I made some anarchist music out of my house impromtu and members are Negativland are putting it on their next record...because it was crazy and whimsical...they are funny people.
Oh God still crying about the Free album - considering probably every person there is got free music somewhere I find it hilarious 😂 There's some good songs on it but .. have a great day 😊
U2 and their label Island Records didn't want you to hear it. They Sued the shit out of SST and hurt them forever with their lawsuit. So much for fair comment, freedom of speech etc.
Casey Kasem and his lawyers were the ones who didn't want this to come out. He sued everyone responsible first. Island and SST records then kicked the bucket directly onto negativland who fought them tooth and nail but didn't have the resources to defend themselves. The record was pulled off the shelves in less than 14 days from release and the masters were surrendered to Island records who subsequently destroyed them. After the masters were obtained, U2, but principally The Edge, said they supported negativland although they asked that the cover art had to be changed because people would think it was a U2 record. Casey Kasem continued to prevent this record from being released up until his death. He was a huge freedom of speech hypocrite. A music biz dinosaur who destroyed the artistic integrity of a modern American pioneer band. I hope he's rotting somewhere.
yeah, not, ur fulla shit.. they dropped the suit after a bit and GG of sst dick fame sued his label artists for expenses(damages) incurred.. it was not a fortune, research and shut up, miss information.. next, you're gonna tell me that black flag should be locked up so tight only Greg's lame ass could shit it out for a 30yr celebration, or maybe an induction into the rock n droll hall of fame.. read Keith Morris' bio and see what he has to say about GG.. and Keith is a chill and thoughtful professional, has been for decades and is not one to talk shit for the fun of it.. just sayin.. do not respond, it won't matter anyhow and i don't want to h8 u2.. @@maximilian333
I saw Negativeland in concert ages ago and they got around the ban on them performing this by just doing the straight up instrumental and using an overheard projector to put the words up for the audience to read out loud. Pretty brilliant.
The genius of this song is that a kazoo and the voice-over of radio host having a mental breakdown can reveal the hollowness and shallowness of corporate-produced mainstream popular music.
This record is why I got on the Internet. I was already on BBSs and etc. and was starting to do freelance software design jobs and taking care of a baby at home, so...by the time I read about the record in one of the alternapapers, you already couldn't get it. And...you know, you have kids, you lose most of your geek buddies for a while at least. So I didn't have anybody offhand I could call about a tape or whatever. And then I found out you could download WAV files of the record off the Internet, so...that's when I got on the Internet. And that's pretty much the first thing I did. I still have the two floppies I put it on around someplace.
"Diddly shit" "Snuggles" "This is bullshit" "Goddammit" "Aw, fuck!" "Hail Satan" "Who gives a shit?!" "OK" "I want a goddamned concerted effort to come out of a record that isn't a fucking uptempo record every time I do a goddamned DEATH dedication!!" "This is fucking ponderous!" "Snuggles" . . . OMG this always puts me in a great mood! "Snuggles"
If I had a nickel for every UA-cam comment I'd seen about negativland sending something to someone for free while they were in prison, I would have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's still weird that it happened twice
I worked as a buyer for an indie distributor in 1991 when SST recalled this due to legal action by Island Records. Chuck Dukowski called me and said we had to recall them all and return what we had. I thought about buying a box of CDs as an employee purchase but I didn't. I regretted that move when the CD got up to several hundred dollars in the late 90s.
I actually had a copy of the 12 inch single of this in my hands in a record store but didn't want to spend $9 on it - which was a lot for a 45 rpm 12 inch at the time. If I'd known...
That's right. Most musicologists consider this the most important piece of recorded music since sound recording was invented. NASA is also working on a plan to "chase down" Voyager and replace the current golden record aboard it with an endless tape loop of this.
I grew up in the 90s and loved the weird a lot... the late 80s and early 90s we're CHOCK FULL of WEIRD... this reminds me of some early pre-fame Butthole Surfers, Beck, or Ween...
and just think, back then it was all assembled by hand via physical editing of magnetic tape, not digital. Helter Stupid is another good one to check out - Negativland planted a story about a murderer being influenced by their music, and the San Francisco Bay Area news ran with it. The actual newscasts became fodder for the track. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plunderphonics
I met Bono in a pub bathroom in a bar in 1982, at the john next to me he zipped down his fly and started muttering sadly "and I still haven't found what i'm looking for". He looked like he had the sads so I told him it sounded like a good tune, he agreed. History unfolded from there.
