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

[Psychobabble]

I was shocked songs are way too short

Get Out of Your Own Way and Summer of Love are best songs since City of Blinding Lights

American Soul is worse than The Miracle

short and sweet....they really got out of their own way. Several songs end leaving me wanting more...litttle more.......little more better.

 

[redhill]

Hello everyone! The debate continues between the album version and string version. I happen to love both. The string one seems to flow better from Love is All, and the album version has a little more stripped down punch in the drums through the middle of the song, and of course the riff.

So I did a couple of mixes that might bridge the gap for anyone who is interested.

First is the Lights of Home (Womanfish String Heavy Mix) This one starts with just the string version and has the album version enter midway and then end with a string heavy mix towards the end.

The second is the Lights of Home (Womanfish - String Hybrid Mix)
This one starts with a combo of the album and string version, and then is the same as the mix above after that.

Hope you guys like it. Let me know what you think.

Here is the link:

https://spectrio.egnyte.com/fl/uPFXJNRKE3

You are rock and roll!

 

[womanfish]

You are rock and roll!

LOL. You're too kind. Just like to mess around with this stuff.

right now i'm moving a couple songs around on the track listing. I just feel like both The Blackout and The Showman are really placed badly...

Glad you like it.

 

[zoocarolina]

Hello everyone! The debate continues between the album version and string version. I happen to love both. The string one seems to flow better from Love is All, and the album version has a little more stripped down punch in the drums through the middle of the song, and of course the riff.

So I did a couple of mixes that might bridge the gap for anyone who is interested.

First is the Lights of Home (Womanfish String Heavy Mix) This one starts with just the string version and has the album version enter midway and then end with a string heavy mix towards the end.

The second is the Lights of Home (Womanfish - String Hybrid Mix)
This one starts with a combo of the album and string version, and then is the same as the mix above after that.

Hope you guys like it. Let me know what you think.

Here is the link:

https://spectrio.egnyte.com/fl/uPFXJNRKE3

Very very cool, thx!

 

[Mack_Again]

well AV Club gave SOE D+. so there it is.

 

[zoocarolina]

Was not feeling summer of love, red flag day, and the showman initially, but the last couple of days there is something magical there too, especially played really loud I enjoy the first two songs and the closing five more, but front to back this is an extraordinary album. It is hard to equate it to the Joshua tree and Achtung Baby since if you are like me and old enough, you have been enjoying those 2 25 and 30 years with hundreds of listens and hundreds of songs played at concerts, I think this album 20+ years from now will have the same fondness

 

[ChurchBay]

Its made it sound flat and one-dimensional for me. I don’t know yet how that affects my enjoyment

I'm really interested to see how this compares with Songs of Innocence. Over the last couple of years I'd developed some kind of aversion to that album for some clouded reason. I think many criticisms towards it's poor production and a belief that the first half was very poor led me away from it. Yet upon hearing it again for the first time in ages this week I was struck by how much I enjoyed it. Granted - it's not a great album and I certainly know why people feel let down by the production. But on the whole they are mostly very well constructed songs that are, to me at least, quite memorable and it has to be said Adam Clayton is superb throughout.

That said, as noted above, I still believe the production is uninspired and personally the effect Danger Mouse had on the band was negligible to the point I came to believe he was overrated bar a couple of standout releases a decade or so ago (Gorillaz's Demon Days particularly). I still believe that and I just don't ever believe he is capable of creating music that is all encompassing and embracing the sort U2 are renowned for. He left far too much space on that album for which other, more talented producers would have filled in with greater care and innovation hence it's flatness.

As for the words on SOI I wouldn't go as far to say that the lyrics feel impersonal - they are written from a very personal perspective but they lack that full conviction and resonance that other personal songs in U2's catalogue had like Kite, or I Will Follow. I wonder whether that derives from U2 having become too detached from their past to write with a clarity and conviction about certain experiences in their youth (those qualities are totally absent on The Miracle and California).

Given that Songs of Experience retains that personal touch I'll be fascinated to hear how it compares in personal terms as well as the production.

 

[JoRu]

well AV Club gave SOE D+. so there it is.

It's basically a "U2 were so cool and cynical in the 90's, stop being genuine :'(((("-review, I wouldn't bother.

 

[Peterrrrr]

Have listen to the songs a few times now.

The strongest
Love Is All We Have Left
The Little Things
Book Of Your Heart
Red Flag Day
13


The good ones
Best Thing
Get Out Of
American Soul
Landlady
Blackout
Love Is Bigger

The songs that I skip or might like
Lights Of Home
Summer Of Love
Showman

Summary

+
First album since AB /Zooropa that really got an atmosphere.
Didnt know that they would release songs like Love Is All We Have Left and Little things


- To much of average songs, had much higher expectations because of the reviews from fans and media.
- They should have gone all in with the sound that is in Love Is All, Book Of Your Heart.

