Original Soundtracks 1
Encyclopedia
Original Soundtracks 1 (also known as Original Soundtracks) is a 1995 album recorded by U2
and Brian Eno
, as a side project, under the pseudonym
Passengers. It is a collection of songs written for mostly imaginary movies (the exclusions being songs for Ghost in the Shell
, Miss Sarajevo
, and Beyond the Clouds
).
's 1996 film The Pillow Book
as a warm up before the main Pop sessions. Though the plan did not come to fruition, Eno suggested they continue recording for imaginary films. U2 were unsure of the idea at first, but agreed after Eno told them that producing radio hits was not the goal of the collaboration.
U2 had frequently improvised in the past, and in the Original Soundtracks 1 sessions they engaged in free-form jamming
to video clips from various films. Eno stated, "Listening to the original improvisations as they came off the floor, you feel the excitement of the process ... You have to be careful not to disturb the organic flow of the thing." The group brought in producer Howie B to cut down and mix some of the tracks after several hours of jam sessions had been recorded.
Part of the group's intent in creating Original Soundtracks 1 had been to make a "night-time" record. Lead vocalist Bono
said, "It feels like it's been set on the bullet train in Tokyo. Every record has a location, a place where you enjoy listening to it, whether that be a bedroom or a club, well this record location is a fast train. It's slo-mo music though. But it has an odd sense of speed in the background." He also noted that when creating works for soundtracks the visual suggestion from the music is more important than the story told by the lyrics. With this in mind the band had tried to create "visual music" when recording, continuing a trend that began with their 1993 song "Zooropa
".
.
About half of the album is instrumental, and the vocal tracks generally stray from the clear hooks and melodies that usually define U2's work. Of these, the delicate "Miss Sarajevo
", featuring Italian
tenor
Luciano Pavarotti
on vocals, is considered the most memorable.
One of the tracks, "Your Blue Room
", features Adam Clayton reciting the final verse. This marks only his second recorded vocal on a U2 project, the first being on "Endless Deep", the B-side to 1983's "Two Hearts Beat as One
".
Brian Eno alluded to some extra tracks that were recorded with the Japanese singer Holi
at the time and that they may be released at some point in the future: "...in fact we did several things together in four hours. Some of the other pieces are really lovely too, and I'm sure will see the light of day. But she was absolutely fantastic."
.
This concept can be seen as something of a successor to Eno's Music for Films
album and is also the base of the Dutch electronic duo Arling & Cameron
's album "Music for Imaginary Films".
objected to Mullen's statement in the same documentary, claiming that "Larry just didn't like [Passengers] because we didn't let him play the drums."
The Japanese edition release include "Bottoms (Watashitachi No Ookina Yume) (Zoo Station Remix)" as a bonus track, which is also featured as B-side to the "Miss Sarajevo" single. The track is an instrumental version of the U2 song "Zoo Station
", which appears on 1991's Achtung Baby
. The Japanese
subtitle "Watashitachi No Ookina Yume" translates to English
as "our big dream." Some UK Promo copies of the album list "Bottoms" as well but the track is not actually present on the compact disc.
The track "Always Forever Now" appeared only briefly in the film Heat, but managed to make its way onto the Heat soundtrack
, which also includes other tracks by Brian Eno. The track "Plot 180" was also used in the film Heat but only in a deleted scene.
The film descriptions contain many hidden references and in-jokes, beginning with the descriptions' supposed authors, "Ben O'Rian and C. S. J. Bofop", both references to Brian Eno. The first is a simple anagram
of the name, while the second replaces each letter with the alphabetically following letter. The film descriptions contain the following references:
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
and Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
, as a side project, under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Passengers. It is a collection of songs written for mostly imaginary movies (the exclusions being songs for Ghost in the Shell
Ghost in the Shell (film)
"See You Everyday" is different from the rest of the soundtrack, being a pop song sung in Cantonese by Fang Ka Wing. It can be faintly heard playing in the marketplace scene, when Batou is hunting the ghost-hacked puppet....
, Miss Sarajevo
Miss Sarajevo
"Miss Sarajevo" is the only single from the 1995 album Original Soundtracks 1 by U2 and Brian Eno, under the pseudonym Passengers. Luciano Pavarotti makes a guest vocal appearance, singing the opera solo. It also appears on U2's compilation, The Best of 1990-2000, and was covered by George Michael...
, and Beyond the Clouds
Beyond the Clouds (1995 film)
Beyond the Clouds is a 1995 Italian-French-German film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and Wim Wenders.- Plot :Four stories of love and illusion are told from the perspective of a wandering film director. In the first story, two beautiful young lovers are unable to consummate their passion...