I saw them live in Seattle around 2000. It was a very interesting show, with all kinds of performance art, and homemade electronic instruments on stage.
I would have loved to be at some lame dinner party in the 90's where the host is like "hey, i just got the new U2 record, let's peel the plastic off this baby and give it a spin"
Back in like '92 I got a cassette with this song, the Linda McCartney monitor mix and on the other side all the Red's 2 Bar stuff. I almost wore that thing out but it's still in my tape collection.
I heard Negativland released this (I saw one for sale at Peaches - even came with paperclip). Island Records heard it and lost their cookies over it and began legal proceedings. U2 before being called in by legal, heard the song, and loved it and got Island to drop the suit. That's what I heard over 20 years ago.
+juggernaut866 Negativland put out a magazine with a CD (The Letter U and the Numeral 2) and then a full book, "Fair Use", on this subject. Don Joyce did a number of episodes of the KPFA "Over the Edge" radio program about this ranging from just him reading from books about copyright and radio history to full-on rants. Archive.org has the show's archives. Search on "Over the Edge", then search within the results for the word "copyright"; also look for "Celebrity Night" (September 1991) and "Howland Show" (March 1992). WOW.
check my videos and you will see one with Mark Hosler where it is revealed U2 knew all about it and they were the ones who turned it over to Island records.
This is the B-side to Negativland's "U2" single. Island Records didn't want the world to hear it, and sued the band. However, Negativland confronted U2's The Edge on the matter, prompting the band to call off Island's lawsuit.
Bono, The Edge and U2 did try to call it off but they were not successful. They don't own their songs: Island Records does. The lawsuit by Island records (without U2) went forward, and Island Records won. Negativland's label, SST records was sued out of business. Additionally, correspondence went out to everyplace the album was distributed demanding return of the album so they could all be destroyed.
I love Negativland since I was a child! They are a group of excellent artists they are making arts!!!!!!!!!!Go to see their book called Fair use: The story of the letter u and the Numeral 2 . Poor Negativland they are fighting for rights all the time!
I heard about this while listening to Jim Ruland’s book CORPORATE ROCK SUCKS the rise & fall of SST RECORDS and I am not disappointed!!! Can’t wait to hear more Negativeland!!!
Casey Kasem was born in 1932, so he was 59 or so when this was released. And probably 56 when he was recorded in his meltdown here. Just more evidence that the older you get, the less interested you are in new music. I wonder if he'd have said all the "who cares about them" stuff if he was 16, didn't have the internet because it wasn't invented, and he lived in a small religious town in the middle of nowhere. (you've all figured it out, that was me. I loved these details about my favorite bands. There weren't many other ways to learn about your favorite bands back then, and we had to walk 40 miles in the snow to get to school. Times were tough.) But now I am old. I can sympathize a bit more with Kasem's rant. New music is wwwwwhatever, and I don't give a rat's where any band is from. Still, that said... you'd think Kasem would have made more of an effort, to like, you know, appreciate new music so at least he didn't have to hate his job so much? Because this is some funny shit. RIP Casey, you bastard.
Watch the documentry " Sonic Outlaws " I am a U2 fan and a Negativeland fan...glad they released the banned album! How they got this footage-I'll never know, ♡ it! Our dog Snuggles is in doggy heaven! Funny old world, ain't it?
Back in 1991 before internet trolling, if you were sick of hearing U2 played on the radio every 15 minutes & heard this album. You'd think it was hilarious, creative & cutting edge.
This is pure poetry. Hail to the most brave anti U2 heroes in history. Hail too to all the drugs they've taken to repel any consideration about stepping off this epic quest.
Was disappointed U2 sued. If you read The Frontman:Bono in the Name of Power by Harry Browne, you can learn more about this. It really was not necessary to sue. Still a U2 fan, but with a grain of salt.
Murray Macdonald U2's manager, Paul McGuinness, instigated the lawsuit, not Island Records. R.E.M.'s manager found the record in Athens, GA and told McGuinness about it. He came to regret telling him. McGuinness passed it along to Island's legal department.
