Best Album Survivor: Round Eight

[Nick66]

To me, TUF is the music equivalent of a Surrealist painting. Consequently, I don't think it's useful to look at the lyrics too closely, in terms of literal meaning. Rather, I think it's value is more in the overall impression the music leaves you with. It's also a record meant to be listened to as a record, and not a collection of individual songs. Yes, there are a few relative "stand alone" tracks on there, but mostly it's designed for one song to flow into another. Unique among U2 albums, if I'm listening to TUF I'm listening to the whole record. And it's really the only studio record of U2's that I listen to beginning to end anymore...otherwise, I much prefer listening to their lives stuff from the DVD rips and concert boots. But TUF is different. As a result, IMO there's no "good half" or "bad half"...it's meant to be taken as whole, and on that level it succeeds brilliantly.

I think all the songs on there are brilliant and beautiful, especially the never or seldom played live gems...stuff live Elvis and America and Indian Summer Sky I adore. And even the instrumentals are perfectly placed and set tone when listening to the album as a whole. There's just not a single bad note of music on that record. Other U2 albums are better lyrically perhaps, and more accomplished musically, and have more songs suitable as singles. I guess speaking objectively TUF is not their "best" album, musically or lyrically, but it's nonetheless my personal favourite.

Perhaps I just love U2 more when Eno and Lanois are involved, because when I look at my least favourite U2 records...Pop, Zooropa, Bomb, those two are largely absent, and U2 is a different (and lesser, IMO) band without them.

 

[gvox]

you people disgust me, ousting boy.

I'm sticking with my zooropa vote of the last round. The title track is one of the times when u2 got the closest to perfection, but the rest of the album, even its other high moments, doesn't quite live up to such an epic start (much as i love some of the other tracks). Babyface is a huge turd and there are a couple of other tracks that don't do all that much for me.

qftmft

 

[corianderstem]

Pop.

 

[OpenG180]

To me, TUF is the music equivalent of a Surrealist painting. Consequently, I don't think it's useful to look at the lyrics too closely, in terms of literal meaning. Rather, I think it's value is more in the overall impression the music leaves you with. It's also a record meant to be listened to as a record, and not a collection of individual songs. Yes, there are a few relative "stand alone" tracks on there, but mostly it's designed for one song to flow into another. Unique among U2 albums, if I'm listening to TUF I'm listening to the whole record. And it's really the only studio record of U2's that I listen to beginning to end anymore...otherwise, I much prefer listening to their lives stuff from the DVD rips and concert boots. But TUF is different. As a result, IMO there's no "good half" or "bad half"...it's meant to be taken as whole, and on that level it succeeds brilliantly.

I think all the songs on there are brilliant and beautiful, especially the never or seldom played live gems...stuff live Elvis and America and Indian Summer Sky I adore. And even the instrumentals are perfectly placed and set tone when listening to the album as a whole. There's just not a single bad note of music on that record. Other U2 albums are better lyrically perhaps, and more accomplished musically, and have more songs suitable as singles. I guess speaking objectively TUF is not their "best" album, musically or lyrically, but it's nonetheless my personal favourite.

Perhaps I just love U2 more when Eno and Lanois are involved, because when I look at my least favourite U2 records...Pop, Zooropa, Bomb, those two are largely absent, and U2 is a different (and lesser, IMO) band without them.

Apart from the not liking Pop/Zooropa, i pretty much agree with everything here, mate. With TUF it's the whole, not the separate parts. A bit like Dark Side of the Moon in terms of how it's gotta be listened. Those kind of albums never get old. It's like they are always a fresh experience.

 

[digitize]

To me, TUF is the music equivalent of a Surrealist painting. Consequently, I don't think it's useful to look at the lyrics too closely, in terms of literal meaning. Rather, I think it's value is more in the overall impression the music leaves you with. It's also a record meant to be listened to as a record, and not a collection of individual songs. Yes, there are a few relative "stand alone" tracks on there, but mostly it's designed for one song to flow into another. Unique among U2 albums, if I'm listening to TUF I'm listening to the whole record. And it's really the only studio record of U2's that I listen to beginning to end anymore...otherwise, I much prefer listening to their lives stuff from the DVD rips and concert boots. But TUF is different. As a result, IMO there's no "good half" or "bad half"...it's meant to be taken as whole, and on that level it succeeds brilliantly.

