I know I bash UF (the album) here quite often, but...

[tim722]

Well, for personal reasons.. TUF is my favorite U2 album. Something about where I was in my teenage years when it came out. It touched me on so many levels. And I listened to it from front to back so many times as I tried to fall asleep and drown out some of my family problems.

And after I flipped over to side #2, I usually fell asleep to Elvis Presley & America. Therefore I'm extremely touched by side #2. Although EP&A may make no sense to the average U2 fan...it's one of my favorites! And I'm thrilled it made the album.

The B-sides mentioned are good songs but I love it the way it is. To me, TUF is my personal favorite album.

The Joshua Tree is their best album to date..and I love that too.

But there's something so comforting as them completing the theme of the album instead of adding the more popular b-side songs. It's a beautiful album all around. It has a few commercial hits and delivers on it's theme. As does The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, & All That You Can't Leave Behind.

To me, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb is not a great album. It's more like a bunch of songs put together acting like a great album. (Which it done a good job cause it won album of the year at the grammys.) But then again the grammy award voters usually mess up. How many different producers did U2 have on that album?

I'd love to go 30 years into the future and see which U2 albums stand the test of time. Mine would be in this order:
1: The Unforgettable Fire
2: The Joshua Tree
3: Achtung Baby
4: War
5: All That You Can't Leave Behind
6: Boy
7: October
8: Rattle & Hum

Bands should not try to make an album with 11 hit songs. They should experiment a little and make a complete album based on a theme.

Hopefully Eno & Lanois will producing their next album. Cause all the ones they have done have kicked AS*!!!!

 

[ozeeko]

I always thought 4th of July functioned well as a creepy intro into Bad. Close your eyes while listening to this track. Imagine a drug user being taken on an unexpected trip. Starts out kinda beautiful, mutates into something ugly, dips down into madness, and finally leaves you on an uncertain note. When Bad starts, its the sound of the junkie realizing he/she has a problem.

 

[coolian2]

Indian Summer Sky FTW.


I like the album but i never take the time to listen to it.

 

[J_NP]

I understand when you guys say that Bono's vocals are top on Pride on the album , but don't ya agree that he made some almost that powerful perfomances like in the 86 C Hope tour , and quite few of the JT tour

But like I said before , it's the instrumental that really catches me , live Edge's guitar astonishing , I remember first hearing the ZOO and Popmart versions of it , how great and different it sounded .

 

[Zoots]

I always thought 4th of July functioned well as a creepy intro into Bad. Close your eyes while listening to this track. Imagine a drug user being taken on an unexpected trip. Starts out kinda beautiful, mutates into something ugly, dips down into madness, and finally leaves you on an uncertain note. When Bad starts, its the sound of the junkie realizing he/she has a problem.

Oh wow! That's a nice interpretation.

 

[YBORCITY]

I always thought 4th of July functioned well as a creepy intro into Bad. Close your eyes while listening to this track. Imagine a drug user being taken on an unexpected trip. Starts out kinda beautiful, mutates into something ugly, dips down into madness, and finally leaves you on an uncertain note. When Bad starts, its the sound of the junkie realizing he/she has a problem.

Cheers Mate

What a great Post!!!
I just can't fathom and this is only me talking because I was a child of the '80's and remember listening to this album on vinyl and when it came out how myself and all of my freinds were just blown away by this Band and Album. My Sister had to drag me to see U2 during the War Tour and I really liked what I heard and I couldn't wait to get into listening to Boy, October and War but when UF came out, it was just unbelievable and then I went to see them on this Tour and that was it for me.... A U2 Fanatic since, so for me I have a huge emotional tie to this Album.

Also when someone asks me what song would best represent the U2 sound, forever in my mind it will be BAD

One more thing on this rambling post. One of if not the most beautiful U2 song resides on this Album....... PROMENADE. Everyone talks about hearing these guys play Acrobat live (which we now know will never happen). But how about hearing Promenade lead into Streets on the next tour and actually when you think about it, maybe it wouldn't be so far fetched. Bono could, without a doubt handle the singing the way his voice is now and I don't think it would pose a huge problem playing this song.....one could only dream..... I guess

 

[Reggie Thee Dog]

Care to explain a little more on that opinion?

I, like many, feel it is truly an album, in that the sound and landscape of the album is so similar, with a great flow, they belong together like that.

UF is a great, but flawed album, in that the songs were not fully developed (much like Pop). Bono says as much in U2 by U2.

It has some wonderful moments...especially Promenade, but EP&A will always baffle me. Indian Summer Sky is another song I enjoy, but doesn't fully capture me.

