The Complete U2: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|2004 box set by U2}}
{{Short description|2004 digital box set by U2}}
{{About|the iTunes Store digital box set|U2's complete discography|U2 discography}}
{{About|the iTunes Store digital box set|U2's complete discography|U2 discography}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Use Irish English|date=July 2014}}
{{Use Irish English|date=August 2025}}
 
{{Infobox album
{{Infobox album
| name      = The Complete U2
| name      = The Complete U2
Line 11: Line 12:
| released  = 23 November 2004
| released  = 23 November 2004
| recorded  = 1978–2004
| recorded  = 1978–2004
| venue      =
| studio    =
| genre      = [[Rock music|Rock]]
| genre      = [[Rock music|Rock]]
| length    =
| length    =
Line 22: Line 21:
| next_year  = 2004
| next_year  = 2004
}}
}}
'''''The Complete U2''''' is a digital box set by Irish [[rock music|rock]] band [[U2]]. It was released on 23 November 2004 by [[Apple Inc.]] on the [[iTunes Store]].<ref name="Mac World">{{Cite web|url=https://www.macworld.com/article/173439/u2complete.html|title=The Complete U2: The World's First Digital Box Set|website=[[Macworld]]}}</ref>


It is the first major release of a purely digital online box set by any recording artist.<ref name="Mac World"/> It contained the complete set of U2 albums, singles, live, rare and previously unreleased material from 1978 to 2004, with a total of 446 songs. This was accompanied by a PDF containing album art, track listings, and band commentary.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nymag.com/nymetro/arts/music/pop/reviews/10650/|title=Under a Blood-Red Customized iPod Case |first=Douglas|last=Wolk |author-link=Douglas Wolk|date=8 December 2004|website=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]}}</ref>  
'''''The Complete U2''''' is a digital box set by Irish rock band [[U2]]. It was released on 23 November 2004 exclusively through the [[iTunes Store]] by [[Apple Inc.]] in partnership with Island and Interscope Records.<ref name="Apple2004">{{Cite web|url=https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2004/10/26Apple-Introduces-the-U2-iPod/|title=Apple Introduces the U2 iPod|website=Apple Newsroom|date=26 October 2004|access-date=16 August 2025}}</ref><ref name="MacWorld">{{Cite web|url=https://www.macworld.com/article/173439/u2complete.html|title=The Complete U2: The World's First Digital Box Set|website=Macworld|date=23 November 2004|access-date=16 August 2025}}</ref> The collection has been described as the first major digital-only box set by a recording artist, comprising 446 tracks spanning 1978–2004, including albums, singles, live recordings, rarities and previously unreleased material.<ref name="MacWorld"/><ref name="U2SongsMain">{{Cite web|url=https://www.u2songs.com/discography/u2_the_complete_u2_digital_box_set|title="The Complete U2" Digital Box Set|website=U2Songs.com|access-date=16 August 2025}}</ref>
 
==Background and release==
Announced alongside the [[iPod U2 Special Edition]], the set was positioned by Apple as the online music industry’s first “Digital Box Set.”<ref name="Apple2004"/> At launch it contained 446 tracks organized in 67 digital “groupings” corresponding to U2’s albums, singles and EPs; in iTunes each grouping was labelled ''The Complete U2''.<ref name="U2SongsMain"/><ref name="U2Wanderer">{{Cite web|url=https://www.u2wanderer.org/disco/dalb005.html|title=The Complete U2 – Digital Box Set|website=U2Wanderer.org|date=23 November 2004|access-date=16 August 2025}}</ref> Four titles were exclusive to the set: ''Unreleased & Rare'', ''Live from Boston 1981'', ''Live from the Point Depot'' and the ''Early Demos'' EP.<ref name="U2SongsMain"/>
 
A 48-page digital booklet (PDF) accompanied the set, featuring artwork, track listings and liner notes—essays by Bill Flanagan for previously released albums and notes by [[the Edge]] for the exclusive content. Design was handled by Dublin firm Four5One Creative, long-time U2 collaborators.<ref name="U2SongsMain"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.u2.com/news/title/stealing_hearts_690/|title=Stealing Hearts|website=U2.com|date=17 June 2003|access-date=16 August 2025}}</ref> (The booklet credits Four5One and Flanagan.)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pdfcoffee.com/the-complete-u2-digital-booklet-3-pdf-free.html|title=The Complete U2 – Digital Booklet (scan)|website=PDFCoffee|access-date=16 August 2025}}</ref>
 