Instead, read (if you can find it) "The Letter U and the Numeral 2" and its sequel, "Fair Use" which is Negativland's side of the story told through the correspondence and legal filings, including Island's agreement to drop the objection at the band's urging. And Casem's refusal to allow it to be re-released.
In the mean time since finding the book appears to be iffy, anyone can watch a 10 minute clip of a lecture by Mark Hosler of Negativland in which he discusses the lawsuit and interacts with REM's manager, Bertis Downs, who is in the audience and admits to inadvertently getting the entire lawsuit rolling. He's difficult to hear but you get the basic idea. It's on UA-cam and is "Mark Hosler (Negativand) lecture Part Two"
"The song casey kasem, SST records, and negativland didnt want you to hear." No. Negativland and SST wanted you to hear it. It was Island Records and Casey Kasem who wanted to squelch it.
SST released a few Over the Edge broadcasts on cassette in the 1990s... I don't imagine these can be purchased new anymore, but they might show up used on ebay...? Actually, I just did a search on the file sharing program I use and a couple of those recordings came up.
For the record. I'm a big fan of both bands. I own every Negativland release, but I've also got 40-some-odd U2 CDs, seen them live 5 times, and met Bono twice. I agreed with Edge's sentiment at the time, which is that the Negativland U2 single was funny and original, and Island Record's decision to sue was unwarranted.
To be honest, I'd be pretty disgruntled myself if I were playing an upbeat song on a radio show in a good mood, and then all of a sudden I learn one of the day's song requests is a dedication to a dead family member (dog, but still).
Well, Negativeland did release a book detailing the whole ordeal. It came with a flexi 45 of the track in the middle. Of the book. I'm pretty sure I still have one somewhere. They were one of the pioneers of the "Found Sound Free Use Samples as Music" movement/argument. There's been a few good documentaries on the subject involving them but it'll probably require some digging. Man I love that style of music: Art of Noise, Adbusters, a ton of unknown stuff I heard at raves. Anything that uses the recorded statements from people arranged to make a point. Esp. politicians. VIMs "Maggies Last Party" is another good example. Keep raving friends!
There is a lot of Negativland material on archive.org. The flexidisc you mentioned came in a magazine, "The Letter U & the Numeral 2", and later a whole book, "Fair Use," which came with a CD with assorted sound collage plus "Crosley Bendix Discusses the U.S. Copyright Act". The book and CD are on archive.org, search on "negativland Fair Use". I love culture jamming too, have made my own and you should too.
U2 pre-released this track November 18, 1992 after the banning of their fourth album was not released in UK. Consequently, Casey Kasem selected his own voice for the voice-over just after the release date. Drink Pepsi!
I used to frequent a cafe in Half Moon Bay called "Mc Coffee". Quaint, Cute, homey, comfortable, nice, etc., they were sued by McDonalds because of infringement. CRIMINAL. Thank you Negativeland for decades of REALITY. I'm remixing this tune as I speak...U 2, the lost song featuring Jack Ass Boy...
Actually no...U2 were semi-recently fully outed as the perpetrators of the lawsuit. I'll see if I can post it as a video response to this video...it's a very interesting story behind it..
This is the most sued over song ever. U2, American Top Forty, Casey Kasem, their labels and agents, producers, even some of the CB pulls, wanted their heads and or money. I heard they wrote a book about it but I've never actually seen it. That being said, easily one of my top 20 musical things ever; maybe top 10 if I think about it.
Funny that Island Records tried so hard to obliterate this song out of existence, but here it is almost 30 years later for everyone to hear.
I like it..😝🤣
...and the rules which allow it to be here should have protected Negativland at the time. The system failed them.
I made some anarchist music out of my house impromtu and members are Negativland are putting it on their next record...because it was crazy and whimsical...they are funny people.
Which is the cut where the Negativland guy says, "That's right. I've done all of this for you, honey lips. You, the fat one."?
Snuggles!!!
If there was a history of trolling, this song should be considered an ancient artifact
Snuggles!!!
What's our point?