).
Background
U2 and producer Brian Eno formed Passengers as a side-project during the preliminary recording sessions for U2's 1997 album, Pop. Their intention was to record a soundtrack for Peter GreenawayPeter Greenaway
Peter Greenaway, CBE is a British film director. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Flemish painting in particular...
's 1996 film The Pillow Book
The Pillow Book (film)
The Pillow Book is a 1996 film by United Kingdom director Peter Greenaway, which stars Vivian Wu as Nagiko, a Japanese model in search of pleasure and new cultural experience from various lovers...
as a warm up before the main Pop sessions. Though the plan did not come to fruition, Eno suggested they continue recording for imaginary films. U2 were unsure of the idea at first, but agreed after Eno told them that producing radio hits was not the goal of the collaboration.
U2 had frequently improvised in the past, and in the Original Soundtracks 1 sessions they engaged in free-form jamming
Jam session
Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...
to video clips from various films. Eno stated, "Listening to the original improvisations as they came off the floor, you feel the excitement of the process ... You have to be careful not to disturb the organic flow of the thing." The group brought in producer Howie B to cut down and mix some of the tracks after several hours of jam sessions had been recorded.
Part of the group's intent in creating Original Soundtracks 1 had been to make a "night-time" record. Lead vocalist Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
said, "It feels like it's been set on the bullet train in Tokyo. Every record has a location, a place where you enjoy listening to it, whether that be a bedroom or a club, well this record location is a fast train. It's slo-mo music though. But it has an odd sense of speed in the background." He also noted that when creating works for soundtracks the visual suggestion from the music is more important than the story told by the lyrics. With this in mind the band had tried to create "visual music" when recording, continuing a trend that began with their 1993 song "Zooropa
Zooropa (song)
"Zooropa" is a song by the rock band U2. It is the opening track from their 1993 album Zooropa. The song was the result of combining two pieces of music, the first of which was conceived in the studio, and the second of which was discovered by guitarist The Edge while listening to soundchecks the...
".
Writing, recording, and composition
The genesis, recording and subsequent release of the album is detailed in Eno's diaries A Year with Swollen AppendicesA Year with Swollen Appendices
-First edition:The book published by Faber and Faber in 1996 is divided into two sections. The first part is a diary covering the year 1995, the second part, the 'swollen appendices' of the title is a collection of essays, short stories and correspondence. The cover photograph is by Anton...
.
About half of the album is instrumental, and the vocal tracks generally stray from the clear hooks and melodies that usually define U2's work. Of these, the delicate "Miss Sarajevo
Miss Sarajevo
"Miss Sarajevo" is the only single from the 1995 album Original Soundtracks 1 by U2 and Brian Eno, under the pseudonym Passengers. Luciano Pavarotti makes a guest vocal appearance, singing the opera solo. It also appears on U2's compilation, The Best of 1990-2000, and was covered by George Michael...
", featuring Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti
right|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...
on vocals, is considered the most memorable.
One of the tracks, "Your Blue Room
Your Blue Room
"Your Blue Room" is a song by Passengers, a group composed of rock band U2 and producer Brian Eno. It is the third track on the group's only release, the 1995 album Original Soundtracks 1. The track was written for the 1995 Michelangelo Antonioni–Wim Wenders film Beyond the Clouds...
", features Adam Clayton reciting the final verse. This marks only his second recorded vocal on a U2 project, the first being on "Endless Deep", the B-side to 1983's "Two Hearts Beat as One
Two Hearts Beat As One
"Two Hearts Beat as One" is a song by rock band U2. It is the seventh track on their 1983 album, War, and was released as the album's second single in the US, UK and Australia.-History:...
".
Brian Eno alluded to some extra tracks that were recorded with the Japanese singer Holi
Akiko Kobayashi (singer)
, also known by her alias Holi, is a Japanese singer, songwriter, composer and arranger.Kobayashi collaborated with Brian Eno and U2 on their 1995 project, the Passengers...
at the time and that they may be released at some point in the future: "...in fact we did several things together in four hours. Some of the other pieces are really lovely too, and I'm sure will see the light of day. But she was absolutely fantastic."
Music for films
The album alleges to be a collection of songs written for movies, hence the title Original Soundtracks. The album's booklet contains detailed descriptions of the film for which each song was written. Most of the films are non-existent; however, three of the 13 films listed on the album are real: Beyond the Clouds, Miss Sarajevo, and Ghost in the ShellGhost in the Shell (film)
"See You Everyday" is different from the rest of the soundtrack, being a pop song sung in Cantonese by Fang Ka Wing. It can be faintly heard playing in the marketplace scene, when Batou is hunting the ghost-hacked puppet....
