U2This year, U2 are celebrating the 30th anniversary of Zooropa, their warped, alternative rock masterpiece or unwelcome outlier of their discography, depending on which fan you ask.
In October, the Irish rockers will release the album on limited edition gatefold yellow vinyl via Island Records, Interscope and Ume. Two additional mixes will be attached to the original tracklist – you can find that below.
Before the vinyl release, though, U2 will share a special livestream and a limited merch capsule collection. The livestream is extra special for Australian fans – on 12 and 13 July, ZOO TV: Live From Sydney will be streamed globally and available for just one week.
You can pre-order the 30th-anniversary edition of Zooropa on vinyl, as well as period-accurate merchandise, here.
Earlier this year, U2 unveiled a reworked version of Beautiful Day for their album of rerecorded tunes, Songs Of Surrender. The updated version of Beautiful Day contains swelling strings, a capella opening lines from Bono, and a tenderness that’s missing in the original track.
This version doesn’t go for those somewhat overwrought heights. It instead opts for new instrumental layers and current-day Bono finding emotion in a different range of his voice.
U2 revealed the Songs Of Surrender project in February – the news was announced after fans received letters from the band’s guitarist, The Edge, teasing the new release.
In it, he explained, “When a song becomes well known, it’s always associated with a particular voice. I can’t imagine Tangled Up In Blue without the reedy timbre of Bob Dylan or All The Time In The World without the unique voice of Louis Armstrong. So what happens when a voice develops, and experience and maturity give it additional resonance?”
Songs Of Surrender also acts as a companion piece to Bono’s memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story.
The stories range from the beginnings of U2, his father, what he thought of the band's Live Aid performance, and getting to know the Obamas. Most interestingly, however, is Bono's reflection on the infamous Songs Of Innocence saga: that time when U2 put their 13th album on our iPhones in 2014. You can purchase the book here.
U2 – Zooropa vinyl tracklist
SIDE 1:
1. Zooropa
2. Baby Face
3. Numb
SIDE 2:
1. Lemon
2. Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
3. Daddy’s Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car
SIDE 3:
1. Some Days Are Better Than Others
2. The First Time
3. Dirty Day
4. The Wanderer
SIDE 4:
1. Lemon (The Perfecto Mix)
2. Numb (Gimme Some More Dignity Mix)
