SOE ranking in U2’s catalogue

[danm]

I know this is going to be impossible for most people as we’ve only been living with the album for about a week, however it’s will be interesting to see how people rank SOE in U2’s catalogue. No doubt as the weeks and months pass this will change- but it would be good to hear people’s thoughts on where this ranks now and then see how opinions change over the months ahead.

Here’s my current ranking:

1. The Joshua Tree
2. Achtung Baby (TJT & AB frequently switch places at number one)
3. The Unforgettable Fire
4. War
5. Songs of Experience (yes, this is ranked high! Will likely change over time)
6. HTDAAB
7. ATYCLB
8. Zooropa
9. Boy
10. Pop
11. Songs of Innocence
12. No Line On The Horizon
13. October

Not including Rattle and Hum as it’s not a proper studio album.

Early days, but at the moment I think SOE is probably their most consistently good album since AB.

 

[Daniel94]

The songs I like on SOE, I like quite a bit, especially Book of Your Heart. However, the low points on SOE are really low imo.

1. AB
2. TJT
3. Boy
4. Zooropa
5. UF/War
6. SOI/NLOTH
7. Pop
8. RAH
9. HTDAAB
10. ATYCLB/SOE
11. October

For added pesrpective, I LOVE all of these albums except ATYCLB, SOE, and October.

 

[dabiggestu2fan]

I know this is going to be impossible for most people as we’ve only been living with the album for about a week, however it’s will be interesting to see how people rank SOE in U2’s catalogue. No doubt as the weeks and months pass this will change- but it would be good to hear people’s thoughts on where this ranks now and then see how opinions change over the months ahead.

Here’s my current ranking:

1. The Joshua Tree
2. Achtung Baby (TJT & AB frequently switch places at number one)
3. The Unforgettable Fire
4. War
5. Songs of Experience (yes, this is ranked high! Will likely change over time)
6. HTDAAB
7. ATYCLB
8. Zooropa
9. Boy
10. Pop
11. Songs of Innocence
12. No Line On The Horizon
13. October

Not including Rattle and Hum as it’s not a proper studio album.

Early days, but at the moment I think SOE is probably their most consistently good album since AB.

Really hard for me to rank it just yet. Probably in the top 7. I had to stop listening to it yesterday, 5 days of listening to it every chance I got was burning me out lol. I’ll come back to it obviously but I have to let the album sink in. It is a solid peice of work though!

 

[gweeps]

all that you can't leave behind
no line on the horizon
pop
achtung baby
the joshua tree
songs of experience
songs of innocence
how to dismantle an atomic bomb
zooropa
the unforgettable fire
rattle and hum
war
boy
october
original soundtracks 1

 

[Jmoro]

Current ranking:
1. Achtung Baby (1992)
2. The Joshua Tree (1987)
3. All that you can't leave behind (2000)
4. Boy (1980)
5. How to dismantle an atomic bomb (2005)
6. The unforgettable fire (1984)
7. Songs of experience (2017)
8. War (1983)
9. Zooropa (1993)
10. October (1981)
11. Rattle and Hum (1989)
12. No line on the horizon (2009)
13. Pop (1997)
14. Songs of innocence (2014)

But this ranking, shifts from day to day for me. What fluctuates less is this (in no particular order)

THE ETERNALS
*************
Achtung Baby (1992)
The Joshua Tree (1987)

THE MASTERPIECES
*****************
All that you can't leave behind (2000)
Boy (1980)
How to dismantle an atomic bomb (2005)
The unforgettable fire (1984)
War (1983)
Songs of experience (2017)

THE GOOD ONES
**************
Rattle and hum (1989)
October (1981)
Zooropa (1993)

THE DISAPPOINTMENTS
********************
No line on the horizon (2009)
Pop (1997)
Songs of innocence (2014)

 

[dan_smee]

Current ranking:

1. Achtung Baby (1992)

2. The Joshua Tree (1987)

3. All that you can't leave behind (2000)

4. Boy (1980)

5. How to dismantle an atomic bomb (2005)

6. The unforgettable fire (1984)

7. Songs of experience (2017)

8. War (1983)

9. Zooropa (1993)

10. October (1981)

11. Rattle and Hum (1989)

12. No line on the horizon (2009)

13. Pop (1997)

14. Songs of innocence (2014)



But this ranking, shifts from day to day for me. What fluctuates less is this (in no particular order)



THE ETERNALS

*************

Achtung Baby (1992)

The Joshua Tree (1987)



THE MASTERPIECES

*****************

All that you can't leave behind (2000)

Boy (1980)

How to dismantle an atomic bomb (2005)

The unforgettable fire (1984)

War (1983)

Songs of experience (2017)



THE GOOD ONES

**************

Rattle and hum (1989)

October (1981)

Zooropa (1993)



THE DISAPPOINTMENTS

********************

No line on the horizon (2009)

Pop (1997)

Songs of innocence (2014)

Dude - not sure why you quoted years, but you got three of them wrong...

