#75 U2 - Salome (Flac)

 'Salome'
Hansa Ton Studios,
Berlin, Germany
1990-91

In December 1990, U2 entered Hansa Ton recording studios in Berlin, Germany to create as well as record but unlike most bands they entered the studio with very few lyric or song ideas. These sessions would lead to the release of "Achtung Baby" their seventh studio album in November 1991. By playing together they would form ideas while improvising around a rhythm, lyric or a riff. This 'jamming' was recorded and the highlights of these tapes were edited down and compiled into 'working tapes' Digital Audio Tape cassettes. These possible song ideas were saved and also used by the producer Brian Eno (and others) to hear the band's progress and offer modifications and their thoughts on how the sessions were progressing.

Beginning in May 1991, bootleggers released these tapes on a vinyl pressing, further issues appeared in June and November 1991. ‘Salome: The Axtung Beibi outtakes’ (sic) were released in February 1992 on a triple CD set. Three and half hours worth of material mastered from the original DAT recordings, with no quality loss between the original working tapes and these CD's. The sound quality was far superior than the previous vinyl issues. Salome, the title is thought to be from a working title for the Achtung Baby sessions.

U2 were “the first major band to have studio sessions released before the finished product was either released, abandoned or the group broke up.” Their manager Paul McGuiness reacted angrily, 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. While his comments were valid, the tapes offered a compelling insight into the song writing process and included songs omitted from the final release.

For this post the unnamed tracks have been accorded the fan working titles as used by Sira Vista, the author of the individual track notes that appeared on the internet in 1992. I have edited his original track notes and reworked them with a few additional observations. As a whole entity the 3 disc set can get tedious to listen too. It was not made or intended for this use as mentioned above and as a consequence I've had the set for a number of years and barely listened to it. When the best tracks are extracted and compiled together, as on this single disc, the set seems like a new discovery and is virtually an alternate, unreleased U2 album.

If you are interested in this period of U2, the official release documentary "From The Sky Down" tells the story of their path towards 'Achtung Baby'. The 20th anniversary of the album was marked by the release of five different formats on 31 October 2011, the super deluxe set comprising of 6 CDs and 4 DVDs. Not long now 'til the 25th anniversary.

Tracklisting:

01.  Salome (5:59)               
02.  Where Did It All Go Wrong? (3:44)        
03.  Heaven And Hell (6:48)           
04.  I Feel Free (4:31)              
05.  Sweet Baby Jane (2:02)          
06.  Morning Child (4:00)          
07.  She's Gonna Turn Your Head Around (7:38)  
08.  Back Mask U2 (3:11)          
09.  Acrobat (4:19)              
10.  Take You Down (5:16)          
11.  Salome (5:37)               

Running time: 54:05

01.  Salome (5:59)               
You can virtually sing the words to Salome' (from the CD single of 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. With nine versions spread over the original 3-disc set, this song has had the most difficult creative process. The final five tracks on the third disc are particularly monotonous and an uninspiring listening experience.

02.  Where Did It All Go Wrong? (3:44)        
A catchier version of this fast and repetitive hard driving song, that sounds great despite the out of place, bridge.

03.  Heaven And Hell (6:48)           
Bringing the tempo down, this slow song has a nice "fat" organ sound. Bono directs the band through the latter half, asking Larry to drop out, as the organ and the others come in beautifully. 

04.  I Feel Free (4:31)              
Beginning with a shriek from Bono. The guitar riff, immediately familiar is the basis for the whole song. Vocals are mostly Bono, but The Edge provides backup. This is a free-form take and an early form of UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD.

05.  Sweet Baby Jane (2:02)          
Bono sings the first verse acapella (and stammers) followed by The Edge adding guitar, both sing harmony vocals before Adam’s bass comes in. There are no drums on this track.

06.  Morning Child (4:00)              
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 (Bono barely sings at all during this bridge).

07.  She's Gonna Turn Your Head Around (7:38)  
There is now much less echo, more song structure, and a normal volume level. The chorus, "she's gonna blow your house down” etc. is now consistent now. This take kicks!

08.  Back Mask U2 (3:11)              
This is an early form of SO CRUEL, 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.

09.  Acrobat (4:19)              
This is ACROBAT but with a slightly different lyric. It’s the only song that survived these sessions virtually unchanged. Bono sings "Don't let (?) take you down", where ? seems to be assorted different things, people, etc. It's hard to actually pick any but a few out. Includes a great solo from The Edge.

10.  Take You Down (5:16)          
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). Bono sings back up. The left and right channels are different takes of him 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). A Hendrix like solo, and a frantic ending. This song rips! Much better than the LADY WITH THE SPINNING HEAD.

11.  Salome (5:37)               
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 are difficult to understand. The 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.