Wide Awake and Ideal Copy

Quick update from the folks at Ideal Copy, who we linked to as a source for the Wide Awake in Europe vinyl. Spoke with them today, and they have confirmed their shipment of the vinyl is on the way. Everyone who ordered through the pre-order SHOULD get a copy, but they will possibly have to restrict quantities sent per order.

Right now they are just waiting for the package to arrive so they can confirm the quantities sent match the invoice numbers. The earliest they will ship is November 26th. The good news is, that if you did place an order, you SHOULD be getting at least one copy.

They are not taking new orders for the Wide Awake in Europe vinyl at this time, but regularly offer a great selection of U2 merchandise.

Bono Lyrics Credit on New Zucchero Album

Zucchero has just released a new album titled Chocabeck. The Italian version contains the song Il suono della Domenica, while the international version contains the same tune with lyrics in English written by Bono, titled Someone Else's Tears. Thanks @holstenstrasse

Turkish Best Of U2 Details

I am finally able to report some details on (what appears to be) an authentic copy of the Turkish release of Best of U2. As you may recall, this was a "greatest hits" collection that was released in Turkey just before U2’s 09/06 Istanbul performance.  The package includes a SanDisk branded 2 GB micro SD card, a standard SD card adapter, and a two-sided insert sealed in a blister pack.  The SD card contains four folders for audio, video, lyrics, and artwork. The video for Get On Your Boots is included as well as the animated video for Crazy Tonight, both in MPEG-2 format and in 3GP format for playback on mobile phones. There are nicely-done custom lyrics sheets for each track. The artwork and audio, however, appear to be where some corners were cut. The artwork is mostly album covers, including one for Pop, which isn't even represented here.  The artwork was obviously lifted from fan sites, as the Get On Your Boots single cover actually includes a web address.  When I initially saw the tracklist for this release, I assumed that most of the audio files were taken from U218 because they follow the same running order, but in fact they are all full-length album versions. It also seems that Avrupa Müzik must have turned one of their interns loose on a P2P network to obtain the MP3s, because the bitrates vary wildly from 128 to 320 kbps and everything in between, and there is no consistency to the file tagging. Again, I am not able to verify the authenticity of my copy with 100% certainty, but this appears to be a cobbled-together rush job of a release.

Moment of Surrender from Paris

The version of Crazy Tonight on Wide Awake in Europe was previously released on Artificial Horizon and, of course, Mercy has never been officially available on any release. Have a listen to Moment of Surrender from Paris, in support of Born HIV Free:

Wide Awake in Europe Details and Pre-order

The Ideal Copy now has full details on Wide Awake in Europe. It is indeed a US exclusive 12" vinyl EP intended for Black Friday release, 11/26. The tracklisting includes Mercy (Live in Brussels), I’ll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (Live in Dublin), and Moment of Surrender (Live in Paris). The release will reportedly be limited to 5000 copies.

Spectacle Season 2 on 12/07

Thanks to reader Zbych Z for letting us know that the second season of Spectacle: Elvis Costello with…, featuring Bono and The Edge, is due for release on DVD and Blu-ray on 12/07. According to URBMN, the episodes in the season set will contain additional footage.

New album in early 2011?

Australia's The Age is reporting that U2 will release a new album in early 2011, to be preceded by a single in December. Rather than the long anticipated Songs of Ascent, the new record will be a collection of tracks produced by Danger Mouse (of Gorillaz, Gnarls Barkley fame). Bono is also quoted as saying the band is additionally working on a "club-inspired album" and a record based on the Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark project, though it sounds like Larry is far from convinced on the latter.

Catching up on some release news

A release we missed back in the summer, pop fusion violinist David Garrett included a mash-up of Vivaldi vs. Vertigo on his album, Rock Symphonies.  A DVD of The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's 25th Anniversary Concert was released in September, and CD and Blu-ray versions are due on 11/02. The DVD appears to include U2's full set from the 10/30/09 concert, though Mysterious Ways/Where is the Love are included as bonus material.

Some who wander really are lost...

While U2Wanderer.org is under (re)construction, our Twitter updates are showing on the main page. I started this blog so that we can provide more details on new releases than will fit in a single tweet. On that note, you've probably read by now that U2 has a live EP planned for the fall. Wide Awake in Europe is due to drop on 11/22, but only in the US and only on vinyl. More details as they become available.