U-2 "2 SIDES LIVE" RARE PROMOTIONAL LIVE ALBUM BOSTON 1981 * FANTASTIC EARLY U2

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U2  "2 SIDES LIVE" RARE PROMOTIONAL LIVE ALBUM ~ BOSTON 1981 ~ FANTASTIC!

U2  "2 SIDES LIVE" LIVE PROMO EDITION RECORDED: MARCH 6, 1981 PARADISE THEATER, BOSTON LABEL: BUG RECORDS ~ BUG 101 RELEASED: 1983 FIRST AMERICAN PRESSING w/ 'VESSELS OF PRAISE' LABELS RECORDED BY: Starfleet Blair Mobile Unit ORIGINALLY MASTERED AT WARNER BROS. RECORDING STUDIO & SHEFFIELD LABS Matrix / Runout (Side A): BUG 101 - 1 (A) Matrix / Runout (Side B): BUG 101 - 2 (B)
CONDITION:   VINYL: VG+    JACKET: VG+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've been going thru my large vinyl record collection over the past few weeks and pulling out some LPs that I thought that someone else would want for their collection. I've been collecting records for over 45 years and it's time to pass some of them on to the next generation of collectors.
After all, we are just temporary 'caretakers' of these musical gems until the next owner and next collection takes them in.
This week on EBay I am offering up this rare early live U-2 recording from 1981.
This is an early 'version' of the same fantastic Warner Brothers live U-2 promotional record, released to radio stations in late 1981 to play on the air to generate interest in the young Irish band and to show America what a great live band U2 were. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The fantastic early U2 songs on this album include:
The Ocean 11 O'Clock Tick Tock Touch An Cat Dubh / Into The Heart Cry / The Electric Co. Things To Make And Do Stories For Boys Twilight I Will Follow Out Of Control 11 O'Clock Tick Tock The Ocean ~~~~ Side 1 total time 29:39 Side 2 total time 25:57 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was recorded at the Paradise Theater in Boston on March 6, 1981, during the 2nd leg of the band's 'Boy' tour, promoting their debut album.
The band's first leg of the tour of the States was a brief 14 date run in December 1980, to test the waters. The band then returned in the spring of 1981 and did a longer, nearly 60 date tour of colleges and small clubs.
The band played a great show and got a warm reception from the heavily Irish audience at Boston's Paradise theater on that first tour, so they returned to the Paradise in March '81 and did 2 shows, recording them for future use. The result was this fantastic live promo album.
This show captures U-2 at a pivotal moment in their career, during their initial rise to fame, and reveals the intense energy, passion, raw emotion, powerful musicianship, and strong spiritual connection with their audience that made the young Irish band rockstars and one of the best bands of the 80's.
The band played 2 shows that night, and most of this recording is taken from the first show, but there are 2 versions of a few songs, taken from the blistering 2nd set of the late show.
This live album contains all the 'hits' at the time, like fantastic versions of 'I Will Follow', 'Out Of Control' and '11 O'Clock Tick Tock', as well as a few deep cuts like 'Things To Make And Do' and the dark 'An Cat Dubh', that really show the range and diversity that this young this Irish band had at the time.
The performance is full of the youthful, raw, emotional, nervy, post-punk, rock'n'roll energy that made them one of the best, 'must see' live bands of the day and you can hear that U-2 were clearly en route to becoming rock mega-stars and one of the greatest live bands ever.
Bono's personality and charisma are already on display, connecting deeply with the audience, but without the arrogance and self-importance that would later follow.
The Edge's dazzling guitar work is already present, with his unique sound shining through and bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen's tight rhythms and excellent playing keeps the drive and incredible power flowing. ~~~~~~~~~~~
Ever since the 1979 release of their first record, the rare hand-numbered U2 'Three' EP, limited to 1,000 copies, with the band members names etched into the deadwax on both sides, U2's records and their multiple variants have become some of the most collectable records, and U-2 one of the most collected bands in the world.
There seems to be an endless variety of original issues, re-issues, picture sleeve variants, box sets, colored wax variants and other records to keep collectors busy and on the hunt.
The epic scale of their unexpected, meteoric rise to fame from the streets of Dublin and their continued worldwide popularity makes seeking out their earlier, rare, elusive recordings, like this one, a real challenge.
This rare early live recording, originally a tough to find promo-only release, recorded in small club in Boston, is a scarce and desirable release. They rarely come up for sale in any format.
U2’s popularity shows little sign of waning and their early records continue to be collectable and continue to grow in value.
Add this to your collection today and appreciate that great buzz and feeling you get when you know that you've acquired something really special for your U-2 record collection.  ~~~~~~~~
This rare album was later reissued in 2004 as part of U2’s digital box set, "The Complete U2", under the revised title “Live from Boston 1981” but vinyl copies of this great show remain elusive. ~~~~~~~~~
U2's HISTORY AND THE STORY LEADING UP THIS ALBUM
U2's long career all started back in 1976,  when drummer Larry Mullen Jr. posted a note on a message board in his Dublin highschool, looking for some like-minded musicians to form a new band.
