Next Album Rumours Thread IV - 2 Sing 2 Furious

[Hollow Island]

I don’t buy into the hatred for SOI and SOE. I think there’s lots of lazy criticism from fans for both albums because of the slide NLOTH started. “U2 used to be good” is a position that brings a lot of sub cultural capital on a U2 fan site because it makes you appear more insightful, critical or somehow above everyone else. Don’t buy it.

Is the criticism more or less lazy than the Edge?

Is anyone really saying they "used to be good" though? I think the consensus is that they used to be great an now they're merely good.

 

[DeVaul]

The Unforgettable Fire is untouchable and Elvis Presley & America is a big reason why. It's not one of the best songs on the album but it's one of the key songs. It and Promenade are works of magic.

Promenade is what puts TUF over the top for me.

 

[DaveC]

The Unforgettable Fire is untouchable and Elvis Presley & America is a big reason why. It's not one of the best songs on the album but it's one of the key songs. It and Promenade are works of magic.

promenade -> 4th of july -> bad is basically peak U2 for me.

 

[Hollow Island]

Same

 

[LemonMelon]

Promenade is the kind of song I wish they could still make. They have such a crippling fear of negative space now that they refuse to be quiet, contemplative and impressionistic. Everything has to be obvious.

NLOTH made room for it in spots so maybe one final U2/Eno collab would deliver the goods.

 

[the tourist]

promenade -> 4th of july -> bad is basically peak U2 for me.

For me there’s never been a run on a U2 album better than the first seven songs on The Unforgettable Fire.

 

[womanfish]

For me there’s never been a run on a U2 album better than the first seven songs on The Unforgettable Fire.

while I agree it is great, i would still take the first seven from JT, and first 7 or 8 from AB. Although it may depend on the mood i’m in.

 

[wolbersu2]

The one thing Sing 2 might teach the band (if the song is actually good and successful) is that embracing their age is ok, and that a band in their early 60's being known as "Dad Rock" is acceptable. They've been running away from that trying to "Rawk" which is ridiculous to begin with because they've never "Rawked" in the first place.

In this case they should call it a day. Bono solo for these kind of songs.
At least then we will get more and greater releases than we do now. Mercy would see the light of day, the Rick Rubin demos and possibly Danger Mouse sessions and possibly ZooTV concerts other than the Sydney concert.
Artists or bands that don't exist are releasing a lot!

 

[womanfish]

In this case they should call it a day. Bono solo for these kind of songs.
At least then we will get more and greater releases than we do now. Mercy would see the light of day, the Rick Rubin demos and possibly Danger Mouse sessions and possibly ZooTV concerts other than the Sydney concert.
Artists or bands that don't exist are releasing a lot!

I gotta lean your way here. I think the worst thing that could happen with this song is that it become popular. In the past, I think it wouldn’t have swayed the band so much. But if they go into the studio thinking… hey, this was the most popular song we’ve had in 10 years…. watch out.

My hope stands that they tac away from Songs of… it was good and now it’s time to move on. Embracing their age doesn’t mean Dad rock. Plenty of examples of artists aging like a fine wine and not aging into Diet Pepsi.

SOE and SOI had patches of both. They need focus and maybe Eno again with Flood…? Something to both ground them and stretch them.

 

[pacemaker]

An entire album with Flood at the helm is what I'm hoping for most these days. He's involved with most, if not all of my favorite U2. Not to mention the rest of his discography. He's a seriously under-appreciated producer/engineer.

 

[lazarus]

Regarded by whom exactly?

Well, the people on this site, for one. I've been on here for 17 years (gulp) and we've had countless polls and surveys about this kind of thing, and October doesn't tend to fare too well.

And then there are lists posted over the years by music writers at various large and small publications, where October is usually near or at the bottom.

Things may have changed since the band's (perceived) downward trajectory this past decade, but in terms of the classic 20th century albums, October is always going to be regarded as the weakest by the most people.

That doesn't mean one isn't allowed to like it or even love it; as I said earlier, just because I have it at the bottom of my list doesn't mean I think it sucks. I have the remastered deluxe edition and spin it often it enough. But I don't think one should be surprised to see it ranked so low by fans--it's been that way as far as I can remember.

 

[lazarus]

Yes. This is why I find TUF overpraised here. It has all-time classics (Pride, Bad). But half of it reeks of wanna-be romantic poet-ism which Bono, at the tune, didn’t have the chops for. And I find his singing forced, he doesn’t truly come into his own until JT or even R&H.

