i really like that they put this out. glad that they're different performances and arrangements and stuff (same could be said for the alt perspective SLABT). the whole thing is a fun little gimmick, and it does accomplish the goal showcasing their songwriting, of which i get the sense they're quite (justifiably) proud.
these guys are smart and accomplished.
no ranking, but here are some thoughts.
cedar wood road - it isn't better than the original to me (but then i always love their rockers and when they do a big jamming and rocking out outtro (like gone, one tree hill, end of the world, etc..) in a song, and CR does that). Still, wow. i fucking love this take. starts great as acoustic and voice, and then it fucking turns into "Eleanor Rigby". totally awesome.
california - well i just think this song is fucking fabulous. after hearing the original - prob my favorite on the album. awesome songwriting. the acoustic version features a really competent bonovox, great edge rhythm playing, and a pretty hot performance from LMJ. they seemed tu use the horns in the chorus like that big washed out synth on the album version. cool arrangement
RBW - another cool one that isn't quite as cool as the album version, but still pretty cool to hear. what i think is really interesting is that like the whole first section of the song is edge playing a single guitar note, and bono just sings around it and all the chord changes are implied. it's really smart stuff. they're good at this song writing/arranging thing.
EBW - really like this tune on the album, and also glad to have this arrangement. bono keeps singing pretty good throughout this thing. sure, he misses some notes, but overall he's pretty on. pleasing (if expected) arrangement, and they nail it.
SFS - same reaction as EBW.
The Miracle - okay, this song is growing on me in a weird way. i guess it works pretty good as an acoustic duet. a good way to, again, showcase their songWRITING, and this does that. I don't think it's the best songwriting they have on the album, but it's pretty progressive and catchy, and this definitely presents that. Also, edge is a really solid guitar player and bono is a good singer.
this whole thing and the stuff with the promo tours gets me thinking that maybe they'll feature a more prominent or grander version of the acoustic portion of the show on the tour. more like they did on zooTV - like 4 songs with the band, rather than 2 of bono and edge walking around doing a duet. i don't know. maybe. that would probably be cool.
the thing about u2 is that my very favorite moments listening to them are the ones where it really hits like 4 dudes in a room just blasting away. i love the production on SOI - it works great. but i just still get a visceral thrill when it sounds like 4 dudes in a room. these acoustic sessions don't do exactly that for me, on the whole (lots of additional flourishes), but it still does some killer things - primarily it demonstrates to me some of their technical skill and performance gifts - they're great at songwriting and then delivering convincing, passionate performances in different arrangements. it's like better than "baby" achtung baby. it's just what you want as a fan - only in the past you had to find it in bootleg shops or wait for the 20th anniversary cash grab.
grab my cash now. you can grab it again in 20 years.
)