I agree with Phillyfan that sonically it works brilliantly

 

[Reggie Thee Dog]

One more thing on this rambling post. One of if not the most beautiful U2 song resides on this Album....... PROMENADE. Everyone talks about hearing these guys play Acrobat live (which we now know will never happen). But how about hearing Promenade lead into Streets on the next tour and actually when you think about it, maybe it wouldn't be so far fetched. Bono could, without a doubt handle the singing the way his voice is now and I don't think it would pose a huge problem playing this song.....one could only dream..... I guess

Promenade may be the best song they ever recorded that rarely, if ever, sees radio airplay.

I that song and never get tired of listening to it

 

[Salome]

Pride isn't the only track on Unforgettable Fire that just doesn't sound as good when played live

Bad is awesome live but indeed a completely different beast than the album version

A sort of homecoming and Unforgettable Fire just about fall flat on their arses while being 2 of my favourite U2 songs

Wire was pretty goodlive, but still better on the album



so yeah, my favourite U2 album, but I can't say I miss the songs on the setlist

 

[LemonMelon]

Promenade may be the best song they ever recorded that rarely, if ever, sees radio airplay.

I that song and never get tired of listening to it

I love Promenade. Besides ASOH, it's the best on the album, IMO.

 

[Catman]

I LOVE the b-sides from it.

Boomerang I
Boomerang II
The Three Sunrises
Love Comes Tumbling
Bass Trap
Sixty Seconds in Kingdom Come

U2 had such an interesting style during this time. Edge's guitar style was blossoming, Adam's bass tone was amazing (Love Comes Tumbling FTW ), Larry had this awesome compressed drum tone, and Bono's vocals were sooooo soulful. UF could have been one of U2's most creative and interesting albums, but was ruined by poor choices in the tracklisting.

Why the hell did Love Comes Tumbling not make the album? Where is Bass Trap? Boomerang I and II could have been combined to make one seriously great track, and Three Sunrises is an easy candidate for the album.

Indian Summer Sky and Elvis Presley And America are C-side material at best, and have no business making the album, MLK should be tacked to the beginning of another song (not given its own slot), 4th of July pales to any of the instrumentals listed above (Bass Trap should take its place, IMO), and ANY version of Bad but the one on the original album should have made the cut; it sounds like a terrible demo compared to any version on a bootleg, and especially the WAIA version, which completely slaughters it.

I propose UF should have looked more like this:

1. MLK/A Sort Of Homecoming
2. The Three Sunrises
3. Wire
4. The Unforgettable Fire
5. Love Comes Tumbling
6. Promenade
7. Bass Trap
8. Pride
9. Boomerang
10. Bad (WAIA version)

Now that is an album you can be proud of.

This man speaks the truth. TUF is an extremely overrated album on these parts, but I could see this tracklisting working.

And on a side note... what the hell is Sixty Seconds to Kingdom Come and how come I've never heard of it before?

 

[Reggie Thee Dog]

Re: Re: I know I bash UF (the album) here quite often, but...

And on a side note... what the hell is Sixty Seconds to Kingdom Come and how come I've never heard of it before?

Because it's really not much of anything...

 

[LemonMelon]

Re: Re: Re: I know I bash UF (the album) here quite often, but...

Because it's really not much of anything...

Yeah, it's just a short, tense instrumental. It sounds like a Passengers instrumental or something.

 

[Iskra]

EPAA is achingly beautiful.

 

[Regina]

Promenade into Streets... I'm getting chills just thinking about it.

I agree that the B-sides are stronger tracks than many of the tracks that actually made UF - but I've always found the album as a whole to flow very well, and create a great mood. I don't know where you could put The Three Sunrises, for example - it's best as an opener, but you can't knock A Sort of Homecoming from its perch.

 

[LemonMelon]

Promenade into Streets... I'm getting chills just thinking about it.

Nah, I don't like that. There's no tension. It's a sweet, lovey-dovey song flowing into another sweet, catchy tune. It's traditionally been Running To Stand Still--->Streets for a reason. Here's what I think would work best:

Please--->Wake Up Dead Man--->Streets

Promenade would sound wonderful in an acoustic part of the set, EG:

Stay--->Promenade--->Angel Of Harlem

 

[ozeeko]

Promenade into Streets... I'm getting chills just thinking about it.

I agree that the B-sides are stronger tracks than many of the tracks that actually made UF - but I've always found the album as a whole to flow very well, and create a great mood. I don't know where you could put The Three Sunrises, for example - it's best as an opener, but you can't knock A Sort of Homecoming from its perch.