At release the U.S. price was US$149.99; purchasers of the U2 iPod received a US$50 coupon toward the set.<ref name="Apple2004"/><ref name="MacWorld"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nymag.com/nymetro/arts/music/pop/reviews/10650/|title=Under a Blood-Red Customized iPod Case|last=Wolk|first=Douglas|website=New York Magazine|date=8 December 2004|access-date=16 August 2025}}</ref> Files were delivered as 128 kbps AAC (.m4a). When Apple expanded its [[iTunes Plus]] offering, prior purchasers could upgrade their copies to 256 kbps for a fee, although the box set itself was no longer sold by that time.<ref name="U2SongsMain"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.macworld.com/article/194284/itunesplus.html|title=Upgrading to iTunes Plus: Why the hassle?|website=Macworld|date=6 January 2009|access-date=16 August 2025}}</ref>
 
==Content==
Although marketed as “complete,” the package necessarily repeated many tracks across albums, singles and compilations (for example, “[[One (U2 song)|One]]” appears in its album, single and compilation groupings). Several items in U2’s wider discography were not included.<ref name="U2Wanderer"/>
 
==Errors and issues==
Contemporary documentation and fan reports noted a number of metadata and audio issues at launch, some later corrected in store updates, others persisting:<ref name="U2SongsMain"/>
* Version discrepancies (e.g., “Stories for Boys” sourced from a compilation rather than the ''Three'' EP; “Even Better Than the Real Thing” and “Mysterious Ways” not matching the album edits). 
* Truncated audio on certain regional listings (e.g., the opening drum hit of “[[Sunday Bloody Sunday]]” in the U.S.). 
* Faulty or mislabelled files at launch (e.g., “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses (Temple Bar Remix)” resolving to “Paint It, Black”; “A Sort of Homecoming (Live from Wembley)” uploading initially as a 0:12 clip). 
Subsequent 256 kbps iTunes Plus upgrades in 2009 introduced further mismatches in some territories (for example, substitution of mixes and mislabelled tracks), with corrections varying by region.<ref name="U2SongsMain"/>


In the US it originally retailed for $149.99, but a $50 coupon was included with the [[iPod U2 Special Edition|U2 Special Edition iPod]]s from the fourth-generation iPod. The video-capable U2 iPods included a code for a 33-minute video of live band performances and interviews. As of 20 December 2007, the set was no longer available for sale.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.u2wanderer.org/?p=356|title=Happy Holidays and RIP The Complete U2|date=2007-12-20|access-date=2007-12-21|publisher=U2Wanderer.org}}</ref>
==Withdrawal==
On 20 December 2007 the set was removed from the iTunes Store worldwide and has not been reissued as a complete package since; existing owners later gained access to iTunes Plus upgrades.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.u2wanderer.org/?p=356|title=Happy Holidays and RIP The Complete U2|website=U2Wanderer.org|date=20 December 2007|access-date=21 December 2007}}</ref><ref name="U2SongsMain"/>


==Disc list==
==Disc list==
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|  3
|- bgcolor={{Infobox album/color|studio}}
|- bgcolor={{Infobox album/color|studio}}
| 29  
| 29  
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====''Unreleased & Rare''====
====''Unreleased & Rare''====
 
''Unreleased & Rare'' compiles previously unreleased and hard-to-find tracks, many originating from the ''[[All That You Can't Leave Behind]]'' and ''[[How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb]]'' sessions; some edits and remixes from singles and compilations are also included.<ref name="U2SongsMain"/>
''Unreleased & Rare'' is a compilation of unreleased and rare tracks. Most of the previously unreleased songs were from the band's ''[[All That You Can't Leave Behind]]'' and ''[[How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb]]'' sessions. The album ''[[Medium, Rare & Remastered]]'', released in 2009, contains similar tracks.
 
{{tracklist
{{tracklist
|
|
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====''Live from Boston 1981''====
====''Live from Boston 1981''====
 
''Live from Boston 1981'' was recorded at the [[Paradise Rock Club]] on {{Start date|df=yes|1981|3|6}} during the [[Boy Tour]]. Several performances had previously appeared as B-sides or bonus tracks on various singles.<ref name="U2SongsMain"/>
''Live from Boston 1981'' is a live album recorded during U2's [[Boy Tour]] at [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]]'s [[Paradise Rock Club]] on {{Start date|df=yes|1981|3|6}}. Some of the tracks on this album have been originally released on other singles previous to the release of this album.
 
