Where The Site Has Been FAQed

The U2 FAQ
 Version 1.2


  • 5. Books, videos, bootlegs

  • 5.1 What books are there on U2 ?

    AC

      STORIES FOR BOYS: 1985, since revised to include The Joshua Tree. An interesting biography. A bit brief at times. Published by Proteus Books, written by Dave Thomas. Colour. Includes a discography and a list of common bootlegs available at the time (now very outdated).

    P

      THE U2 FILE: 1985. Assorted articles/interviews from the Irish music magazine Hot Press. Very good. Published by Hot Press, written by various. Colour. Includes a discography. This book was also published in the U.S. by Harmony Books, also in 1985, and under the title "U2: In the Name of Love." It's the same book, though. Inside, it says: "Published in Ireland as 'The U2 File.'

      ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER PLACE: 1989. Covers U2's early days, during 1977/78/79. By Bill Graham, the man at Hot Press who supported U2 from the very beginning. He is an 'insider' when it comes to U2. There's some very strange photos in this book! Published by Mandarin Paperbacks. Get it for a laugh - I swear you won't recognize U2 in some of the photos. Black and white.

      UNFORGETTABLE FIRE - The Story of U2: 1989. The official biography of U2. Very detailed, especially when dealing with pre-1984 U2, which is good because it's hard to find info about this period. Some of the stuff in this has been questioned by the band as to it's authenticity, but overall, a must for anybody who's really interested in U2 as people. Published by Viking Press, written by Eamon Dunphy. Black and white.

      TOUCH THE FLAME: 1987. A well put together biography. Has a 'time line' type thing which lists important U2 events, month by month, year by year. Includes a discography along with small colour pictures of many album and 7" and 12" single sleeves. Written by Geoff Parkyn. Colour. (Not sure of publisher).

      THREE CHORDS AND THE TRUTH: 1989. Picks up from where The U2 File stops. More interviews and articles from Hot Press. By Niall Stokes (another insider' and U2 friend from Hot Press). Published by Omnibus Press. Colour.

    NE

      OUT OF CONTROL: A Guide To U2 Bootlegs: published by Rock Bottom Press, March 1993.

    MJS

      OUTSIDE IS AMERICA: U2 in the U.S.: 1992. Just what it says, the story of U2 in America, from their first tour in 1980 to Zoo TV Inside Broadcast. Written by Carter Alan, musical director of WBCN-FM in Boston, a longtime U2 booster. Carter clearly loves the band, unfortunately whoever edited this book didn't bother with fact checking so there are a few blatant errors. Worth reading. $13.95 US. Published by Faber and Faber.

      BURNING DESIRE Written by Sam Goodman. Pictures and plenty of them, mostly in color. Publishied by Castle Communications.

      U2: THE ROLLING STONE FILES Written by the Editors of Rolling Stone Magazine. Want to read every single mention of U2 in RS but don't have time to spool through endless reels of microfilm? Then this is the book for you. Interviews, reviews, and newsblurbs. No pictures.

      FARAWAY SO CLOSE Written by BP Fallon. Essentially this is a photographic record of the ZooTV tour. Fallon writes in a hipster-style that occasionally verges on self-parody but he obviously had significant access to the band. Worth the money. $15.95 US. Published by Little, Brown

      U2 LIVE: A CONCERT DOCUMENTARY: Written by: Pimm Jal de la Jarra of Collectormania. Covers literally every U2 concert. Describes the shows, lists the songs played and includes quotes from onstage. The photos are fantastic. $27.95 US. Published by Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3666-8 Available via mailorder as well as in stores.

      RACE OF ANGELS: Ireland and the Genesis of U2.

      U2 AT THE END OF THE WORLD: Written by Bill Flanagan Covers the ZooTV tour from the recording sessions in Berlin to the final show in Japan. Published by Delacorte.

      INTO THE HEART, The Stories Behind Every U2 Song, Niall Stokes (Thunder's Mouth Press, 1996) Not necessarily an interpretation of every song but a detailed description of the writing, recording and possible inspirations for each song. $19.95 ISBN 1-56025-134-4

      THE MAKING OF U2'S THE JOSHUA TREE, Dave Thomas, (Collector's Guide Publishing, Inc. 1996) Finally, a book that compiles every U2 utterance on the subject of JT. We can all rest easy now. $7.95 ISBN 1-896522-30-0

  • 5.2 What videos are there ?

  • 5.2.1 Full-Length videos

      RED ROCKS - UNDER A BLOOD RED SKY: 1984. Recorded live at Redrocks, Denver Colorada in May 1983. A simply awesome show. Get this one first. Songs: Surrender / Seconds / Sunday Bloody Sunday / October / New Years Day / I Threw a Brick / A Day Without Me / Gloria / Party Girl / 11 0'Clock Tick Tock / I Will Follow / 40.

      THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE COLLECTION: 1985. Songs and a documentary about the making of The Unforgettable Fire. You get to see U2 in the studio, recording and experimenting. Also has some interviews with the band members and Brian Eno and Daniel Lanios. Songs (not in order): Pride (2 versions) / A Sort of Homecoming (live) / The Unforgettable Fire / Bad (live, unavailable anywhere else - different to the version on Wide Awake and America).

      RATTLE AND HUM: 1989. The movie. Musically, this _IS_ U2. The in-concert footage is spectular - visually and musically. Also has interview and documentary footage from The Joshua Tree tour. Songs: Helter Skelter / Van Dieman's Land / Desire / Exit / I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / Silver and Gold / Angel of Harlem / All Along the Watchtower / In God's Country / When Love Comes to Town / Bad / Where the Streets Have No Name / MLK / With or Without You / Bullet the Blue Sky / Running To Stand Still / Sunday Bloody Sunday / Pride / All I Want is You. [If you're not sure what Sunday Bloody Sunday is about, then get this. Don't be suprised if you cry when you watch this song on here for the first time.]

