Comparing The Joshua Tree with How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, track by track

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

the tourist

Blue Crack Addict
Joined
Dec 25, 2003
Messages
27,919
Going track by track, which song is stronger? Well, we shall see my opinions shortly! :) I was inspired by a post in reply to the U2zine guy who called How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb a crap album.

1. Where The Streets Have No Name -- much more memorable than Vertigo; the part of a concert where God walks into the room.

2. Miracle Drug -- I've never really fully understood I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, I guess, and Miracle Drug is very rocking and driving.

3. With Or Without You -- one of my favourite songs ever and Bono's voice is amazing on the studio recording!

4. Bullet The Blue Sky -- this one was a little tougher seeing as Love And Peace Or Else is my favourite song off How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, but Bullet The Blue Sky, when it is played live, is my favourite U2 song in general with The Edge's solos and Bono's politicking.

5. Running To Stand Still -- the words to this song are just flat out amazing and it's one of those songs that, to me, defines U2 and driving in the desert with cliffs all around to find a small town where people wear bandanas around their necks and cowboy hats.

6. All Because Of You -- Red Hill Mining town hasn't been a favourite of mine since the first time I heard it, so I must be biased here. Maybe it's the classic rock feel of All Because Of You? Or Bono's little scream? :)

7. In God's Country -- Those muted 16th notes are what I miss about 80's U2 the most! They added so much and this is one of those songs.

8. Crumbs From Your Table -- I have never taken Trip Though Your Wires seriously; I think it's the harmonica and how it sounds like it should be in the movie Back To The Future 3? Crumbs is a great song despite all the negativity I've heard surrounding it on here!

9. One Tree Hill -- One Step Closer is a very good song, but One Tree Hill is most definitely stronger.

10. This one is the difficult one.... Because Original Of The Species is so darn catchy and Exit is so darn dark! I didn't want to do this, but I think it turns out to be a draw. *sighs* Both are very strong songs.

11. Mothers Of The Disappeared -- the haunting overtones of this song and the pain in Bono's voice capture something Yahweh just couldn't do for me.

So that gives The Joshua Tree 8 and How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb 4. But I give How To.... an extra point for Fast Cars! So 5. :wink:

Opinions? Arguments?
 
I still Havnt found what im looking for beaten by MD.....i find that difficult to gasp..here is min

streets
I still havnt found
with or without u
bullet
running
ABOY
In gods country
Crumbs
One Tree Hill
OOTS
Mothers (almost on par with Yahweh in my books)

geez..thats a bloody good album huh
 
Hola amigos :wave:

1- Where The Streets Have No Name
2- I Still Haven´t Found
3- With Or Without You
4- Bullet The Blue Sky
5- Running To Stand Still
6- Red Hill Minning Town
7- In God´s Country
8- Crumbs For Your Table
9- One Tree Hill
10- Exit
11- Mothers Of The Dissapeared

Bonus Track ( Between Silver & Gold and Fast Cars ): Silver and Gold

bye :wave:
 
Streets
Miracle Drug
WOWY
LAPOE
RTSS
ABOY
AMAAW
Trip (Crumbs bugs me...)
Push (I love both of these songs ... cant decide.....)
OOTS (I just saw the dvd of the brooklyn bridge show - this song is amazing)
Push (I like and dislike both equally)


JT = 4
HTDAAB = 5
Push = 2

Just the fact we are having this conversation tells a lot about this new disk.
 
How about this: Track by track with JT, AB, & HTDAAB


1. Streets
2. Push (EBTTRT & MD - both in my top 5 all time)
3. Push (One & WOWY)
4. LAPOE (many will disagree....)
5. Running to Stand Still
6. ABOY
7. The Fly (no contest here....)
8. Mysterious Ways (no contest)
9. Push (all three are freakin brilliant)
10.OOTS
11.Push (MOTD & Yahweh)
12.Love is Blindness (fast cars is cool - LIB will change your world...)


Each album wins two outright. I don't count #12 cause its an extra track.

Right now if I had to choose one to listen to it would be HTDAAB, but long term AB will probably remain my favorite ever.
 
I don't know - but if anyone would like to turn this into an indepth essay comparing the two albums - please email me.
 
I have no problems with your opinions, Tourist, but you have to be fair - often you wrote "this one is better in concert". Well, have we heard all of HTDAAB's songs in concert? Have we heard then in concert for the past 17 years? We've had a long time to get used to JT and hearing those songs live.

As such, I refuse to compare the two albums - especially if "live performance" is the clincher between choosing which is better as it's just not fair to HTDAAB.
 