This is the best U2 song ever
i wish this was what they forced every itunes user to have instead of that lame ass album they did
😂
Snuggles!!!
Oh God still crying about the Free album - considering probably every person there is got free music somewhere I find it hilarious 😂
There's some good songs on it but .. have a great day 😊
@@KOSMICKEN09 I would like to see if Apple tracked how many people deleted the album. I did as I could!
The kazoo lifts the song into another level of absurdity. Cha Cha 2000 did a folky cover of Autobahn using a stylophone that achieves a similar effect
Negativland DID want you to hear it... but got sued.
R.I.P. Richard Lyons
U2 and their label Island Records didn't want you to hear it. They Sued the shit out of SST and hurt them forever with their lawsuit. So much for fair comment, freedom of speech etc.
@@maximilian333 U2 didn't want them sued. Island Records did go after them though.
Casey Kasem and his lawyers were the ones who didn't want this to come out. He sued everyone responsible first. Island and SST records then kicked the bucket directly onto negativland who fought them tooth and nail but didn't have the resources to defend themselves. The record was pulled off the shelves in less than 14 days from release and the masters were surrendered to Island records who subsequently destroyed them. After the masters were obtained, U2, but principally The Edge, said they supported negativland although they asked that the cover art had to be changed because people would think it was a U2 record. Casey Kasem continued to prevent this record from being released up until his death. He was a huge freedom of speech hypocrite. A music biz dinosaur who destroyed the artistic integrity of a modern American pioneer band. I hope he's rotting somewhere.
yeah, not, ur fulla shit.. they dropped the suit after a bit and GG of sst dick fame sued his label artists for expenses(damages) incurred.. it was not a fortune, research and shut up, miss information.. next, you're gonna tell me that black flag should be locked up so tight only Greg's lame ass could shit it out for a 30yr celebration, or maybe an induction into the rock n droll hall of fame.. read Keith Morris' bio and see what he has to say about GG.. and Keith is a chill and thoughtful professional, has been for decades and is not one to talk shit for the fun of it.. just sayin.. do not respond, it won't matter anyhow and i don't want to h8 u2..
@@maximilian333
This is bullshit. Negativland are from San Francisco and who gives a shit!
I saw Negativeland in concert ages ago and they got around the ban on them performing this by just doing the straight up instrumental and using an overheard projector to put the words up for the audience to read out loud. Pretty brilliant.
Post script: I knew I was amongst my nerdy brethren when an overhead projector being rolled on stage got huge applause.
Saw that too. Was genius! Great crowd cohesion. Long live Negativland!
The Real Jerry Seinfeld preach man can't believe what they did to artists
Classic America init
@@therealjerryseinfeld4321 Fuck off. I don't even want to know what kind of crap you're into.
The genius of this song is that a kazoo and the voice-over of radio host having a mental breakdown can reveal the hollowness and shallowness of corporate-produced mainstream popular music.
lol
U2 were not regarded as 'corporate' or 'mainstream' prior to Joshua Tree.
@@SniffyPoo correct, they were considered "$ataniC!!! 🤣
@@sonicmojo by schizophrenics
Shut ur hipster ass up😂 it’s just a funny
RIP Casey Kasem. I imagine you up in heaven with Snuggles listening to Top 40 hits day and night.
I wondered why my post of this record kept getting pluses this morning, that was like three years ago.
Robert N. Lee Death is at the top of the charts for Casey.
This record is why I got on the Internet. I was already on BBSs and etc. and was starting to do freelance software design jobs and taking care of a baby at home, so...by the time I read about the record in one of the alternapapers, you already couldn't get it. And...you know, you have kids, you lose most of your geek buddies for a while at least. So I didn't have anybody offhand I could call about a tape or whatever.
And then I found out you could download WAV files of the record off the Internet, so...that's when I got on the Internet. And that's pretty much the first thing I did.
I still have the two floppies I put it on around someplace.
Ponderous.
+Doug Lain And having a good laugh with Don Joyce and Richard Lyons! RIP guys you saved my sanity in the 80s.
Snuggles is the real victim here, having his death exploited for commercial gain. He's the one who shoulda sued. Well, except for his death and all.
Fucking LOL imagine being a very confused U2 fan hearing this waiting for Achtung Baby to drop!
