If you could 'change' one U2 album, which would it be?

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Jarvio

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If you could 'change' one U2 album, which would it be?

For me, I would 'clean up' Rattle And Hum, by doing the following things:

- Removing everything that is a cover version (Including Freedom For My People and The Star Spangled Banner, which are not U2)
- Removing all live versions of songs that are already featured on other U2 albums

This would leave 10 tracks:
1 - Van Diemen's Land
2 - Desire
3 - Hawkmoon 269
4 - Silver And Gold (I would include the studio version though)
5 - Angel Of Harlem
6 - Love Rescue Me
7 - When Love Comes To Town
8 - Heartland
9 - God Part II
10 - All I Want Is You

I would leave it at that, just those 10 tracks. I wouldn't bother with the b-sides Halleluljha Here She Comes and A Room At The Heartbreak Hotel, as I don't particularly like them, and think they may aswell just stay as b-sides.

As for everything else that I'd remove from the original album - could have all those on a 2nd bonus CD.
 
I'd make Zooropop

1. Zooropa
2. Mofo
3. Numb
4. Lemon
5. Discotheque
5. Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
6. Staring at the Sun
7. Last Night on Earth
8. Gone
9. Please
10. Wake Up Dead Man
11. The Wanderer

Which would be my handsdown fav U2 album.
 
mikal said:
Replace Babyface with HMTMKMKM. That simple.
Click to expand...

I was gonna say, replace Some Days are Better Than Others with HMTMKMKM.

But babyface would be second on the list.

Just listened all thru Zooropa yesterday for the first time in about 5 years. Really incredible. Miss that feeling of experimentation that i don't think any other U2 album approaches.
 
TinKnight said:
I'd make Zooropop

1. Zooropa
2. Mofo
3. Numb
4. Lemon
5. Discotheque
5. Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
6. Staring at the Sun
7. Last Night on Earth
8. Gone
9. Please
10. Wake Up Dead Man
11. The Wanderer

Which would be my handsdown fav U2 album.
Click to expand...

I'm with you if you stuck Do You Feel Loved in there. Really love that song.
 
NLOTHH. Cut out the criminal three, add Winter and Soon. Resequence.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using U2 Interference mobile app
 
The Unforgettable Fire

1. A Sort of Homecoming
2. Pride (In the Name of Love)
3. Wire
4. Promenade
5. The Unforgettable Fire
6. The Three Sunrises
7. Bad
8. Indian Summer Sky
9. Love Comes Tumbling
10. Elvis Presley and America
11. MLK
 
I'd change the tracklist of Bomb too, adding in all the alt versions, Neon Lights and Avearia. It would still be their worst, but at least it wouldn't be awful.

Stripping all the live stuff from R&H would have made for a great album with some B-sides added, but then it wouldn't have been a soundtrack. So what I would do is have disc one be:

1. Van dieman
2. Desire
3. Dancing Barefoot
4. Hawkmoon
5. Hallelujah
6. Heartland
7. Angel of Harlem
8. A Room....
9. Love Rescue Me
10. When Love...
11. God Pt 2
12. All I Want is You

Disc 2: live stuff.

Streets
Bullet
WOWY
In God's Country
Silver and Gold
Bad
SBS
People Get Ready
Watchtower
Pride
Exit

Or something like that. A good live selection representing the highlights of the set with no overlap with UABRS (aside from SBS, for obvious reasons).

Damn, that would be a great record.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using U2 Interference mobile app
 
Oregoropa said:
The Unforgettable Fire

1. A Sort of Homecoming
2. Pride (In the Name of Love)
3. Wire
4. Promenade
5. The Unforgettable Fire
6. The Three Sunrises
7. Bad
8. Indian Summer Sky
9. Love Comes Tumbling
10. Elvis Presley and America
11. MLK
Click to expand...

Here's my alternate TUF...
01 Pride
02 The Three Sunrises
03 Yoshino Blossom
04 Love Comes Tumbling
05 The Unforgettable Fire
06 Promenade
07 Bass Trap
08 A Sort of Homecoming
09 Elvis Presley and America
10 Bad
11 Wire
12 MLK


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference
 
I would change Bomb and NLOTH quite a bit.

Bomb
01 City of Blinding Lights
02 Vertigo
03 Fast Cars (Jack Knife Mix)
04 A Man and A Woman
05 Original of the Species
06 Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
07 Neon Lights
08 Miracle Drug
09 Mercy
10 One Step Closer
11 All Because of You (Alternate Version)
12 Yahweh (Alternate Version)


No Line

01 Fez
02 NLOTH
03 Boots
04 Magnificent
05 MOS
06 Unknown Caller
07 Breathe
08 Winter (Brothers Version)
09 White As Snow
10 Cedars of Lebanon

That track listing of Bomb would still leave it as their worst album. Not much you can really do to save that album.

For me, that track listing of NLOTH would push it up to upper half albums. Probably around 6-7.

Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference
 
Last edited:
If we're changing more than 1, then:

Bomb:
Replace Fast Cars with Xanax And Wine. Much better song IMO. And have it as an official track, rather than a bonus track.

ATYCLB:
Have TGBHF as an official track, rather than a bonus track.

TUF:
Add Disappearing Act (I can't believe no-one has said this yet).

