Best Opening Track?

[elevated_u2_fan]

In honor of Lancemc’s ranking threads, I thought I would throw this one out there, sorry if it’s been done before…

Rank the First track of each album, best to worst, go!

**EDIT - This is not a Ranking of the Quality of the Song but how it works as an opener - Thanks Aygo for pointing this out!**

1. Where The Streets Have No Name
2. Zoo Station
3. Discotheque
4. Zooropa
5. I Will Follow
6. Beautifull Day
7. A Sort Of Homecoming
8. Sunday Bloody Sunday
9. Gloria
10. Vertigo
11. Helter Skelter

 

[Aygo]

The songs as openers (this rating is not a song rating):

I Will Follow: 8.6/10
Gloria: 8/10
Sunday Bloody Sunday: 5.3/10
A Sort Of Homecoming: 8/10
Where The Streets Have No Name: 9.5/10
Helter Skelter: 5.1/10 (I'm a defensor of the double disc idea)
Zoo Station: 9.4/10
Zooropa: 9.8/10
Discotheque: 9.1/10
Beautiful Day: 8.2/10
Vertigo: 5.8/10

 

[2861U2]

I agree with Aygo. This is rating of the song as an opener for the album, not of the song itself.

1) Zoo Station
2) Beautiful Day
3) Where The Streets Have No Name
4) Gloria
5) Discotheque
6) Helter Skelter
7) Vertigo
8) I Will Follow
9) Zooropa
10) A Sort Of Homecoming
11) Sunday Bloody Sunday (good song, terrible opener)

 

[Zoots]

1. Zoo Station
2. Where The Streets Have No Name
3. Discotheque
4. Zooropa
5. I Will Follow
6. Vertigo
7. Sunday Bloody Sunday
8. Gloria
9. Beautiful Day
10. A Sort Of Homecoming
11. Helter Skelter

Maybe something like that.

Mind you, that's not how I would rank the songs! Just the intros.

 

[LMP]

Streets.

And I wish Mofo was the opening track to Pop btw.

 

[Joey788]

1. Zoo Station
2. Where the Streets Have No Name
3. Zooropa
4. I Will Follow
5. Beautiful Day
6. Vertigo
7. Discotheque
8. Gloria
9. A Sort of Homecoming
10. Sunday Bloody Sunday
11. Helter Skelter

 

[gump]

1. Where the Streets Have No Name
2. A Sort of Homecoming
3. Zooropa
4. Zoo Station
5. Discotheque
6. Beautiful Day
7. I Will Follow
8. Gloria
9. Vertigo
10. Sunday Bloody Sunday
11. Helter Skelter

btw, this is a ranking as openers, not songs!

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

The songs as openers (this rating is not a song rating):

Actually, that's what I meant to say, sorry...

 

[Galeongirl]

1 ZooStation
2 Zooropa
3 Discothéque
4 Where the streets have no name
5 Sunday Bloody sunday
6 Gloria
7 I Will Follow
8 A sort of homecoming
9 Vertigo
10 Beautiful Day
11 Helter Skelter

 

[IanIinTheSky]

Helter Skelter wasn't even the opener on the Joshua Tree Tour, I don't get why it opened the album.

 

[BVS]

Streets
Zoo Station
Zooropa

amazing openers

 

[Lancemc]

I have a feeling my list is going to stick out quite a bit from the "norm".

1. Beautiful Day
2. Zoo Station
3. Where The Streets Have No Name
4. Helter Skelter
5. A Sort of Homecoming
6. Zooropa
7. Discotheque
8. Sunday Bloody Sunday
9. Gloria
10. I Will Follow
11. Vertigo

 

[Aygo]

Actually, that's what I meant to say, sorry...

No, that's okay. In my post, that was just the way I wanted to rate it...

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

Helter Skelter wasn't even the opener on the Joshua Tree Tour, I don't get why it opened the album.

Cus Charles Mason stole it from the Beatles of course...

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

01. Where The Streets Have No Name
02. Zoo Station
03. Beautiful Day
04. I Will Follow
05. Vertigo
06. Discothèque
07. Sunday Bloody Sunday
08. Gloria
09. Zooropa
10. Helter Skelter
11. A Sort Of A Homecoming

 

[phanan]

1. Streets
2. Zooropa
3. Zoo Station
4. I Will Follow
5. A Sort Of Homecoming
6. Gloria
7. Discotheque
8. Beautiful Day
9. Sunday Bloody Sunday
10. Vertigo
11. Helter Skelter

 

[Zoots]

I think A Sort Of Homecoming is a better closer than opener.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

Possibly, I don't mind it as an opener, besides on that album at least, MLK was the definate closer...