{{tracklist
{{tracklist
|
|
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====''Live from the Point Depot''====
====''Live from the Point Depot''====
{{Main|Live from the Point Depot}}
{{Main|Live from the Point Depot}}
''Live from the Point Depot'' is the first official release of the band's widely [[bootleg recording|bootlegged]] [[New Year's Eve]] show at [[Dublin]]'s [[Point Theatre|Point Depot]] in 1989.
''Live from the Point Depot'' documented U2’s [[New Year's Eve]] performance at Dublin’s [[Point Theatre|Point Depot]] in 1989, officially released here after years of circulation as a bootleg recording.<ref name="U2SongsMain"/>


====''Early Demos''====
====''Early Demos''====
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| cover      = u2earlydemos.jpg
| cover      = u2earlydemos.jpg
| alt        =
| alt        =
| released  =
| recorded  = November 1978
| recorded  = 1978
| venue      =
| studio    =
| genre      =
| genre      =
| length    = 13:14
| length    = 13:14
| label      =
| label      =
| producer  =
| producer  = [[Barry Devlin]]
| prev_title =
| prev_year  =
| next_title =
| next_year  =
}}
}}
''Early Demos'' is an [[Extended play|EP]] containing three demos, produced by [[Barry Devlin]] and recorded at Keystone Studios in November 1978. These songs are the band's second recorded studio work. "Street Mission" and "The Fool" have not been on any other album. "Shadows and Tall Trees" was the final track on their first studio album ''[[Boy (album)|Boy]]'', released in 1980.
''Early Demos'' contains three studio demos produced by [[Barry Devlin]] and recorded at Keystone Studios in November 1978. Two tracks (“Street Mission” and “The Fool”) are otherwise unavailable on U2 studio albums; “Shadows and Tall Trees” later appeared on ''[[Boy (album)|Boy]]'' (1980).<ref name="U2SongsMain"/>


{{tracklist
{{tracklist
Line 601: Line 604:


==See also==
==See also==
*[[U2 discography]]
* [[U2 discography]]
*[[List of U2 songs]]
* [[List of U2 songs]]


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.u2wanderer.org/isthatall/004.html Complete track listing] of all 446 songs, with a discussion of excluded and redundant tracks
* [http://www.u2wanderer.org/isthatall/004.html Complete track listing] of all 446 songs, with a discussion of excluded and redundant tracks


{{U2}}
{{U2}}

Latest revision as of 23:33, 16 August 2025

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "about". Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Irish English

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The Complete U2 is a digital box set by Irish rock band U2. It was released on 23 November 2004 exclusively through the iTunes Store by Apple Inc. in partnership with Island and Interscope Records.[1][2] The collection has been described as the first major digital-only box set by a recording artist, comprising 446 tracks spanning 1978–2004, including albums, singles, live recordings, rarities and previously unreleased material.[2][3]

Background and release

Announced alongside the iPod U2 Special Edition, the set was positioned by Apple as the online music industry’s first “Digital Box Set.”[1] At launch it contained 446 tracks organized in 67 digital “groupings” corresponding to U2’s albums, singles and EPs; in iTunes each grouping was labelled The Complete U2.[3][4] Four titles were exclusive to the set: Unreleased & Rare, Live from Boston 1981, Live from the Point Depot and the Early Demos EP.[3]

A 48-page digital booklet (PDF) accompanied the set, featuring artwork, track listings and liner notes—essays by Bill Flanagan for previously released albums and notes by the Edge for the exclusive content. Design was handled by Dublin firm Four5One Creative, long-time U2 collaborators.[3][5] (The booklet credits Four5One and Flanagan.)[6]

At release the U.S. price was US$149.99; purchasers of the U2 iPod received a US$50 coupon toward the set.[1][2][7] Files were delivered as 128 kbps AAC (.m4a). When Apple expanded its iTunes Plus offering, prior purchasers could upgrade their copies to 256 kbps for a fee, although the box set itself was no longer sold by that time.[3][8]

Content

Although marketed as “complete,” the package necessarily repeated many tracks across albums, singles and compilations (for example, “One” appears in its album, single and compilation groupings). Several items in U2’s wider discography were not included.[4]

Errors and issues

Contemporary documentation and fan reports noted a number of metadata and audio issues at launch, some later corrected in store updates, others persisting:[3]

  • Version discrepancies (e.g., “Stories for Boys” sourced from a compilation rather than the Three EP; “Even Better Than the Real Thing” and “Mysterious Ways” not matching the album edits).
  • Truncated audio on certain regional listings (e.g., the opening drum hit of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” in the U.S.).
  • Faulty or mislabelled files at launch (e.g., “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses (Temple Bar Remix)” resolving to “Paint It, Black”; “A Sort of Homecoming (Live from Wembley)” uploading initially as a 0:12 clip).

