lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
This is long, so if you don't like R.E.M. or Automatic you might not want to slog through it...
In the past we've often debated how U2 albums would sound (or be improved) with different track orders. Personally I haven't listened to ATYCLB with the release order since I purchased the CD, instead preferring the original order before Edge won the argument with Bono.
I also tried a rearranged Rattle & Hum (which, in full disclosure, I pretentiously titled "Rattled & Honed"), omitting the live tracks and including a couple b-sides, which greatly enhanced my experience with that album. POP received this treatment as well, and I think Bono himself said that three dancey songs up front was just too much.
I'm sure someone has done this before, but I'd like to invite other Interferencers to take albums from other artists they like and attempt to improve upon the original tracking. Pruning is sometimes a necessity (as we'll see shortly), but mainly I'm talking rearranging.
My first subject is R.E.M.'s Automatic For the People, an album which is widely revered and often spoken of as some kind of holy artifact. Personally I think R.E.M. has about 5 better, more consistent albums (namely Murmur, Lifes Rich Pageant, Document, New Adventures in Hi-Fi, and, yes, even Out of Time), even if none of them pack Automatic's emotional whallop. But this one can be greatly improved with some cosmetic tinkering.
Don't get me wrong; I think AFTP is a great album, but (a) R.E.M. made a good number of great albums, (b) the track order is far from perfect, and (c) there's a truly awful song that mars the quality of the overall recording and prevents it from even approaching perfection.
The order of the songs is tricky with AFTP, because thematically it's very heavy, dealing a lot with death and loss, and you want to preserve that without misleading the listener into thinking something different is on the way. To complicate matters, you have a couple upbeat songs that don't really fit with the above mood.
A confession: I've never been a huge fan of Drive. As a lead single I thought it was horrible. As an opening track I think it's far from inviting. The music is dour, the lyrics some kind of tongue in cheek grunge acknowledgement (despite the classic "hey kids, rock and roll" homage), and if you want to know why AFTP, despite the critical adulation, sold far fewer records than Out of Time, look no further than the way it introduced itself to the listening public.
I'm not saying it should be axed off the album. I like the way it builds, and the lyrics have some kind of odd reason to the rhyme, but as an opener it's too much of a mixed signal. This album isn't about, by, or for "the kids", so why call them to arms so soon?
Since this album came out 15 years ago I always felt Sweetness Follows was an extremely powerful song that was buried midway through the album, and overshadowed by the heart-on-its-sleeve triteness (albiet effective triteness) of Everybody Hurts, which patched up much of the damage done by the release of Drive and propelled this album to legend status. Sweetness just has this beautiful lyric about family and death that is so keeping in with the themes, and though it begins with the starkness well-reflected throughout the album, it builds to a crescendo of guitar feedback and strings that also displays the sophistication and grandeur of what is to, well, follow.
The only problem is that the vocal begins about 6-7 seconds into the song, and I like my albums with a little musical build-up. I'm not saying it has to be Where the Streets Have No Name, but this album needs something more than an abrupt announcement. It was only recently that I discovered a solution to this problem: New Orleans Instrumental #1, which seems a bizarre interlude on the album but leads perfectly into Sweetness, should move in tandem. Now as the title of an opening track, NO#1 doesn't really have a great ring to it, so I would have solved it by merging it completely with Sweetness and making it all one song (if you have a mp3 editor you can clip these together), or reducing the title down to New Orleans. I don't want to get too creative because the idea isn't to make up stuff, it's to work with what's already there.
Try Not to Breathe always worked for me as a track 2, and originally I had planned not to move it. But it sounds a bit too similar to Sweetness with the acoustic guitar, and secondly I always felt the second song on an album should be something upbeat (Bono's position, if I'm not mistaken). Sidewinder is too goofy to follow Sweetness, but what about Man in the Moon? Does anyone else find it strange that such a big, catchy song is all the way down at track 10, right before two emotional, epic cinematic songs like Nightswimming and Find the River? Man on the Moon is fun, but it's not shallow, and that's why I think it works here. It starts mellow enough not to be too jarring, but is really welcome in terms of melody when you really want to capture the listener's attention.
I also believe firmly in a one-two punch, and I think that while you have the listener in a sing-a-long mood, you should ride that wave. It's why Sidewinder belongs here, and for two other reasons: One, I do try to retain some semblance of the original order, with the thought that the band had to have some idea of what they were doing. Secondly, the song is just too absurd and fun to be further into the meat of the album. Imagine putting "Elevation" in the middle of ATYCLB.
At this point, you're nearing the heart of the album, and while the transition between Sidewinder and Everybody Hurts seems strange, it works on the proper album and doesn't require an alteration. I wouldn't follow an emotional song like EH with the loopy Sidewinder, but the reverse, to go deep when you have someone in a good mood with their guard down, is perfect.
Here's where I get creative: while the above song is about trying to reassure someone who's going through a period of grief, I think it's a novel idea to follow it with a song about someone who isn't willing or able to take that advice, namely the suicidal narrator of Try Not to Breathe.
