htdaab track rating.......

[rjhbonovox]

...after listening for over a month now here is a rating of the songs -

The Great Songs(could be classics only time will tell) -10/10
Love and Peace Or Else - about as adventurous as the album gets and a great song, Edge plays a blinder towards the end.
Original Of The Species - infectious and catchy, will make a great single, lovely synths apparently not strings, so Bono said on Radio 2.

The Very Good Songs - 9/10
One Step Closer - love the way Bono sings this one and a lovely Edge guitar in the middle.
Sometimes You Can't Make It - this song has grown on me a lot
Vertigo - after the bloody Radio stops playing it every minute this song will be back up there, still think this is a great tune.

The Good Songs - 8/10
Yahweh - great ending to the album.
Fast Cars - had this been xanax and wine instead it would been a 9/10.

The Average Songs - 7/10
A Man and a Woman - ok song but done better on songs like 'In a Little While' and 'Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around', and 'Playboy Mansion'.
Miracle Drug - its got a good guitar break in the middle but this song suffers from being to near sounding like 'Beautiful Day' which is a far better track.
City Of Blinding Lights - a piss poor mix ruins this for me, otherwise has a great intro.
All Because Of You - they should have kept a lot of the original recording(the different Bono vocal, and drum rythym) then this song would have been better and sound different, but this just sounds like it's been done before.

The Below Average - 6/10
Crumbs From Your Table - worse song on the album, too similar to 'Walk On' but nowhere near as good.

Well fire your insults away, I know I will be hung from the rafters for my opinions.

 

[Axver]

COBL and Crumbs are worth a freakin' 20 and you know it.

 

[malhithearnaz]

Umm sorry...at first I thought at last I found someone with my tastes (in terms of the 9/10 and 10/10 songs), but...here goes...
All Because Of You has the one of the best Edge guitars ever. Its an awesome song with great vocals, lyrics and drums. Its what a rock song should be. Its got swagger, just like LAPOE. Sorry...10/10 .
Also, Crumbs should be 9/10. You will agree in a few weeks.
Yahweh should be 9/10 too.
Also, Are You Gonna Wait Forever? should have been on the album coz it gets 11/10 in my ratings. I have not heard any other song as much as this one. Its one for the ages. Again great drums and some good vocals. But Edge just blew me away on that one. Amazing! I'm still scratching my head on why everybody seems to like Mercy so much. It's not even in the same class as AYGWF?. But then, I also love Elvis Presley and America...so go figure.
Yeah, but like you said rjhbonovox, we'll only know the classics in 2 years.

 

[jojoline]

Crumbs kicks ass.

 

[Aardvark747]

I still cant hear the similarity between CFYT and Walk On. Maybe I should try to listen harder!

 

[U2_Guy]

Excellent song:

Miracle Drug (i believe it will be a classic, and IMO it's much better than BD)

Great songs:

Love and peace or else (like you said, about as adventurous as the album gets , nice song)
Yahweh (great emotional ending)

Very good songs:

All because of you (great guitar, great lines)
One Step Closer (yes, this song has grown on me)
Fast cars (U2 making world music without sounding like Paul Simon)

Good song:

Vertigo
SYCMIOYO

Average songs:

A man and a woman
City of blinding lights

Below average:

Crumbs from your table (a bad song that mixes ISHFWILF/Walk On/Electrical Storm only to sound like shit. The receipt went wrong on this one)
Original of the species (terrible song. Horrible. Makes me wanna puke. Bad bad bad bad vocals by Bono. Feels like he's constipated on the last chorus. Few verses, too many chorus. Corny synth sounds. Too much radio friendly in a bad way)

 

[Numb1075]

Vertigo - 9 wonderful, adrenaline pumper

MD - 8 - excellent mid-tempo song

SYCMIOYO - 9 - wonderful ballad, just short of "One"

LAPoE - 8 - very experimental, cheers for Zepplin influence, loses a bit for the drawn out beginning

COBL - 8 - I'm not thrilled with the production. Larry's doing some wonderful stuff and lots of it is missed, sounds too low.

ABOY - 9 - love The Who flavor here. great song to do anything to.

AMAAW - 8 - certainly a grower for those who aren't obsessed with U2, but a very strong track

CFYT - 8 - another grower, will sound brilliant live - that's where it's "Legs" are

OSC - 8 wonderful, calm song - sometimes less says more

OOTS - 8 song just builds and it's to damn catchy !

