Please Help!! Prove U2's musical variety to a skeptical friend

[womanfish]

Need some quick help.

have a friend that is questioning U2's musical variety.

If you were to name off say 10 or 15 songs that would showcase how far a field U2 has spread musically what would they be??

Please feel free to include side project stuff and b side stuff.

thank you in advance!!

 

[Nick66]

Your friend is wacked.

U2 has played both kinds of music. Pop and Rock.

 

[LemonMelon]

A Day Without Me
October
Wire
Elvis Presley and America
When Love Comes to Town
Zoo Station
Numb
Always Forever Now
Mofo
The Playboy Mansion
When I Look at the World
Fast Cars
Moment of Surrender

Then put it on shuffle.

 

[redhill]

Slow Dancing (country feel)
Wave of Sorrow (reminiscent of Pinback)
Got You Under My Skin (whatever they call this - big band or swing)
Kygo TBT (EDM)
Bono solo Hallelujah (trancey - for me, at least)
Never Let Me Go (Jazzy)
BTBS Live from Stockholm Zoo era (borderline heavy metal)
Edge - Rowena's Theme from Captive soundtrack (instrumental)
Bono - Two Shots of Happy... (Cabaret / Lounge singer style)
Wanderer with Johnny Cash (futuristic / video game style)
In A Lifetime (Celtic feel)
Don't Take Your Guns to Town - Johnny Cash tribute (Reggae flavor)

There's a few - hope this helps!

 

[the tourist]

Lemon
Like A Song
Wake Up Dead Man
An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart
Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me
A Man And A Woman
Exit
Mofo
Wire
All I Want Is You
Mysterious Ways
Fez-Being Born
Everlasting Love
Numb
The Refugee

 

[hasin73]

Those above mentioned 3 lists really prove U2's amazingly varied musical diversity.

 

[Axver]

I'd go for something like this:

I Will Follow
Tomorrow
Drowning Man
Bass Trap
Wire
With or Without You
Heartland
Alex Descends Into Hell for a Bottle of Milk/Korova 1
The Fly (or Lady With the Spinning Head Extended Dance Mix for some real fun)
Numb
Lemon
Your Blue Room
Mofo
Gone
Beautiful Day

That covers a pretty broad sweep.

Wave of Sorrow (reminiscent of Pinback)

As somebody who flew to the States this year for the Autumn of the Seraphs gigs... I'm not seeing this one at all. It lacks the subtlety that defines Pinback.

 

[Rachel D.]

Just listening to a few of their albums would prove them wrong pretty fast. Anyway, here's a list off the top of my head:

HMTMKMKM
All I Want is You
Bad
Kite
Numb
Near the Island
Wild Honey (or Flower Child)
Lady with the Spinning Head (or some other dance-y song)
When Love Comes to Town
If You Wear That Velvet Dress

All a person really has to do is watch or listen to Rattle and Hum and then watch ZooTV Live from Sydney to see that U2 has variety. The 80s to 90s transition is musically shocking on its own.

 

[hasin73]

Just listening to a few of their albums would prove them wrong pretty fast. Anyway, here's a list off the top of my head:

HMTMKMKM
All I Want is You
Bad
Kite
Numb
Near the Island
Wild Honey (or Flower Child)
Lady with the Spinning Head (or some other dance-y song)
When Love Comes to Town
If You Wear That Velvet Dress

All a person really has to do is watch or listen to Rattle and Hum and then watch ZooTV Live from Sydney to see that U2 has variety. The 80s to 90s transition is musically shocking on its own.

 

[david]

I Will Follow, October, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Unforgettable Fire, Trip Through Your Wires, Angel of Harlem, Zoo Station, Daddy’s Gonna Pay..., HMTMKMKM, sounds like they were written by 9 different bands.

 

[U2girl]

Sweetest thing
Bullet the blue sky
Slow dancing with Willie Nelson
Lemon
Mofo
Exit
The Fly
Angel of Harlem
I still haven't found...
Love is blindness

Elvis ate America

 

[CosmoKramer]

Elvis ate America

He wants to show his friend that U2 has variety in their style, not that they are bat shit crazy.

 

[The_acrobat]

You wouldn't believe how many people who don't know anything about U2 have told me "all their songs sound the same." I said "YOU BE FUCKIN CRAZY!!!"

 

[TarkusELP]

What does he think they all sound like?
I have prepared a playlist for him:

Streets
Numb
Zooropa
The Fly
One
I Will Follow
Gloria
40
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Pride
Magnificent
No Line On The Horizon
Raised By Wolves
Peace On Earth
Walk On
Elevation
Vertigo
City Of Blinding Lights
You're The Best Thing About Me
Discotheque
Mofo
Lemon
Desire
All I Want Is You
Exit
Let me know how it goes!
-Tarkus
-Kartana

 

[redhill]

What's Near the Island?

 

[kabigon]

An instrumental on the Achtung remaster

 

[redhill]

How come no one mentioned Father Is An Elephant?!

 

[redhill]

As somebody who flew to the States this year for the Autumn of the Seraphs gigs... I'm not seeing this one at all. It lacks the subtlety that defines Pinback.

I love that album but you smell funny.

 

[redhill]

An instrumental on the Achtung remaster

I missed a U2 song and now I'm worried I'll lose my tacky badge.

Do you have an extra? You can say no if you want to.

 

[kabigon]

Try the @u2 forums.

 

[Axver]

I love that album but you smell funny.

That's because I stood too close to your posts.

 

[Nate Dogg]

Play “Jesus Christ” and “Discotheque (Howie B, Hairy B. Remix)” back to back. The difference couldn’t be more jarring.

 

[redhill]

That's because I stood too close to your posts.

Where is the music of the seraphim (not to be confused with Autumn of the Seraphs), you ask?

I'm mostly thinking of 3:14 onward...

 

[redhill]

Try the @u2 forums.

Check em' out. I think you'd fit in perfectly over there!

 

[kabigon]

No you are

 

[womanfish]

Thank you everyone!! I really appreciate it. And cool to see the song lists that you came up with.
the original discussion with my friend, was that he felt that REM was more versatile and had more variety than U2. I love REM. in my top 3 and often through my life, my number 1 band. They did have good variety over time, but i still think it wasn't nearly as varied as U2's.
I think he came to see my view with some good examples like these. Thanks again

 

[Hewson]

What's Near the Island?

Water mostly.

 

[redhill]

Water mostly.

 

[Hollow Island]

10 song playlist to show U2's range to skeptics:

Twilight
Surrender
When Love Comes To Town
Lady With The Spinning Head
Daddy's Gonna Pay
Velvet Dress
Always Forever Now
Mofo
Fez
Crystal Ballroom