.
This concept can be seen as something of a successor to Eno's Music for Films
Music for Films
Music for Films is an ambient album by Brian Eno. It is a conceptual work intended as a soundtrack for imaginary films.- Overview :...
album and is also the base of the Dutch electronic duo Arling & Cameron
Arling & Cameron
Arling & Cameron are a Dutch electronic music duo, composed of Gerry Arling and Richard Cameron.Their music draws from French pop, spy movie themes, lounge, '70s light rock, Japanese Shibuya-kei and other music genres that are often associated with kitsch...
's album "Music for Imaginary Films".
Reception
Because of the nature of the music and the decision to release it under another name, the album is easily the least known and worst selling in the U2 catalog. Further, critical reaction from the press, the fans, and even the band members, has been mixed. Drummer Larry Mullen, Jr., is noted for his dislike of the album: "There's a thin line between interesting music and self-indulgence. We crossed it on the Passengers record." Later reflecting on the album in 2002, Mullen stated, "It hasn't grown on me. However, 'Miss Sarajevo' is a classic." BonoBono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
objected to Mullen's statement in the same documentary, claiming that "Larry just didn't like [Passengers] because we didn't let him play the drums."
Track listing
"Miss Sarajevo" was released as a successful single, competing (in the UK) for the Christmas number 1 spot ultimately losing to Michael Jackson's "Earth Song", however; it also later appeared on U2's The Best of 1990–2000 compilation in 2002. "Your Blue Room" was intended for the second single following "Miss Sarajevo," but was cancelled after poor album sales. The song was later released as a B-side on the "Staring at the Sun" single in 1997, and on the B-sides disc of The Best of 1990–2000.The Japanese edition release include "Bottoms (Watashitachi No Ookina Yume) (Zoo Station Remix)" as a bonus track, which is also featured as B-side to the "Miss Sarajevo" single. The track is an instrumental version of the U2 song "Zoo Station
Zoo Station
"Zoo Station" is a song by the rock band U2. It is the opening track from their 1991 album Achtung Baby, a record on which the group reinvented themselves musically by incorporating influences from alternative rock, industrial, and electronic dance music...
", which appears on 1991's Achtung Baby
Achtung Baby
Achtung Baby is the seventh studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 19 November 1991 on Island Records. Stung by the criticism of their 1988 release Rattle and Hum, U2 shifted their musical direction to incorporate alternative...
. The Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
subtitle "Watashitachi No Ookina Yume" translates to English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as "our big dream." Some UK Promo copies of the album list "Bottoms" as well but the track is not actually present on the compact disc.
The track "Always Forever Now" appeared only briefly in the film Heat, but managed to make its way onto the Heat soundtrack
Heat (soundtrack)
Heat is the soundtrack album to the 1995 film Heat. The score is compiled mostly with Elliot Goldenthal's orchestrations although there are a variety of other artists featured including U2/Brian Eno project Passengers, Lisa Gerrard, Moby and Terje Rypdal.-The score:The track "New Dawn Fades" is...
, which also includes other tracks by Brian Eno. The track "Plot 180" was also used in the film Heat but only in a deleted scene.
The film descriptions contain many hidden references and in-jokes, beginning with the descriptions' supposed authors, "Ben O'Rian and C. S. J. Bofop", both references to Brian Eno. The first is a simple anagram
Anagram
An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...
of the name, while the second replaces each letter with the alphabetically following letter. The film descriptions contain the following references:
- Slug
- "Peter von HeinekenHeineken BreweryHeineken International /ˈɦɛinəkən/ is a Dutch brewing company, founded in 1864 by Gerard Adriaan Heineken in Amsterdam. As of 2007, Heineken owns over 125 breweries in more than 70 countries and employs approximately 54,000 people...
" – a play on U2's manager Paul McGuinnessPaul McGuinnessPaul McGuinness is the main shareholder and founder of Principle Management Limited: an artist management company based in Dublin, Ireland, which has managed U2 from the start of their successful career... - "Karl PopperKarl PopperSir Karl Raimund Popper, CH FRS FBA was an Austro-British philosopher and a professor at the London School of Economics...
" – the name of an actual philosopher - "Jutta Minnit" – a mumbled spelling of the phrase "Just a minute"
- "Peter von Heineken
- Always Forever Now
- "Venda Davis" – an anagram of David Evans, the real name of The EdgeThe EdgeDavid Howell Evans , more widely known by his stage name The Edge , is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record...