Yahweh - 8 instant likability. Another song that I think could be better if Larry was turned up a bit.

Fast Cars - 9 Whoah. From out of left field. Instantly accessable.

So, in short, in my humble opinion, not a bad song on there. They're all wonderful. I reserve 10s for the select few - One, Gloria, The Fly, Bad, HMTMKMKM, BD etc

 

[Yahweh]

Vertigo - 9 Strong first single albeit a bit misleading to whats coming on the album, but I was sort of expecting that myself.

Miracle Drug - 9 Has a great melody and insterments, only U2 could take a serious topic like somebody being paralized and make it sound good.

Sometimes You Cant Make It On Your Own - 10 My favourite song on the album, brings out the pure emotion in Bono that everybody loves

Love and Peace Or Else - 9 Excellent guitar love the political message in this one, and gets marks for being experimental

City Of Blinding Lights - 9 Could be the best live song on the album, very "Bad" or "Streets" esque live I can see

All Because Of You - 8 Solid rock song and a very good choice for a second single, catchy

A Man And A Woman - 8 Very catchy hook to this song gets a very unfair bad rap here

Crumbs From Your Table - 8 Another political track very powerful message and for my money good instermentation as well

One Step Closer - 8 Like a fine wine gets better and better with each listen, and has a very deep message for those willing to see it

Original Of The Species - 10 Another amazing ballad and it shows the confidence the band has to put a classic like this as track 10

Yahweh - 9 Best closing song U2 has had on an album in years since Love Is Blindness

Fast Cars - 8 As a bonus track this is an excellent track only thing that bothers me is its placement on the album certainly should be in the middle of the CD and not at the end

 

[ADecentMelody]

...after listening for over a month now here is a rating of the songs -

The Good Songs - 8/10

Fast Cars - had this been xanax and wine instead it would been a 9/10.
...
The Below Average - 6/10
Crumbs From Your Table - worse song on the album, too similar to 'Walk On' but nowhere near as good.

Well fire your insults away, I know I will be hung from the rafters for my opinions.

I do like the I know that you've been good to me...now I need you not to be bit from Xanax and Wine. I wish they would have kept that (or at least that melody).

I do disagree with Crumbs. I really like this great song. I think the meaning helps bring this to second-favorite status in my book. I also like how The Edge's guitar comes in during the choruses. OotS is still my fave after a month.

It's a fair analysis after a month's worth of listening. I'd be very curious to hear your take after another month or so.

 

[joaoricardo]

"Miracle Drug - its got a good guitar break in the middle but this song suffers from being to near sounding like 'Beautiful Day' which is a far better track."

what?????????????????
you really need help, one more like that not even we can help you, maybe it's too late, ihope you get better

 

[rjhbonovox]

"Miracle Drug - its got a good guitar break in the middle but this song suffers from being to near sounding like 'Beautiful Day' which is a far better track."

what?????????????????
you really need help, one more like that not even we can help you, maybe it's too late, ihope you get better

The reason I say Beautiful Day is a far better track is that Miracle Drug suffers from sounding way too much like it. Now if Miracle Drug had been around first I may be saying that MD was the better track, I'm not saying its a crap song just too much alike. Its got the coke riff in there, seems like there in love with the coke riff again.

 

[Matthew_Page2000]

Good thread rjhbonovox.

Vertigo- 9. Incredibly catchy but doesn't wear out it's welcome like most catchy songs. Plus it rocks. Bono sounds good here but it's Larry, Adam and especially Edge who really shine.

Miracle Drug- 9.5 Wow, this one is growing on me. Classic U2. Should rock live.

Sometimes- 10. It's been a month and I still think it's comparable to One quality wise. Will probably bomb on U.S. radio because we're all idiots.

Love and Peace or Else- 8. One of my favorites at first but now I skip it occasionally. What is the sense in making a somewhat experimental song?? You might as well go all out. Avoids the excesses of Pop but fails to try as much as that album did. Hampered by mediocre production. I wish they had let Flood really go to town on the intro. I still think it will come to life live and might even rise to classic status. Heck, Bad and 40 didn't really come to life until played in concert.

City of Blinding Lights- 9.5. Aaarghh... Almost. Almost a 10. The intro is too 80's for me. A little too tame. The verses are strong and the chorus is brilliant. I love Bono dropping the words between Larry's drumstrokes. "All" Boom "You" Boom "Look" Boom "So beautiful..." Great stuff. And great work Larry.

