SOE 35 - it’s finally here, let the debate on how good/bad it is begin!

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
How's the atmosphere on this album? One thing that struck me about SOI was the complete lack of atmosphere. Where the songwriting was (personally) quite good that record really lacked that ethereal element that was at the heart of all the best U2 albums - the backdrop and soundscapes.


Definitely ethereal. I'd say it's kind of similar to No Line in the Horizon, where a few songs are definitely out of place, but there's definitely a cohesive enough sound.
 
Definitely ethereal. I'd say it's kind of similar to No Line in the Horizon, where a few songs are definitely out of place, but there's definitely a cohesive enough sound.

I sure hope there isn't a dip as bad as the middle of NLOTH with I'll Go Crazy, Boots and Stand Up Comedy. To me, those three songs really burst the atmosphere on that album. From the songs I've heard I'm not bowled over by GOOYOW, Best Thing (quite like American Soul and Blackout personally) but I don't think they are as bad as those three.
 
How's the atmosphere on this album? One thing that struck me about SOI was the complete lack of atmosphere. Where the songwriting was (personally) quite good that record really lacked that ethereal element that was at the heart of all the best U2 albums - the backdrop and soundscapes.



Cheers!

Might sound odd but, for me, it reminds me of The Million Dollar Hotel era of U2. There's a bit of that mystical, big spaces but a little foreboding, Ground Beneath Her Feet and Stateless thing going on.
 
Best Thing and Get Out ... are really growing on me.

Second listen now ... American Soul is pretty great at first. I like the Kendrick bit and then the intro. Then it just gets old fast. I don't know how well the Volcano throw back works here.

Like, the other call backs to SOI work well thematically, but this one doesn't have that connection.
 
I sure hope there isn't a dip as bad as the middle of NLOTH with I'll Go Crazy, Boots and Stand Up Comedy. To me, those three songs really burst the atmosphere on that album. From the songs I've heard I'm not bowled over by GOOYOW, Best Thing (quite like American Soul and Blackout personally) but I don't think they are as bad as those three.

The dip is tracks 3-5. The three singles. They do actually work better on the album than stand-alone, and I swear The Best Thing is a slightly different mix, but for me that's the dip. Nowhere near as bad as No Line.
 
Best Thing and Get Out ... are really growing on me.

Second listen now ... American Soul is pretty great at first. I like the Kendrick bit and then the intro. Then it just gets old fast. I don't know how well the Volcano throw back works here.

Like, the other call backs to SOI work well thematically, but this one doesn't have that connection.


100% agree.

Like I don't get it, at all. It's not like the rock and roll part was a fantastic highlight of the first album. Plenty of other parts of Songs of Innocence that were more thematically important.
 
I don't want to write too much because I've only listened to it once and need more listens.

Everyone said that Songs of Experience should be the least attempt at relevance and that there should be a Songs of Ascent for the fans. Songs of Experience is an album for the fans. It's U2 loving and appreciating everything. It's subtle, it's different, and its destructive. It's like the anti-Achtung Baby thematically, but with all the nuance.

Love is Bigger Than Anything In It's Way and following up with 13 is perhaps the saddest thing I've ever heard from this band. I'm devastated in all the best ways.

I think you hit the nail on the head. The last two songs really end the album on an interesting note, the most interesting since the closing of AB. Love is Bigger is perhaps Bono's most open and clear expression of his core message (to his family, I believe), and is a soaring, brilliant point of light. I think he would want something like that to be his last words to his children. 13 flips the script - it is entirely introspective and almost seems like a warning about how dangerous and sinister the world can be ("guard your innocence"). Someone called it a "gut-punch", and that's how it felt to me.
 
Last edited:
I agree, American Soul starts great, but then it goes nowhere.

The Get Out/American Soul duo is easily the album's weak spot IMO.
 
Got my first listens in on the plane today. So many thoughts, but I am just so damn pleased. Such a variety of sounds,, new old and everything in between. A lot to take in. My standout favorites are Little Things and Summer of Love.
 
Thinking, when it comes to the tour, The Blackout probably won't open. It'll fill a spot like LNOE in Popmart, or UEOTW in basically every other tour: somewhere in the 5-8 spot, kicking the energy up to another level. Wherever it's placed, I've never been more excited to see what a lighting designer does with a song. It's like even the title is a perfect challenge to WW.

Calling it now, TLTTGYA will roll into Streets. Imagine that organ under Bono's final refrain not fading out, but sustaining and slowly shifting into the correct key. It'll challenge Bad and RTSS for best lead in.

And, yeah, LIBTAIIW closing, maybe a meditative refrain of 13 just after, like WUDM after One in Popmart or Can't Help Falling in Love at the end of Zoo.
 
Huh. Uh. Okay?

Whoever said that, I'm not sure they've ever listened to the Beach Boys.

I don't hear it, either early, easily-recognizable Beach Boys, or later, crazy druggy brilliance Beach Boys
 
Not to go on and on about Love is Bigger, but damn that's one hell of a song. For those of us dads with daughters, it's hard not to listen to without getting emotional. And which U2 songs have choruses that reach higher heights than this one? It's an extremely short list.

