Rating songs SOE - 2.5 months after release

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There are so many songs on this album that I find to be good and yet the way the album is sequenced makes me not like it as much as I should. Im used to the best songs being at the beginning of the album and the lesser ones being on the "second" side but SOE is just money in the back half and meh in the front (my opinion of course).

So, the perfect SOE album sequence for me:

1-Lights of Home Strings
2-Love Is Bigger Than anything in its Way
3-Little Things That Give Me away
4-Summer of Love
5-Red Flag Day
6-Get Out of Your Own Way
7-American Soul
8-Best Thing
9-Land Lady
10-Blackout
11-Showman

I would cut Love is all we have left and 13 as I just don't care for either one, although 13 has some nice lyrics. Stings LOH is a great opener and the album kicks off into high gear with an uplifting LIBTAIIW. Little Things is a perfect #3 as it has that epic/mellow feel often found in the 3 spot( With or Without You/MOS/One/SYCMIOYO). The rest. I like Summer of Love at 4 because it's a great song and it leads well into Red Flag Day at 6 to complete an amazing first side.

Side 2 kicks off with GOOYOW, with i like a lot and is a solid start to the back half. American Soul is a "meh" song but I would keep it on the album because it's got some cool sounds/beats and the 7 spot suits it well. Best Thing is a solid tune and a nice upbeat song in the back that is followed nicely by a very mellow and solid song in Land Lady. Blackout is the "big song" of the 2nd side and ends with Showman. I'm not big on Showman but as the last song, it's a pretty good way to end (upbeat and all).
 
I don't know about the order, but I'd use this tracklist:

1. Lights of Home (St Peter)
2. Book of Your Heart
3. Red Flag Day
4. Summer of Love
5. Landlady
6. Little Things
7. Love Is Bigger
8. Blackout
9. 13
10. Love is All

SOE has been the opposite of a grower for me. The run of Little Things-American Soul is, I think, my least favorite part of any U2 album. It's got the cringe inducing lyrics and pandering of the middle of NLOTH, but they're much less ambitious and the songwriting isn't as good (the reliance on stop/start is cheap). The lyrics on the album also leave me cold much of the time - there's some great stuff, but not enough to offset the trite sloganeering. Bono brings more heart to the album than he has in a long time, but I wish he brought his head along too. Overall, I prefer SOI.
 
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I don't know about the order, but I'd use this tracklist:

1. Lights of Home (St Peter)
2. Book of Your Heart
3. Red Flag Day
4. Summer of Love
5. Landlady
6. Little Things
7. Love Is Bigger
8. Blackout
9. 13
10. Love is All

I have to say: this version of SOE would be quite a GREAT album (even though I enjoy SOE as it is). Less is more.
 
Album overall: 7/10. Bottom line: solid, if somewhat understated, late career grower, with the good largely outweiging the bad. It's not earth shaking stuff, but the band succeeds in finding a thematic hook and mostly avoiding the lyrical blunders that have dogged many of their contemporary releases.

CLASSICS (9-10);
The Little Things that Give You Away (10)

GREAT (7.5-9):
Lights of Home (8)
Landlady (9)
The Blackout (8)
Red Flag Day (8)
13 (7.5)
Book of Your Heart (7.5)

GOOD (6-7):
Love is All We Have Left (7)
Summer of Love (7)
Get Out of Your Own Way (6)
Best Thing (Kygo) (7)
Showman (6)

MEH (5-6):
Best Thing (album) (5)
Love is Bigger (5)

DUDS (3-5):
American Soul (4)

Haven't listened in a while but plan to this week. Still really enjoy it. In my U2 pantheon it is 6th behind JT, AB, TUF, Zooropa, and War, kicking Pop and ATYCLB down.
 
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I don't know about the order, but I'd use this tracklist:

1. Lights of Home (St Peter)
2. Book of Your Heart
3. Red Flag Day
4. Summer of Love
5. Landlady
6. Little Things
7. Love Is Bigger
8. Blackout
9. 13
10. Love is All

SOE has been the opposite of a grower for me. The run of Little Things-American Soul is, I think, my least favorite part of any U2 album. It's got the cringe inducing lyrics and pandering of the middle of NLOTH, but they're much less ambitious and the songwriting isn't as good (the reliance on stop/start is cheap). The lyrics on the album also leave me cold much of the time - there's some great stuff, but not enough to offset the trite sloganeering. Bono brings more heart to the album than he has in a long time, but I wish he brought his head along too. Overall, I prefer SOI.

This is a really good running order. An improvement in my opinion.
 
