"Rock 'N' Roll R.I.P." - Blue in Heaven
EP
U2 Related Content:
- "On and On" (Demo) - Blue in Heaven (04:57)
Full Track Listing:
- “She is Everything” – Blue in Heaven
- “Swinging” – Blue in Heaven
- “Feel So Good” – Blue in Heaven
- “Loose (Live)” – Blue in Heaven
- “On And On” – Blue in Heaven
Background Information
Blue in Heaven were an Irish rock group from Churchtown, Dublin, formed in 1982, and lead by singer Shane O’Neill. They released their first album in 1985, but before that they went through a number of demo recordings, including their first in 1983, produced by The Edge. Bono was also involved in working with the band on their early demos.
The Edge did not play with the band, his involvement with the band was as a producer for the demo. However, that demo was not released right away. Blue in Heaven discussed the recording session, “Another thing about it all was just how much in control they were. There was always a feeling of ‘drive’ about them. We were really impressed that they took time out from such a heavy schedule to spend it with us. We were just before the Mother thing started, which was kind of a pity, but the demo helped us get signed in London.” The band never released any singles on Mother Records, it was just too early for that to happen, but they were one of the earliest bands Bono and The Edge had worked with, and that lead Blue in Heaven to a recording contract with Island Records.
On November 13, 1987, just prior to the band splitting, a five track EP was issued on Solid Records, titled “Rock ‘N’ Roll R.I.P.” This featured a number of tracks recorded in 1987, but the final song on the EP was “On And On” one of the tracks recorded with The Edge in August 1983. Only The Edge is mentioned on the release as participating on the song, Bono is not mentioned. The song was recorded at Windmill Lane in August 1983. The track was produced by The Edge and engineered by Kevin Kileen.
None of the other tracks from those sessions were ever released, and the band re-recorded any early songs with Martin Hannett for their first album. Bono did mention the band in a 1983 Rolling Stone article and named the song “The Lights Go Out” as one of his favourite singles, but we’ve never been able to track down an actual single by that name. Perhaps it was intended for release and never happened? Regardless, neither “The Lights Go Out” nor “On And On” would appear on the album. Two additional demos were played on Dave Fanning’s radio show in early 1984, “Love Brings Me Closer” and “Say” (which became “Sometimes” on the eventual album.) It is unknown if Bono and the Edge were part of the sessions where these two tracks originate, neither have been released.
Liner Notes
On and On: Produced by The Edge. Engineered by Kevin Kileen. Recorded at Windmill Studios – August 1983.
Artwork
Designed by Steve Averill – The Creative Dept. Ltd.