Subsequent 256 kbps iTunes Plus upgrades in 2009 introduced further mismatches in some territories (for example, substitution of mixes and mislabelled tracks), with corrections varying by region.[3]

Withdrawal

On 20 December 2007 the set was removed from the iTunes Store worldwide and has not been reissued as a complete package since; existing owners later gained access to iTunes Plus upgrades.[9][3]

Disc list

Disc Title Type Length Tracks
1 "Another Day" single Script error: No such module "sort". 2
2 Three EP Script error: No such module "sort". 3
3 "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" single Script error: No such module "sort". 2
4 "A Day Without Me" single Script error: No such module "sort". 2
5 "I Will Follow" single Script error: No such module "sort". 2
6 Boy studio album 42:13 11
7 "Fire" single 18:11 4
8 "Gloria" single Script error: No such module "sort". 2
9 October studio album 41:08 11
10 "A Celebration" single Script error: No such module "sort". 2
11 "New Year's Day" single 18:10 4
12 War studio album 43:08 10
13 "Two Hearts Beat as One" single 18:05 5
14 Under a Blood Red Sky live album 33:25 8
15 "Pride (In the Name of Love)" single 19:12 5
16 The Unforgettable Fire studio album 42:19 10
17 "The Unforgettable Fire" & B-Sides single 17:27 4
18 Wide Awake in America EP 20:43 4
19 "With or Without You" single 14:18 3
20 The Joshua Tree studio album 50:11 11
21 "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" single 12:21 3
22 "Where the Streets Have No Name" single 16:20 4
23 "Desire" single 12:39 3
24 Rattle and Hum double album Script error: No such module "sort". 17
25 "Angel of Harlem" single 14:32 3
26 "When Love Comes to Town" single 15:46 3
27 "All I Want Is You" single 10:43 2
28 "The Fly" single 14:33 3
29 Achtung Baby studio album 55:29 12
30 "Mysterious Ways" & Remixes single 13:22 7
31 "One" single 15:27 3
32 "Even Better Than the Real Thing" single 18:19 4
33 "Even Better Than the Real Thing" Remixes single 37:15 6
34 "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" single 21:27 4
35 Zooropa studio album 51:21 10
36 "Lemon" Remixes single 59:45 9
37 "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" single 19:50 4
38 Melon remix album 47:01 7
39 Original Soundtracks 1 studio album 58:08 14
40 "Miss Sarajevo" single 19:30 4
41 "Discothèque" single 14:42 3
42 "Discothèque" Remixes single Script error: No such module "sort". 10
43 Pop studio album Script error: No such module "sort". 12
44 "Staring at the Sun" single 14:42 3
45 "Staring at the Sun" Remixes single 16:34 3
46 "Last Night on Earth" single 14:01 3
47 "Please" single 48:48 9
48 "If God Will Send His Angels" single 22:29 5
49 "Mofo" Remixes single 37:40 5
50 "Sweetest Thing" single 22:25 5
51 The Best of 1980–1990 greatest hits Script error: No such module "sort". 15
52 "Beautiful Day" single 20:07 5
53 All That You Can't Leave Behind studio album 53:09 12
54 Hasta la Vista Baby! live album Script error: No such module "sort". 14
55 "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" single 36:06 7
56 "Elevation" single 19:42 4
57 "Elevation" Remixes single 31:15 5
58 "Walk On" single 20:59 4
59 "Electrical Storm" single 32:05 5
60 The Best of 1990–2000 greatest hits Script error: No such module "sort". 17
61 "Vertigo" single Script error: No such module "sort". 2
62 "Vertigo" Remixes single 18:36 4
63 How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb studio album 52:58 12
64 Unreleased & Rare compilation Script error: No such module "sort". 18
65 Live from Boston 1981 live album 54:34 13
66 Live from the Point Depot live album Script error: No such module "sort". 21
67 Early Demos EP 13:14 3
Total: 20 albums
3 EPs 		28:00:00
(approx.) 		446

Digital box set-exclusive albums

The following albums are only officially available as part of this set:

Unreleased & Rare

Unreleased & Rare compiles previously unreleased and hard-to-find tracks, many originating from the All That You Can't Leave Behind and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb sessions; some edits and remixes from singles and compilations are also included.[3] Template:Tracklist

Live from Boston 1981

Live from Boston 1981 was recorded at the Paradise Rock Club on Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". during the Boy Tour. Several performances had previously appeared as B-sides or bonus tracks on various singles.[3] Template:Tracklist

Live from the Point Depot

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". Live from the Point Depot documented U2’s New Year's Eve performance at Dublin’s Point Depot in 1989, officially released here after years of circulation as a bootleg recording.[3]

Early Demos

Script error: No such module "Unsubst-infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters". Early Demos contains three studio demos produced by Barry Devlin and recorded at Keystone Studios in November 1978. Two tracks (“Street Mission” and “The Fool”) are otherwise unavailable on U2 studio albums; “Shadows and Tall Trees” later appeared on Boy (1980).[3]

Template:Tracklist

See also

References

<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

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  4. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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External links

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