The “Red Hill Mining Town” video is finally available for all to enjoy - the video that’s been in U2’s vaults for two decades. If you’re like me, there was something “Holy Grail” like in obtaining this video…in trading circles, anyone who could score a copy of this was guaranteed their pick of the video trade, and in U2’s good judgment, it was wise to wait until now to release it.

OfficialU2 on YouTube has put it up in advance of the 20th Anniversary re-release of The Joshua Tree - so, here it is in all its glory.

I just have one thought - why is it that Larry’s the only one doing the hard labor?

The U2/Green Day collaboration The Saints Are Coming lands the second top 10 debut of 2006 at Triple-A as it enters at No. 10 on the Radio & Records charts. Only Tom Petty’s Saving Grace scored a higher debut this year when it debuted at No. 6 back in June. If no more songs debut in the top 10 between now and the end of the year, it would mark the formats fewest top 10 entries since 1997 when U2’s Staring At The Sun and The Rolling Stones Anybody Seen My Baby?were the only top 10 debuts. Triple-A, Adult Album Alternative, is a rock leaning format aimed at adult listeners.

U2 by U2 debuted at #7 on the New York Times bestseller list (hardcover nonfiction), and this week it’s at #10. Entertainment Weekly reports that with its $39.95 price tag, the U2 by U2 is the most expensive book the top 10 has seen in two years.

Not too shabby!

According to Billboard’s year end Boxscore chart, U2 accounted for 11 of the Top 25 concerts in 2005. A Boxscore is a single event by a headliner at a single location, not necessarily a single performance. If an artist plays more than one show at a venue, the totals from all of the performances are added together to count as one Boxscore. The shows do not have to be on consecutive nights, but they must be from the same tour, same year, and share one “on-sale” date for tickets. Boxscore stats are comprised of the total box-office gross, combined number of tickets sold, tickets available for sale, ticket prices, and show dates.

Paul McGuiness said in a recent Billboard interview, “Playing to over a quarter of a million people in our hometown was quite a kick.” McGuiness further added, “Croke Park is the finest stadium in the world for a big rock’n'roll show, if you can fill it, and we did it three times.”

U2’s 11 entries on the Top 25 Boxscore chart are:

#1 $21.1 million Croke Park, Dublin, June 24-25, 27
Attendance 246,743 (sellout)
Ticket prices $96.34/$65.63

#2 $13.6 million Twickenham, London, June 18-19
Attendance 110,796 (sellout)
Ticket prices $155.55/$64.05

#4 $13.1 million Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam, July 13, 15-16
Attendance 165,516 (sellout)
Ticket prices $85.71/$64.89

#5 $11.8 million Stade De France, Paris, July 9-10
Attendance 160,349 (sellout)
Ticket prices $143.54/$50.24

#6 $11.1 million City of Manchester, Manchester, July 14-15
Attendance 107,671 (sellout)
Ticket prices $153.56/$90.33

#9 $9.6 million Madison Square Garden, New York, Oct 7-8, 10-11, 14
Attendance 93,275 (sellout)
Ticket prices $165/$49.50

#16 $7.6 million Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Sept. 12,14,16-17
Attendance 82,572 (sellout)
Ticket prices $148.62/$42.04

#17 $7.5 million Stadio San Siro, Milan, July 20-21
Attendance 137,427 (sellout)
Ticket prices $98.75/$48.17

#18 $7.5 million United Center, Chicago, May 7, 9-10, 12
Attendance 77,173 (sellout)
Ticket prices $165/$49.50

#22 $6.4 million Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, June 29
Attendance 63,677 (sellout)
Ticket prices $154.32/$72.62

#25 $5.8 million Hampden Park, Glasgow, June 21
Attendance 53,395 (sellout)
Ticket prices $154.97/$91.16

Other artists in the Top 25 include: Cream, Eagles, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Buffett, Kylie Minogue, and Bette Midler.

Last week, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” found its way back on to the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time since 1978 when Capitol Records issued a commemorative single that peaked at No. 71 on the chart. Paul McCartney & U2’s recording of Sgt. Pepper from the Live 8 concert in London debuted at No. 48, giving the song its highest-charting position thus far. The Beatles’ “Across the Universe,” which was performed by Bono and a collection of all-star artists during the Grammy telecast this year also had a brief chart run.

2005 is the first year that two songs written by Lennon and McCartney have debuted on the Billboard chart since 1978. It’s also worth noting that Bono, a self confessed Beatles’ fan, contributed to both singles. Finally, the McCartney & U2 recording makes further history by becoming the first Beatles song to chart by an individual Beatle. McCartney has re-recorded Beatles’ songs on his solo albums, but none of those remakes have ever charted on the Billboard Hot 100 until now.

According to Billboard’s daily business report Paul McCartney and U2’s rendition of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” which opened Live 8 in London, is currently the No. 1 download on iTunes in the United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland and Italy. Proceeds from the download sales are being donated to Live 8.

In other Live 8 news - The British Phonographic Industry is calling on eBay to tighten up its anti-piracy measures after thousands of pirated DVDs of Live 8 were listed at the auction web site just hours after the July 2 event concluded. “The unauthorized copies of Live 8 DVDs we have been told about have been taken down, because the sale of fake items is not permitted on eBay.co.uk,” eBay said in a statement. EMI holds the worldwide DVD rights to the Live 8 concerts.