LuckyNumber7
Blue Crack Addict
Wait, people remove songs from an album? What
Almost Finished with U2
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The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
womanfish
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
Well, I wouldn't say physically remove, but the ones I skip. I can't get past the idea that people would sit through American Soul or Stand Up Comedy or Grace, etc...
womanfish
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
bono_212
Blue Crack Distributor
The great thing about music there, that it can appeal to all people
. I think the circle-jerk around here about American Soul is way worse than anything actually in that song.
Stand Up Comedy and Grace are meh, but not anywhere near as bad as they're made out to be here, either. But when we all spend two decades on a website dedicated to one band, the echo-chamber of negativity is only going to get louder and louder as time goes by.
phanan
Blue Crack Addict
I mean, we all make our own custom playlists of albums to improve them for our own listening pleasure, right? We post them all the time. So not sure I get the issue on removing songs from albums.
I'm perfectly fine not hearing Get Out Of Your Own Way and American Soul ever again.
I'm perfectly fine not hearing Get Out Of Your Own Way and American Soul ever again.
cobl04
45:33
My 10 least favourite songs are nearly all from the past 8 years.
1. American Soul
2. Get Out of Your Own Way
3. Your Song Saved My Life
4. You're the Best Thing About Me
5. Ordinary Love
6. The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)
7. Volcano
8. Magnificent
9. Stand Up Comedy
10. Ahimsa
1. American Soul
2. Get Out of Your Own Way
3. Your Song Saved My Life
4. You're the Best Thing About Me
5. Ordinary Love
6. The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)
7. Volcano
8. Magnificent
9. Stand Up Comedy
10. Ahimsa
Hewson
Blue Crack Supplier
Not a fan of Adam's big instrument?
cobl04
45:33
A great Adam bass line (which both those songs have) does not a good song make.
In fact, it's an indictment on the rest of them that Adam is the clear highlight on both.
In fact, it's an indictment on the rest of them that Adam is the clear highlight on both.
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
Stand Up Comedy > Magnificent is a take I've never seen before but life is full of surprises like that
cobl04
45:33
Both terrible songs, but to me Magnificent is more representative of the direction they've taken that I strongly dislike. I don't like any part of it (Adam's bass aside), whereas I really like the "ooh-ooh / out from under your bed" and the "soul-rocking people" parts, even if they're only 10 seconds.
bono_212
Blue Crack Distributor
Basically I took umbrage with the idea of someone saying they were going to give an album a reappraisal, but are skipping two tracks. That's what really doesn't make sense to me.
I make custom playlists of album from time to time as well, but my brain is wired in a way that I usually will never listen to those playlists because it's not the "artist's intention" or whatever. That's just me, everyone can listen to music however they feel.
phanan
Blue Crack Addict
Yeah, makes sense in that context. When I do rankings of albums for any artist, including U2, it's obviously inclusive of all the warts. My custom playlist ranking would be much different.
Interestingly, when I make a custom album I really enjoy, I tend to listen to it more than a classic album that's had no tweaking done to it. As an example, I've listened to my own versions of SOI and SOE more than JT and AB over the past year. I would never rank them higher than those classics, custom or not, but I guess there's just something to be said to how different the listening experience is when you put something together yourself.
Interestingly, when I make a custom album I really enjoy, I tend to listen to it more than a classic album that's had no tweaking done to it. As an example, I've listened to my own versions of SOI and SOE more than JT and AB over the past year. I would never rank them higher than those classics, custom or not, but I guess there's just something to be said to how different the listening experience is when you put something together yourself.
CosmoKramer
Rock n' Roll Doggie
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That's what really kept me hanging around but the truth is the last concert, SOE at MSG, was awful. The new songs were very meh live and I usually enjoy the "new" songs. No Joshua Tree hurt the show for me(not having that massive uplift of WTSHNN or crowd energized with With or Without you was noticeable).
They typically open a show in a big way (Mofo entering one by one, Elevation, COBL, even TMOJR) but here they opened with a very slow number and it was just Bono lip syncing....fucking embarrassing. Then you had the neutered Best Thing(I enjoy the song but it was Bad live....worst reception for a lead single I've heard at a concert) and then the cringy snap chat filter during Acrobat and the heavier than usual use of the megaphone.