I don't know about the order, but I'd use this tracklist:

1. Lights of Home (St Peter)
2. Book of Your Heart
3. Red Flag Day
4. Summer of Love
5. Landlady
6. Little Things
7. Love Is Bigger
8. Blackout
9. 13
10. Love is All

SOE has been the opposite of a grower for me. The run of Little Things-American Soul is, I think, my least favorite part of any U2 album. It's got the cringe inducing lyrics and pandering of the middle of NLOTH, but they're much less ambitious and the songwriting isn't as good (the reliance on stop/start is cheap). The lyrics on the album also leave me cold much of the time - there's some great stuff, but not enough to offset the trite sloganeering. Bono brings more heart to the album than he has in a long time, but I wish he brought his head along too. Overall, I prefer SOI.

It's funny, I think I'd like Love is Bigger if it were there, and we didn't have tracks 3-5 as well. Somehow I feel that it saps the energy in the album now, whereas in the order above it sort of breaks the heavier stuff. That's how it should have been used.
 
According to iTunes, my top 5 played tracks from SOE are:

1. Book of Your Heart
2. Love is All We Have Left
3. The Little Things That Give You Away
4. You're the Best Thing About Me
5. Landlady

Sounds about right, except I would rank Lights of Home as 4th best on the album.

As for worst... I didn't even add Get Out or American Soul to my iTunes. Lol.
 
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CLASSIC U2 SONGS 9-10/10
-

GREAT U2 SONGS 8-9/10
Red Flag Day
The Little Things That Give You Away
The Blackout
13

GOOD U2 SONGS 7-8/10
Love Is All We Have Left
You're the Best Thing About Me (vs Kygo, one tier higher)
Summer of Love

AVERAGE U2 SONGS 6-7/10
Lights of Home (St. Peters, one tier higher)
The Showman
Landlady
Love Is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way (live, three tiers higher?)

BELOW AVERAGE U2 SONGS <6
Get Out of Your Own Way
American Soul
 
According to iTunes, my top 5 played tracks from SOE are:

1. Book of Your Heart
2. Love is All We Have Left
3. The Little Things That Give You Away
4. You're the Best Thing About Me
5. Landlady

Sounds about right, except I would rank Lights of Home as 4th best on the album.

As for worst... I didn't even add Get Out or American Soul to my iTunes. Lol.

Now this is an interesting approach. Here's what I got:

1. Get Out of Your Own Way
2. You're the Best Thing About Me (incl. Kyogo)
3. The Blackout
4. The Little Things That Give You Away
5. American Soul
6. Lights of Home (incl. Stings Version)
7. Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
8. 13 (There Is a Light)
9. The Showman (Little More Better)
10. Love Is All We Have Left
11 (3-way tie). Summer of Love / Red Flag Day / Landlady
14. Book of Your Heart

One caveat is that pre-album release songs are ranked high because I've had more opportunities to listen to them. Explains why American Soul is so high even though I rank it very low.
 
Hmm tough,but here we go.

1. The little things that give you away
2. Red Flag Day
3. The Blackout
4. Lights of home. (Album version)
5. Summer of love
6. Love is all we have left
7. 13 there is a light
8. The showman
9. Your the best thing about me
10. Book of your heart
11. American soul
12. Love is bigger than anything in it's way
13. Landlady
14. Get out of your own way.
 
Months later loving this album even more ... wasn’t sure early on but it’s a slow grower and now thinking it’s a masterpiece ... even liking American Soul ... how did that happen?
 
Months later loving this album even more ... wasn’t sure early on but it’s a slow grower and now thinking it’s a masterpiece ... even liking American Soul ... how did that happen?
It's still bad but I hate it a tiny bit less.
 
So 5 months in, this is were I'm at after taking a little break from the record

Skip love is all we have left, decent way to open the album but sort of a filler track now, skip American soul, not really into this anymore. 13, is alright and a decent way to finish a record but it isn't the best of songs is it. Love all the other, landladys probably my least favourite out of the songs I love

Lights of home
Best thing about me
Get out of your own way
Summer of love
Red flag day
The showman
Little things that give you away
Landlady
Blackout
 
Still love this album.

Top songs in kinda most fave to least
Landlady
Red Flag
13
Love is All
Summer of Love
Lights
Little Things
Love is Bigger
Blackout

The fact that i have NINE songs of one album that i love/really like is pretty incredible

Best thing I like and is a solid song i enjoy. I also would put Book of Your Heart up there pretty high as well.

