"Even Better Than the Real Thing" - U2

Single

Track Listing:

Background Information

“Even Better Than the Real Thing” was the fourth single released from the Achtung Baby album. It originated from a riff that the Edge had composed during the Rattle and Hum sessions, and a demo version was first recorded at STS Studios during the same session that “Desire” was recorded. The song was not developed further until the Achtung Baby sessions at Hansa Studio in Berlin, and was later finished in Dublin in early 1991. The sleeve for the main single is a photo of the Edge and Adam Clayton sitting in the back seat of a trabant car. The foreground is tinted red against a blue-sky background. The sleeve for “Even Better Than the Real Thing” can be fit together with three other Achtung Baby singles to make a larger image. (“Even Better Than the Real Thing” represents the top left corner, with “Who’s Going to Ride Your Wild Horses” the top right, “Mysterious Ways” the bottom left, and “The Fly” the bottom right.) A second version of the single, made up of remixes of the song, was released in a plain black cover with white text and no images. This second version was subtitled “Remixes,” and in most regions was issued a week after the first single. Although there had been variations in U2’s single releases prior, “Even Better than the Real Thing” marked the first time that two very different versions of a single were released—a trend that would continue for most of the band’s singles from that point forward.

The single version of “Even Better Than the Real Thing” differs slightly from that found on Achtung Baby, although it was not labeled as a “Single Version” at the time. The album and single versions both use the same vocal track and run 3:41, but the instrumentation, particularly from 2:05 onwards, is different in the two mixes. The single version also places greater emphasis on the scat vocals near the end of the song. The commercial 7-inch and the cassette versions in most regions were backed with “Salomé,” an out-take from the Achtung Baby sessions. Much of the work in Hansa Studios was focused around the recording of “Salomé,” but eventually the decision was made not to include it on the album. The 12-inch vinyl and CD versions of the main single added two additional tracks. “Where Did It All Go Wrong” was a demo recorded at STS Studios in Dublin in July 1990. The song was further developed during the Hansa recordings in Berlin, but did not make the final album. “Lady With the Spinning Head (Extended Dance Mix)” is a remix by Alan Moulder of a song that appears in its original form as a b-side on the “One” single. “Lady With the Spinning Head” was developed early in the recording process for Achtung Baby, forming the foundation of “The Fly” and “Ultraviolet” and also influencing “Zoo Station” and “Wake Up Dead Man.”

The second single, “Even Better Than the Real Thing Remixes,” was released commercially on 12-inch vinyl, cassette and CD. Three remixes were by Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne, “The Perfecto Mix,” the “Sexy Dub Mix,” and the “Trance Mix” (the latter was a vinyl-only track). Oakenfold was among the opening acts on U2’s tour stops in 1993 in Europe and Australia. The other three mixes were by British band Apollo 440: the “Apollo 440 Stealth Sonic Remix,” the “V16 Exit Wound Remix” and the ‘A440 vs U2 Instrumental Remix.”

Multiple videos for “Even Better than the Real Thing” were filmed and released. The most widely-known version was directed by Kevin Godley in January, 1992 in London. This version won an MTV Video Music Award in 1992 for “Best Special Effects.” It featured a unique 360-degree camera rig designed and built by Simon Tayler, allowing for continual rotation around the band. The video also featured footage of a group of U2 impersonators, as well as television and video footage from a variety of sources, including a clip of a porn star. This video was included on the Achtung Baby: The Videos and The Best of 1990-2000 releases. An alternate edit omits the footage of the porn star. A second video, filmed by Armando Gallo, featured a collage of live shots taken from The Zoo TV Tour, augmented by a variety of symbols flying across the screen. This version has been subtitled the “Live Collage” and was released on Achtung Baby: The Videos. The final version of the video is the “Dance Remix,” directed by Ritchie Smyth, produced by Ned O’Hanlon and edited by Juniper Calder. It features footage of U2 in Santa Cruz for Carnival, participating in photo shoots for the Achtung Baby cover. This version is set to an edit of “The Perfecto Mix.” It was included on the Achtung Baby: The Videos and The Best of 1990-2000 collections.

“Even Better Than the Real Thing” was played nightly during the Zoo TV and PopMart tours. In 2000 it was played at one of the shows during the promotion of All That You Can’t Leave Behind, and at only ten shows on The Elevation Tour. The song was not performed on The Vertigo Tour or on the bulk of The U2360 Tour. However, as the band was preparing for their highly publicized performance at the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts in 2011, they were also readying the re-release of Achtung Baby to celebrate the album’s 20th anniversary. “Even Better than the Real Thing” made an appearance in the set list at Glastonbury, and went on to become the opening song for the remaining 31 shows of The U2360° Tour. “Even Better Than the Real Thing” was also performed every night of the first two legs of the Innocence and Experience tour.

Live audio versions have been released throughout the years, including the June 19, 1992 performance at Manchester, UK on the “City of Blinding Lights” single; the August 1993 performance from Dublin on “Radio 1: FM Sessions” (a giveaway cassette by Vox magazine); the November 1993 performance from Sydney, Australia on the Zoo TV Live fan club CD; and the October 18, 2000 performance in Paris, France on the “Stuck in a Moment” French single. In 2011, members of the U2 fan club were given an opportunity to choose among 46 songs recorded on The U2360° Tour, with the top 22 selections to be included on the fan club album U22. A version of “Even Better Than the Real Thing” recorded live in Mexico on May 15, 2011 was among the songs eligible, and did in fact receive enough votes to be included on the final compilation.