Exactly. Three Sunrises is too Beatlesque and..well...too "song-like?" in my opinion. The tracks on UF all bleed into one another, and are all basically studio experiments. They don't sound like traditional songs. They sound a little unfinished. But in a fascinating way, like the greatest jam session ever recorded. If you were to add Three Sunrises I think it would totally kill the vibe. Not because it's a bad song. I think Three Sunrises is a great song. Just not good for this album. It's a novelty track that's better suited for B-side status, or maybe an album made up of sunny pop.

Love Comes Tumbling, while being a good song, always sounded like a leftover from the WAR sessions. A great song in its own right, just no where to put it on this album.

The only songs I could imagine being included would be the Boomerangs. It's got that dark, hallucinatory atmosphere that fits UF's style. It could've worked right after Indian Summer Sky.

 

[LemonMelon]

Love Comes Tumbling, while being a good song, always sounded like a leftover from the WAR sessions. A great song in its own right, just no where to put it on this album.

I think you might be talking about Wire.

 

[ozeeko]

WIRE?

Wire's one of the most unique songs in U2's repertoir. Listen to the riff for crying out loud. It's ultra fast and trippy. Listen to the bass. It had never been that hard and driving. Listen to Larry...he's making me dance! He's actually laying down a groove, as opposed to beating the drums like a caveman. Bono's vocals are all over the place. There's a different melody on every part of the song. There's no concrete verse or chorus. They even sneak in a short Middle 8 right towards the coda. Plus the song's about being messed up on drugs. Something the bad hadn't approached yet. All these things point to something...a new U2.

Love Comes Tumbling reminds me a lot of Endless Deep. It sounds like it could've been recorded during the same afternoon. And Edge's guitar riff's sound like Twilight rewrites. I love the song and all, but I think when it comes to comparing which song sounds like WAR era U2, u gotta admit...it's Love Comes Tumbling. Wire doesn't sound remotely like anything U2 had done before that.

 

[LemonMelon]

WIRE?

Wire's one of the most unique songs in U2's repertoir. Listen to the riff for crying out loud. It's ultra fast and trippy. Listen to the bass. It had never been that hard and driving. Listen to Larry...he's making me dance! He's actually laying down a groove, as opposed to beating the drums like a caveman. Bono's vocals are all over the place. There's a different melody on every part of the song. There's no concrete verse or chorus. They even sneak in a short Middle 8 right towards the coda. Plus the song's about being messed up on drugs. Something the bad hadn't approached yet. All these things point to something...a new U2.

Love Comes Tumbling reminds me a lot of Endless Deep. It sounds like it could've been recorded during the same afternoon. And Edge's guitar riff's sound like Twilight rewrites. I love the song and all, but I think when it comes to comparing which song sounds like WAR era U2, u gotta admit...it's Love Comes Tumbling. Wire doesn't sound remotely like anything U2 had done before that.

I must have a bad copy of UF or something.

I never said I didn't like Wire, I do, quite a bit actually, but it does sound like a War outtake...there's nothing on the album that's quite like it, and it doesn't really fit...to me, it sounds like Like A Song, except more melodic.

Love Comes Tumbling is like the UF sound concentrated into a 4 1/2 minute song and it's great.

 

[ozeeko]

I must have a bad copy of UF or something.

I never said I didn't like Wire, I do, quite a bit actually, but it does sound like a War outtake...there's nothing on the album that's quite like it, and it doesn't really fit...to me, it sounds like Like A Song, except more melodic.

Love Comes Tumbling is like the UF sound concentrated into a 4 1/2 minute song and it's great.

The only similarity Wire has to War is that they both begin with the letter W. U think Wire sounds like Like A Song? In what way? That they're both heavy and faster paced? Besides that obvious conclusion, there's nothing else I can find to link both the tracks together. Like A Song sounds angry and insular, very confined in space and Bono's voice sounds sharp and shrill. Wire sounds wide open, echoing away into the abyss, and Bono's voice sounds more relaxed, and humorous. Where as Like A Song is a fiery, punk influenced anthem with a message...Wire is a trippy, psychadelic jam with no message, except maybe drugs are bad.

Back to Love Comes Tumbling....I think it sounds more like it's coming out of the 70's...while Wire is looking ahead further into the 80's.

 

[LemonMelon]

The only similarity Wire has to War is that they both begin with the letter W. U think Wire sounds like Like A Song? In what way? That they're both heavy and faster paced? Besides that obvious conclusion, there's nothing else I can find to link both the tracks together. Like A Song sounds angry and insular, very confined in space and Bono's voice sounds sharp and shrill. Wire sounds wide open, echoing away into the abyss, and Bono's voice sounds more relaxed, and humorous. Where as Like A Song is a fiery, punk influenced anthem with a message...Wire is a trippy, psychadelic jam with no message, except maybe drugs are bad.