Snuggles!!!
Achtung Snuggles!
"Diddly shit" "Snuggles" "This is bullshit" "Goddammit" "Aw, fuck!" "Hail Satan" "Who gives a shit?!" "OK" "I want a goddamned concerted effort to come out of a record that isn't a fucking uptempo record every time I do a goddamned DEATH dedication!!" "This is fucking ponderous!" "Snuggles" . . . OMG this always puts me in a great mood!
"Snuggles"
+Val Halla diddly diddly diddly shit!
U2 should have embraced and supported the Negativland single, they would really helped them to save face in the long run.
Snuggles!!!
Agreed they did themselves more harm on this fight. Bunch of Irish Karen's. Given their human rights stance.
Who is U2 - who gives a sh**
Way better than ANYTHING U2 actually did... love it.
Don't be ridiculous
You must be on PCp or something ..your not well
Snuggles!!!
U2 were full of themselves, total hypocrites. Music should be fun, lighten up.
U2 have lots of great songs I think but the internet is Run on negative energy 😂
When I heard about this I didn't know what to expect... I'm not disappointed
i have the book. They sent it to me free wheni was in prison.
proving again how decent of people they are.
If I had a nickel for every UA-cam comment I'd seen about negativland sending something to someone for free while they were in prison, I would have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's still weird that it happened twice
Snuggles!!!
@@rainerkornmusic Prison Snuggles
I worked as a buyer for an indie distributor in 1991 when SST recalled this due to legal action by Island Records. Chuck Dukowski called me and said we had to recall them all and return what we had. I thought about buying a box of CDs as an employee purchase but I didn't. I regretted that move when the CD got up to several hundred dollars in the late 90s.
Snuggles!!!
I actually had a copy of the 12 inch single of this in my hands in a record store but didn't want to spend $9 on it - which was a lot for a 45 rpm 12 inch at the time.
If I'd known...
It's actually "Snuckles."
This track is a laugh riot.
This is the god dammed best talking heads Brian eno sing ever
That's right. Most musicologists consider this the most important piece of recorded music since sound recording was invented. NASA is also working on a plan to "chase down" Voyager and replace the current golden record aboard it with an endless tape loop of this.
Snuggles!!!
It's ponderous man, it's fucking ponderous. 💀 💀 💀
This feels really ahead of its time. It sounds like something you'd find deep in the bowels of soundcloud except this was made in 1991.
Google "Dante's Drill Team"
I grew up in the 90s and loved the weird a lot... the late 80s and early 90s we're CHOCK FULL of WEIRD... this reminds me of some early pre-fame Butthole Surfers, Beck, or Ween...
Damn...you're right. This really sounds like something that could have been put out recently, not 30 years ago.
Snuggles!!!
and just think, back then it was all assembled by hand via physical editing of magnetic tape, not digital. Helter Stupid is another good one to check out - Negativland planted a story about a murderer being influenced by their music, and the San Francisco Bay Area news ran with it. The actual newscasts became fodder for the track.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plunderphonics
"These guys are from England and WHO GIVES A SHIT?!!"
lolz :D
They aren’t
@@dane21dc Casey would have said, who gives a shit about the Irish. Lol
Nobody gives a diddly shit.
David are you still alive 10 yrs later? Fucktard.
Shaggy totally losing his cool.
Yairo Martis zoinks!
Scooby Doo !
And Boy Wonder .
He accidentally unleashed 2% of his power
Ran out of Scooby snacks which made him cranky
I met Bono in a pub bathroom in a bar in 1982, at the john next to me he zipped down his fly and started muttering sadly "and I still haven't found what i'm looking for". He looked like he had the sads so I told him it sounded like a good tune, he agreed. History unfolded from there.
Hope he found it before his bladder exploded!
Was he sorting through a bouquet of weiners in there, looking for the correct one?
You and Forest Gump. Shit Happens. Have a Nice Day
I have put it in my will to have this song played at my funeral.
U2 - beautiful day and stuck in a moment you can't get out of are my early 2000s U2 favorites
those guys are from england and who gives a shit who gives a shit?
I saw them live in Seattle around 2000.
It was a very interesting show, with all kinds of performance art, and homemade electronic instruments on stage.