All Because of You- 9. One of U2's hardest rocking songs...ever. A great scream from Bono. Edge goes off on this song.

A Man and a Woman- 9. This one is really growing on me. Great work from Adam. I love Bono's singing on this track. U2 have made several attempts at Motown over the years. This is the first successful attempt.

Crumbs- 8.5. This grade is incomplete. Did nothing for me at first. I thought it was U2 by the numbers. Now it's really growing on me. I love the Bono verse about sister anne and dignity passing by. Not as preachy as Peace on Earth.
One more thing: Crumbs is a ROCK song. There I said it. This is rock, not pop or soul or adult contemporary. It will ROCK live.

One Step Closer- 9. One of Bono's best vocals. This is a successful attempt at the same sonic territory as Grace. Grace wasn't dynamic. OSC is. It's also a great lyric from Bono.
More strong work from Adam. Simple but melodic.

Original of the Species- 9. A tremendous song and a great performance by Bono is marred by overproduction. Similarly to COBL there's a 10 song in here waiting to get out.

Yahweh- 8. The weakest track on the album. It's works a little bit better than LAPOE but is less daring. i like the polyester white trash/made in nowhere line. The chorus is catchy as hell if a little repetitive. If the worst song on the album is this good it means you've got a tremendous album.

Fast Cars- 9. I love this one. I love the ZooTv/Pop lyrics. I love the broken way Bono sings "you should worry when the pain it goes away/you know I miss mine sometimes."

Where does it sit in the U2 catalogue? Too soon to say. Top five for sure.

Any complaints? YES. The production buried the drums too much. Larry sounds muffled and that is never a good thing.
This will be rectified live I assure you.

 

[Numb1075]

matthew page 2000 - I thought I was the only one who thought that Larry's drumming throughout the album sounds muted & distant.

"Turn Larry up loud, Captain"

 

[Dr_Macphisto]

I cringe every time Bono says "I want a lot of what you got, and I want nothing that you're not" and "I'll give you everything you want, except the thing that you want"

Y'all can try and persuade me with reasoning to his lyrics, but that still won't change that fact that they ruin the whole experience for me

 

[Dr_Macphisto]

I love Bono dropping the words between Larry's drumstrokes. "All" Boom "You" Boom "Look" Boom "So beautiful..." Great stuff. And great work Larry.

He's just keeping a standard beat though... you should say "great work Bono" for deciding to sing his lyrics on beats 1 and 3 against Larry's drums

 

[rjhbonovox]

matthew page 2000 - I thought I was the only one who thought that Larry's drumming throughout the album sounds muted & distant.

"Turn Larry up loud, Captain"

Larry's drumming has gone downhill since 1997. He used to have something special but now is sounding like every other drummer on the planet. Where are the rythyms he was making through the 90's and also in 80's as well. It seems these days its just pretty simple drum patterns.

 

[U2DMfan]

Vertigo-7.5
Miracle Drug-8.0
Sometimes-8.5
LoveAPOE-8.0
CityOBL-7.5
AllBecauseOfYou-9.0
AManAndAWoman-7.0
Crumbs-9.0
One Step Closer-7.0
OriginalOOTS-8.0
Yahweh-8.0

total 87.5

Beautiful Day-8.0
Stuck-6.5
Elevation-6.5
Walk On-8.0
Kite 7.5
IALW-6.0
Wild Honey-7.0
Peace OE-7.0
New York-7.0
WILATW-7.5
Grace-5.0

total 76.0

I'm just happy it was better than the last one.

 

[rjhbonovox]

...after listening for over a month now here is a rating of the songs -

The Great Songs(could be classics only time will tell) -10/10
Love and Peace Or Else - about as adventurous as the album gets and a great song, Edge plays a blinder towards the end.
Original Of The Species - infectious and catchy, will make a great single, lovely synths apparently not strings, so Bono said on Radio 2.

The Very Good Songs - 9/10
One Step Closer - love the way Bono sings this one and a lovely Edge guitar in the middle.
Sometimes You Can't Make It - this song has grown on me a lot
Vertigo - after the bloody Radio stops playing it every minute this song will be back up there, still think this is a great tune.

The Good Songs - 8/10
Yahweh - great ending to the album.
Fast Cars - had this been xanax and wine instead it would been a 9/10.