But what’s good on TUF is top-tier.

I've been in line with this pretty much since I first heard it in the late 90s and my opinion hasn't wavered much. Pride is a perfect pop-rock recording and A Sort of Homecoming is in my Top 5-10 U2 songs. The rest ranges from "pretty cool" to "interesting" but not the God Tier the band is capable of.

And it's hard to call it "untouchable" when the live version on Wide Awake became the gold standard for Bad. It's difficult for me to get through the studio version because of that forced singing you mentioned ("Into the liii-hiii-hiiight..."). The sequencers on the live version are the icing on the cake.

The album is a brilliant left turn and expansion of sound and has a tonal beauty that carries throughout. But aside from a few examples, the songs just aren't there and they hadn't struck that balance yet.

while I agree it is great, i would still take the first seven from JT, and first 7 or 8 from AB. Although it may depend on the mood i’m in.

Yeah the notion that the opening 7 of this album somehow rivals JT or AB is absolutely insane. Hell, I think the corresponding run on Boy is stronger than TUF's, and I'd put Zooropa and Pop above them too.

 

[womanfish]

Promenade is the kind of song I wish they could still make. They have such a crippling fear of negative space now that they refuse to be quiet, contemplative and impressionistic. Everything has to be obvious.

NLOTH made room for it in spots so maybe one final U2/Eno collab would deliver the goods.

So true. U2 kind of went the opposite of a lot bands. They started out with a very good use of space. Right from Boy, you notice it. Obviously kind of peaked with UF, but still carried over through POP for the most part. ATYCLB was sort of the start of losing the space.
Whereas Radiohead started with less space and then the space kind of grew and grew, to almost too much space for my taste.

Anyway. If you could blend together 2 albums from their catalog to create a sound for the next one, what would they be?

For me, I'd say No Line (the good songs) and UF...?

tough one.

 

[DeVaul]

I regard NLOTH (minus the terrible trio) as their latter-day sequel to TUF.

 

[womanfish]

I regard NLOTH (minus the terrible trio) as their latter-day sequel to TUF.

I think that’s a very good take. Probably their most frustrating album for me because “what might have been”. But I really love the album with my personal tracklisting, and love it for its boldness in many respects. Always felt like it should have been U2’s New Adventures in Hi Fi.

 

[womanfish]

i get that the consensus has been for like 39 years that october sucks, but i think that people who rank it with the worst of U2's output should give it a fresh listen.

other than like, two or three moments in the lyrics that aren't pushy at all, it's not a "christian" album in any way. let's not forget that the original lyrics to this album were lost/stolen/whatever and bono basically had to rewrite it from memory. the rest of the band brings it hard, it has all the energy and drive of early U2. it's far from perfect but if you love boy and war (like i assume most of us do) there's absolutely zero reason to dislike october.

Yep, i did just that. Maybe because it’s been so long since i really gave it a good full listen, But i was kind of taken aback. It’s quite good. I think it’s only issue is that it’s starts really strong and then gets a bit bumpy on the last 4 tracks. But holds up much better than I gave it credit for.
I would choose to listen to it over War, but that’s because I’m just kinda tired of some of the big songs on War. Not scrambling to listen to SBS or NYD.

 

[the tourist]

Anyway. If you could blend together 2 albums from their catalog to create a sound for the next one, what would they be?



For me, I'd say No Line (the good songs) and UF...?



tough one.

So I’m going to go with an unpopular opinion but I’ll explain myself.

October and The Unforgettable Fire

Why October? In my opinion, it has some of The Edge’s most interesting guitar lines and best guitar tones. Also it was before Larry’s drumming just became typical pop-rock.

Why The Unforgettable Fire? The sketch-song style of that album and the imagery are nearly perfect for me. Bono isn’t trying to cram in a million syllables. Also Adam’s bass on this album is killer (especially Wire).

So the marriage of these two would be the marriage of great tones and interesting rhythms, Edge playing interesting lines again, and more simple songwriting - songs that can’t just be played acoustically without them sounding drastically different.

 

[womanfish]

So I’m going to go with an unpopular opinion but I’ll explain myself.

October and The Unforgettable Fire

Why October? In my opinion, it has some of The Edge’s most interesting guitar lines and best guitar tones. Also it was before Larry’s drumming just became typical pop-rock.

Why The Unforgettable Fire? The sketch-song style of that album and the imagery are nearly perfect for me. Bono isn’t trying to cram in a million syllables. Also Adam’s bass on this album is killer (especially Wire).

