Ranking the songs after >10 days

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I haven't heard the album yet, but I'm glad that, on average, GOYB is being ranked near the end. That allows me to have hope that it is not indicative of the rest of the album.
 
Awesome songs:

Moment of Surrender
Magnificent
Unknown Caller

Great songs:

IGCIIDGCT
FEZ-Being Born
Breathe
White As Snow

Good/Average songs:

Get On Your Boots
Stand Up Comedy
No Line On The Horizon

Bad songs:

Cedars of Lebanon (it's perfect to use as an ending to an album, but still not a good song :down:)
 
breathe (best by a good bit)
no line
fez/being born
crazy tonight
MOS
SUC
WAS
Magnificent
UC
boots







cedars (a medium bside)
 
Great songs:
Breathe
Moment of Surrender

Good Songs:
No Line on the horizon
White as Snow
Magnificent

OK, just above mediocre songs:
IGCIIDGCT
Stand up comedy

Poor Songs:
Being Born
Cedars
Boots

Can't Listen to it b/c of the chorus:
Unknown Caller
 
New ranking:

Unknown Caller
Breathe
Fez – Being Born
No Line on the Horizon
White as Snow
Cedars of Lebanon
Moment of Surrender
I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight
Stand Up Comedy
Magnificent
Get On Your Boots
 
Top Tier-
Breathe- It too me a while, but holy crap, one of the great U2 songs ever. Dense lyrically, great vocal delivery and just rocking. A helluva track and the standout.

No Line on the Horizon- This one caught me from the beginning. I think its a really exciting opener and monstrously catchy. Should've been the first single.

Excellent-

Crazy Tonight- This is poppy U2 and nothing new, but it has the feel of a song that made me love this band. Sorry I'm a sucker for the "Baby, baby, baby" refrain- I still listen to Ultraviolet everyday.

Moment of Surrender- Borders between Epic and a bit overlong, but a well-written song with a moving vocal performance.

Magnificent- Honestly, one minute too long from being cracking. This reminds me of mid 80's U2.

Very Good-

White as Snow- A pretty ballad, though a little uninteresting in terms of the melody (as it was lifted from O Come Emanuel).

Fez- Experimental, sort of goofy, a good one to sit back with your headphones and relax with.

Cedars of Lebanon- A very good album closer. Bono's spoken word delivery can be very expressive.

Get on Your Boots- I still love the "Let me in the sound" part. Not a good song to choose as the first single b/c its not really gonna sell the album the way the title track would've been more appropriate to do so. But I like it in the middle of album now- it kind of breaks things up and it fits as a bookend to Crazy Tonight.

Okay/Whatever-

Stand Up Comedy- This one's just unmemorable for me. Maybe I don't get it. Maybe its just not that special. I really hate the "Come ye people" part. Really grates on me.

Unknown Caller- Its a pretty sounding song from afar, but IMO one of the worst lyrics Bono has written in quite some time. The computer references to reboot yourself. They sound beyond silly to me. I just don't get this one.
 
No Line
Fez-Being Born
Magnificent

Moment of Surrender
Unknown Caller
Get On Your Boots
Breathe
Cedars of Lebanon

White as Snow
Crazy Tonight




Stand Up Comedy

I'm pleased with the album, although the top 3 evoke something the rest don't even come close to grabbing on to. MOS is almost there.
 
1. No Line -- destined to be one of my favorite U2 songs. I love the energy.

The next three are almost as good as NLOTH, and are essentially tied. Classic U2:

2. Magnificent
2. Moment of Surrender
2. Breathe

5. Unknown Caller
6. Fez - Being Born
7. Get On Your Boots
8. White As Snow
9. Cedars of Lebanon
10. Stand Up Comedy
11. Crazy Tonight -- still only lukewarm about this one.
 
new ranking

1. Moment of Surrender
2. Magnificent
3. No Line on the Horizon
4. Breathe
5. Unknown Caller
6. Fez-Being Born
7. White As Snow
8. Crazy Tonight
9. Get on Your Boots
10. Stand Up Comedy
11. Cedars of Lebanon
 
1. Moment Of Surrender - A+
2. Breathe - A+
3. Magnificent- A+/A
4. NLOTH- A
8. Stand Up Comedy - A-/B+
6. Unknown Caller - A-/B+
7. Cedars Of Lebanon - A-/B+
8. Get On Your Boots - A-/B+
9. I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight - B+
10. White As Snow - B
11. Fez - Being Born - B

Overall- A

This album is stupendous on my first few listens and EVERY song is growing on me. I feel it has two potential all timers in Moment of Surrender and Breathe and Magnificent could be one as well. Then there are 4 or 5 other REALLY awesome songs, and the rest are really good songs. I am completely blown away and amazed at what i have heard from this album.
 