Snuggles!!!
I would have loved to be at some lame dinner party in the 90's where the host is like "hey, i just got the new U2 record, let's peel the plastic off this baby and give it a spin"
Snuckles the dog was killed by a spear of frozen urine that had fallen from an overhead plane
Ooh voof welcome
Lmao, wat
Hilarious
I used to listen to Casey every week. It was the blocks of Westwood One commercials that made it take for fucking EVER!
This is good rock and roll, uh, music.
Back in like '92 I got a cassette with this song, the Linda McCartney monitor mix and on the other side all the Red's 2 Bar stuff. I almost wore that thing out but it's still in my tape collection.
That sounds like a holy grail of cassette comedy
"These guys are from England" LOL
Who gives a shit?
I heard Negativland released this (I saw one for sale at Peaches - even came with paperclip). Island Records heard it and lost their cookies over it and began legal proceedings. U2 before being called in by legal, heard the song, and loved it and got Island to drop the suit.
That's what I heard over 20 years ago.
You heard wrong. It's much more complicated than that. U2 was hardly an innocent in the whole matter.
There's a great documentary that has the story and lots of other great things called "Sonic Outlaws".
FloraWest In checking, it is available on UA-cam.
+juggernaut866 Negativland put out a magazine with a CD (The Letter U and the Numeral 2) and then a full book, "Fair Use", on this subject. Don Joyce did a number of episodes of the KPFA "Over the Edge" radio program about this ranging from just him reading from books about copyright and radio history to full-on rants. Archive.org has the show's archives. Search on "Over the Edge", then search within the results for the word "copyright"; also look for "Celebrity Night" (September 1991) and "Howland Show" (March 1992). WOW.
check my videos and you will see one with Mark Hosler where it is revealed U2 knew all about it and they were the ones who turned it over to Island records.
If you poke around you can find recordings of the ham radio operators on youtube. They are another story themselves.
This is the B-side to Negativland's "U2" single. Island Records didn't want the world to hear it, and sued the band. However, Negativland confronted U2's The Edge on the matter, prompting the band to call off Island's lawsuit.
+Tilly Divine yep.
Sean Gaston didn't they get sued tho anyway
Bono, The Edge and U2 did try to call it off but they were not successful. They don't own their songs: Island Records does. The lawsuit by Island records (without U2) went forward, and Island Records won. Negativland's label, SST records was sued out of business. Additionally, correspondence went out to everyplace the album was distributed demanding return of the album so they could all be destroyed.
I just read about this and came looking.....thanks so much for posting, I laughed soooo hard!
I remember a friend recorded this on cassette from the radio and my group of friends played it over and over.
Can NEGATIVLAND do an Mel Gibson Edition.
What would be a good match, in terms of music and added samples?
you'll find out
@@moopr
I couldn't wait! lol: ua-cam.com/video/1ssukxr6YXY/v-deo.html
Mel is a Legend in my book.
"This is American Top 40, This is American Top 40."
"This is bullshit!"
Negativland in Phoenix tomorrow. Sans Lyons but i'll take it.
666 comments. U2 4eva, this was a head of its time. 8bit 4eva.
I love Negativland since I was a child! They are a group of excellent artists they are making arts!!!!!!!!!!Go to see their book called Fair use: The story of the letter u and the Numeral 2 . Poor Negativland they are fighting for rights all the time!
5:19 “Fucking ponderous man.”
My favorite line.
The original pioneers of the art of trolling
I heard about this while listening to Jim Ruland’s book CORPORATE ROCK SUCKS the rise & fall of SST RECORDS and I am not disappointed!!! Can’t wait to hear more Negativeland!!!
Casey Kasem was born in 1932, so he was 59 or so when this was released. And probably 56 when he was recorded in his meltdown here. Just more evidence that the older you get, the less interested you are in new music.
I wonder if he'd have said all the "who cares about them" stuff if he was 16, didn't have the internet because it wasn't invented, and he lived in a small religious town in the middle of nowhere. (you've all figured it out, that was me. I loved these details about my favorite bands. There weren't many other ways to learn about your favorite bands back then, and we had to walk 40 miles in the snow to get to school. Times were tough.)