 

[HansaTonImbiss]

I'll come at this a little different- I definitely have a top 3 and a bottom 3. Top 3 are: AB, JT, Zooropa. Bottom 3 for me are: Boy, October, Bomb. Then the middle rung favorites are TUF, War, ATYCLB, and Pop. The ones that I like but seldom revisit are RAH, SOI, Passengers, and NLOTH. Early days, and I can't say that this has cracked the top 3 yet (that's a big ask for a lot of reasons), but it's way up there for me. Definitely rivaling those higher in the middle rung.

We'll see where everything ends up when the sheen of newness wears off and I revisit the record after a while, but I really like what I hear on this.

 

[purpleoscar]

I'm rating them based on which albums would cause the most damage to their songbook, in my opinion, if they never happened. Not necessarily what my favorites would be:

1. The Joshua Tree (1987)
2. Achtung Baby (1991)
3. The Unforgettable Fire (1984)
4. War (1983)
5. Zooropa (1993)
6. Rattle and Hum (1988)
7. Songs of experience (2017)
8. Songs of innocence (2014)
9. All that you can't leave behind (2000)
10. Pop (1997)
11. No line on the horizon (2009)
12. How to dismantle an atomic bomb (2004)
13. Boy (1980)
14. October (1981)

 

[rjhbonovox]

1. AB
2.Pop
3.Joshua Tree
4.Zooropa
5.UF
6.No Line on the hoizon
7.ATYCLB
8.Rattley Bum
9.Passengers
10.Bomb
11.War
12.Boy
13.October
14.SOI
15.SOE

 

[HansaTonImbiss]

1. AB
2.Pop
3.Joshua Tree
4.Zooropa
5.UF
6.No Line on the hoizon
7.ATYCLB
8.Rattley Bum
9.Passengers
10.Bomb
11.War
12.Boy
13.October
14.SOI
15.SOE

Interesting. This is below Bomb, SOI, and Boy for you? To each their own- hope this album does something for you eventually, regardless.

 

[TheGeekyU2Fan]

1.NLOTH
2.JT
3.AB
4. SOE
5.Zooropa
6.Boy
7.rattle and hum
8.UF
9.October
10.War
11.ATYCLB
12.October
13.Pop
14.SOI
15.Passengers

 

[akann]

1 AB
2 Daylight
3 JT
4 Zooropa
5 NLOTH
6 UF
7 Boy
8 Rattle and Hum
9 Pop
10 SOI
11 ATYCLB
12 SOE (Early Days)
13 October
14 HTDAAB
15 War

If we are including Passengers, then I would rank it at 13.

 

[Sken]

1 AB
2 Daylight
3 JT
4 Zooropa

What is Daylight?

 

[dan_smee]

What is Daylight?

An expression to indicate there is a long way between that album and the next.

 

[aviastar]

Too early to rank but I think it cracks the top half. I really like the album but I gotta wait for the newness to wear off.

TUF, TJT, AB, and War remain in the top four slots and it would take another masterpiece to shake that up. I’d think it fits somewhere between 5 and 10. I know I like it better than SOI, NLOTH, Bomb, and ATYCLB.

 

[Snowlock]

1. Josh Tree - The icon
2. AB - Not as dark as it used to feel.
3. NLOTH - All this was missing was a great single.
4. Pop - Needed two great singles.
5. War - Good stuff, but I like the chiming guitars.
6. HTDAAB - great singles, too much filler
7. TUF - Way too much filler
8. SOI - b-side sucked.
9. R&H - Five great songs on double album isn't that good a ratio.
10. Oct - Solid, but not what I listen to U2 for.
11. Boy - Ditto but I like the Oct songs better.
12. ATYCLB - Four good songs and the rest shit.
13. Zooropa - Three good songs and the rest shit.
14. SOE = One good song, and the rest shit.

 

[HansaTonImbiss]

Too early to rank but I think it cracks the top half. I really like the album but I gotta wait for the newness to wear off.

TUF, TJT, AB, and War remain in the top four slots and it would take another masterpiece to shake that up. I’d think it fits somewhere between 5 and 10. I know I like it better than SOI, NLOTH, Bomb, and ATYCLB.

This is where I'm at. My top 5 are AB, JT, Zooropa, TUF, and War. To me, the question is does it beat War? I've lived with that album nearly 30+ years; I haven't had this one 3 days. I don't see it surpassing those other four but who knows. I do like what I hear and look forward to surveying where it fits in the pantheon as time goes on.

 

[Hollow Island]

Ranking as complete works, not collections of songs

Zooropa
The Joshua Tree
Achtung Baby
The Unforgettable Fire
War
Songs of Experience
Pop
Songs of Innocence
OST 1
Boy
ATYCLB
October
Rattle & Hum
NLOTH
HTDAAB

 

[NintendoFan204]

Still way too early. I'm only just starting to like some of the songs I found "meh" on my first listen. I've only listened to the full album three times since December 1.