Back to Love Comes Tumbling....I think it sounds more like it's coming out of the 70's...while Wire is looking ahead further into the 80's.

Wire is a jam? To me, if it had a message of some sort, it could have fit well anywhere on War. I can see what you mean that it has the UF "sound", a very unique sound. It fits in that regard, but lyrically it doesn't fit, and it feels bizarre sandwiched between Pride and UF. At least to my ears. (BTW, Three Sunrises actually does sound really good between A Sort Of Homecoming and Wire, you should try it)

I think UF as a whole is very 60's inspired, and must have been quite a shock when it was released. Love Comes Tumbling may be one of the few songs affiliated with UF to have a prominent, noticeable guitar riff, but it also has the UF sound that Wire has that helps the album to at least sound consistent, and it does.

 

[ozeeko]

Wire is a jam? To me, if it had a message of some sort, it could have fit well anywhere on War. I can see what you mean that it has the UF "sound", a very unique sound. It fits in that regard, but lyrically it doesn't fit, and it feels bizarre sandwiched between Pride and UF. At least to my ears. (BTW, Three Sunrises actually does sound really good between A Sort Of Homecoming and Wire, you should try it)

I think UF as a whole is very 60's inspired, and must have been quite a shock when it was released. Love Comes Tumbling may be one of the few songs affiliated with UF to have a prominent, noticeable guitar riff, but it also has the UF sound that Wire has that helps the album to at least sound consistent, and it does.

I'd say Wire definitely sounds a jam. It sounds like Edge found a killer riff and they went off with it, having a field day with the guitar effects and newly funkified rhythm section inspired by Eno and Lanois, with Bono improvising on the mic (which he actually did quite a bit on this album). It sounds like the majority of lyrics on wire are made up on the spot. In that respect, you could say it's more remniscient of October, whereas War's lyrics were clearly 'written'.

I tried listening to Three Sunrises after A Sort of Homecoming. I wasn't really convinced. It started promising, but when the beat kicked in it ressurected the same problem i had in the beginning of this debate. The song's just too sunny and poppy. I think it takes you too far away from the cohesive flow. PRIDE is a great song to follow ASOH, because it continues that feeling of righteousness. And right after Pride fades to nothing Wire starts to rise.

I don't hear the 60's at all in UF. I actually think this record is timeless. It's definitely the most timeless album in their discography.

 

[Zoots]

Mr. Brau, if you read this, you can clearly see that ozeeko makes plenty of positive posts too!

Sorry, carry on guys.

 

[ozeeko]

Mr. Brau, if you read this, you can clearly see that ozeeko makes plenty of positive posts too!

Sorry, carry on guys.

I know how to find him.

HOW TO DISMANTLE AN ATOMIC BOMB FUCKING SUCKS!

Any second now...

 

[Zoots]

 

[LemonMelon]

Mr. Brau, if you read this, you can clearly see that ozeeko makes plenty of positive posts too!

About the wrong album.

"Timeless" is one way of putting UF...it sounds like nothing else they've done, and what influenced it is unclear...or at least moreso than their other albums.

But I've said it once, and I'll surely say it again: UF just doesn't have the songs to be a great album. I don't care how the record sounds (personally, I think it sounds unique and even incredible at times); as long as the band fails to write the songs, the album is worthless. This is why the current criticism of HTDAAB baffles me.

"OMGWTFBBQ the songs don't fit together right!! It's not a complete 'album', just a bunch of songs pasted together in a sequence for 48 minutes (the original definition of an album, BTW)"

Silly people. Perhaps I just have a different opinion of what an album should be. In my opinion, a good album is one where at least 75% of the songs are enjoyable. If they all have something in common and flow together well, bonus points for it. My point?

Crap is crap. If it sticks together, it's still crap.

Am I calling UF crap? Not really. It's flawed to be sure, and it's U2's worst album for it, but that doesn't make it worthless. Any album with ASOH and Promenade on it is OK by me. It just had more potential than what was actually taken advantage of, and that's what this thread was for: to give my opinion of how it could have been improved...constructive criticism and all that...not to bash it.

Anyway, carry on.

 

[ozeeko]

About the wrong album.

"Timeless" is one way of putting UF...it sounds like nothing else they've done, and what influenced it is unclear...or at least moreso than their other albums.

But I've said it once, and I'll surely say it again: UF just doesn't have the songs to be a great album. I don't care how the record sounds (personally, I think it sounds unique and even incredible at times); as long as the band fails to write the songs, the album is worthless. This is why the current criticism of HTDAAB baffles me.