7/10

1)AB/Zooropa
2)Pop
3)SOI
4) SOE?
5)UF

 

[womanfish]

Have listen to the songs a few times now.

The strongest
Love Is All We Have Left
The Little Things
Book Of Your Heart
Red Flag Day
13


The good ones
Best Thing
Get Out Of
American Soul
Landlady
Blackout
Love Is Bigger

The songs that I skip or might like
Lights Of Home
Summer Of Love
Showman

Summary

+
First album since AB /Zooropa that really got an atmosphere.
Didnt know that they would release songs like Love Is All We Have Left and Little things


- To much of average songs, had much higher expectations because of the reviews from fans and media.
- They should have gone all in with the sound that is in Love Is All, Book Of Your Heart.

7/10

1)AB/Zooropa
2)Pop
3)SOI
4) SOE?
5)UF

Surprised the with your ranking of Red Flag Day, that Summer of Love isn't higher. Those are really close in my book. Do agree with a lot your top ones though! glad to hear your thoughts on it.

 

[womanfish]

Ok, so I'm getting a little burnt on listening and I'm coming back to the ground a bit after the initial euphoria.

Still have a while to go before i can properly rank and compare these songs and album, but here are my initial thoughts.

One thing i've noticed about this album is the high amount of really strong songs - 8 and above. For me

Love is All - 9.0
Lights - 8.5
Summer of Love - 8.5
Red Flag Day - 9.0
Little Things - 9.0
Landlady - 9.0
Blackout - 8.0
Love is Bigger - 8.0 - 8.5...
13 - 8.5 - 9.0

That's crazy...
Am I Crazy??

Then we have the middles
Best Thing - 7
Get Out - 7.5

And the lower
American Soul - 6
The Showman - 6 - 6.5...

The interesting thing is I'm really trying not to put anything up to that 10 level as an all time classic, cause i'm just not sure. While Little Things is a "classic" type song, its not one that i want to listen to as much as Summer, Red Flag, Landlady, Love is all, 13, etc...

I think the strength of this album is the sheer amount of quality songs at a high level.

I felt SOI had two stand out tracks 9.5 for both EBW and The Troubles, Then it had a few 8-8.5's, a few in the 7 area, and a few in the 6 to 6.5 area.

This puts my current SOE rank at about an 8 to 8.2/10 and SOI at a 7.6/10

 

[Hollow Island]

I'm really interested to see how this compares with Songs of Innocence.

I listened to SOI & bonus tracks and then SOE and bonus tracks to see how they compared and it's a pretty satisfying way to spend two hours! The songwriting is consistently good across the two albums, but SOE has something extra that SOI lacks: Intense Bono singing like there's shit on the line. SOE sounds like it had to be made, whereas SOI (and NLOTH, HTAAB & ATYCLB) sound like they're by people who just wanted to make records. Which is fine, but I prefer U2 to be driven by need, and that need seems to be back, at least for now.

I like the production and mix on SOE a lot more too - it's so spacious and detailed. SOI sounds good but it's kind of sterile.

ATYCLB: 7.5
HTAAB: 3
NLTOH: 6.5 (8 for first & last four tracks though)
SOI: 8
SOE: 9

 

[womanfish]

Have listen to the songs a few times now.

The strongest
Love Is All We Have Left
The Little Things
Book Of Your Heart
Red Flag Day
13


The good ones
Best Thing
Get Out Of
American Soul
Landlady
Blackout
Love Is Bigger

The songs that I skip or might like
Lights Of Home
Summer Of Love
Showman

Summary

+
First album since AB /Zooropa that really got an atmosphere.
Didnt know that they would release songs like Love Is All We Have Left and Little things


- To much of average songs, had much higher expectations because of the reviews from fans and media.
- They should have gone all in with the sound that is in Love Is All, Book Of Your Heart.

7/10

1)AB/Zooropa
2)Pop
3)SOI
4) SOE?
5)UF

One thing to remember is that many reviews were so glowing and over the top, because i think a lot of us were really worried that if the first 3 or 4 songs we heard were the best, or even equal to the rest of the songs, we would have been pretty disappointed. Having the rest of the album be so strong i think came a huge relief and surprise.

 

[blugel]

I read these forums a lot but hardly ever post, but here goes...

I've been a fan since right before POP came out, back when I was 14 years old.

The last time I've been this excited for a U2 album (even before I listened to the leak) was during the lead-up to ATYCLB (remember the 30?-second snippets of two songs per week?).

I've enjoyed their albums since, but I really didn't think I'd ever feel this elated by a release from them again.

It's an amazing feeling and I'm so glad I had decided to purchase a ticket for the tour now!

 

[ChurchBay]

Question for those who unlike me have heard the album in full.