The Average Songs - 7/10
A Man and a Woman - ok song but done better on songs like 'In a Little While' and 'Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around', and 'Playboy Mansion'.
Miracle Drug - its got a good guitar break in the middle but this song suffers from being to near sounding like 'Beautiful Day' which is a far better track.
City Of Blinding Lights - a piss poor mix ruins this for me, otherwise has a great intro.
All Because Of You - they should have kept a lot of the original recording(the different Bono vocal, and drum rythym) then this song would have been better and sound different, but this just sounds like it's been done before.

The Below Average - 6/10
Crumbs From Your Table - worse song on the album, too similar to 'Walk On' but nowhere near as good.

Well fire your insults away, I know I will be hung from the rafters for my opinions.

Just to compare this to other album ratings that I did recently, this album totalled an average score of 8.1 and the other albums on a similar track rating system were -

Achtung Baby - 9.8
Pop - 9.4
Joshua Tree - 9.3
Zooropa - 9.2
ATYCLB - 8.2
UF - 8.1

For anyone whose interested.

 

[whasjoewahn]

I am! Can you please give me your ´Pop track rating´...

9,4 for POP, hmmmmmmm (with songs like ´Discotheque´, a terrible version of ´Please´ and even my favorite song --> ´Gone´, which could be so much better...

 

[Sleep Over Jack]

Vertigo -9/10 (this song has really gone up in my estimation)

Miracle Drug -8.5/10

SYCMIOYO -10/10 (best on the album)

Love And Peace -9.5/10 (more of this sort of song please!)

City Of Blinding Lights -8/10 (its gotten better over time for me, but its still not a classic in my eyes)

All Because Of You -9/10 (great rock and roll beat, good lyrics, the intro and edge solo accompanied with the "I've arrived/ I'm at the door" bit are album highlights)

A Man And A Woman -7.5/10 (good album song, but I don't exactly want this to be the band's future direction )

Crumbs -8/10 (really solid album song IMO, sort of how Red Hill Mining Town anchored Joshua Tree)

One Step Closer -8/10 (nice song, and its sets up the next tune nicely)

Original Of The Species 9.5/10(the second classic ballad of the album..I like the weird structure, and its not at all banal and dull like a few have said..great, great chorus and guitar)

Yahweh -7.5/10 (love the beginning, the double-tracked vocal and most of the lyrics, but the shrill chorus brings the rating down)

 

[rjhbonovox]

I am! Can you please give me your ´Pop track rating´...

9,4 for POP, hmmmmmmm (with songs like ´Discotheque´, a terrible version of ´Please´ and even my favorite song --> ´Gone´, which could be so much better...

Ok here ya go, but be warned I LOVE this album....

Discotheque - 10 superb track
Do you Feel Loved - 10 great song with brilliant drums
Mofo - 10 love the intro to this song
If God Will Send - 7 weakest song on the album, I preferred the single mix
Staring - 10 Fuc#ing awesome and craps all over that tw#tish bestof remix, what was that stupid drum beat at the start????
Last Night - 10 love the guitar riff in this one
Gone - 10 one of THE greatest songs U2 have EVER done
Miami - 10 yeah I absolutely love this song, its different to anything they have ever done and has great chopping Edge guitar
Playboy Mansion - 8 Still a good song and a great lyric
If You Wear - 9 - This was so much better than the live version
Please - 9 I think the nearest U2 have ever gone to doing Jazz, this is far and away better than the single version although this was a corker live as well
Wake Up - 10 Great ending to an album.

Average score 9.4 or there abouts.

Thats Pop for me, yeah I love it! Not a single track skipped.

 

[whasjoewahn]

Ok thanks for that. Just nice to see how people rate the albums. But I still think that giving a 10 for a song is not something you do so easily... So I put big question marks behind for example ´Miami´ and ´Discotheque´. Awful lyrics...

Agree on Playboy Mansion by the way

 

[rjhbonovox]

Ok thanks for that. Just nice to see how people rate the albums. But I still think that giving a 10 for a song is not something you do so easily... So I put big question marks behind for example ´Miami´ and ´Discotheque´. Awful lyrics...