So the marriage of these two would be the marriage of great tones and interesting rhythms, Edge playing interesting lines again, and more simple songwriting - songs that can’t just be played acoustically without them sounding drastically different.

Good call. i would say that both Adam and Larry had really shining moments on October, and Adam maybe more so on UF.
I wish UF would be a place they would go again. Obviously not to try and sound like it, but like you said, the openness, the more free vocal delivery, and an album that has a cohesive atmosphere throughout. Pride is actually the only song that doesn’t quite fit with rest.

 

[lazarus]

It doesn't fit, but without it the band may have slipped into obscurity before the end of the decade.

 

[womanfish]

It doesn't fit, but without it the band may have slipped into obscurity before the end of the decade.

Man you’re right…. Never really thought about how pivotal that song is. I remember back in the mid to late 80’s on the radio they would a top 500 countdown on Memorial Day, and Pride would always be top 10. No other song from that album really captured the publics attention.

 

[the tourist]

Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me was the first U2 song I ever heard, but Pride is the song that made me a fan. I turned 14 right around the time The Best or 1980-1990 came out and my best friend put it on when a group of us were over and that compilation blew my mind. Within two months, I had their entire back catalog.

 

[zoocarolina]

YSSML (time for a new acronym ), is what it is, a song for a kid’s movie soundtrack and I don’t think we should read into it as any sort of direction for a new album. We got new music, our boys are still working and wanting to make new albums/tour so we have a lot to be thankful for.

 

[phanan]

I think that’s a very good take. Probably their most frustrating album for me because “what might have been”. But I really love the album with my personal tracklisting, and love it for its boldness in many respects. Always felt like it should have been U2’s New Adventures in Hi Fi.

Just swap the middle three for Soon and Winter and boom, great album.

Winter is NLOTH’s Mercy. I really find it unfathomable that they left it off.

 

[womanfish]

Just swap the middle three for Soon and Winter and boom, great album.

Winter is NLOTH’s Mercy. I really find it unfathomable that they left it off.

Yeah currently my revised version is

Soon
Magnificent (lead single)
Breathe
MOS
Unknown Caller
No line
Fez
White as Snow
Cedars

I’ll find a spot for Winter. I’ve never loved Winter or Mercy, but it beats the middle 3.

I actually don’t hate Boots, but it just has no place being near this album.

 

[mikal]

The best NLOTH track list is this. Been using it for 10 years:

No Line On The Horizon
Magnificent
Moment Of Surrender
Unknown Caller
Soon
Breathe
White As Snow
Winter
Fez - Being Born
Cedars Of Lebanon

 

[womanfish]

The best NLOTH track list is this. Been using it for 10 years:

No Line On The Horizon
Magnificent
Moment Of Surrender
Unknown Caller
Soon
Breathe
White As Snow
Winter
Fez - Being Born
Cedars Of Lebanon

Very cool. Just listened to Winter a couple of times. Definitely growing on me, and appreciating the complexity of it as a whole. not listening to it as a stand alone, but in the context of the album makes me like it a lot more. First thing i thought of for placement was having it lead into Fez, and then i saw your post. lol. I’ll give this order try. Thank you and phanan!

 

[mikal]

Very cool. Just listened to Winter a couple of times. Definitely growing on me, and appreciating the complexity of it as a whole. not listening to it as a stand alone, but in the context of the album makes me like it a lot more. First thing i thought of for placement was having it lead into Fez, and then i saw your post. lol. I’ll give this order try. Thank you and phanan!

Yes! The transition from Unknown Caller to Soon to Breathe works really well too. I think if they had released the album this way, it would have been received really well.

 

[phanan]

The best NLOTH track list is this. Been using it for 10 years:

No Line On The Horizon
Magnificent
Moment Of Surrender
Unknown Caller
Soon
Breathe
White As Snow
Winter
Fez - Being Born
Cedars Of Lebanon

I also have Soon after Unknown Caller - works very well. But then I have Winter following it.

In fact, I just insert Soon and Winter in the middle and leave everything else alone. Fez after Winter is awesome.

 

[Irvine511]

This inspired me to reposted to NLOTH.

It took me back to what was not a terribly good time in my life, and was also better than I remembered, especially MOS and Fez. The only true abortion was SUC, but there’s a lot going on with that album.

 

[lazarus]

So with the hype surrounding this new soundtrack song, is this a springboard for some kind of surprise event commemorating the 30th anniversary of AB, or is that dead in the water now?

Because it's less than 2 weeks away.