U2 will participate in Black Friday Record Store Day with the release of a numbered, limited edition and remastered version of their debut EP, Three (with a run of 7,000). Physically, the EP appears similar to the original 12" vinyl release, and is labeled as a 40th anniversary edition.
There were a number of key events leading up to the three-year period between that fateful afternoon rehearsal in the Dublin suburb of Artane in September 1976 and the release of Three in Ireland in September 1979. In September 1976, the band’s first name was Feedback, but was quickly changed to The Hype, a name the fledgling band would use for the next 18 months, until March 1978 when it changed to U2 after winning a talent contest in the city of Limerick in West Ireland. Adam was 18 years old and Bono would turn 18 a few months later. The Edge and Larry were both 16. Although the band was performing some live shows, they were few and far between in 1977 and the early part of 1978. The band spent most of the time rehearsing on Wednesday afternoons at their school, Mount Temple Comprehensive School, with the help of their music teacher Mr. McKenzie. Those rehearsals and concerts created a focus for the four band members who were at different levels of academic expectation, with only the Edge ever likely to go to University. Adam had left school and Larry and Bono were struggling. Bono had to attend another year at Mount Temple after failing Irish Language, a prerequisite for progressing in further education.
Early in 1978, the band appeared on two TV programmes on Irish national TV station RTE. They appeared on the show Our Times and played “The Fool” and then played another show, Young Lines and played “Street Missions.” The shows were not performed live but were mimed. These recordings precede what is generally regarded as the band’s first known demo recordings in a professional studio. It is generally accepted that those recordings occurred in April 1978.
Originally released in September, 1979, Three was recorded at Windmill Lane studios in Dublin with producer Chas DeWhalley. It features three tracks: "Out Of Control," "Stories For Boys," and "Boy-Girl." For more information on the recording and release of this EP, read "U2 Three At Forty: Three Years In The Making."
This will be the eight version of Three issued on 12” vinyl, but the first since 1985. CBS Ireland reissued Three seven times between 1982 and 1985.
This marks the tenth time U2 has participated in Record Store Day. They have been participating since 2010's Wide Awake In Europe EP. Their most recent, The Europa EP, was part of the Record Store Day event in April, 2019.
Black Friday Record Store Day is Nov. 29, 2019.
Tracklist:
Side A
1. Out Of Control – 2019 remaster
Side B
1. Stories For Boys – 2019 remaster
2. Boy-Girl – 2019 remaster
Three is a Black Friday exclusive for independent retailers. For details of participating record stores visit Record Store Day
Sign in