Agree on Playboy Mansion by the way

Sometimes I think people read too much in the lyrics without enjoying the musical content. I mean if you really are THAT interested in great lyrics then maybe Bob Dylans more your thing. Me I think Miami is A GREAT SONG with regards to that album. Its a ten in my opinion because of what it brings to the album and also to what it brings to the whole U2 catalogue. If you are on about individually comparing songs like The Fly and One(2 of U2's greatest songs) to Miami then I would say no they don't compare and obviously The Fly and One are better songs. But its how it sits on the album just after the absolute fantastic Gone in comes this mixed up drum beat and Bono singing a song about "getting a video with the car chase in" then Edge comes in with a different chopping guitar sound, its hard to explain in words but I just love the song. It is a GREAT album song, and that is one thing the last two albums are missing is these songs that are just great in the context of the album, I mean I just couldn't care less if its not a single for the pop charts fans. Another example of great album tunes is Zoo Station, I have seen people on here say it goes nowhere? I just don't know what that means, I can only assume that cos it hasn't got a nice catchy chorus then the song goes nowhere. But Zoo Station is magnificent, probably the best opening to an album EVER, it has one of the best intros ever as well, the drums and bassline in that song are truly magnificent something that is sadly missing from the last 2 albums.

 

[Matthew_Page2000]

Ok here ya go, but be warned I LOVE this album....

Discotheque - 10 superb track
Do you Feel Loved - 10 great song with brilliant drums
Mofo - 10 love the intro to this song
If God Will Send - 7 weakest song on the album, I preferred the single mix
Staring - 10 Fuc#ing awesome and craps all over that tw#tish bestof remix, what was that stupid drum beat at the start????
Last Night - 10 love the guitar riff in this one
Gone - 10 one of THE greatest songs U2 have EVER done
Miami - 10 yeah I absolutely love this song, its different to anything they have ever done and has great chopping Edge guitar
Playboy Mansion - 8 Still a good song and a great lyric
If You Wear - 9 - This was so much better than the live version
Please - 9 I think the nearest U2 have ever gone to doing Jazz, this is far and away better than the single version although this was a corker live as well
Wake Up - 10 Great ending to an album.

Average score 9.4 or there abouts.

Thats Pop for me, yeah I love it! Not a single track skipped.

Everyone has their sacred cows. Yours appears to be Pop. You love it beyond reason. Try to keep that in mind when you're thinking about posting something sarcastic and rude to a HTDAAB or ATYCLB fan. Most fans and critics don't like Pop.
The occasional nut likes all three. Like me.

 

[Matthew_Page2000]

Larry's drumming has gone downhill since 1997. He used to have something special but now is sounding like every other drummer on the planet. Where are the rythyms he was making through the 90's and also in 80's as well. It seems these days its just pretty simple drum patterns.

Utter crap. I wasn't referring to the quality of Larry's drumming. I was talking about the mix on the album. Turn it up.

 

[Sleep Over Jack]

Hmm, I'd barely give Last Night On Earth a 7, it sounds so tired and slow...Staring at the Sun is a great song but its not up there with the great U2 ballads like One, WOWY, ALL I Want Is You, Stay, SYCMIOYO etc..also I think DYFL and Mofo are more like 8/10s, since the dance beats don't mesh all that well with the songs IMO.

 

[rjhbonovox]

Utter crap. I wasn't referring to the quality of Larry's drumming. I was talking about the mix on the album. Turn it up.

Well I am, the quality of drums and bass on the last 2 albums has been pretty bland compared to the 90's.

 

[sue4u2]

Even though I feel Larry is a fantastic drummer I can't help but worry. The reporter in the Spin magazine article said Larry missed their scheduled interview because Larry had to get medical treatment for his back in the States.
He said Larry has been wracked with back pain that he credits to having never been taught how to play and because he sits behind the kit incorrectly an holds his sticks incorrectly. He just likes hitting things and his spine has paid the price.
With that said, geez give the man a break.
He's still great!!!
(The reporter actually did this interview in Sept.)

 

[Saracene]

Vertigo - 10/10 (still hasn't overstayed its welcome even after I've heard it on the radio a million times)

Miracle Drug - 8.5/10

SYCMIOYO -10/10 (The Kite of this album)

Love And Peace - 9.5/10 (love the glam)

City Of Blinding Lights -8.5/10 (it doesn't really become great until the chorus, but what a chorus)

All Because Of You - 9/10

A Man And A Woman - 8.5/10

Crumbs - 9/10

One Step Closer -8/10 (a bit of a filler, but nice filler nonetheless)

Original Of The Species 9.5/10

Yahweh - 7/10

 

[Axver]

Well I am, the quality of drums and bass on the last 2 albums has been pretty bland compared to the 90's.

You think everything's bland compared to the nineties. If HTDAAB had been released in 1987 and The Joshua Tree released this year, you'd whinge that JT is bland.