1. Pop (God-tier. Coolest album I have ever heard. The peak of their career peak.)
2. Achtung Baby (The Edge in God-mode. The start of a beautiful thing called 90's U2.)
3. The Joshua Tree (Bono's voice at it's best. Really powerful and memorable songs. Has B-sides good enough to make a separate album.)
4. Zooropa (Such unique and cool songs. Stay is my favorite U2 song.)
5. All That You Can't Leave Behind (My childhood. Still love it. The trio of songs that starts the album were hits, but they aren't even some of the best songs. Some real good songs on here.)
6. Songs of Innocence (Has grown on me tremendously over time. Extremely consistent. I can barely pick a favorite song.)
7. How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (Has some of U2's best songs. Gets way too much hate.)
8. The Unforgettable Fire (A few masterpiece songs. All are great but some aren't as memorable as the others.)
9. Songs of Experience (Really good. No 10/10 songs [as of now] but some really good stuff.)
10. No Line On The Horizon. (Way underrated. Has a few gems. The non-gems are still good. A late-career experiment that I appreciate.)
11. War (Some great songs, but I don't listen to it as often. Not as good as what came after.)
12. October (Underrated as hell. Very consistent and solid.)
13. Rattle and Hum (Too many live songs and covers, but has several gems.)
14. Boy (A very good, consistent album. I don't listen to it a ton. They have only been better since.)

Slower-paced songs take time for me to appreciate, and this album has a few. Sometimes, though, they can end up as my favorites. I like the album, but it will take time to see how memorable it truly is.

And yes, I like all of U2's albums.

 

[Yahweh_OMG]

Reading all of you makes me laugh.
Nobody has the same tastes. It shows how good this band is.
It is incredible that they still make good and sometimes great music. We chose the right band.
SOE is a strange thing... hard to describe. Some shitty songs (the 2 singles) and some crazy ones that i thought u2 would never pull out.... I ve loved this band since i was 12 and heard Desire on radio.... ..... Love is all we have left

 

[jameskinsella]

1.NLOTH
2.JT
3.AB
...

 

[Wolfdogmandude]

1. Achtung Baby 10/10
2. Song Of Innocence 9.7/10
3. The Joshua Tree 9.6/10
4. Pop 9/10
5. All That You Can't Leave Behind 8.6/10
6. Rattle & Hum 8.2/10
7. War 8.2/10
8. Zooropa 8/10
9. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb 7.9/10
10. No Line On The Horizon 7.9/10
11. The Unforgettable Fire 7.8/10
12. SONGS OF EXPERIENCE 7.4/10
13. Boy 7.2/10
14. October 7/10

 

[Mr. Happy]

1. The Joshua Tree
2. The Unforgettable Fire
3. Achtung Baby
4. Songs of Innocence
5. No Line on the Horizon
6. How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
7. Pop
8. Zooropa
9. Rattle & Hum
10. War
11. Songs of Experience
12. Boy
13. All That You Can't Leave Behind
14. October

 

[purpleoscar]

Reading all of you makes me laugh.
Nobody has the same tastes. It shows how good this band is.
It is incredible that they still make good and sometimes great music. We chose the right band.
SOE is a strange thing... hard to describe. Some shitty songs (the 2 singles) and some crazy ones that i thought u2 would never pull out.... I ve loved this band since i was 12 and heard Desire on radio.... ..... Love is all we have left

And these ratings change all the time when certain lyrics resonate with your life, or you are just in a mood to listen to October and it somehow satisfies.

 

[Airseven]

1 Achtung
2 Joshua Tree
3 UFire
4 War
5 Pop
6 Rattle Hum
7 Zooropa
8 ATYCLB
9 Boy
10 SOE
11 October
12 HTDAAB
13 NLOTH
14 SOI

 

[Yahweh]

1. Achtung Baby
2. Joshua Tree
3. Songs of Experience
4. Songs of Innocence
5. All That You Cant Leave Behind
6. Pop
7. Zooropa
8. War
9. Unforgettable Fire
10. Rattle And Hum
11. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
12. No Line On The Horizon
13. Boy
14. October

I think every U2 record has its strong points and I thank them for each and every one.

 

[AEON]

It's not too early. I'm callin' it now - this is their third (eventually) undisputed masterpiece!

1) Achtung/Joshua/SoE

....the rest...

Reading that Bono almost died was the "cipher" that unlocked so many of the lyrics on this album (similar to Edge's divorce was the "cipher" of Achtung Baby).

Well done boys!

 

[JUSTinPUSHPLAY]

Achtung Baby
The Joshua Tree
All That You Can’t Leave Behind
Songs Of Experience
Songs Of Innocence
Zooropa
Rattle And Hun
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
No Line On The Horizon
Pop
The Unforgettable Fire
War
Boy
October

 

[AEKU2]

The Unforgettable Fire
Achtung Baby
The Joshua Tree
Zooropa
Songs of Experience
War
No Line on the Horizon
Songs of Innocence
Pop
Boy
October
Rattle and Hum
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
All That You Cant leave behind

 

[danm]

1.NLOTH
2.JT
3.AB
4. SOE
5.Zooropa
6.Boy
7.rattle and hum
8.UF
9.October
10.War
11.ATYCLB
12.October
13.Pop
14.SOI
15.Passengers

No Atomic Bomb?