Where The Streets Have No Name
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
With Or Without You
Bullet The Blue Sky
Running To Stand Still
-All Because Of You
In God's Country
-Crumbs From Your Table
One Tree Hill
Exit
Mothers Of The Disappeared

JT 9 HTDAAB 2
 
1. Streets
2. Miracle Drug
3. SYCMIOYO
4. Bullet
5. City of Blinding Lights
6. Red Hill Mining Town
7. In God's Country
8. Crumbs
9. One Tree Hill
10. Exit
11. Mothers of the Disappeared

That was hard! But fun to do. :)
 
1. Streets
2. Miracle Drug
3. Sometimes
4. Love and Peace
5. Running To Stand Still
6. Red Hill Mining Town
7. A Man And A Woman
8. Crumbs From Your Table
9. One Tree Hill
10. Original Of The Species
11. Yahweh
 
ponkine said:
Hola amigos :wave:

1- Where The Streets Have No Name
2- I Still Haven´t Found
3- With Or Without You
4- Bullet The Blue Sky
5- Running To Stand Still
6- Red Hill Minning Town
7- In God´s Country
8- Crumbs For Your Table
9- One Tree Hill
10- Exit
11- Mothers Of The Dissapeared

Bonus Track ( Between Silver & Gold and Fast Cars ): Silver and Gold

bye :wave:

Ah, I agree, JT is incomparable to HTDAAB although I love it, what can ya do?
 
Where the Streets Have No Name
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
With or Without You
Bullet the Blue Sky
City of Blinding Lights
Red Hill Mining Town
In God's County
Crumbs From Your Table
One Tree Hill
Original of the Species
Mothers of the Disappeared

Joshua Tree - 8; Hot Tub - 3 (plus FAST CARS :dance: )
 
Tough one,,,

I would only change Mothers of the dissapeared with Yahweh
 
yimou said:
Tough one,,,

I would only change Mothers of the dissapeared with Yahweh

It's too hard for new songs to replace your old favorite's ya know even how much you like them..............
 
WTSHNN
Still Haven't Found (tough call)
Sometimes (again, very tough to decide, it just edges out WOWY)
LAPOE
Running To Stand Still
All Because Of You
In God's Country
Crumbs From Your Table
One Tree Hill
Original Of The Species
Mothers Of The Dissappeared

JT:6
Atomic Bomb:5


What strikes me about this comparison is how close each match-up is, most songs for me that I chose were only marginally ahead.
 
doctorwho said:
I have no problems with your opinions, Tourist, but you have to be fair - often you wrote "this one is better in concert". Well, have we heard all of HTDAAB's songs in concert? Have we heard then in concert for the past 17 years? We've had a long time to get used to JT and hearing those songs live.

As such, I refuse to compare the two albums - especially if "live performance" is the clincher between choosing which is better as it's just not fair to HTDAAB.


Live performances shouldn't come into it, since its the albums being compared, not their live renditions, IMO.
 
doctorwho said:
I have no problems with your opinions, Tourist, but you have to be fair - often you wrote "this one is better in concert". Well, have we heard all of HTDAAB's songs in concert? Have we heard then in concert for the past 17 years? We've had a long time to get used to JT and hearing those songs live.

As such, I refuse to compare the two albums - especially if "live performance" is the clincher between choosing which is better as it's just not fair to HTDAAB.

The only one I talked about winning because of its live strength is Bullet The Blue Sky and like I said, it was tough because Love and Peace is my favourite off How to.... The only other one I mentioned anything about is Where The Streets Have No Name, which I think beats Vertigo either way (because we have heard Vertigo live). *shrugs*
 
the tourist said:


The only one I talked about winning because of its live strength is Bullet The Blue Sky and like I said, it was tough because Love and Peace is my favourite off How to.... The only other one I mentioned anything about is Where The Streets Have No Name, which I think beats Vertigo either way (because we have heard Vertigo live). *shrugs*

While "Streets" may indeed be the better song anyway, once again, we haven't had 17 years of hearing "Vertigo" live as we've had with "Streets".

I don't mean to "pick" on you, it's just that I'm not a fan of these album comparisons as one album has been with us for almost 2 decades, while the other has been with us for less than 2 months!! So comparing the two is really not fair to either (IMO).
 
Streets
Miracle Drug (close one)
With or Without You (close one)
Bullet the Blue Sky (If only for the lyrics..)
City of Blinding Lights (REALLY tough choice)
Red Hill Mining Town
In God's Country
Crumbs From Your Table
One Tree Hill
Exit
Mothers of the Dissappeared

So, let's count 'em up, shall we?