"OMGWTFBBQ the songs don't fit together right!! It's not a complete 'album', just a bunch of songs pasted together in a sequence for 48 minutes (the original definition of an album, BTW)"

Silly people. Perhaps I just have a different opinion of what an album should be. In my opinion, a good album is one where at least 75% of the songs are enjoyable. If they all have something in common and flow together well, bonus points for it. My point?

Crap is crap. If it sticks together, it's still crap.

Am I calling UF crap? Not really. It's flawed to be sure, and it's U2's worst album for it, but that doesn't make it worthless. Any album with ASOH and Promenade on it is OK by me. It just had more potential than what was actually taken advantage of, and that's what this thread was for: to give my opinion of how it could have been improved...constructive criticism and all that...not to bash it.

Anyway, carry on.

It sounds like you do really like this album, but feel obligated to put it down based on some belief of what a song ought to be, and what the qualifications are for a song. For me, I don't really care. Just as long as it moves me in some way. It can be a 3 minute pop song, it can be a two minute instrumental, it can last more than twenty minutes. As long as I am moved on some positive level then I'm cool with it. I don't think tacking on a couple extra songs, while removing so-called filler (which I don't find to be the case here. Every track is another piece in the puzzle) would make for a great album. I think Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby are about perfect in the way they meld songwriting and atmosphere together to form a cohesive album. UF falls just short of that, but then again it's in another category altogether. It's mood music more than anything. And I think it's brilliant. You said u were baffled about the responses to the BOMB. I agree that BOMB has "technically" better crafted songs than UF. But by technically I mean only that. You have verses, choruses, solos, intros, outros. Yes, you do. But I don't get any emotion or feeling from the inner workings of the songs. By this I mean the chord changes, the hooks, singing styles, guitar effects, rhythm approaches; basically all the details that make a song come to life. You could say the dude who writes for Britney Spears is technically a great songwriter. Technically he IS great. But, yes again, I don't feel anything from that music...unless I'm watching the music video, therefore I can enjoy it for a different reason.

 

[LemonMelon]

It sounds like you do really like this album, but feel obligated to put it down based on some belief of what a song ought to be, and what the qualifications are for a song.

FALSE.

I can see where you could get that impression, but there are many examples of albums containing copious amounts of "filler" that I get great joy out of.

Take David Bowie's "Low" album for example. There are a bunch of short songs, and there are a bunch of instrumentals. Technically, there are no finished songs here, and the album should be a miserable failure, but it isn't. Much the opposite; it's a great album because there are few songs on it that I do not enjoy.

I dislike nearly half of UF. And it's not for lack of trying; I may listen to it less than any U2 album outside of October, but I've probably heard it a good 20-30 times, and it doesn't work for me.

 

[LemonMelon]

OK, I just gave UF a close listen, and here's what I'm thinking now:

ASOH - Great song and opener. Some of Bono's best lyrics, and Edge's scratchy yet beautiful tone is mind-boggling. The bass line is hypnotic. 9/10

Pride - Still got a lot of love for this one. The vocals are sublime, and it's a powerful song, even if it does need to be cut from the live sets for all eternity. 8.5/10

Wire - Better than I remembered. The opening riff is awesome, the song has a lot of energy, and the "anytime you're on the earth...kiss me" refrain kicks all kinds of ass. The live version is even better. 7.5/10

The Unforgettable Fire - Sounds a bit dated to me, but who cares? It has a great melody and cryptic lyrics, with one of the best openings to any U2 song ever. 8/10

Promenade - Still beautiful. 8.5/10

4th of July - Pointless, but it works well enough as an introduction to Bad. It's too short but sounds good while it's around. 7/10

Bad - Fragile, broken, heartwrenching. The problem? Bono's vocals. Plus, the mixing is terrible, so I can barely hear Edge's guitar once the song speeds up. Other than that, though, it's still a great song, even if the live version kills it. 7/10

Indian Summer Sky - It didn't cause me physical pain to hear it this time out, but I still can't hear anything worthwhile about it. It's almost like Wire, minus the melody, energy, or direction. 3/10

Elvis Presley And America - Not horrible, but it's about 3 minutes too long. It could have also used some coherent lyrics, but now I'm just being picky. 5/10

MLK - Pleasant, but every time I hear it I think another album is starting, not that UF is ending. In short; it's an awful closer, but a decent enough "song". 5/10 (Though an N/A feels more appropriate.)

So, all in all, it's about a 6.5-7.0 to these ears. Incredible in spots, horrible in others. This must be how those still straddling the fence concerning Zooropa must feel.