My Ranking from best to worse:-

Unknown Caller
Breathe
No Line On The Horizon
Magnificent
Stand Up
Crazy Tonight
Fez-Being Born
Boots
Moment Of Surrender
Cedars
White As Snow
Winter
 
Right now I'm at...

No Line 4/5
Magnificent 5/5
Moment of Surrender 4.5/5
Unknown Caller 4.25/5
Crazy Tonight 4/5
Get On Your Boots 4.25/5
Stand Up Comedy 4/5
Fez -- Being Born 4/5
White As Snow 4/5
Breathe 5/5
Cedars 4/5
 
This is only the second U2 album in which I don't have the compulsion to skip any song.


Boy: Shadows and tall trees
October: I Fall Down; I Threw A Brick...
War: Like A Song
TUF: Elvis Presley and America
R&H: Most of them
AB: So Cruel
Zooropa: Babyface
Pop: Playboy Mansion
ATYCLB: In A Little While
HTDAAB: ABOY, Crumbs, OOTS
 
No Line 3/5 (still doesn't go anywhere for me...lots of potential that didn't quite get there)
Magnificent 5/5 (amazing song, has really grown on me even more)
Moment of Surrender 4/5 (still great, still discovering it)
Unknown Caller 5/5 (one of u2's greatest songs imo)
Crazy Tonight 3/5 (good song, just doesn't fit in the album)
Get On Your Boots 4/5 (still loving it)
Stand Up Comedy 3/5 (good guitar playing but cheesy lyrics brings it down, only track I usually skip)
Fez -- Being Born 4/5 (great experimentation, just grew on me. loving it)
White As Snow 4/5 (amazing...love this tune)
Breathe 5/5 (still my favorite!)
Cedars 4/5 (great ending to a great album)
 
i wish fez/being born was about 10 minutes long. that song has such a great vibe going throughout.
 
bigloader said:
Great songs:
Breathe
Moment of Surrender

Good Songs:
No Line on the horizon
White as Snow
Magnificent

OK, just above mediocre songs:
IGCIIDGCT
Stand up comedy

Poor Songs:
Being Born
Cedars
Boots

Can't Listen to it b/c of the chorus:
Unknown Caller
Click to expand...



New Ranking after some more listens:

Great Songs:
Breathe
Moment of Surrender
No Line on The Horizon

Good Songs:
Being Born
White as Snow
Magnificent

OK songs:
Unknown Caller (could have been great but completely ruined by the chorus)

Mediocre:
IGCIIDGCT (sounds too much like it should have been on ATYCLB)
Stand Up Comedy (nice try, but just doesn't fit U2)

Cheeseball:
Get on Your Boots (it still is just too corny for me)

Hard to Even call a song:
Cedars of Lebabnon (too boring and what's with this horrible chorus? Could've been really good with some actual singing and a chorus....what kind of drugs influenced this song?)

That's my take and I've listened to the album a ton. I hated the cd at first, but it is beginning to grow on me. I think I could enjoy anything that u2 puts out, but this has been a disappointment. It just barely misses a bit too much on many of the songs for me, although I think that Breathe and Moment of Surrender are better than any of the songs since POP.
 
I don't know for sure but I think I put NLOTH at #2 behind AB.

Great/Classic U2
-NLOTH
-Magnificent (Classic U2 mixed with dance)
-Moment of Surrender (A new sound for U2)
-Unknown Caller
-Breath
-White As Snow (most underrated song on album, maybe written this decade)

Good Songs
-IGCIDGCT (love the atmospheric Epcot Center sounds)
-Fez
-GOYB (pure rocker)
-Cedars (Lovely but dark closer)

Ok
Stand Up Comedy ( I love the guitar, break, chorus, and outro, but Bono's melody/lyrics seem forced)
 
yenlard said:
i wish fez/being born was about 10 minutes long. that song has such a great vibe going throughout.
Click to expand...

The 'Being Born' section is the best thing they've done since Mofo, IMO.

Totally love it.

It's too short and for my money, they could have just axed the Fez portion.
 
NLOTH: 4/5 (point deducted for reusing of the riff from The Fly)
Magnificent: 4/5
Moment of Surrender: 5/5
Unknown Caller: 5/5
I"ll Go Crazy...: 4/5 (point deducted for the silly title, otherwise a great, joyful pop song)
Boots: 3/5 (not as bad its press)
SUC: 3/5 (not as bad as some think)
Fez - Being Born: 4/5
White as Snow: 4/5
Breathe: 5/5
Cedars: 4/5
 
U2DMfan said:
The 'Being Born' section is the best thing they've done since Mofo, IMO.