I think all the songs on there are brilliant and beautiful, especially the never or seldom played live gems...stuff live Elvis and America and Indian Summer Sky I adore. And even the instrumentals are perfectly placed and set tone when listening to the album as a whole. There's just not a single bad note of music on that record. Other U2 albums are better lyrically perhaps, and more accomplished musically, and have more songs suitable as singles. I guess speaking objectively TUF is not their "best" album, musically or lyrically, but it's nonetheless my personal favourite.

Perhaps I just love U2 more when Eno and Lanois are involved, because when I look at my least favourite U2 records...Pop, Zooropa, Bomb, those two are largely absent, and U2 is a different (and lesser, IMO) band without them.

This is a fantastic post.

 

[iron yuppie]

Another thing about UF is that the stuff they left on the cutting room floor is largely of very high quality as well. A collection of the b-sides and leftovers would play almost as well as the album itself.

 

[Nick66]

Another thing about UF is that the stuff they left on the cutting room floor is largely of very high quality as well. A collection of the b-sides and leftovers would play almost as well as the album itself.

This is a really good point...TUF/JT era B-Sides are easily U2's best. The 80-90 B-Sides disc is better than half of U2's regular studio releases...I used to play that at least as much as anything else they put out. Really a wealth of material from those days.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

These are definitely my five favorite U2 albums. Good job, guys.

 

[bonocomet]

Okay time to make choices...

 

[bonocomet]

Zooropa it is. But probably won't matter in the end for Pop this round.

 

[djerdap]

These are definitely my five favorite U2 albums. Good job, guys.

Likewise. It's a tough call, but I have to choose The Unforgettable Fire. All of my favourite albums finish on a really strong note. The other four have that in my mind. Unfortunately, The Unforgettable Fire fails here.

 

[mikal]

These are definitely my five favorite U2 albums. Good job, guys.

My order:

1. Zooropa
2. Pop
3. Achtung Baby
4. Unforgettable Fire
5. Joshua Tree

 

[nielsgov]

Some great posts about TUF here. It's become my second favourite U2 album, behind Achtung Baby. Like Nick said, it's U2's best album. The ten songs work as a whole and because of that, there isn't a big drop-off in quality. Elvis Presley and America is a highlight for me now.

On top of that, the opening run of five songs is the best one U2 has ever recorded.

 

[BlueSilkenSky]

TUF. Well that was... tough. I think I like it and Pop equally, but Pop is more lyrically interesting.

Also, I agree with the people who said these are their five favorite U2 albums. The best!

 

[the tourist]

Glad to see Pop go. It's good, but it is not top 4 material. But maybe for me that's because I'm not a fan of Please, and most people love that song. After Pop goes away, I'll be voting Zooropa to try and save The Unforgettable Fire. The Unforgettable Fire needs more representation in songs than Zooropa does.

 

[Globo14]

I think A Sort of Homecoming, Pride, and Bad beat all of Pop alone.

 

[Axver]

After Pop goes away, I'll be voting Zooropa to try and save The Unforgettable Fire. The Unforgettable Fire needs more representation in songs than Zooropa does.

Unless digitize has made a modification I've forgotten about, the Song Survivor will be using my seeding system from the last edition, where all of the top four albums get four songs proceeding to the finals. So if Pop is eliminated in this round, then we're left with our top four and both UF and Zooropa will get four songs proceeding to the finals of Song Survivor, no matter which is eliminated next round.

 

[the tourist]

Those three with The Unforgettable fire and Promenade beat most 5 top songs on any album.

 

[the tourist]

Unless digitize has made a modification I've forgotten about, the Song Survivor will be using my seeding system from the last edition, where all of the top four albums get four songs proceeding to the finals. So if Pop is eliminated in this round, then we're left with our top four and both UF and Zooropa will get four songs proceeding to the finals of Song Survivor, no matter which is eliminated next round.

This is what happens when I don't pay close enough attention. Didn't realize the top 4 all got the same. Then at this point I really don't care. 3 of my top 4 are still left! I guess I just wonder what will be the 4th song chosen for the finals from Zooropa.

 

[cobl04]

I think A Sort of Homecoming, Pride, and Bad beat all of Pop alone.

Add the title track and I agree.