As a result, Bono, The Edge, and Adam Clayton eventually came together and formed a scrappy cover band. Soon they were recording their own punk-influenced songs, strongly inspired by their Christian faith, Irish roots, and British bands like The Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Buzzcocks.
Constantly touring the clubs, improving their songwriting and sound, they eventually broke free from the confines of Dublin. Their debut International single, '11 O'Clock Tick-Tock', released in May 1980, along with their passionate live performances, allowed them to ride the post-punk wave out of Ireland.
Right from the beginning, U2 always had their sights clearly on conquering the vast musical market outside of the UK, especially the American market.
In December 1980, after a long UK tour promoting their debut album "Boy", the band did a brief, short run of live shows along the East Coast, introducing and promoting the 'Boy' album to American audiences. I was living in Philadelphia at the time, and was fortunate to see the band at the tiny Bijou Theater, a small club at 3rd & Lombard, just before Christmas. A good friend of mine, a fellow music buff and record collector, had heard how great their live act was and insisted I go see the show with him, even paying for my ticket.
Although I had worked in radio and did some freelance music writing at the time, I had never heard of the band before that night and was totally blown away. The band played an amazing, powerful, emotionally-charged, intimate show in a tiny, 250 seat, not even sold out, club. There were probably 150 people there, but the band played their hearts out, and the sound was incredible. That show made me an instant fan, and I wasn't alone.
Word quickly spread about how good the band was, their debut record 'Boy' started to sell well in the States, and U2 returned to America in March 1981 for a few more shows, including the Bijou Café again, and started to build their American fan base.
From the moment they started making waves in America with "Boy", U2's political and socially conscious lyrics, unique, powerful sound, and anthemic choruses made them quickly stand out from other bands in the post-punk scene.
U2 redefined the sound and spirit of rock and roll in the mid 80's by blending elements of rock, post-punk, and socially conscious politics, creating several diverse, challenging, and experimental, yet very accessible, albums.
Only a handful of bands had the energy and passion to light up both the stage and college radio in the mid 80's the way U2 did.
U2 followed up 'Boy' with several very successful albums, 'October', 'War' and 'Unforgettable Fire', and a few Top 40 hits, all of which created lots of hype, praise and publicity.
The rest, as they say, is history.
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CONDITION: I tried to show good hi-resolution photos of the cover, labels and vinyl in my pictures.
I purchased this copy 'used' back in the mid 80's, 40 years ago, shortly after it surfaced on one of my regular vinyl digs in Manhattan in those days, and have taken great care of it since.
VINYL: The vinyl is still fantastic. Clean and bright. No flaws, scratches or damage. It's been played a few times over the years, but always well taken care of. It still looks great. I'll call it a conservative VG+, to keep everyone happy, but you can see from my photos how terrific it looks. 
The Deadwax has simple early etched matrix numbers and not much else, as is typical for these 'collector' records.
I tried to show some close-up pictures of the vinyl to show how good it still looks. Still very clean and I'm sure you'll be happy with it.
I haven't messed with it or cleaned it, other than my trusty 'DiscWasher' brush, in 50 years, since Nixon was in office. It has some light 'dust' and paper specks and could use a good deep cleaning to make it even better looking and better sounding than it already is, but I'll leave that up to the winning bidder.
LABELS: This is the first American version, pressed with yellow 'The Vessels Of Praise' labels that make no mention of U-2, again, typical of these 'collector' records. The labels are clean and bright. No marks or damage. The spindle holes are still sharp and clean, suggesting minimal playing and my careful handling over the years. The vinyl under the labels has a rough surface, which shows thru the label in places, but the labels are clean.
JACKET: As you can see from my pictures, this still looks fantastic for a 40+ year old copy. Some very slight early ringwear and a spot or two, but a nice clean white jacket. There's remnants of an old price sticker in the upper right, and the corners are mildly bumped.
The front has the red Warner-like shield, hinting at this album's origin. The back features an early photo of the band, the tracklisting, and a giant red rabbit, again a nod to Warner Brothers and Bugs Bunny.
This record has been sleeved and stored properly for Decades, and, as you can see from my pictures, it's still quite nice for an early first pressing from the early 80's. A nice, clean, beautiful survivor. 
If you like early U-2, or late 70's post-punk rock, you really need this absolutely essential album in your collection.
Add this rare, classic, first American pressing of this great live U-2 album to your collection today.
~~~~~~ ** NOTE: I'm selling this rare U-2 'collector' record "AS IS" and "NO RETURN". It's rare, clean, sounds amazing and it's as described and I'm sure you'll be very happy with it.
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I’m recently retired and downsizing and letting go some gems and rarities from nearly 45 years of vinyl record collecting. Check out the many other fantastic 45s and 33s coming soon to my page!
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Please look at all the high-resolution pictures I added. They are all my own and are of the actual record being sold. The pictures are part of the description and can show small details, label variations, and condition better than I can put into words. 
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THANK YOU for looking and reading if you got this far. I hope this listing was entertaining and informative. I know I rambled on a bit, but can't help it. I have a passion for records and music, especially classic rock and the great band U-2.
HAPPY NEW YEAR  TO YOU AND YOURS AND WE WISH YOU MUCH PEACE AND PROSPERITY IN THE YEAR TO COME!! ~~ JOHN