 

[Galeongirl]

I think A Sort Of Homecoming is a better closer than opener.

agreed, the song is more... slow to me, not exactly uplifting and exciting as most songs to open with are..
I think it would have been better in the middle, or right before MLK...

I also didn't think Beautiful Day is such a good opener for ATYCLB, because it's a standout track in the first listen... same with Vertigo.... it's wham, in your face... it made me listen less closely to the rest of the songs, those I get to listen to more now... and I like them, but in the beginning, I did not pay enough attention to them.... it's good to have something to catch your attention in the beginning, but it shouldn't be too much, IMO these two were just a bit too much...

 

[AtomicBono]

1. Where the Streets Have No Name
2. Zooropa
3. Zoo Station
4. United Colours
5. Discotheque
6. Beautiful Day
7. Vertigo
8. A Sort of Homecoming
9. I Will Follow
10. Sunday Bloody Sunday
11. Gloria
12. Helter Skelter

I have to say, U2 are very good at opening an album! The first four stand out as establising the moods for their respective albums, but really all their opening tracks are great, with perhaps the exception of Helter Skelter. But even that's not bad.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

I also didn't think Beautiful Day is such a good opener for ATYCLB, because it's a standout track in the first listen... same with Vertigo.... it's wham, in your face... it made me listen less closely to the rest of the songs, those I get to listen to more now... and I like them, but in the beginning, I did not pay enough attention to them.... it's good to have something to catch your attention in the beginning, but it shouldn't be too much, IMO these two were just a bit too much...

I agree

Hmm... for HTDAAB I would say COBL is the better opener, but since it's similar to WTSHNN (IMO) it would have been kind of like JT part 2.

ATYCLB is a little tougher, Elevation as the first track maybe, that album is hard for openers...

 

[Aygo]

I agree

Hmm... for HTDAAB I would say COBL is the better opener, but since it's similar to WTSHNN (IMO) it would have been kind of like JT part 2.

ATYCLB is a little tougher, Elevation as the first track maybe, that album is hard for openers...

 

[Aygo]

There are songs that work great as openers but as closers too and vice-versa. That all will depend on how the tracklist is structured and the content of the album.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

There are songs that work great as openers but as closers too and vice-versa. That all will depend on how the tracklist is structured and the content of the album.

Anyone want to start a "Best Closing Track" thread?

 

[LemonMelon]

1. Zooropa
2. Gloria
3. Zoo Station
4. Beautiful Day
5. A Sort Of Homecoming
6. Vertigo
7. Discotheque
8. Sunday Bloody Sunday
9. Where The Streets Have No Name
10. Helter Skelter
11. I Will Follow

All of these are pretty great. Streets is lower because it's better live, and I'm not a big I Will Follow fan.

 

[redhotswami]

I also didn't think Beautiful Day is such a good opener for ATYCLB, because it's a standout track in the first listen... same with Vertigo.... it's wham, in your face... it made me listen less closely to the rest of the songs, those I get to listen to more now... and I like them, but in the beginning, I did not pay enough attention to them.... it's good to have something to catch your attention in the beginning, but it shouldn't be too much, IMO these two were just a bit too much...

hmm, I agree with this point. However the reason why I think Beautiful Day is such a great opener is because I think it is the perfect response to Wake Up Dead Man. Bridging these songs together creates a sense of transition, a progression toward something better. I do like other openers, however, I think the connection between these two songs is perhaps unique to any other bridge between CDs. I don't know if it was intended this way, but thats my take on it.

 

[LyricalDrug]

UNO! DOS! TRES! QUATORZE!

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

I think A Sort Of Homecoming is a better closer than opener.

Come to think of it, Unforgettable Fire would have been a pretty good opener...

 

[djerdap]

1. Where the Streets Have No Name
2. Zooropa
3. Discotheque
4. Zoo Station
5. Sunday Bloody Sunday
6. A Sort of Homecoming
7. Gloria
8. Vertigo
9. I Will Follow
10.Beautiful Day
11.Helter Skelter

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

I see the general consensus is that Helter Skelter was a poor choice for opener on R&H, I'm wondering what a suitable replacement would be...

I have two options:

Desire - Hit the ground running (a la Vertigo)

Hawkmoon 269 - the slow build up (a la Zooropa)