U2 "b-sides" appreciation thread

[Jack Bauer]

Meh, i can't sleep(Jack Bauer can never sleep ), and nothing on tv, so i was looking up some of U2's b-sides on youtube. Because the only b-sides i know are the bonus disc from the remastered TJT and the best of album. I really like Desert of our love, and i kinda like Rise up and Summer Rain and Native Son is certianly not bad, but wouldn't work as good as Vertigo.

I already looked up Levitate earlier but as i said i dont like it. From atomic bomb i found Xanax and Wine, and it is a better song than Fast Cars imo, and Love you like mad is a fun song too, better than A man and a woman.

Then from the Pop sessions i found Big girls are best. Definitely ripped it from youtube, gonna play this more often Flower Child is also a fun song, better than Wild Honey. And also Always that was later made in beautiful day.

I also found Where did it all go wrong, which is from the AB sessions i guess.

But all those songs sound pretty finished, is U2 just playing around and recording songs and mix them, or were these songs suppose to be on the albums, and they later decided?

And maybe there are more b-sides, but i wouldn't know the names?

Big girls are best is now probably my favorite b-side, but i also still like Desert of our love a lot.

 

[BVS]

Big Girls is actually from the Pop sessions.

Fun song, but a pretty throw away lyric...

 

[believer75]

I think Lady With the Spinning Head is a great b-side and maybe my favorite. I am not as familiar with the Xanax and Wine, Flower Child, Levitate and all the songs from that crop. They are not officially available on cd, I don't think, which is why I don't have them. I have heard them a couple of times online though and sound interesting. But, the b-sides from Rattle and Hum are definite classics to me, and part of the reason I became such a big fan, particulary A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel and Hallelujah, Here She Comes.

 

[Jack Bauer]

Big Girls is actually from the Pop sessions.

Fun song, but a pretty throw away lyric...

Oh okay, changed the OP.

I think Lady With the Spinning Head is a great b-side and maybe my favorite. I am not as familiar with the Xanax and Wine, Flower Child, Levitate and all the songs from that crop. They are not officially available on cd, I don't think, which is why I don't have them. I have heard them a couple of times online though and sound interesting. But, the b-sides from Rattle and Hum are definite classics to me, and part of the reason I became such a big fan, particulary A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel and Hallelujah, Here She Comes.

A room at the heartbreak hotel is indeed a solid song by itself, and it feels really finished.

 

[believer75]

Oh okay, changed the OP.


A room at the heartbreak hotel is indeed a solid song by itself, and it feels really finished.

I agree. I think it would have fit perfectly with the overall theme of Rattle and Hum.

 

[lauramullen]

I love Spanish Eyes. That is my all time favorite b-side

 

[digitize]

I would say that LWTSH is the b-side that I enjoy the most... although all of the JT b-sides are top notch, too. Luminous Times is absolutely amazing.

 

[silverfish]

The Lounge Mix of the Fly is amazing. I had it on tape once. Does anyone know where I can find this amazing track???

 

[mikal]

my faves:

lady with a spinning head
love comes tumbling
bass trap
saturday night
smile
holy joe
north and south of the river
room at the heartbreak hotel
deep in the heart

 

[alanah]

The Lounge Mix of the Fly is amazing. I had it on tape once. Does anyone know where I can find this amazing track???

You know, I love this mix too much! btw, The Fly is amazing all the way.

 

[digitize]

The Lounge Mix of the Fly is amazing. I had it on tape once. Does anyone know where I can find this amazing track???

I have it via The Complete U2... you'd have to do some searching to find the CD single now, though.

 

[RedRocksU2]

bass trap
saturday night
smile
holy joe
north and south of the river
room at the heartbreak hotel
deep in the heart

wow, I do not have these.

 

[mikal]

bass trap
saturday night
smile
holy joe
north and south of the river
room at the heartbreak hotel
deep in the heart

wow, I do not have these.

i think you can get them all on itunes.....i think.

 

[BVS]

Luminous Times
Two Shots of Happy
North and South of the River(although I like the live version better)

are some that I listen to the most...

 

[Axver]

A number of b-sides are in my top fifteen U2 songs - Treasure, Spanish Eyes, Luminous Times, Bass Trap, The Three Sunrises. The mid-eighties were a golden era for non-album tracks. Hell, the UF era doesn't have a single dud b-side. Boomerang II, Love Comes Tumbling, and the two I've already mentioned are album-worthy, and superior to almost anything U2 have put on an album in the last twenty years.

Beyond the eighties, I'm also a big fan of LWTSH, Alex Descends Into Hell, Summer Rain, Native Son, Smile, and NLOTH II.

 

[MMP]

Levitate: U2's biggest mistake ever - they haven't used this on an album.
Lady With the Spinning Head: U2's second biggest mistake ever - they haven't used this on an album.
A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel: U2's third biggest mistake ever - they haven't used this on an album.




We can also judge as great mistakes to leave off an album:
Smile
Love You Like Mad
Holy Joe
Slow Dancing
Two Shots of Happy, One Shot of Sad
Big Girls Are Best


Of course, IMO.

 

[theFly51]

Holy Joe

 

[believer75]

Holy Joe

The KMart brand of Holy Joe. Attention Popmart shoppers!

 

[theFly51]

Thank You for shopping at PopMart

 

[Catman]

I LOVE "Walk to the Water" and their cover of "Dancing Barefoot"

 

[silverfish]

We should have a poll going so everyone can vote for the best B-side.

 

[edgeplaytheblue]

lady with the spinning head
luminous times (hold on to love) (i got married with this song playing when i wrote my signature)

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Holy Joe
LWTSH
Alex Descends
Always
Levitate
NLOTH2

 

[mikal]

i forgot to mention "Touch" as a great b-side in my previous post.

 

[U2girl]

Joshua Tree B-sides

 

[Popmart Shopper]

Top Ten Favorite B Sides from U2:

1.Lady With A Spinning Head
2.Salome
3.Big Girls Are Best
4.Holy Joe(Garage Mix)
5.Levitate
6.Neon Lights
7.Are You Gonna Wait Forever?
8.Smile
9.North And South Of The River
10.Always

 

[alanah]

North and South of the River
A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel
Dancing Barefoot
Neon Lights
Walk to the Water etc.

All of their covers are amazing, imho.

 

[AndrewCowley]

Paint It Black and Fortunate Son.

Two absolute shockers. Why at that stage of their career they'd do crappy cover versions of these two songs is beyond me. Most bands do cover versions very early on, when they can be forgiven for it. For U2 in the mid 90's this was unforgiveable! Yet another Salome remix would have been better. There's plenty of things (even the 1/2 completed songs) on the 3CD Achtung Baby Outtakes that could have been used.

 

[bizkitgto]

B-Sides

What about Salome and Your Blue Room??

 

[erik_1099]

Your Blue Room is not a bside, it's from Passengers, which is U2 and Brian Eno collaborating.