just another bit of vibes acquisition, really. well, actually, as it happens, a kind of restoration to the collection, look you see. so no, it's not a new tape (disc) what i gone done bought. should i have the mathematics and calculations correct, it is indeed a single which is, at time of writing, 32 years old. wow. since when was it the 90s were all that way back.
anyway, moving on, it is, on the turntable (cd player) the FLY, being the first (or lead) single off of the much celebrated Achtung Baby record off of U2. now, yes, as i understand it, the modern world is quite divisive on this band. so, if you are on the side (for our society is now all taking sides) which does not care for the band, you may wish to read something else.
full well do i recall going and buying this in the first instance. i was at college at the time, and took the bus to town during the week it was released to purchase the tape (cd single) during the first week of its release. this wasn't done as i was in a rush to get it, or for reasons of me being all that big a U2 fan. more that it was in the music press that the single was to be "deleted" immediately after release, which i took as meaning if you did not get it that week you didn't get it. oh.
whilst i (really) rather liked it, just a few years later (into the lower middle of the 90s) i gave it away. no, that's not fair, i presented it as a gift to someone who really liked it. a rather sweet person, shall we say, who(m) i am very saddened to say it's unlikely i shall see again in this lifetime. perhaps in the next.
to the single itself, and it's smart. obviously (i think) the actual song of the single, the FLY as they style it, is immense. that is a lot of i words. quite the strange tune, as it is less that it has aged well, more so that it gets better and better with the passing of time. but, that said, i can recall being a bit taken aback by the remix, the lounge FLY, as lyrically it was somewhat different. don't think i had experienced a remix having different lyrical content since the 16 minute epic one of Frankie's Relax. still, soon got used to it, and enjoy.
ostensibly the b-side is a couple of bits of music what 50% of U2, being Bono and Edge, gone done for a theatrical production of A Clockwork Orange. my vague memory is that Burgess himself wrote this adaptation. also, memories of a possibly manufactured bit of "argy bargy" or disagreement between the celebrated author and the musicians. i seem to remember that Burgess was quoted as "not liking" the music, then a quote was attributed to Bono (because who would ask Edge) of him saying Burgess should "stick to writing", to which it was pointed out that Burgess had indeed composed several musical works and so perhaps knew of what he spoke. oh.
so far as i am aware, or at least i think, all of the tracks off of this single are in my collection across a variety of albums, compilations and special editions. but when i saw it in a charity shop for all of 99p, well, all at once (honestly) all of the memories written here came to being and left me with a smile on my face. so yeah, i bought it. and indeed have played it a few times. perhaps, of course, not so much as i have done with the InterGalactic off of Beastie Boys single, before you all (once again) start with accusations of me not being a "proper" fan.
essentially, all this streaming business, where you can access just about every song ever made in a reasonably instant way, is amazing. but, still. we are tactile creatures. my memories are based on the actual single as well as the song, as it were. not sure it was all that wise to strip this sensation from all future generations, but here we are.
yeah i gotta go, i'm running out of change, there's a lot of things if i could i'd rearrange.
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