The other thing is that this album was released when cassettes and LPs were still prominent, and the idea of a distinct Side One and Side Two were still thought of. While I don't like Drive as an album lead, it's perfect as a Side Two opener after Try Not to Breathe.
I've never been a huge fan of Monty Got a Raw Deal. I don't think it's a bad song, and really like the lyric, but it never caught my ear. I think it's place on the original is roughly where I have it here--buried in the middle. It's not interesting enough to be at the top, or powerful enough for the end. Here it's harmless.
Which brings me to Ignoreland. I rarely hate songs by bands I really like. But this one is wrong on so many levels. First, the lyric is totally political, a rant against George Bush's Presidential Administration and the Republicans in Congress. What's worse are the keyboards that sound totally cheesy, and about as far from the organic sound of the album as possible. It sticks out like a sore thumb, and while I imagine the attempt was to rock out and prevent the album from being too mellow, but its effect is far worse than boredom. The background vocal "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!", the lead guitar part...just terrible. I'll say it right now: no album with a song this misplaced and poorly recorded has any business being called a masterpiece. You can't point out something like this on a true masterpiece like Achtung Baby or the Joshua Tree, because there isn't one.
There are a couple Out of Time outtakes like Fretless or It's a Free World Baby, but I try to avoid adding stuff in when I can (North and South of the River was a necessity for my Pop experiment, however). The album still has 11 tracks (including the instrumental) and still clocks in at a healthy 44 minutes.
The rest of the album simply falls into place with Monty followed by Star Me Kitten, Nightswimming, and Find the River. SMK is a very mood-filled piece, and fits where it already is. The difference is that now you're less likely to skip it to get to Man on the Moon. It also has much in common musically with the timeless Nightswimming. I would never touch the last two songs, as they are two of the best closing songs in the history of recorded music. They are perfectly executed and placed.
That's it. I hope some adventurous listeners try this tracklisting and share their comments or their own alternatives. I'd suggest not listening to the original order first, so the palette is fresh. Your final order:
1. New Orleans Instrumental #1
2. Sweetness Follows
3. Man on the Moon
4. The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight
5. Everybody Hurts
6. Try Not to Breathe
7. Drive
8. Monty Got a Raw Deal
9. Star Me Kitten
10. Nightswimming
11. Find the River
Enjoy!
In the past we've often debated how U2 albums would sound (or be improved) with different track orders. Personally I haven't listened to ATYCLB with the release order since I purchased the CD, instead preferring the original order before Edge won the argument with Bono.
I also tried a rearranged Rattle & Hum (which, in full disclosure, I pretentiously titled "Rattled & Honed"), omitting the live tracks and including a couple b-sides, which greatly enhanced my experience with that album. POP received this treatment as well, and I think Bono himself said that three dancey songs up front was just too much.
I'm sure someone has done this before, but I'd like to invite other Interferencers to take albums from other artists they like and attempt to improve upon the original tracking. Pruning is sometimes a necessity (as we'll see shortly), but mainly I'm talking rearranging.
My first subject is R.E.M.'s Automatic For the People, an album which is widely revered and often spoken of as some kind of holy artifact. Personally I think R.E.M. has about 5 better, more consistent albums (namely Murmur, Lifes Rich Pageant, Document, New Adventures in Hi-Fi, and, yes, even Out of Time), even if none of them pack Automatic's emotional whallop. But this one can be greatly improved with some cosmetic tinkering.
Don't get me wrong; I think AFTP is a great album, but (a) R.E.M. made a good number of great albums, (b) the track order is far from perfect, and (c) there's a truly awful song that mars the quality of the overall recording and prevents it from even approaching perfection.
The order of the songs is tricky with AFTP, because thematically it's very heavy, dealing a lot with death and loss, and you want to preserve that without misleading the listener into thinking something different is on the way. To complicate matters, you have a couple upbeat songs that don't really fit with the above mood.
A confession: I've never been a huge fan of Drive. As a lead single I thought it was horrible. As an opening track I think it's far from inviting. The music is dour, the lyrics some kind of tongue in cheek grunge acknowledgement (despite the classic "hey kids, rock and roll" homage), and if you want to know why AFTP, despite the critical adulation, sold far fewer records than Out of Time, look no further than the way it introduced itself to the listening public.
I'm not saying it should be axed off the album. I like the way it builds, and the lyrics have some kind of odd reason to the rhyme, but as an opener it's too much of a mixed signal. This album isn't about, by, or for "the kids", so why call them to arms so soon?
Since this album came out 15 years ago I always felt Sweetness Follows was an extremely powerful song that was buried midway through the album, and overshadowed by the heart-on-its-sleeve triteness (albiet effective triteness) of Everybody Hurts, which patched up much of the damage done by the release of Drive and propelled this album to legend status. Sweetness just has this beautiful lyric about family and death that is so keeping in with the themes, and though it begins with the starkness well-reflected throughout the album, it builds to a crescendo of guitar feedback and strings that also displays the sophistication and grandeur of what is to, well, follow.