Totally love it.

It's too short and for my money, they could have just axed the Fez portion.
Click to expand...

yeah...the beginning really doesnt add much. but the surging music and vocals of being born are awesome.
 
Memo To U2 whoever came up w/ the idea and said "Hey, let's screw with everyone and put out Boots as the first single". Fire them, even if it was Bono, sack them immediately. Great decision there, hope that works really well.:wink:

Awesome Songs:
MOS
NLOTH
UC
Breathe

Great Songs:
Fez-Being Born
IGCIIDGCT
Magnificent

Good Songs:
WAS
SUC

Meh:
Cedars

WTF?
MmmmBop
Boots

This was after first run through of Album oh wait they didn't cover Hanson's song? They might has well instead of Boots
 
At the present moment (because things might change during the next listens 'till the weekend):

No Line On The Horizon 4.2 - One of U2's best opening tracks - maybe the best one since "Zooropa". Still discovering it and still growing on me.

Magnificent 5 - No matter if it has U2-ADN all over it or if it's dancey or catchy. This song is pure gold. I hope it really turns out being the 2nd single: it'll give a huge boost on the album's sales and recognition.

Moment Of Surrender 3.8 - Didn't impress me at first and it took me several listens to start to grow on me. It's a great down-tempo track but no way it's a classic ballad like "One", like "With Or Without You" or even "Sometimes..." - too strange for the general public to recognize it as that. I'm still discovering this track.

Unknown Caller 4.8 - Another proof that being a classic-U2 moment doesn't mean anything. That unpredictable time-signature (at least on the first listens) mixed with Edge's guitar is just great. The best thing on this track: I LOVE THOSE CHORUSES!

I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight 4 - Awkward title, the most predictable U2 track on the album. It really didn't impress me and it was my least favourite at first. Then, those ringing guitars and the melody of the bridge and those verses started to get stuck in my mind and "Crazy Tonight" started to rise up in my consideration... a lot. Now I like it.

Get On Your Boots 4.1 - Doesn't matter it's MTV-appealer, doesn't matter if the bass/guitar riff is very catchy and whatever. This song has a great vibe and is not as predictable in its structure as I was expecting. The chorus is great and the "let me in the sound" section is superb. Too bad that it was choosen for first single.

Stand Up Comedy 3.7 - I'm not very impressed... yet. It's very appealing, but not too much and some lyrical lines didn't go on me yet too. Let's see if it'll grow on not. Track 7 of the last two albums were weak points for me too - hope it won't repeat this time. Anyway, this is a good track and it's faraway from being a filler or b-side material like "Wild Honey" or "A Man And A Woman" were.

Fez - Being Born 4 - I felt that this could be so much more... it's disappointing because these fused two tracks are very promising. I feel that the "Fez" part should be longer and more explored and it wouldn't be a problem if the all tracked around 7 minutes.

White As Snow 4.6 - Superbe. Very moving, the melody is beautiful and the vocals and lyrics as well. I only have a few troubles with the arrangement of the outro/final seconds - feels like the song could end with a little more melodic progression.

Breathe 4 - It might be the fans favourite, but not mine. It recalls like a huge, deep and hard evolution of "Window In The Skies". Anyway, Bono's lyrics and vocals are HOT! This is gonna blow out when played live on tour.

Cedars Of Lebanon 4.4 - Again, a great closer. Doesn't matter of Bono's almost talking instead of singing: it's the way it's meant to be (he's reporting situations and feelings, not declaming it) and it's perfect like that. The only remark I make is that: when I hear "retuuurn the caaaal to hoooome" with those subtle vocal harmonies, I always wish that it was repeated right after and not sang only once.

The average of the scores is 4.24, but this album is not just a collection of songs and it has a very good concept and general idea and coesion when compared to many other U2 albums. Plus, the fluence of the tracks in each other is perfect (I wouldn't change a thing) - a thing we hadn't seen long ago in U2's discography. So, my final rating for this album is: 4.6.
 
i don;t like MOS too much. UC and WAS is so-so. COL is not as good as wake up dead man. better then grace through. the rest i'm pretty much in favor of. not sure where to rank it in the 12 albums. i can proly say it may be my least fav of the albums this decade. but thats not really anything negative. i love them all, but one had to be the least fav. I proly wlll end up liking my fav songs on this album as much as the favs on the last 2 albums, but thier was a few more favs on the last 2. i guess %-wise its going to be the least fav. I didn't rule out the possibilty that the album was gonna to be something i didn't like, because david bowie's last album really wasn't good at all outside of 2 stellar songs. And i didn't think he would ever put a album i didn't like.
 
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