In appreciation of Shadows and Tall Trees

[cobl04]

I've done these sort of threads before, in defence of a much-maligned U2 song, and now it's time for another one.

U2 - Shadows And Tall Trees - YouTube

Here are some reasons I love Shadows and Tall Trees, track 11, the final song off seminal Irish rock band U2's debut album Boy.

- It flows perfectly after The Electric Co.
- It has a very unique guitar sound that The Edge never used again.
- It showcases some of Larry's best drumming, from the beat he lays down in the verses to the run up to the chorus and the pounding during it.
- It is Bonoglese at its most indecipherable.
- The yearning "but I know, I know..."s are quite moving with the drumming and guitar underneath.
- It's a great insight into the band members as young, wide-eyed kids who never knew that 32 years later the order of their studio albums would be debated on an "internet forum". Think about it - they're arguably the biggest band ever, and on this track we get a first-hand account into a group of kids mucking around. "Mrs Brown's washing is always the same..."

I'll admit the "SHADOWS! SHADOWS! SHADOWS!" bit is pretty crap, but otherwise, I've always loved this song.

 

[Axver]

I even like the "SHADOWS! SHADOWS! SHADOWS!" bit. It's a good album closer. I like most of Boy more, but that's because I think Boy is almost fucking perfect.

I was listening to the 1978 demo version of this song earlier today. It's ... interesting. Has a bit more of a post-punk edge to it. Comes across much better in demo form than some of the other songs that ended up on Boy, at any rate! (Not naming names, Twilight and A Day Without Me.)

 

[djerdap]

Great song and it remained the best closer they had until Mothers of the Disappeared (no, I never really liked "40").

 

[cobl04]

Great song and it remained the best closer they had until Mothers of the Disappeared (no, I never really liked "40").

I'd argue it's their best until Love is Blindness.

 

[martha]

I'll admit the "SHADOWS! SHADOWS! SHADOWS!" bit is pretty crap, but otherwise, I've always loved this song.

This is the part that immediately came to mind when I saw the thread title. I like that part.

 

[LemonMelon]

I did a cover of this one once. No idea where it is, but I might try to post it.

Clearly, I love it very much.

 

[bono_212]

The other day in Random Music I was talking about having songs where I just love single individual moments. This is one of those songs. @2:18 ohhhh shit I do also love the SHADOW SHADOW SHADOW part.

 

[An Cat Gav]

I've always loved this song. It evokes long gone childhood days so effortlessly, really beautiful.

 

[bono_212]

And to prove it:

http://www.u2interference.com/forums/f189/favourite-moment-on-each-album-193170.html#post5832707

 

[Axver]

Great song and it remained the best closer they had until Mothers of the Disappeared (no, I never really liked "40").

I'll go along with this.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Aw, I love "40". I think it's beautiful.

And I love this song, too, it's my favorite one off of Boy. It's got a weird rhythm to it that I really like, it's kinda dark and strange. Add me to the list of people who like the "SHADOW SHADOW SHADOW" bit as well.

 

[Axver]

Aw, I love "40". I think it's beautiful.

I really dig it live, especially when they did Bad/40, but the studio version ... I find it insubstantial. Fairly obvious that Bono - for once - wasn't lying when he said it was recorded in forty minutes.

 

[Nick66]

Have to go with the Cobster on this one...Shadows is a nicely atmospheric song that really resonates. Actually Boy in general, I think, has aged amazingly well..certainly more so than War. Kind of post-punk+, there's some hints in there of what's to come, and it's really one of the most under-rated debut records of all time.

I will say that I'm not sure that Shadows is some of Larry's "best drumming"...he could barely play the drums at that point, but it's certainly some of his best on that record.

 

[The Panther]

Listening to it now for the first time in ages. "Shadows" on Boy is a good example of how good production (as opposed to over-production) can make a quite-average song sound better. It's a decent-ish song with some small, interesting parts, but it doesn't really add up to anything great. Still, it's a apt closer on Boy. (I like the 'Shadows! Shadows! Shadows!' part, too.)

 

[lazarus]

No dissenters in here?

Shadows is the worst song on Boy, and would be the band's worst closer if it wasn't for Is That All?

 

[mikal]

I'm with the rest of the hive here. I've always loved this song.

 

[gvox]

No dissenters in here?

Shadows is the worst song on Boy, and would be the band's worst closer if it wasn't for Is That All?

Agreed.

I'll take Grace and Yahweh before this song.

 

[beegee]

- It is Bonoglese at its most indecipherable.

There isn't any Bongolese in this song.

 

[corianderstem]

Bono's voice always kind of bugged me in this song.

It's not horrible, it's just definitely my least favorite on Boy.

 

[BlueSilkenSky]

Wow, people like Shadows And Tall Trees. I didn't know this was a popular opinion.

I love it too. Some of my favorite U2 lyrics are in this song:

Do you feel in me...
Anything redeeming? Any worthwhile feeling?
Is life like a tightrope, hanging from the ceiling?

I walk the sweet rain tragicomedy
I walk home again to the street melody

The only problem is, I don't know what a tragicomedy is... a mixture of tragedy and comedy? Strange word to use in a song. But it's a great song.

 

[LemonMelon]

Agreed.

I'll take Grace and Yahweh before this song.

You have fun with that.

Lyrically, the song is miles ahead of Yahweh and Grace, and it actually has music, unlike Grace.

 

[djerdap]

Yahweh makes me laugh at how actually shamelessly cheesy it is.

 

[Axver]

I'm surprised to find Grace and Yahweh have any (comparative) defenders. S&TT is definitely on a higher level than those two plodding, trite tracks.

 

[gvox]

it actually has music, unlike Grace.

You said (roughly) the same thing about Passengers too, so there's that.

 

[bono_212]

Whut?

 

[LemonMelon]

I don't understand it either. I said the idea of Passengers not being musical was completely absurd.

 

[Axver]

I think he's calling you out for saying Passengers contains music and Grace doesn't ...?

 

[flybabe]

This song has a strange quality about it, it's like one of the songs you know in the back of your mind and when you listen to it, it brings something new every time. It's not that great of a song however, but since we are talking about it, I wanna go listen to it.

 

[youarenotimmune]

Lord of the Flies

Another reason to this song

 

[Salome]

it took till post 22 of this thread to slam U2's 2000s output
you guys are slipping