But now I am old. I can sympathize a bit more with Kasem's rant. New music is wwwwwhatever, and I don't give a rat's where any band is from. Still, that said... you'd think Kasem would have made more of an effort, to like, you know, appreciate new music so at least he didn't have to hate his job so much?
Because this is some funny shit. RIP Casey, you bastard.
Watch the documentry " Sonic Outlaws "
I am a U2 fan and a Negativeland fan...glad they released the banned album!
How they got this footage-I'll never know, ♡ it!
Our dog Snuggles is in doggy heaven!
Funny old world, ain't it?
It's kind of funny. The only thing I know about U2 is that they spread their music onto every Apple device.
Back in 1991 before internet trolling, if you were sick of hearing U2 played on the radio every 15 minutes & heard this album. You'd think it was hilarious, creative & cutting edge.
snuggles the dog is a very compelling story
This is pure poetry. Hail to the most brave anti U2 heroes in history. Hail too to all the drugs they've taken to repel any consideration about stepping off this epic quest.
If I were in charge at Island Records and heard this I'd have offered them a contract not a lawsuit.
Was disappointed U2 sued. If you read The Frontman:Bono in the Name of Power by Harry Browne, you can learn more about this. It really was not necessary to sue. Still a U2 fan, but with a grain of salt.
U2 didn't sue them, Island Records did. U2 tried to persuade Island not to sue, but they ignored them and proceeded.
Murray Macdonald U2's manager, Paul McGuinness, instigated the lawsuit, not Island Records. R.E.M.'s manager found the record in Athens, GA and told McGuinness about it. He came to regret telling him. McGuinness passed it along to Island's legal department.
Instead, read (if you can find it) "The Letter U and the Numeral 2" and its sequel, "Fair Use" which is Negativland's side of the story told through the correspondence and legal filings, including Island's agreement to drop the objection at the band's urging. And Casem's refusal to allow it to be re-released.
MidTBandit
thanks, good to know
In the mean time since finding the book appears to be iffy, anyone can watch a 10 minute clip of a lecture by Mark Hosler of Negativland in which he discusses the lawsuit and interacts with REM's manager, Bertis Downs, who is in the audience and admits to inadvertently getting the entire lawsuit rolling. He's difficult to hear but you get the basic idea. It's on UA-cam and is "Mark Hosler (Negativand) lecture Part Two"
Holy shit. What a jam.
"The song casey kasem, SST records, and negativland didnt want you to hear."
No. Negativland and SST wanted you to hear it. It was Island Records and Casey Kasem who wanted to squelch it.
Two corrections: This song is called U2 and it is by Negativland. (now touring)
U2 didn't sue them...their record company (Island Records) did.
I wonder what music they play on music radio 138 O-FUK? I'm thinking Sandwiches by The Detroit Grand Pubahs. You're welcome.
Casey has a point though.
These guys are from England and who gives a shit?
Fucking ponderous, man. PONDEROUS.
Wow. Noisepuupet is here?
This is bullshit! Diddly shit!
@@googleblows4016 Casey knew how to throw some shade.....lmao!
At least radio stations have fast to slow transition jingles.
SST released a few Over the Edge broadcasts on cassette in the 1990s... I don't imagine these can be purchased new anymore, but they might show up used on ebay...?
Actually, I just did a search on the file sharing program I use and a couple of those recordings came up.
Haha... I remember when tis came out...
"That's the numeral 2 and the letter U..." Kasey sounds as fuckin' clueless in this today as he did then.
The U comes before the 2 there, Snuggles!
If by "clueless" you mean correctly assessing U2 as a garbage band, yes.
I'm sure Kasem really gives a shit what you think. Sitting around worrying about your balls is what you do.
Dear Casey, your voice is like butter to our ears. Could you please find a way to get that audible chocolate on the airwaves?
I love the reverse joking logic of the title work of this video. You are a good Negativeland fan.
"These guys are fron england and whos gives a shit!"
This act went full DEVO! And that’s a good thing.
It could keep on going just like that and I would keep listening.
RIP Snuggles
This is pure ambrosia from the music gods to my ears.
Snuggles!!!
This song never gets old.
so Negativland were just trolls?
Not *just*.
Duane Healing
Only?