I skip Am. Soul, usually skip Get Out, and refuse to listen to The Showman ( :yuck: )
 
The little things that give you away 9.5
Red flag day 9

Love is all we have left 8.5
Landlady 8.5
Love is bigger than anything in its way 8.5
The showman (little more better) 8
13 (There is a light) 8

Lights of Home (Beck Remix) 7.5
Summer of love 7

Lights of home 6.5

Get out of your own way 5
The blackout 5
You're the best thing about me 4
Book of Your Heart 4

American soul 1 (in contention for the worst U2 song ever)
 
Little Things 9
Red Flag Day 8.5
Love is All We Have Left 8.5

The Best Thing 7
Landlady 7
Blackout 6.5
Summer of Love 6.5
Lights of Home 6
Showman 6
Get Out Of Your Own Way 5.5
Love is Bigger 4

13 3.5
American Soul 3

Is probably where I am at the moment. The album is very similar to SoI in the randomness of the collection of songs, a lack of cohesion and purpose, but nothing is irredeemably awful, yet nothing is classic.

Love is All I Have Left, I feel will become my favourite song from the album. It keeps on growing on me. It's a keeper. Love it
 
Great /classic u2

Love is all we have left
13
Lights of home
Red flag day
Little things
Blackout

Good U2

Summer of love
Landlady
You're the best thing
Get out of your own way

Weak U2

American soul
Showman
Love is bigger...
 
Played it earlier for first time in months, sounded better than it did last time I heard it back in December. I still think the first half of the album is much stronger than the second- Blackout and Little Things aside it's all a lump of Coldplay style blandness.
 
Imagine if the album versions of Lights of Home and You're the Best Thing about Me were replaced with the strings version and the acoustic version? It would add more diversity to the album.
 
Imagine if the album versions of Lights of Home and You're the Best Thing about Me were replaced with the strings version and the acoustic version? It would add more diversity to the album.



Agree with the strings for LOH 100% as it’s the superior version but acoustic Best Thing, while surely adding a more diverse aspect to the album, would be a huge miss. Best Thing is a decent song because of all the layers of sound going on but the acoustic version strips everything interesting about the song and puts more focus on the lyrics, which are not strong but what does a Cosmo know ;)

Also, I would have opened the album with the strings version of LOH and then went into he Blackout and removed LIAWHL al together.
 
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Agree with the strings for LOH 100% as it’s the superior version but acoustic Best Thing, while surely adding a more diverse aspect to the album, would be a huge miss. Best Thing is a decent song because of all the layers of sound going on but the acoustic version strips everything interesting about the song and puts more focus on the lyrics, which are not strong but what does a Cosmo know ;)

Also, I would have opened the album with the strings version of LOH and then went into he Blackout and removed LIAWHL al together.

In terms of layers of sound, I've always love the Sci-Fi Soul Mix and wish they had kept that on the album rather than re-recording at the 11th hour with the version we got. I actually love the song unlike a lot of people here, it's just I find the Sci-Fi version to have a lot of interesting things going on in it musically.

Totally agree about the Strings version of Lights of Home--far superior. It has the tension and the drama that goes with the sound is perfect for the song. The album version, with it's acoustic guitar riff, is just too impotent, too bland. I'm surprised at how many people prefer the album version yet don't like U2's live acoustic sets. It's not that I don't like the riff, but if they were going to rip off Haim, I wish Edge would have ripped off the full octane electric version like Haim does live.

Love Is All We Have Left is a fantastic opener...it should go anywhere! Personally I find it to be the best album opener they've had since Zooropa, but that's just me. I love the slow, ambient start to the album (and the live shows). I agree that The Blackout should be early in the album. I since the album came out I have listened to the same as the e&I Tour running order LIAWHL --> The Blackout --> Lights of Home (Strings) and it flows wonderfully. The Blackout just doesn't fit very well sandwiched between Landlady and Love is Bigger.
 
In terms of layers of sound, I've always love the Sci-Fi Soul Mix and wish they had kept that on the album rather than re-recording at the 11th hour with the version we got. I actually love the song unlike a lot of people here, it's just I find the Sci-Fi version to have a lot of interesting things going on in it musically.

Totally agree about the Strings version of Lights of Home--far superior. It has the tension and the drama that goes with the sound is perfect for the song. The album version, with it's acoustic guitar riff, is just too impotent, too bland. I'm surprised at how many people prefer the album version yet don't like U2's live acoustic sets. It's not that I don't like the riff, but if they were going to rip off Haim, I wish Edge would have ripped off the full octane electric version like Haim does live.