SOI:
Add Lucifer's, Crystal, and Invisible. (If too many tracks, then just remove that awful Miracle song).
 
Jarvio said:
Wasn't there an unreleased recorded version from TUF era though? Before they did that remaster?
Click to expand...


If you can find it, I'd love to hear it. I don't think it is exists. I like the song too, though. But would fit better maybe on NLOTH?....It sounds weird if put on TUF because Bono's voice is so different.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference
 
The only version of Disappearing Act is the one on TUF. It was finished for that release and gave me great (dashed) hopes for NLOTH. It probably was no more than a riff before 08.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using U2 Interference mobile app
 
bobsaget77 said:
I would change Bomb and NLOTH quite a bit.

Bomb
01 City of Blinding Lights
02 Vertigo
03 Fast Cars (Jack Knife Mix)
04 A Man and A Woman
05 Original of the Species
06 Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
07 Neon Lights
08 Miracle Drug
09 Mercy
10 One Step Closer
11 All Because of You (Alternate Version)
12 Yahweh (Alternate Version)
Click to expand...

You forgot Smile. One of the best "b-sides" U2 has had in 20 years. And axing Crumbs is a bizarre choice, especially considering some of those you kept.

Personally, I'd probably go Xanax over Fast Cars. And I'm not sure Neon Lights would make my cut. Also, I generally prefer the alternate Sometimes to the album version. Although I'd prefer a better version of Fast Cars/Xanax (say, with Fast Cars verses and Xanax's chorus). And I'd prefer Sometimes with more of the feel in the verses on the alternate but cleaning it up and having as big of a moment towards the end as the album.

We all have our preferences. Pretty much its just an album that needs a lot of help. I will applaud axing Love and Peace though. That song has aged miserably.
 
U2DMfan said:
You forgot Smile. One of the best "b-sides" U2 has had in 20 years. And axing Crumbs is a bizarre choice, especially considering some of those you kept.



Personally, I'd probably go Xanax over Fast Cars. And I'm not sure Neon Lights would make my cut. Also, I generally prefer the alternate Sometimes to the album version. Although I'd prefer a better version of Fast Cars/Xanax (say, with Fast Cars verses and Xanax's chorus). And I'd prefer Sometimes with more of the feel in the verses on the alternate but cleaning it up and having as big of a moment towards the end as the album.



We all have our preferences. Pretty much its just an album that needs a lot of help. I will applaud axing Love and Peace though. That song has aged miserably.
Click to expand...


I should've axed Neon Lights and I forgot about "Smile". I haven't heard it in ages. I actually should've included "Are You Gonna Wait Forever", which I think is a pretty decent song. It certainly has its flaws, but is better than some of the trash on Bomb. And truthfully, I've never heard "Xanax and Wine". Maybe I need to check it out.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference
 
elevated_u2_fan said:
no, sorry, that belongs in the embarrassing opinions thread.
Click to expand...

Not even the slightest bit embarrassed. And I will never be. For me that would be my favourite U2 album. I tried getting into Cedars, but it's just a snoozefest. Then again the people who love that song most likely loved SoI as well, so there's that..
 
I would drop "4th of July" and "Elvis Presley and America" from The Unforgettable Fire and add "Love Comes Tumbling," "The Three Sunrises," and "Bass Trap" (all fantastic and should be better known). Then the album would be near untouchable in my eyes - maybe U2's best work.

My tracklisting:

01. A Sort of Homecoming
02. Pride
03. Love Comes Tumbling
04. Indian Summer Sky
05. The Unforgettable Fire

06. The Three Sunrises
07. Wire
08. Promenade
09. Bass Trap (3:30 "Best of" edit)
10. Bad
11. MLK
 
Galeongirl said:
Not even the slightest bit embarrassed. And I will never be. For me that would be my favourite U2 album. I tried getting into Cedars, but it's just a snoozefest. Then again the people who love that song most likely loved SoI as well, so there's that..
Click to expand...

Why would they? Cedars has a creative arrangement, fresh instrumentation and palpable atmosphere. It's nothing like SOI.
 
I would change NLOTH somehow to make it more like passengers. I mean, didn't Edge say that No Line could have been so much more experimental if they decided to?
 
Scorpionac said:
I would drop "4th of July" and "Elvis Presley and America" from The Unforgettable Fire and add "Love Comes Tumbling," "The Three Sunrises," and "Bass Trap" (all fantastic and should be better known). Then the album would be near untouchable in my eyes - maybe U2's best work.

My tracklisting:

01. A Sort of Homecoming
02. Pride
03. Love Comes Tumbling
04. Indian Summer Sky
05. The Unforgettable Fire

06. The Three Sunrises
07. Wire
08. Promenade
09. Bass Trap (3:30 "Best of" edit)
10. Bad
11. MLK
Click to expand...
Yes, agree completely. This is arguably better than The Joshua Tree.

I've always wondered, though -- were 'Bass Trap', 'The Three Sunrises', and 'Love Comes Tumbling' definitely finished (as in recorded, mixed, mastered) when the album was issued? I suspect they might have been finished off a bit later, but I could be wrong.
 
POE switch for Ground beneath her feet.

WILATW switch for Stateless.

Grace switch for Falling at your feet.
 
Part of TUF's charm is that it is uniquely less "song-y." Adding those WAIA bsides would make it too conventional.
 
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