I genuinely left that show thinking it was a terrible concert. I Will Follow was a highlight and a few others (including American Soul actually) but yeah, not worth the money for me.
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I like this list. Although I'd remove Ordinary Love and Volcano - they're decent - and YSSML and Ahimsa for irrelevance. Replace with Iris, California, Window in the Skies, Love and Peace or Else for being so painfully generic.
CosmoKramer
Rock n' Roll Doggie
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Very true. The European set list was very cool and I would imagine there was a much different (better) energy.
Irvine511
Blue Crack Supplier
I loved the two E/I shows I saw in North America (DC and NYC). They were emotional and very political and I walked out ready to punch Nazis.
They only paled in comparison to the I/E show I saw in 2015 (Boston 1), which was the single best show I’ve ever been to, by U2 or anyone.
They only paled in comparison to the I/E show I saw in 2015 (Boston 1), which was the single best show I’ve ever been to, by U2 or anyone.
bono_212
Blue Crack Distributor
If you want to hear me be a hypocrite, I will say that I consider The Unforgettable Fire my favorite album of all time based on the album AND all of the supplemental material that came along with it. When I listen to that album, it's almost always a super-sized version which includes all of the b-sides as well. I don't eliminate anything, but I still also don't necessarily listen to the album the way U2 intended.
womanfish
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
CosmoKramer
Rock n' Roll Doggie
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Well said. I would expand this to their decision making in the live setting as well (both promotional appearances and concerts).
There was a time that a live performance by U2 was a "moment"....but now it's very hot or miss
1-the Spain promo of Best Thing with Kygo when Bono showed up on a boat and lip synced....this was cringy AF
2-The pre recorded Grammy performance of GOOYOW on a dock in the middle of the Hudson River (I think)
3-SNL performance of GOOYOW and American Soul was....soulless
Keep in mind, I am one of the few here that LIKE GOOYOW and don't mind American Soul
In concert: don't want to keep repeating but
1- The opening of the show with a very slow song and lip syncing (for what we pay for tickets...the fuck)
2-LOH canned strings....I get that they have a lot of recorded sounds playing on almost all songs but the strings are so prominent that I think it was a missed opportunity for a "moment" (Red Hill in JT as well)
3-the fucking bull horn...in multiple songs...a bull horn....
4- that snap chat filter that barely worked
5- Little Things is such a beautiful song IMO and the best on the album and they don't play it???
I'll stop because I don't want to be negative and clearly I am but needless to say....their judgment is much more miss than hit now.
LuckyNumber7
Blue Crack Addict
I like the song.
they've been using canned strings on One since 1992. that's an odd critique for a band that uses a TON of backing tracks (Bad anyone?)
womanfish
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
Yeah, I was watching Popmart the other day and it was loaded with prerecorded instrumentals. ZooTV was as well, I mean the whole opening of the the show with Zoo Station is a start. lol.
so many of those popmart songs are using heavy backing tracks to flesh out the sound. the 747 jet engine guitar? yea, Edge isn't playing that live. it's a backing track.
even on the "stripped back" elevation tour... Kite, hello?
Unforgettable Fire? Streets? that's not terry world playing the organ underneath. that's a backing track. there's a reason why it's perfect every single time.
and obviously the most famous one -
1985.
they've always used a lot of backing tracks and smoke and mirrors to flesh out their sound in a live setting. it is not a new thing for them, and was a major critique of "u2 haters" for years.
even on the "stripped back" elevation tour... Kite, hello?
Unforgettable Fire? Streets? that's not terry world playing the organ underneath. that's a backing track. there's a reason why it's perfect every single time.
and obviously the most famous one -
1985.
they've always used a lot of backing tracks and smoke and mirrors to flesh out their sound in a live setting. it is not a new thing for them, and was a major critique of "u2 haters" for years.
LuckyNumber7
Blue Crack Addict
DJs play “live” - not sure why playing against a backing track is any different.
Hewson
Blue Crack Supplier
For many musicians and some music fans there's a definite distinction.
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