 

[Axver]

This is what happens when I don't pay close enough attention. Didn't realize the top 4 all got the same. Then at this point I really don't care. 3 of my top 4 are still left! I guess I just wonder what will be the 4th song chosen for the finals from Zooropa.

Well, it's quite possible digitize has changed things! I haven't read every single post in the Survivor threads. But I think that seeding worked pretty well last time.

 

[Globo14]

Add the title track and I agree.

Oh, duh. I totally forgot about that one. Shame on me. Well, those 3 are still better than Pop. Throw in the title track, and it's at quite a higher status.

 

[digitize]

Well, it's quite possible digitize has changed things! I haven't read every single post in the Survivor threads. But I think that seeding worked pretty well last time.

Nope, I haven't changed things. My plan is four songs from the top four albums, three from the middle five, and two from the bottom four. I am considering mixing some other things up, but I need to think about it.

 

[Axver]

Nope, I haven't changed things. My plan is four songs from the top four albums, three from the middle five, and two from the bottom four. I am considering mixing some other things up, but I need to think about it.

I think that's pretty good, but I have one alteration to suggest. I just put the current seedings (assuming Pop is eliminated in this round) into the old seeding system and it produces this:

Spoiler

EIGHTIES SERIES
Boy: 3 songs to finals
October: 2
War: 3
Early 80s Quarters: 8 tracks, 4 proceed to semi
UF: 4
JT: 4
RAH: 3
Late 80s Quarter Final: 11 tracks, 4 proceed to semi
1978-81 non-album: 2 songs to semi
1982-85 non-album: 2
1987-89 non-album: 2
Eighties Semi Final: 14 tracks, 4 proceed to grand final

NINETIES SERIES
AB: 4 songs to semi
Zooropa: 4
Passengers: 2
Pop: 3
1991-97 non-album: 2
Nineties Semi Final: 15 tracks, 4 proceed to grand final

2000S SERIES
ATYCLB: 2 songs to semi
HTDAAB: 2
NLOTH: 3
2000-02 non-album: 2
2004-now non-album: 2
2000s Semi Final: 11 tracks, 4 proceed to grand final

Grand Final: 12 tracks, 1 winner

This was designed to represent the three decades evenly in the grand final, but I think the results of this current Survivor indicate there should also be some minor decade seeding. Note that songs from the 2000s albums have a considerable advantage - 11 songs competing for four places as opposed to 14-15, despite the fact the 2000s albums have done much worse than the others. So although the Survivor results indicate, for example, that Pop is much more popular than HTDAAB, it is actually easier for HTDAAB's songs to make the grand final than Pop's.

So I would suggest that the eighties and nineties, as they both have two albums in the top four, get five songs each in the grand final, while the 2000s, which has 2/3 of its albums in the bottom four, gets three songs in the grand final. This only slightly expands the grand final from 12 to 13 tracks, and one extra round will be needed for the 2000s semi, but these are actually offset by the need to run one less round in each of the eighties and nineties semis.

(The progression of songs from the eighties quarters to the semi could be similarly slightly rebalanced too, say 3 and 5 rather than 4 and 4 to recognise the stronger performance of the late eighties albums.)

 

[brooklynmike]

You gotta be kidding me... POP Kicked off the island before Zooropa?

 

[popacrobat]

Pop may be overcooked, but I'll take that over the half-baked effort that is The Unforgettable Fire--an important album, an uniquely atmospheric one. But the writing just isn't as strong.

agree, minus the half-baked part.

the highs on UF are higher than Pop, but gimme Pop on the whole.

 

[lazarus]

Other than A Sort Of Homecoming, there are at least six Pop songs I'll take over anything else on TUF.

Studio version of Bad is almost painful to listen to.

 

[popacrobat]

that's fair, but i've been doing my voting based off of whatever version of the song I like best...and for Bad, well, the live version is easily a top 5 U2 track for me. the studio version of Pride is totally awesome, too. I heard it on the radio last week, and like most of us, I'm all Prided-out from the live versions (though 360s were better than recent tours, I thought), but man, that song is awesome. Such an incredible studio take.

But yeah, Pop >> UF in my book, and I wouldn't even think twice about it.

 

[Vlaco]

Studio version of Bad is almost painful to listen to.

I think it's one of the best things they've ever done.

Opinions opinions

 

[Nick66]

Studio version of Bad is almost painful to listen to.

You really need to see someone about that.