Playlist 26.10.09

The 'Unforgettable Fire' box set looks like a chocolate box - stuffed with the original CD, the out-takes CD, the DVD, the book and the art prints. I found much pleasure in all of this, and when I wasn't ogling the Anton Corbijn pictures I was listening to the Kervorkian mixes, the Eno departures, the improvisations, the daft interludes and the moments when U2 were prepping themselves for 'The Joshua Tree'.

The sound and the presentation of 'The Unforgettable Fire' made it look rather commanding, when in fact the Barry Devlin film doc shows a band in nervy straits, particularly Bono. On one famous occasion, the singer is simply scribbling 'HELP' on his lyric sheet. Brian Eno helped to spice things up in the Slane Castle sessions by getting Bono to make lyrics up on the spot, hence the ramble that is 'Elvis Presley And America'. But essentially, U2 got away with it, and the appearance of 'Pride' and 'A Sort Of Homecoming' made up for some of the fuzzy parts.

BBC Radio Ulster, 92-95 FM

Online: www.bbc.co.uk/radioulster

Mondays, ten - midnight

Playlist 26.10.09

U2 - A Sort Of Homecoming (Island)

Mariachi El Bronx - Litigation (Wichita)

Mumford And Sons - Winter Winds (Island)

John Fogerty - I'll Be There (Verve)

Erin McKeown - The Foxes (Righteous Babe)

Cat Malojion - Alphabet Song (Bad Paw)

U2 - 60 Seconds In Kingdom Come (Island)

Monsters Of Folk - Whole Lotta Losin (Rough Trade)

Big Bill Broonzy - Frankie And Johnny - (Righteous)

Andrew Bird - Effigy (Bella Union)

Eels - The Look You Give That Guy (Polydor)

Sam Cooke - Out In The Cold Again (RCA)

The Very Best - Julia (Moshi Moshi)



Patti Smith - People Have The Power (Arista)

Florence And The Machine - You Got The Love (Universal)

Candi Statton - I'm Just A Prisoner (Capitol)

Mumford And Sons - Awake My Soul (Island)

Joe And Rose Lee Maphis - The Parting Of The Ways (Righteous)

Frightened Rabbit - Swim Until You Can't See Land (Fat Cat)

John Fogerty - When Will I Be Loved (Verve)

Andrew Morgan - As Long As We're Together (Broken Horse)

The Blue Nile - Happiness (Warner)

Phantom Limb - Draw The Line (Naim Edge)

Rickie Lee Jones - Old Enough (Fantasy)

The Sleeping Years - Into Sunlight (TSY)

U2 - Wire (Kervorkian remix) (Island)