U2 (EP)

Last updated
U2
U2 Negativland Album.jpg
EP by
Released1991
Recorded1989–91
Genre Sound collage, experimental
Length13:01
Label SST (272), Seeland
Producer Negativland
Negativland chronology
Helter Stupid
(1989)
U2
(1991)
Guns
(1992)

U2 is a withdrawn EP by Negativland, released on SST Records in 1991. [1] The EP and the band gained notoriety when lawyers representing Island Records sued Negativland over the EP's unauthorized sampling of the U2 song "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and misleading artwork. [2] The EP's two tracks and related material were later collected on the compilation These Guys Are from England and Who Gives a Shit.

Contents

History

The two tracks on U2 are parodies of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" which sample the original recording. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (Special Edit Radio Mix)" also samples a bootleg tape of radio DJ Casey Kasem's outtakes, including his evaluation of U2: "These guys are from England[ sic ] and who gives a shit?"

U2's label Island Records sued Negativland following the release of the EP, claiming that the music and artwork constituted copyright infringement. Island Records also claimed that the single was an attempt to deliberately confuse U2 fans, then awaiting the impending release of Achtung Baby .

After U2 was withdrawn and deleted, it was replaced with the EP Guns . The incident would be chronicled in the magazine/CD release The Letter U and the Numeral 2 (later re-released in expanded form as Fair Use: The Story of the Letter U and the Numeral 2 ).

Track listing

  1. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (1991 A Capella Mix) – 7:15
  2. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (Special Edit Radio Mix) – 5:46

Personnel

Related Research Articles

SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was first founded in 1966 by Ginn at age 12 as Solid State Transmitters, a small business through which he sold electronics equipment. Ginn repurposed the company as a record label to release material by his band Black Flag.

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<i>The Letter U and the Numeral 2</i> 1992 EP by Negativland

The Letter U and the Numeral 2 is a 96-page magazine and 25-minute CD by Negativland detailing their conflict with the band U2, over Negativland's EP of the same name. It was released in 1992 as a limited edition of 4000 copies. Two months after its release, SST Records blocked its distribution with a lawsuit claiming, among other things, copyright infringement based on reproductions of press releases sent to the press by SST; "in essence, suing the band for printing (their) threat to sue the band". SST's lawsuit is similar to the "Streisand effect".

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Negativland</span> American experimental music group

Negativland is an American experimental music band that originated in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1970s. The core of the band consists of Mark Hosler, David Wills, Peter Conheim and Jon Leidecker. Negativland has released a number of albums ranging from pure sound collage to more musical expositions. These have mostly been released on their own label, Seeland Records. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, they produced several recordings for SST Records, most notably Escape from Noise, Helter Stupid and U2. Negativland were sued by the band U2's record label, Island Records, and by SST Records, which brought them widespread publicity and notoriety. The band is also part of the Church of the SubGenius parody religion. Negativland coined the term culture jamming in 1984. Don Joyce added it to the album JamCon '84 in the form of "culture jammer". The band took their name from a Neu! track, with their record label Seeland Records also being named after another Neu! track.

U2 is an Irish rock band.

References

  1. Brawley, Eddie (July 5, 2016). "That Time Negativland Trolled U2 Into Suing Them". Vulture.
  2. Berry, Colin (January 1, 1995). "The Letter U and the Numeral 2". Wired.