If you were introducing U2 to someone who hadn't heard of them before, would this be an album which you'd happily recommend (you don't have to recommend just 1 U2 album!)?

 

[Hollow Island]

yes, it's a massive relief. My expectations were really low, and while I didn't like American Soul, Get Out and the Best Thing on their own they're fine on the album.

 

[Hollow Island]

Question for those who unlike me have heard the album in full.

If you were introducing U2 to someone who hadn't heard of them before, would this be an album which you'd happily recommend (you don't have to recommend just 1 U2 album!)?

I'd probably say to ignore October, Rattle and Hum, OST 1 (which I love but is not representative of U2 in any way), ATYCLB, Bomb, and No Line (and maybe SOI??) and to just pick out of what's left at random.

 

[Psychobabble]

I think we could very well be in for another great album after this one. ATYCLB got the bands confidence back after Pop which I think ultimately led to Bomb being a huge success for them. I can see a similar turn of events here. They will have their swagger back and I think the next record will reap the benefits of them being loose and not over cooking it when the stakes are lower.

Would be cool if they dropped an album during the tour - Songs of Zoo Experiences. I can hear the elephants now.

 

[TinKnight]

Question for those who unlike me have heard the album in full.

If you were introducing U2 to someone who hadn't heard of them before, would this be an album which you'd happily recommend (you don't have to recommend just 1 U2 album!)?

Honestly probably not.

I think this album is great because its kind of a reflection on everything they've done. There's a lot of good songs here, but I think you kind miss out on the real umpf-factor by listening to this in a vacuum

 

[Psychobabble]

Just finished first listen. Really disappointed . U2 trying to sound way too much like contemporary pop.

huh? Contemporary pop? Some of it sounds like pop from the 60's maybe (Zombies, Beatles), or pop from the 80's (U2 War). I'm not hearing any Katy Perry in there.....perhaps I missed some tracks?

 

[Psychobabble]

Ps: I apologize for saying this, but Book of your heart has exploded for me and is becoming one of my favaorite song in almost ever! I was amazed by it when I first heard it and usually songs that I instantly get are the ones that bore me after a few more listens but this song just keeps getting stronger and stronger for me. I’ve listened to it a ton of times and it gets better each time. The only songs that it doesn’t beat for me are songs like One, the fly, hmtmkmkm with the last song mentioned holding the number one spot on my ultimate favorite u2 song.

My initial reaction was somewhat meh, but I hear some potential there. I'm not there yet.

 

[purpleblackeye]

Ok, so I'm getting a little burnt on listening and I'm coming back to the ground a bit after the initial euphoria.

Still have a while to go before i can properly rank and compare these songs and album, but here are my initial thoughts.

One thing i've noticed about this album is the high amount of really strong songs - 8 and above. For me

Love is All - 9.0
Lights - 8.5
Summer of Love - 8.5
Red Flag Day - 9.0
Little Things - 9.0
Landlady - 9.0
Blackout - 8.0
Love is Bigger - 8.0 - 8.5...
13 - 8.5 - 9.0

That's crazy...
Am I Crazy??

Then we have the middles
Best Thing - 7
Get Out - 7.5

And the lower
American Soul - 6
The Showman - 6 - 6.5...

The interesting thing is I'm really trying not to put anything up to that 10 level as an all time classic, cause i'm just not sure. While Little Things is a "classic" type song, its not one that i want to listen to as much as Summer, Red Flag, Landlady, Love is all, 13, etc...

I think the strength of this album is the sheer amount of quality songs at a high level.

I felt SOI had two stand out tracks 9.5 for both EBW and The Troubles, Then it had a few 8-8.5's, a few in the 7 area, and a few in the 6 to 6.5 area.

This puts my current SOE rank at about an 8 to 8.2/10 and SOI at a 7.6/10

That’s pretty close to how I would rank them, except I would probably bump up the Showman to 7.5 and American Soul at 6.5. I am in line with overall scores of both SOE and SOI though. To me U2 have made two high quality albums in a row. Damn impressive at this stage in their career. All the wannabes like The Killers and Coldplay have fallen off the cliff already.

 

[aviastar]

Question for those who unlike me have heard the album in full.

If you were introducing U2 to someone who hadn't heard of them before, would this be an album which you'd happily recommend (you don't have to recommend just 1 U2 album!)?

No. I feel this is more of an album for people who are already fans (and I like this album). I don't know that this would win a bunch of people over. Honestly, there are less than a handful albums I would recommend for introducing people to U2 - TJT, TUF, AB, War is about it. Also, I don't think there are that many people in the world who need to be introduced to U2; you either know 'em and like or know 'em and don't...

 

[Psychobabble]

Any chance Lights Of Home tells us what Bono’s health scare was? Something in the lyrics caught my attention. Curious what others think.