The Joshua Tree: 8
HTDAAB: 3

..Damn...thought HTDAAB'd do a lot better than that. Oh well. Since the Joshua Tree's my favorite album, I guess it's to be expected. :wink:
 
Last edited:
1. Streets/Vertigo - tie. Streets has got its heavenly opening, but the rest of the song doesn't quite live up to it IMO.
2. Miracle Drug
3. Sometimes... (WOWY is a classic, but it's such a U2 institution by this point that it just doesn't mean much to me)
4. Love Peace or Else (Bullet is rather flat on the album compared to live version)
5. Running to Stand Still
6. All Because of You
7. In God's Country
8. Crumbs
9. One Tree Hill
10. Original of the Species
11. Mothers of the Disappeared
 
Why does everybody get so offended when someone states an opinion? Seriously. :huh:
 
I guess U2 fans who like all U2's music and try to have a little fun with a comparison are putting themselves on the line to get their throats cut by other U2 fans. And that's pretty messed up. :(
 
Where The Streets Have No Name (by a long shot...)
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (not even close...)
WOWY (by a long shot...)
Bullet The Blue Sky (pretty close...)
Running To Stand Still (close, but the lyrics decide it...)
Red Hill Mining Town (closest one...)
In God's Country (by a very long way...)
Crumbs From Your Table (never liked Trip...)
One Tree Hill
Exit
Mothers of the Disappeared (Yahweh is too clumsy and crowded...)

JT will always win, it's got the classics that have helped to shape people's lives. At least until you give HTDAAB a good 17-18 years, lol.
 
this is impossible considering we've had over 15 years to absorb JT, while 2 months of HTDAAB.
 
Here's mine:
1. WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO NAME / Vertigo
2. I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR / Miracle Drug
3. With Or Without You / SOMETIMES YOU CAN'T MAKE IT ON YOUR OWN (close)
4. Bullet The Blue Sky / LOVE AND PEACE OR ELSE (closer)
5. Running To Stand Still / City Of Blinding Lights (closest, can't decide!)
6. Red Hill Mining Town / ALL BECAUSE OF YOU
7. IN GOD'S COUNTRY / A Man And A Woman
8. TRIP THROUGH YOUR WIRES / Crumbs From Your Table
9. ONE TREE HILL / One Step Closer
10. EXIT / Original Of The Species
11. MOTHERS OF THE DISAPPEARED / Yahweh

JT: 7
HTDAAB: 3
TIE: 1
 
1. WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO NAME.....easily
2. MIRACLE DRUG..............glad to see this got many votes!
3. SOMETIMES YOU CAN'T MAKE IT ON YOUR OWN.......no contest!
4. BULLET THE BLUE SKY............very close
5. CITY OF BLINDING LIGHTS...........easily
6. RED HILL MINING TOWN..........easily
7. IN GOD'S COUNTRY........the most one sided affair
8. this is a tie........
9. ONE TREE HILL.......not so close....
10. OOTS............easily
11. YAHWEH......tough one

wow that actually backs my belief that these two albums cannot be separated!

JT-5
HTDAAB-5
tie-1
 
I don't like much o understand this kind of things but I'm doing it cause I think this one wuld be one hell of a cd that I would like to burn. :)

1. Where The Streets Have No Name
2. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
3. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
4. Bullet The Blue Sky
5. City Of Blinding Lights
6. All Because Of You
7. In God's Country
8. Trip Through Your Wires
9. One Tree Hill
10. Original Of The Species
11. Yahweh

To choose between Bullet The Blue Sky and Love And Peace Or Else was really difficult. I'm choosing Bullet because I love the live version, the lyrics and the riff but I never liked the studio version much and I love LAPOE on the studio but I haven't heard it live yet. So it could have been LAPOE here too, I don't know. :huh: Choosing between Trip Through Your Wires and Crumbs From Your Table was not easy either. I love them both, it could have been any of them but I chose TTYW cause it matches IGC more and it's less serious which I think it's necessary at that point of the album. Yahweh and Mother's Of The Disappeared was a hard one too, but I think opening an album with heaven and ending it with God is pretty cool. :wink:
 
1. Where the Streets Have No Name
2. Miracle Drug
3. With or Without You
4. Bullet the Blue Sky - I think the reason why some say Bullet is flat is not a fault of the song but of the recording quality. If they remastered Buller I think it would be even more incredible. Bullet to me has been one of U2's top 5 songs while Love and Peace or Else I feel will fail the test of time though it is one of my favourite tracks from the new album, in fact I wish more of the album sounded like it.
5. City of Blinding Lights - I always felt like they restrained Running to Stand still too much. COBL just has so much energy and it keeps hitting a higher level with every second.
6. Red Hill Mining Town - The desperation in Bono's voice is just so sincere and beautiful, it captures the mood of the song brilliantly.
7. In God's Country
8. Crumbs from Your Table - I love Trip Through Your Wires for personal reasons but I always felt it was U2 trying to be something they weren't. I think Crumbs could use a better mix with better sound quality. The distorted harmonica at first made me think my cd was scratched. "With a mouth full of teeth you ate all your friends/ And you broke every heart thinking every heart mends" great lines, very Achtung.
9. One Tree Hill - Love the distorted guitar that starts at 4:18
10. Exit - Still sends chills up my spine
11. Tie
 
Back
Top Bottom