bonus items is always a good thing and the packaging on this one is equal to the already available "Joshua Tree". Glad to see U2 are ahead of the game in keeping their catalogue updated.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Good, but could have been better
Comment: This is my first review on Amazon.
I have been a very big fan of U2 for a very long time. I have really liked just about all of their music. I have really enjoyed the remastering, having all the extra b-sides, remixes, and videos. They all have been done very well and have included some really rare gems.
Okay. Here's the one thing that would have made this even better, 5.1 mix of the album. I know people will argue that they don't have a dvd-a or sacd player. Not true. Most newer dvd players will play either one or both formats. The Unforgettable Fire is one of my favorite albums. This album mixed in 5.1 would be unbelievable! Once you have heard a good 5.1 mix of a studio album, it's hard to go back to the original.
I would gladly pay more if these U2 remasters were available in 5.1.
Just my two cents.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Encapsulation of U2's launch
Comment:
I think The Unforgettable Fire is underated in the U2 catalog. I put it 3rd behind only Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby. While its two successors were better developed than Fire, I think Fire is THE iconic U2 album of the 80's. Plus the songs are a huge leap from their previous work, and still sound fresh today. 'Pride' is still arguably U2's best and most popular song. And to this day, a U2 concert with 'Bad' somehow seems to transcend those without.
The album is re-mastered here for the 25th anniversary of its release. To me, the improvements are just too modest for most people to appreciate. It's certainly not worth the new purchase by itself. But this package also comes with a bonus CD and DVD. The bonus CD is a great mood piece for that period. The B-sides, while certainly deserving of the designation relative to the songs that ultimately made the album, would make the final cut for 99.9% of the bands out there today. The songs from Wide Awake and '11 O'Clock' are particular gems from that time. The DVD is also chock full of great morsels. The first part contains all the Fire videos and a good 'making of' doc. These music videos are representative of that time, so are a great trip down memory lane for those of us that are children of MTV. The DVD also has their Amnesty and Live Aid sets, both must-have and iconic, and a '11 O'Clock' bootleg from Croke Park just two weeks before LiveAid, which, while not top quality, is fun to watch. Only thing missing is a full-length concert, which made the Joshua Tree deluxe set from 2007 such a great value.
Though so much of this was available before, this product is really nice for die hard fans who want a summation of this very important period in U2's history delivered to their home in a nice package. (The packaging is great, in a nice solid box, with a nicely done book and picture cards. Very similar to the Josua Tree set.) It would also make a great gift for any serious U2 fan.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Wow!!!!
Comment: I have waited 26 years for a good sounding release (not that the original was bad, it just could have been much better, but technology at the time wasn't up to par) and here it is. I can't say anything different then has already been written, other then if you are a fan of old U2, then you have to have this, it's a must. This recording meant so much to me at that point in my life, and all these years later it still hits me right in the heart, unbelievable.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Heart and Soul of U2
Comment: THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE was the album that forever changed my taste in music. I was not a U2 fan before this album was released; I didn't dislike their previous music but it never inspired me to buy one of their albums. But when my college roommate first played this album in 1984 it struck me like a lightning bolt, or a revelation. It was haunting, beautiful, soaring music, like nothing I had ever heard before. It instantly transformed me into a lifelong U2 fan.
After the WAR album, U2 felt that they had reached the creative limit of their post-punk sound, so they decided to explore new musical territory. This was the riskiest move they had made in their career to that point. The safe move would have been to release WAR Part II rather than to risk alienating their growing fan base with an experimental album. But they felt that they had more artistic potential than post-punk would allow, so they sought to expand their sonic palette. With the help of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, they were able to shed their prior musical influences and explore uncharted territory. They all achieved new levels of musicianship on this album. The Edge developed more complex, layered guitar work, Adam and Larry developed more sophisticated rhythms, and Bono's vocals soared to heights they had never reached before. To me, this album represents U2 in their purest form, unencumbered by other musical influences and discovering their own unique sound. After this album they began assimilating American musical influences, and in the 1990s they moved on to assimilate Europop. All of these phases led to some great music, but their sound was never quite as original or unique as it was during the UF era.
My anticipation went through the roof when I first heard that U2 would be releasing a super deluxe package of UF with a remastered CD, a bonus audio CD and a DVD. High expectations are usually a prescription for disappointment, but in this case I found that the final product actually exceeded my expectations. The album itself has never sounded better, and the bonus CD is phenomenal, in my opinion the best one that they've put together so far. Packed with 16 tracks (69 minutes of music), it has every track from the Wide Awake in America EP (including my all-time favorite U2 track, their incredible live version of "Bad"), all of the hard-to-find B-sides from their "Pride" and Unforgettable Fire" singles, and best of all, 4 previously unreleased tracks (2 original songs and 2 remixes). All of the previously unreleased tracks are great. "Disappearing Act" (a former instrumental track to which they recently added vocals) is an epic U2 song which is more inspired than most of their recent work, and "Yoshino Blossom" is one of their best instrumental tracks. The 2 never before released remixes of "Wire" (Kervorkian remix) and "A Sort of Homecoming" (Daniel Lanois remix) are also inspired, particularly the latter, which features background vocals by Peter Gabriel. You know it's a great song when a band can record 3 radically different versions and they all sound great. The DVD has all of the music videos derived from this album, the "Making of UF" documentary, and best of all, great concert footage from their Live Aid and Conspiracy of Hope concerts. The Live Aid performance (with their phenomenal 12 minute rendition of "Bad") was the one that changed their status forever, showing the world that they were superstars. After this concert everyone knew who Bono was. My only quibble is that it would have been nice to see live versions of "Wire" and "The Unforgettable Fire", but that's a minor quibble. Overall, this package is a dream come true.
If you liked the original UF album, I would recommend that you at least buy the deluxe package with the remastered album plus the bonus CD, as the latter has some inspired tracks. This was one of their most creative periods, and it's the first time that all of the musical ideas from this phase of their career have been made available. But if you are a big fan of this album, then I would suggest you splurge and get the super deluxe package with the bonus DVD. It's definitely worth it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