You need to listen to the song backwards - You'll hear "I buried Paul Hewson"

 

[Psychobabble]

LOL. You're too kind. Just like to mess around with this stuff.

right now i'm moving a couple songs around on the track listing. I just feel like both The Blackout and The Showman are really placed badly...

Glad you like it.

I'm struggling with some of the order as well. Let us know if you get a track list that sounds even more better.

 

[Psychobabble]

I'm really interested to see how this compares with Songs of Innocence. Over the last couple of years I'd developed some kind of aversion to that album for some clouded reason. I think many criticisms towards it's poor production and a belief that the first half was very poor led me away from it. Yet upon hearing it again for the first time in ages this week I was struck by how much I enjoyed it. Granted - it's not a great album and I certainly know why people feel let down by the production. But on the whole they are mostly very well constructed songs that are, to me at least, quite memorable and it has to be said Adam Clayton is superb throughout.

That said, as noted above, I still believe the production is uninspired and personally the effect Danger Mouse had on the band was negligible to the point I came to believe he was overrated bar a couple of standout releases a decade or so ago (Gorillaz's Demon Days particularly). I still believe that and I just don't ever believe he is capable of creating music that is all encompassing and embracing the sort U2 are renowned for. He left far too much space on that album for which other, more talented producers would have filled in with greater care and innovation hence it's flatness.

As for the words on SOI I wouldn't go as far to say that the lyrics feel impersonal - they are written from a very personal perspective but they lack that full conviction and resonance that other personal songs in U2's catalogue had like Kite, or I Will Follow. I wonder whether that derives from U2 having become too detached from their past to write with a clarity and conviction about certain experiences in their youth (those qualities are totally absent on The Miracle and California).

Given that Songs of Experience retains that personal touch I'll be fascinated to hear how it compares in personal terms as well as the production.

Interesting perspective. I feel that many songs on SOI are quite personal, having been written about their past. Iris and Cedarwood Rd. come to mind. My guess is that if you didn't like SOI, you might like it less after SOE, but if you liked SOI, you will like it as much or more than before. Of course I could be totally shooting stars out of my a$$.

 

[Psychobabble]

It's basically a "U2 were so cool and cynical in the 90's, stop being genuine :'(((("-review, I wouldn't bother.

Perhaps written by someone in their 20's?

 

[Psychobabble]

Ok, so I'm getting a little burnt on listening and I'm coming back to the ground a bit after the initial euphoria.

Still have a while to go before i can properly rank and compare these songs and album, but here are my initial thoughts.

One thing i've noticed about this album is the high amount of really strong songs - 8 and above. For me

Love is All - 9.0
Lights - 8.5
Summer of Love - 8.5
Red Flag Day - 9.0
Little Things - 9.0
Landlady - 9.0
Blackout - 8.0
Love is Bigger - 8.0 - 8.5...
13 - 8.5 - 9.0

That's crazy...
Am I Crazy??

Then we have the middles
Best Thing - 7
Get Out - 7.5

And the lower
American Soul - 6
The Showman - 6 - 6.5...

The interesting thing is I'm really trying not to put anything up to that 10 level as an all time classic, cause i'm just not sure. While Little Things is a "classic" type song, its not one that i want to listen to as much as Summer, Red Flag, Landlady, Love is all, 13, etc...

I think the strength of this album is the sheer amount of quality songs at a high level.

I felt SOI had two stand out tracks 9.5 for both EBW and The Troubles, Then it had a few 8-8.5's, a few in the 7 area, and a few in the 6 to 6.5 area.

This puts my current SOE rank at about an 8 to 8.2/10 and SOI at a 7.6/10

Showman and Landlady seem to be two tracks that lead to a wide diversity of opinions. I love the former, and the latter is growing on me. Hell, even American Soul is growing on me, and that was the song that started to get me worried before I heard the whole album.

 

[womanfish]

U2.com just posted on Facebook that Lights of Home is being released worldwide on December 1st along with the album....

 

[Psychobabble]

I listened to SOI & bonus tracks and then SOE and bonus tracks to see how they compared and it's a pretty satisfying way to spend two hours! The songwriting is consistently good across the two albums, but SOE has something extra that SOI lacks: Intense Bono singing like there's shit on the line. SOE sounds like it had to be made, whereas SOI (and NLOTH, HTAAB & ATYCLB) sound like they're by people who just wanted to make records. Which is fine, but I prefer U2 to be driven by need, and that need seems to be back, at least for now.

I like the production and mix on SOE a lot more too - it's so spacious and detailed. SOI sounds good but it's kind of sterile.

ATYCLB: 7.5
HTAAB: 3
NLTOH: 6.5 (8 for first & last four tracks though)
SOI: 8
SOE: 9

Generally agree with you here, but I would put ATYCLB in the category of Bono singing like it meant something......Walk On and Kite being the best examples.