      NUMB: 1993. The video single. Includes Numb, Numb (Video Remix) by EBN,Love Is Blindness. Australia/New Zealand copies came with a clip promoting the Zoomerang tour.

      ACHTUNG BABY The Videos, the Cameos, and a whole lot of Interference. Most of this footage was seen in the MTV Rockumentary but there are a few "unavailable anywhere else" must haves. Bono, Edge, Larry and Adam are all interviewed about the making of AB and the new direction of U2. Highlights include Bono's confession that he has a weakness for belly dancers, Edge's bird-watching canoe trip, Larry's assertion that "the lyrics aren't worth a shit. I think it's all about drums." and Adams admission that "I can't remember back that far." Videos included: Even Better Than the Real Thing / Mysterious Ways / One (#1) / The Fly / Even Better Than the Real Thing (Dance Mix) / One (#2) / Even Better Than the Real Thing (Gallo - Kampah version) / Until the End of the World [Interference directed by Maurice Linnane]

      U2 ZOOTV LIVE FROM SYDNEY: 1994. The authorized recording of the November 27, 1993 PPV special from Sydney, Australia. Songs: Zoo Station / The Fly / Even Better Than the Real Thing / Mysterious Ways / One / Unchained Melody / Until the End of the World / New Year's Day / Numb / Angel of Harlem / Stay / Satellite of Love / Dirty Day / Bullet the Blue Sky / Running to Stand Still / Pride / Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car / Lemon / Live is Blindness / Can't Help Falling in Love

  • 5.2.2 Single-Song videos (Incomplete)

      I Will Follow - recorded live on the BOY tour in the US in late 1980, early 1981

      Gloria - October 1981, Meiert Avis, Dublin

      A Celebration - April 1982, Meiert Avis, Kilmainham Jail, Dublin

      New Year's Day - December 1982, Meiert Avis, Sweden

      Two Hearts Beat as One - March 1983, Meiert Avis, Montmartre, Paris

      Sunday Bloody Sunday - June 1983, Gavin Taylor, Red Rocks, Denver, Colorado

      Pride (#1) - August 1984, Donald Cammell, St. Francis Xavier Hall, Dublin

      Pride (#2) - July 1984, Barry Devlin, Slane Castle, Dublin

      Pride (#3) - August 1984, Anton Corbijn, London

      A Sort of Homecoming - October/November 1984, Barry Devlin, Paris, Brussels, Rotterdam,London, Glasgow

      Bad - October/November 1984, Barry Devlin, Paris, Brussels, Rotterdam, London, Glasgow

      The Unforgettable Fire - January 1985, Meiert Avis, Sweden

      With or Without You - February 1987, Meiert Avis, Dublin

      Red Hill Mining Town - February 1987, Neil Jordan, London

      Where the Streets Have No Name - March 1987, Meiert Avis, Los Angeles, California

      In God's Country - April 1987, Barry Devlin, Arizona

      Spanish Eyes - April 1987, Barry Devlin, Arizona

      I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - April 1987, Barry Devlin, Las Vegas, Nevada

      Desire - September 1988, Richard Lowenstein, Los Angeles, California

      Angel of Harlem - November 1988, Richard Lowenstein, New York City

      When Love Comes to Town - March 1989, Philip Joanou, Various

      All I Want Is You - April 1989, Meiert Avis, Rome

      Night and Day - November 1990, Wim Wenders, Berlin

      The Fly - September 1991, Ritchie Smith and Jon Klein, Dublin

      Mysterious Ways - October 1991, Stephanie Sednaoui, Morocco

      One (#1) - February 1992, Anton Corbijn, Berlin

      One (#2) - February 1992, Mark Pellington, New York City

      One (#3) - March 1992, Philip Joanou, New York City

      Even Better Than the Real Thing - February 1992, Kevin Godley, London

      Wild Horses - September 1992, Philip Joanou, Chicago, Illinois

      Numb - July 1993, Kevin Godley, Berlin

      Lemon - September 1993, Mark Neale, London

      Stay - October 1993, Wim Wenders, Berlin

      Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me - June 1995, Dublin

      Miss Sarajevo

    • 5.3 What's a bootleg ?

      SL

        A bootleg recording is, in the case of U2, a recording that has not been officialy released by Island Records. IF you do decide to buy bootlegs, you must consider that the artists usually get no royalties for the sales.
      MJS
        In some countries, "live recordings" of concerts are legally available for sale. These recordings are commonly referred to on the newsgroups as "live imports." Anyone interested in U2 bootlegs/imports should check out J. Gareth Williams' "U2: Out of Control", [aka, OOC] an indispensible guide to U2 bootlegs/ imports. The sound quality and price of this material can vary dramatically, so consider getting a firsthand review of a bootleg/ import before you buy it. OOC is posted monthly on the usenet and is available at several Web sites and at ftp.inslab.uky.edu

    • 5.3.1 Where can I buy bootlegs ?

      SL

        If you're lucky, your local record store will sometimes carry bootlegs. Also, sometimes there are record shows where people come in with their old/new records to sell/swap. There are some good opportunities to find bootlegs. Finally, there are some companies manufacturing bootlegs that can be reached by mail/phone. I don't have any addresses though. Unfortunately, most of these alternatives are real only for people in Europe and the US. But Internet provides with an excellent channel of communication between people around the world. I live in Chile, and have managed to get in touch with some Wire members who are actually willing to offer copies of their bootlegs. Some will charge a fee, some won't. I could give some names, but I prefer to let you find out. Just go ahead and post a message to Wire asking for bootleg recordings. Good Luck!