@Duane This is one of the best pairs of comments in internet history
Tim C Only the best?
trolling for assholes @Airplane Radio
The best song of all time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And Edge's guitar sound heavily influenced by East Bay Ray of the Dead Kennedys??
For the record. I'm a big fan of both bands. I own every Negativland release, but I've also got 40-some-odd U2 CDs, seen them live 5 times, and met Bono twice.
I agreed with Edge's sentiment at the time, which is that the Negativland U2 single was funny and original, and Island Record's decision to sue was unwarranted.
this is the story of U2's evil manager suing SST into oblivion, for perceived offenses from an innocent parody. big corporate rock money rules!
One of the best "songs" ever created. Should be preserved for future generations.
To be honest, I'd be pretty disgruntled myself if I were playing an upbeat song on a radio show in a good mood, and then all of a sudden I learn one of the day's song requests is a dedication to a dead family member (dog, but still).
That line still makes me laugh after all these years.
It's just a lot of wasted names that don't mean diddly shit!
Silver Snail14
Diddly shit!
Diddly shit!
Diddly shit!
1992 or 1991? THIS CAME OUT AND i GOT THE LP in 1992
I just learned of this and the story behind it. This is absolutely brilliant
Hahaha! I heard about this ages ago but never heard the song. Hilarious! Thanks for bringing it back!
I believe this song is called "THE LETTER U AND THE NUMERAL 2" by Negativland
Well, Negativeland did release a book detailing the whole ordeal. It came with a flexi 45 of the track in the middle. Of the book. I'm pretty sure I still have one somewhere. They were one of the pioneers of the "Found Sound Free Use Samples as Music" movement/argument. There's been a few good documentaries on the subject involving them but it'll probably require some digging. Man I love that style of music: Art of Noise, Adbusters, a ton of unknown stuff I heard at raves. Anything that uses the recorded statements from people arranged to make a point. Esp. politicians. VIMs "Maggies Last Party" is another good example. Keep raving friends!
There is a lot of Negativland material on archive.org. The flexidisc you mentioned came in a magazine, "The Letter U & the Numeral 2", and later a whole book, "Fair Use," which came with a CD with assorted sound collage plus "Crosley Bendix Discusses the U.S. Copyright Act". The book and CD are on archive.org, search on "negativland Fair Use". I love culture jamming too, have made my own and you should too.
U2 pre-released this track November 18, 1992 after the banning of their fourth album was not released in UK. Consequently, Casey Kasem selected his own voice for the voice-over just after the release date.
Drink Pepsi!
Awesome! Got a copy of a copy of a copy of this back in 1992; haven't heard this in ages. Thanks 4 posting!
Something to play as loudly as possible in the house when the little kids are around.
Its got a good beat and you can dance to it. RIP Snuggles.
The Don and Mike Show would play the Casey Casem tape a lot in the early thousands.
Stern played them constantly in the 90s
Missed them - they were on the air in New York as well for a little while (WNEW FM)
I used to frequent a cafe in Half Moon Bay called "Mc Coffee". Quaint, Cute, homey, comfortable, nice, etc., they were sued by McDonalds because of infringement. CRIMINAL. Thank you Negativeland for decades of REALITY. I'm remixing this tune as I speak...U 2, the lost song featuring Jack Ass Boy...
This is still better than _Songs of Innocence_.
The world's greatest audio troll. This is to music what The Max Headroom Incident is to television.
Never gets old
Their best release since the "Nesbitt's Lime Soda Song".
Actually no...U2 were semi-recently fully outed as the perpetrators of the lawsuit. I'll see if I can post it as a video response to this video...it's a very interesting story behind it..
fucking ponderous
This is the most sued over song ever. U2, American Top Forty, Casey Kasem, their labels and agents, producers, even some of the CB pulls, wanted their heads and or money. I heard they wrote a book about it but I've never actually seen it. That being said, easily one of my top 20 musical things ever; maybe top 10 if I think about it.
Legendary
My favorite U2 song.
I got to hear this one time late at night on a local station in SF mid nineties before the lawsuit. Thanks for digging this up.
That sound is more important than your entire life!
"Ponderous" is part of my lexicon cuz of this stupid song. 🤣