Love Is All We Have Left is a fantastic opener...it should go anywhere! Personally I find it to be the best album opener they've had since Zooropa, but that's just me. I love the slow, ambient start to the album (and the live shows). I agree that The Blackout should be early in the album. I since the album came out I have listened to the same as the e&I Tour running order LIAWHL --> The Blackout --> Lights of Home (Strings) and it flows wonderfully. The Blackout just doesn't fit very well sandwiched between Landlady and Love is Bigger.

Totally with you on Love Is All We Have Left. Great lush production with the fluttering strings and Bono's crooning is perfect. I definitely think the song has done something that U2 haven't achieved to that scale since the 90s - using the studio and the producer as more or less an extra member of the band/alternative route as opposed to trying to ham in all 4 band members, sometimes to the detriment of the song.

Like you I think it's their best album opener since Zooropa and I would love to see a full album with Andy Barlow as the main producer and involved in all songs. Certainly a full 180 from the scratchy, hollow and lifeless production on Songs of Innocence (thanks Danger Mouse). I think there's wonderful potential and atmospheres there between them and Barlow, one that I think would make them sound fresh, alternative and yes, relevant once more.
 
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1. Love is All We Have Left - 9/10
2. Lights of Home - 6/10
Lights of Home (Strings) - 7/10
3. You're the Best Thing About Me - 6.5/10
You're the Best Thing About Me (Kygo) - 6.5/10
4. Get Out of Your Own Way - 9/10
5. American Soul - 5/10
6. Summer of Love - 7.5/10
7. Red Flag Day - 9/10
8. The Showman - 7/10
9. The Little Things That Give You Away - 9/10
10. Landlady - 7.5/10
11. The Blackout - 8/10
12. Love is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way - 10/10
13. (There is a Light) - 8.5/10
14. Book of Your Heart - 8/10

Average for Songs of Experience = apprx. 8/10
 
1. Love is All We Have Left 6.5
2. Lights of Home 7.5
Lights of Home (Strings) - 8.5
3. You're the Best Thing About Me - 1
You're the Best Thing About Me (Kygo) - 0
4. Get Out of Your Own Way - 5
5. American Soul - 4
6. Summer of Love - 7.5
7. Red Flag Day - 8.5
8. The Showman - 8
9. The Little Things That Give You Away - 10
10. Landlady - 9
11. The Blackout - 6
12. Love is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way - 9
13. (There is a Light) - 10
14. Book of Your Heart - 9.5
 
To be honest this album hasn’t aged as well as I was hoping it would. There are some very fine songs like red flag day and summer of love. And some very enjoyable songs like love is all we have left. Except for one song! Book of your heart continues to floor me!! I loved it instantly when I heard it and I love it even more now! This song for me is up there with some of the best u2 90’s (my favorite U2 era!!). I can safely say it is my favorite u2 2000’s era song and there are many great songs from this era. As for the album as a whole it’s OK, not terrible but not great. I enjoy it but I don’t see myself playing this album much 10 years down the road. I still play achtung baby once or twice a month and to this day I love that album as if it was brand new music! If I had to choose between SOI and SOE, ide probably choose SOI
 
But with that said the songs from SOE are still enjoyable, I just feel that some songs are missing something that I don’t quite know. It just doesn’t have that “classic u2” feel I guess.
 
But with that said the songs from SOE are still enjoyable, I just feel that some songs are missing something that I don’t quite know. It just doesn’t have that “classic u2” feel I guess.

I have a new appreciation for Love Is All We Have Left after seeing it live...and The Blackout and Red Flag Day still move me...but overall I can sit through the album as a whole w/o feeling I need to skip songs...:)
 
the trifecta of Best Thing, Get Out and American Soul is as bad a 1-2-3 punch as they have ever thrown. OK maybe not quite as bad as the heaping stinking pile of dung from NLOTH, but it does make the album a challenge to listen all the way through.
 
the trifecta of Best Thing, Get Out and American Soul is as bad a 1-2-3 punch as they have ever thrown. OK maybe not quite as bad as the heaping stinking pile of dung from NLOTH, but it does make the album a challenge to listen all the way through.

I like Get Out more than most on this forum, but that stretch certainly is the album's low point. It's a case of reaching for a "hit" at the expense of the album's concept (the whole "write as if you are dead" thing). I'm also not as big a fan of Summer of Love & Red Flag Day as many here, but I think everything from The Showman through 13 is pretty great. The opening duo is good as well, but I actually prefer the strings version of Light of Home. The album version is a little empty.
 
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