teach me about these strange collaborations

[monochrome]

Ok, so, i've been digging through me of the older threads and I keep seeing some stuff about U2 and just recently Michael Stipe.

What happened? Has anyone heard these? I'm not sure I'd even want to...

[Bargo]

I've probably got the facts wrong, but as I understand it.. at one point (around the time of Beaucoup Fish, or probably earlier), U2 and Underworld wanted to work together to create a collaborative track. It never saw the light of day because (to paraphrase Rick) "it sounded like an Underworld remix of a U2 track, rather than a track by Underworld and U2". U2 were apparently quite happy with it though.

I think the interview where they talk about this is the same one that features the 'Born Slippy Unplugged' song.. so keep an eye on that thread (http://www.dirty.org/forums/showthread.php?t=3926) if the mp3 shows up.

[big screen satellite]

the Michael Stipe track was supposed to feature on the Batman & Robin soundtrack, and was supposed to be Michael and KH on vocals, i understand they met up in a studio, but never got around to recording it (or maybe they did and it was shit).

as such UW just submitted 'Moaner' for the Soundtrack instead...

as for the U2 track, apparently they recorded some of it in the middle of the street...but as far as anyone knows its non-existent - although initially there was rumoured to be a UW remix of MOFO... whether this was different to the 'street' recording is unclear...


R & K may have some of the stuff tucked up on a hard drive somewhere, but its probably unlikely...

[crank]

I was under the impression that Moaner was a remix of MOFO and Moaner sounded so radically different than MOFO that they renamed it Moaner and called it an Underworld tracK.

No?
cranK!

[holden]

I was under the impression that Moaner was a remix of MOFO and Moaner sounded so radically different than MOFO that they renamed it Moaner and called it an Underworld tracK.

No?
cranK!

i didn't think that was the case. Maybe aspects of Moaner were inspired by work with U2 (big speculation!), but, i dunno...
i'll share the interview presently, and you can decide for yourself about the u2-UW collab.

EDIT:
Here's the interview from 1998 where Bono and U2 discuss working together (plus other good stuff about the band!)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9ZQGUP5Z

[crank]

I also believe Karl responded to this topic (U2andUnderworld) via Underworldlive rather recently...wish i had enough brain cells to remember, but a newborn doesn't let up!

[change]

Good call, Crank. Here's the UWLive diary from March 5... Also addresses an older question from not-too-long-ago about the lyrics and theme of BF:

rem/u/w moaner collaboration? we met in london back then & all agreed
it would be a cool thing to try (as i remember michael came into tomato
& we talked photography) for one reason & another it sadly went no
further soon after meeting another mindblowing piece of smith writing
inspired hyde into another 1st take rant that stuck & rolled into moaner:

[joethelion]

UW did not do a "Mofo" remix. -> so crank, that theory about a 'mofo' / 'moaner' connection isn't correct

There was a degree of confusion about the whole collab and whatnot b/c well, a while ago - this same subject came up, and whether or not if UW and U2 actually met up.

During "that" interview, when Bono chimes in - "Mofo" plays in the background. So bascially, fuzzy memory = mistakenly stating that there was a mofo remix

(does that make any sense)

but - back when this subject was brought up before - we pretty much confirmed that there was no 'Mofo' remix. I had even gone back and re-listened to that interview, and quoted the sections about the U2/UW stuff

No one knows if that U2 collab eventually morphed into another track. Personally, I doubt it very much - just b/c of the original, 'jammy' collab nature of it. Maybe a percussion loop or something showed up later, but again - I seriously seriously doubt it

but what I'd like to know - is if there's any connection between "Moaner" and "king of snake" - I say this b/c the original KoS definitely has more of a moaner feel to it - esp with the delivery of the vocals. Oh, and there's that one live show (I think it's Alexandria Palace or something) where Karl actually sings "Moaner"'s lyrics over a KoS improv which sounds like the original KoS

[crank]

Oh that's right.
Too bad you couldn't have asked Bono that question when you met him Joethelion...
I still envy that meeting...maybe some day....

CranK!

[joethelion]

I KNOW!

at the time - I had totally forgotten about it, it wasn't until the next that I went... "wait - I should've mentioned..."

Oh that's right.
Too bad you couldn't have asked Bono that question when you met him Joethelion...
I still envy that meeting...maybe some day....

CranK!

[philth]

Looks like you got an answer of sorts on underworldlive today! :)

Cheers,

Philth

http://www.myspace.com/philipboyle

[crank]

well if we ever had the opportunity to hear said collaboration I would be in favor of it.

[joethelion]

hmm...

well - I guess it did have something to do with Mofo then...

although, new music, new vocal -> so maybe it was only 'mofo' in name, or like - that was the base point?

just wish it'd come out

especially as Bono said he liked it

[crank]

Wonder what the hold up is then...

crank!

[negative1]

i'm sure there's probably all sorts of legal difficulties,
especially when you have bands from other labels involved..

if they didn't think its not worth hearing, we probably
wont hear it..

on the other hand, there are a lot of underworld tracks
that i don't think should have been released, but were
(especially remixes)..

later
-1

[crank]

well, not to bring an old topic up but after browsing the u2 website I found this about MOFO:
"The song appeared on the album Pop and was used as the opening song for the PopMart tour. MOFO originally had the working title MFRR and is slang for ‘motherfucker’. The lyrics also contain several literary references including ‘lookin' for to fill that God-shaped hole’ from Salman Rushdie and ‘Still lookin' for the face I had before the world was made’ by William Butler Yeats.
MOFO was performed live for the first time during the PopMart tour opener in Las Vegas on April 25, 1997. The performance of MOFO in Capetown, South Africa was featured in Phil Joanou's 1999 film Entropy. Several DJs provided remixes for the various releases including Matthew Roberts, Roni Size, and Johnny Moy. On November 6, 1997 U2 accepted an MTV European Music Award for Best Live Act and opened the awards ceremony by performing MOFO. The Phunk Phorce Mix of MOFO was on the Planet Electrica-Protection compilation. Underworld’s version of MOFO remains unreleased."

so a bit of sleuthing reveals where the hold up is: U2. damn it all.