- "Tanya McLoad" – an anagram of Adam ClaytonAdam ClaytonAdam Charles Clayton is a musician, best known as the bassist of the Irish rock band U2. Clayton has resided in County Dublin since the time his family moved to Malahide when he was five years old in 1965...
- "Kiley Sue LaLonne" – an anagram of Anne-Louise Kelly, the album's production manager
- "Pi Hoo Sun" – a phonetic spelling of P. Hewson, referring to BonoBonoPaul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
's real name, Paul Hewson
- "Venda Davis" – an anagram of David Evans, the real name of The Edge
- An Ordinary Day
- "Lurlene Clewman" – an anagram of Lawrence (Larry) Mullen
- Ito Okashi
- "...the face of a child drawn on a melon..." – a reference to the child's face on the albums Achtung BabyAchtung BabyAchtung Baby is the seventh studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 19 November 1991 on Island Records. Stung by the criticism of their 1988 release Rattle and Hum, U2 shifted their musical direction to incorporate alternative...
and ZooropaZooropaZooropa Based on the pronunciations of "zoo" and "Europa". is the eighth studio album by rock band U2. Produced by Flood, Brian Eno, and The Edge, it was released on 5 July 1993 on Island Records. Inspired by the band's experiences on the Zoo TV Tour, Zooropa expanded on many of the tour's themes...
, as well as a reference to the album Melon: Remixes for Propaganda - "Evans" – a reference to David Evans, the real name of The Edge
- "Tony Corbin" – a reference to Anton CorbijnAnton CorbijnAnton Corbijn is a Dutch photographer, music video and film director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2, having handled the principal promotion and sleeve photography for both for more than a decade...
, a famous photographer who has worked with U2
- "...the face of a child drawn on a melon..." – a reference to the child's face on the albums Achtung Baby
- The Swan
- "Joseph Mamat" – an anagram of James Topham, Director of Marketing for War Child CanadaWar Child (charity)War Child is a non-governmental organisation founded in the UK 1993, which focuses on providing assistance to children in areas of conflict and post-conflict. They use their film and entertainment background to raise money for aid agencies operating in former Yugoslavia...
and former General Manager of Brian Eno's publishing and management office
- "Joseph Mamat" – an anagram of James Topham, Director of Marketing for War Child Canada
- Let's Go Native
- "Barry Boedders" – one "r" away from being an anagram for Des Broadbery, a member of the album's studio crew
Charts
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia | 11 |
| Austria | 40 |
| Belgium (Flanders) | 35 |
| Belgium (Wallonia) | 14 |
| Canada | 15 |
| Netherlands | 38 |
| New Zealand | 9 |
| Sweden | 28 |
| United Kingdom | 12 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
76 |
Personnel
- Brian EnoBrian EnoBrian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
– strategies, sequencers, keyboards, backing vocals, guitar, treatments, mixing, chorus voices, vocals on "A Different Kind of Blue", production - BonoBonoPaul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
– vocals, additional guitar, piano on "Beach Sequence" - Adam ClaytonAdam ClaytonAdam Charles Clayton is a musician, best known as the bassist of the Irish rock band U2. Clayton has resided in County Dublin since the time his family moved to Malahide when he was five years old in 1965...
– bass guitar, additional guitar on "Your Blue Room", percussion, narration on "Your Blue Room" - The EdgeThe EdgeDavid Howell Evans , more widely known by his stage name The Edge , is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record...
– guitar, keyboards, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Corpse," church organ on "Your Blue Room" - Larry Mullen, Jr. – drums, percussion, rhythm sequence on "One Minute Warning," rhythm synthesizer on "United Colours"
- Luciano PavarottiLuciano Pavarottiright|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...
– tenor voice on "Miss Sarajevo" - HoliAkiko Kobayashi (singer), also known by her alias Holi, is a Japanese singer, songwriter, composer and arranger.Kobayashi collaborated with Brian Eno and U2 on their 1995 project, the Passengers...
– vocals on "Ito Okashi," voices on "One Minute Warning" - Howie BHoward BernsteinHoward Bernstein , professionally known as Howie B, is a musician and producer, who has worked with artists such as Björk, U2, Robbie Robertson, Elisa, Tricky and Mukul Deora.-Albums:* Music for Babies...
– mixing, treatments, scratching, and rhythm track on "Elvis Ate America" - Craig Armstrong – string arrangement on "Miss Sarajevo"
- Paul Barrett – string arrangement on "Always Forever Now"
- Des Broadbery – sequencer on "Always Forever Now"
- David Herbert – saxophone on "United Colours" and "Corpse"
- Holger Zschenderlein – additional synthesizer on "One Minute Warning"
External links
- Original Soundtracks 1 on U2.com