These lyrics... :drool:

The door is open to go through
If I could I would come too
But the path is made by you
As you're walking start singing and stop talking

Oh, if I can hear myself when I say
Oh, love is bigger than anything in it's way

So young to be the words of your own song
I know the rage in you is strong
Write a world where we can belong
To each other and sing it like no other

Oh, if I can hear myself when I say
Oh, love is bigger than anything in it's way

If the moonlight caught you crying on Killiney Bay
Oh sing your song
Let your song be sung
If you listen you can hear the silence say
When you think you're done
You've just begun

Love is bigger than anything in it's way
Love is bigger than anything in it's way
Love is bigger than anything in it's way
 
Not to go on and on about Love is Bigger, but damn that's one hell of a song. For those of us dads with daughters, it's not to listen to without getting emotional. And which U2 songs have choruses that reach higher heights than this one? It's an extremely short list.

These lyrics... :drool:

The door is open to go through
If I could I would come too
But the path is made by you
As your walking start singing and stop talking

Oh, if I can hear myself when I say
Oh, love is bigger than anything in it's way

So young to be the words of your own song
I know the rage in you is strong
Write a world where we can belong
To each other and sing it like no other

Oh, if I can hear myself when I say
Oh, love is bigger than anything in it's way

If the moonlight caught you crying on Killiney Bay
Oh sing your song
Let your song be sung
If you listen you can hear the silence say
When you think you're done
You've just begun

Love is bigger than anything in it's way
Love is bigger than anything in it's way
Love is bigger than anything in it's way


Just beautiful.

Once again with this album, my initial judgement was completely wrong. I thought the title of this song would mean it would be a corny, over the top U2 song ala Love and Peace. This is just wonderful.
 
Not to go on and on about Love is Bigger, but damn that's one hell of a song. For those of us dads with daughters, it's hard not to listen to without getting emotional. And which U2 songs have choruses that reach higher heights than this one? It's an extremely short list.

These lyrics... :drool:

The door is open to go through
If I could I would come too
But the path is made by you
As you're walking start singing and stop talking

Oh, if I can hear myself when I say
Oh, love is bigger than anything in it's way

So young to be the words of your own song
I know the rage in you is strong
Write a world where we can belong
To each other and sing it like no other

Oh, if I can hear myself when I say
Oh, love is bigger than anything in it's way

If the moonlight caught you crying on Killiney Bay
Oh sing your song
Let your song be sung
If you listen you can hear the silence say
When you think you're done
You've just begun

Love is bigger than anything in it's way
Love is bigger than anything in it's way
Love is bigger than anything in it's way

I'm not crying, you're crying!
 
If the moonlight caught you crying on Killiney Bay
Oh sing your song
Let your song be sung
If you listen you can hear the silence say
When you think you're done
You've just begun
I love this part.

I thought the title of this song would mean it would be a corny, over the top U2 song ala Love and Peace. This is just wonderful.
To be fair, Love is Bigger Than Anything is corny and over the top. Unashamedly so. Just in a different way. ;)
 
Holy fuck, this album is great. I just listened to it for the first time and while the singles are the weakest tracks they work well on the album. The sequencing and pacing are spectacular.

Other random thoughts:

- it's pretty high energy and doesn't sound forced
- Adam has a bunch of great parts
- Bono's best album since Zooropa. There are some clunky lyrics but way more good ones, and his voice sounds great. The melodies are the real star though. The verses are so strong they could be choruses. He goes deep, too.
- Lights Of Home is Zep as fuck, and the orchestral version is as epic as they've ever been. Speaking of epics...
- Little Things....holy shit. Peak U2. Sequencing it after the Showman was clever!

Best U2 album in 20 years. It's great. I'm fucking shocked and ecstatic. It's a glorious, complete work. I'll pretend that the godawful Kygo remix isn't sitting there like a turd on the edge of the plate.



Just scrape it off your plate while no one is looking and let the dog have it!!
 
I’m enjoying the whole album. After the first two songs I find myself wanting the next 3 to hurry up and get to SOL. From there it is pure magic!!
 
I do miss the piano on Little Things. I find it really adds to the atmosphere in the Kimmel performance. The vocal is better there, too. (Maybe listening to that performance for months has coloured my expectations.)

I truly don’t miss it at all. I knew every single time listening to the live version that there was a better studio version just waiting. I felt every live performance felt somewhat weak and uneven.
The studio version is magnificent with absolutely perfect modern , 80’s tinged synths. Just what I was hoping for. Went fro a 7 to a 9 for me.
 
I’m watching this discussion with interest

The 3 big “L” songs, as I call affectionately call them

There’s other L songs on the album but these 3 are going to stay on the top of everyone’s minds for sometime

And then of course, the Light songs
 
I broke down once the cd rip came about.

So far yeah, it’s better than i thought. And the songs they’ve released aren’t even close to the better songs.

Summer of Love and Landlady really have me hooked. But the others are wonderful too.

This is different than my reaction to SOI, it just never had that warmth for me. And the melodies are better already on SOE

will give i time but i could def see myself coming back to this album more
 
Back
Top Bottom