“Even Better Than the Real Thing” was included on The Best of 1990-2000 compilation (the album version, not the single mix), but did not appear on U218 Singles. The song was also used on the “Zoo TV Tour” promotional release. “The Perfecto Mix” of “Even Better Than the Real Thing” also appeared on compilations, including the Melon fan club album and The Best of 1990-2000 & B-Sides. An edit of this same remix featured on the “Q Essential Dance” compilation. “Salomé” was also included on the “Zoo TV Tour” promotional release. A remix, titled “Salomé (Zooromancer Remix),” was a B-side on the “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” single and also appeared on the Melon album and as a standalone promotional release. Edits of that remix featured on “Island Select” and on The Best of 1990-2000 & B-Sides and related promotional items. “Lady With the Spinning Head (Extended Dance Mix)” also appeared on The Best of 1990-2000 & B-Sides and the “Zoo Station” promotional release.

In 2011, to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Achtung Baby, the album was re-released in multiple formats, including a single CD, a 2-CD set, a vinyl box set, a “Super Deluxe” edition, and an “Über Deluxe” edition. Unlike previous U2 reissues, this project was not called a “remaster,” although some sonic tweaking, overseen by The Edge, had been done. “Even Better than the Real Thing” was considered for a single release for this project, and producers were approached to create new remixes of the track. The idea of a commercial single was eventually abandoned, but two of these new remixes were released. “Even Better Than the Real Thing (Fish Out of Water Remix)” was included on deluxe formats of the Achtung Baby reissue, while “Even Better Than the Real Thing (Jacques Lu Cont Remix)” appeared on Ăhk-to͝ong Ba͞y-bi Covered, a compilation released through Q magazine.

The 2-CD anniversary edition of Achtung Baby included a disc compiling b-sides and remixes from the singles, including “Salomé,” “Where Did it All Go Wrong?,” the newly commissioned “Even Better Than the Real Thing (Fish Out of Water Remix),” and “Even Better Than the Real Thing (Single Version),” labeled for the first time as such on the 2011 reissues. The vinyl box set included the album as well as two 12-inch vinyl remix compilations, which included “Even Better than the Real Thing (The Perfecto Mix)” and “Even Better Than the Real Thing (Fish Out of Water Remix).” The 6-CD “Über Deluxe” and “Super Deluxe” sets included “Even Better than the Real Thing (The Perfecto Mix),” “Lady with the Spinning Head (Extended Dance Mix)” and “Even Better Than the Real Thing (V16 Exit Wound Remix)” on the “Über Remixes” disc; “Even Better Than the Real Thing (Trance Mix)” and “Even Better Than the Real Thing (Apollo 440 Stealth Sonic Remix) on the “Unter Remixes” disc; and “Salomé,” “Even Better than the Real Thing (Single Version),” “Where Did it all Go Wrong” and “Even Better Than the Real Thing (Fish Out of Water Remix)” on the “B-Sides and Bonus Tracks” disc. The “Über Deluxe” version also included a repressing of the 7-inch vinyl of the “Even Better Than the Real Thing” single, backed with “Salomé.” The sixth CD, titled Kindergarten-The Alternative Achtung Baby, featured an early demo version of “Even Better Than the Real Thing,” along with demo or alternate versions of all the tracks from the original album. DVDs in the “Super Deluxe” and “Über Deluxe” sets included the Kevin Godley version of the “Even Better Than the Real Thing” video, as well as the “Dance Remix” version directed by Ritchie Smyth.

Liner Notes

Even Better Than the Real Thing (Single Version):
Words by Bono. Music by U2. Produced by Steve Lillywhite with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. Engineered by Robbie Adams and Paul Barrett. Mixed by Steve Lillywhite and Robbie Adams. Assisted by Sean Leonard and Willie Mannion. Additional editing and mastering: Arnie Acosta.

Salome:
Words by Bono. Music by U2. Produced by Paul Barrett and U2. Mixed by Paul Barrett and U2. Mixed by Paul Barrett. Engineered by Ian Bryan, Louise McCormick and Paul Barrett. Additional backing vocals by Ian Bryan and Paul Barrett.

Where did it all Go Wrong?:
Demo from STS, Dublin, July 1990. Words by Bono. Music by U2. Produced by Paul Barrett and U2. Mixed by Paul Barrett and Ian Bryan. Engineered by Ian Bryan.

Lady with the Spinning Head (Extended Dance Mix):
Words by Bono. Music by U2. Produced by Paul Barrett. Recorded by Ian Bryan. Remixed by Alan Moulder.

Even Better than the Real Thing (The Perfecto Mix):
Remixed by Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne.

Even Better than the Real Thing (Trance Mix):
Remixed by Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne.

Even Better than the Real Thing (Sexy Dub Mix):
Remixed by Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne.

Even Better than the Real Thing (Apollo 440 Stealth Sonic Remix):
Remixed by Apollo 440.

Even Better than the Real Thing (V16 Exit Wound Remix):
Remixed by Apollo 440

Even Better than the Real Thing (Apollo 440 vs. U2 Instrumental Remix):
Remixed by Apollo 440.

Artwork

Photography by Anton Corbijn. Design by Works Associates, Dublin.

Recognition and Awards

  • Nominated and Won, Best Special Effects in a Video (MTV Video Music Awards, USA, 1992)
  • Nominated and Won, Best Group Video (MTV Video Music Awards, USA, 1992)
  • Nominated, Best Editing (MTV Video Music Awards, USA, 1992)

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