The only problem is that the vocal begins about 6-7 seconds into the song, and I like my albums with a little musical build-up. I'm not saying it has to be Where the Streets Have No Name, but this album needs something more than an abrupt announcement. It was only recently that I discovered a solution to this problem: New Orleans Instrumental #1, which seems a bizarre interlude on the album but leads perfectly into Sweetness, should move in tandem. Now as the title of an opening track, NO#1 doesn't really have a great ring to it, so I would have solved it by merging it completely with Sweetness and making it all one song (if you have a mp3 editor you can clip these together), or reducing the title down to New Orleans. I don't want to get too creative because the idea isn't to make up stuff, it's to work with what's already there.
Try Not to Breathe always worked for me as a track 2, and originally I had planned not to move it. But it sounds a bit too similar to Sweetness with the acoustic guitar, and secondly I always felt the second song on an album should be something upbeat (Bono's position, if I'm not mistaken). Sidewinder is too goofy to follow Sweetness, but what about Man in the Moon? Does anyone else find it strange that such a big, catchy song is all the way down at track 10, right before two emotional, epic cinematic songs like Nightswimming and Find the River? Man on the Moon is fun, but it's not shallow, and that's why I think it works here. It starts mellow enough not to be too jarring, but is really welcome in terms of melody when you really want to capture the listener's attention.
I also believe firmly in a one-two punch, and I think that while you have the listener in a sing-a-long mood, you should ride that wave. It's why Sidewinder belongs here, and for two other reasons: One, I do try to retain some semblance of the original order, with the thought that the band had to have some idea of what they were doing. Secondly, the song is just too absurd and fun to be further into the meat of the album. Imagine putting "Elevation" in the middle of ATYCLB.
At this point, you're nearing the heart of the album, and while the transition between Sidewinder and Everybody Hurts seems strange, it works on the proper album and doesn't require an alteration. I wouldn't follow an emotional song like EH with the loopy Sidewinder, but the reverse, to go deep when you have someone in a good mood with their guard down, is perfect.
Here's where I get creative: while the above song is about trying to reassure someone who's going through a period of grief, I think it's a novel idea to follow it with a song about someone who isn't willing or able to take that advice, namely the suicidal narrator of Try Not to Breathe.
The other thing is that this album was released when cassettes and LPs were still prominent, and the idea of a distinct Side One and Side Two were still thought of. While I don't like Drive as an album lead, it's perfect as a Side Two opener after Try Not to Breathe.
I've never been a huge fan of Monty Got a Raw Deal. I don't think it's a bad song, and really like the lyric, but it never caught my ear. I think it's place on the original is roughly where I have it here--buried in the middle. It's not interesting enough to be at the top, or powerful enough for the end. Here it's harmless.
Which brings me to Ignoreland. I rarely hate songs by bands I really like. But this one is wrong on so many levels. First, the lyric is totally political, a rant against George Bush's Presidential Administration and the Republicans in Congress. What's worse are the keyboards that sound totally cheesy, and about as far from the organic sound of the album as possible. It sticks out like a sore thumb, and while I imagine the attempt was to rock out and prevent the album from being too mellow, but its effect is far worse than boredom. The background vocal "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!", the lead guitar part...just terrible. I'll say it right now: no album with a song this misplaced and poorly recorded has any business being called a masterpiece. You can't point out something like this on a true masterpiece like Achtung Baby or the Joshua Tree, because there isn't one.
There are a couple Out of Time outtakes like Fretless or It's a Free World Baby, but I try to avoid adding stuff in when I can (North and South of the River was a necessity for my Pop experiment, however). The album still has 11 tracks (including the instrumental) and still clocks in at a healthy 44 minutes.
The rest of the album simply falls into place with Monty followed by Star Me Kitten, Nightswimming, and Find the River. SMK is a very mood-filled piece, and fits where it already is. The difference is that now you're less likely to skip it to get to Man on the Moon. It also has much in common musically with the timeless Nightswimming. I would never touch the last two songs, as they are two of the best closing songs in the history of recorded music. They are perfectly executed and placed.
That's it. I hope some adventurous listeners try this tracklisting and share their comments or their own alternatives. I'd suggest not listening to the original order first, so the palette is fresh. Your final order:
1. New Orleans Instrumental #1
2. Sweetness Follows
3. Man on the Moon
4. The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight
5. Everybody Hurts
6. Try Not to Breathe
7. Drive
8. Monty Got a Raw Deal
9. Star Me Kitten
10. Nightswimming
11. Find the River
Enjoy!
Last edited:
This album is absolute perfection. Top 10 all time for me. Thanks for the alternate tracklisting...I'll give it a try when I can...
... that tracklist is very bad! I don't have anything against the one choosen by the band.
I actually find much of New Adventures to be dull. 
