boy vs. war

[U2Man]

lets take these two albums song by song and compare. should be interesting. whats the better the album?

 

[Chizip]

boy

 

[U2Man]

thats correct.

 

[Chizip]

what do i win??

 

[U2Man]

you would have got an A if you had backed up your opinion with some firm arguments.

 

[JCOSTER]

I like Boy better.

 

[vaz02]

Both are fantastic albums.

 

[Chizip]

such as a song by song comparison which is extremely lame and pretty much the worst way to compare albums?

 

[love_u2_adam]

war

 

[U2Man]

such as a song by song comparison which is extremely lame and pretty much the worst way to compare albums?

you should do what the teacher tells you.

 

[BVS]

Although War has two of U2's classics, one of their classic closers, and a never talked about fave of mine 'Like a Song', the album as a whole is their most dated sounding album to date.

Boy wins easily.

 

[Lancemc]

Boy's much better. War's U2's second worst album in my opinion. It's very overrated on this forum. So now I'm going to rank and compare, because I'm a good student.

1. The Electric Co. vs. New Years Day
- The Electric Co. (This could be very difficult, but The Vertigo Tour made this one a no-brainer)
2. Out of Control vs. Sunday Bloody Sunday
- Sunday Bloody Sunday (Hardest one here, both are amazing rockers, but SBS's got the legacy + a killer Rattle and Hum performance)
3. I Will Follow vs. Surrender
- I Will Follow
4. An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart vs. Seconds
- An Cat Dubh
5. Another Time, Another Place vs. 40
- 40
6. A Day Without Me vs. Two Hearts Beat As One
- Two Hearts Beat As One
7. Shadows And Tall Trees vs. Drowning Man
- Shadows And Tall Trees
8. The Ocean vs. Red Light
- The Ocean
9. Stories For Boys vs. Like A Song
- Like A Song
10. Twilight vs. The Refugee
- Twilight

Boy=6
War=4

 

[U2Man]

you get an a+ again.

 

[Lancemc]

I think an October vs. War would be a more reasonable comparison...probably because they both rest firmly at the bottom of my U2 album rankings. Comparing them song by song I'm honestly not sure how things would turn out.

 

[Zoots]

such as a song by song comparison which is extremely lame and pretty much the worst way to compare albums?

 

[Sicy]

arguments.

You enjoy starting threads that produce arguments dont you?

There's a name for that... its in the FAQs

 

[U2Man]

check your email.

 

[Zoots]

check your email.

I saw your messages. Still haven't had a chance to listen.

 

[skott100]

War had the bigger impact, but song-for-song, Boy is the better album. If for no other reason than Boy doesn't have "Red Light" on it.

Still, War will always be special to me because it was the first U2 record I ever heard.

 

[U2Kitten]

This is a very interesting comparison. For years, War was my favorite album. (it was my first, and my first love) But looking back now, I think Boy probably has more good songs on it, and is better to listen to all the way through. War has two classics that will live forever, something Boy doesn't have, but it also has some real clunkers. Both albums have a lot of youthful energy, something I miss from the band, and I know they can never get it back.

 

[coolian2]

Boy is significantly better than War.


Apart from a few good songs, i find War weak.

Boy works from start to finish.

 

[Chizip]

btw we already had this thread and you posted in it u2man

http://forum.interference.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=136108

repeat topics

 

[U2Man]

but thats an old thread

 

[J_NP]

U2man is addicted in

VS. threads

 

[U2Man]

its not like i am making a thread comparing all albums at once

 

[J_NP]

Should I save u time and start a

Rattle and Hum VS Zooropa thread ?

 

[U2Man]

I agree that Sunday Bloody Sunday and Drowning Man are boring as hell... although I do like SBS as a well written song.

 

[Axver]

1. I Will Follow vs Sunday Bloody Sunday
Tough choice, as I think both are over-rated. SBS wins for better drumming and better lyrics.

2. Twilight vs Seconds
Twilight is a forgotten classic, one of U2's best early songs.

3. An Cat Dubh vs New Year's Day
NYD is the best track from either of these two albums.

4. Into The Heart vs Like A Song ...
Damn, Like A Song is a powerful track; I wish Larry still drummed as strongly and aggressively as he does here!

5. Out Of Control vs Drowning Man
Drowning Man is such a beautiful, sincere track.

6. Stories For Boys vs The Refugee
This was almost a tie. SFB doesn't stand out to me and Refugee isn't as bad as some say it is.

7. The Ocean vs Two Hearts Beat As One
Tie. Neither track is notable at all. Neither deserves to win this match-up.

8. A Day Without Me vs Red Light
No fucking contest.

9. Another Time, Another Place vs Surrender
I've never taken much of an interest in ATAP for whatever reason, while Surrender is a strong song.

10. The Electric Co. vs 40
Yeah, 40's a nice little closer, but The Electric Co. is such a monster of a song, it owns almost everything here.

And Shadows And Tall Trees wins #11 by default.

That really surprised me, as I expected Boy to run away with this. Boy is definitely the stronger album as a complete experience, while War has some good songs but lacks the overall cohesion. I'm sure if I did what Lancemc did with the rankings, Boy would come out with a clearer win, but U2Man expelled me from his class so I can't be bothered.

 

[Aygo]

Boy.

 

[Zoots]

Listen, the best way to appreciate War is to listen to it straight through. As a complete album, from start to finish, it's a masterpiece. If you think about the themes in each song & the strength of the music, and then look at the progression of the whole album. You start off with the fierce energy & rage of war: SBS, Seconds, NYD----and progress to the realization of how dumb war is, with Surrender & 40. An amazingly thoughtful & well put-together album for a young band and, in my opinion, the first album on which they truly hone their musical and lyrical skills.

You're absolutely right. I'm listening to it right now. Every song is gold... every song! And the album does flow very well. While the gorgeous Drowning Man shimmies it's way to end Side A, the soft and other-worldly 40 ends the album. Every song is pretty much a different interpretation of war, be it violence, unrest, nuclear threat, rebellion or suicide. 40 is the finale... the prayer to end all suffering.



edit: Yes... and come to think of it.. I love Drowning Man.