Which album has the best B Sides?

[Jon Seidman]

That´s it, which album has the best B Sides?

I don´t care if you all want to get specific or think about each album´s collection of B sides as a whole.

My vote is for Joshua Tree, CLOSELY followed by Unforgettable Fire.

JT B sides were barely B sides. I think every song could have been an album track. UF B sides were the opposite - studio experiments, incomplete songs, etc... Equally as cool to listen to and sometimes even more interesting.

 

[U2girl]

Joshua Tree.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Um, i'll say JT followed by AB.

 

[kingofsorrow]

jt, then ab.

 

[bono_212]

90s and 00s b-sides have nothing on how great the b-sides from the 80s (specifically TJT and TUF) were. And I disagree with the original poster, I find that the major b-sides from TUF were definitely quality, and it was a shame that TTS and LCT were left off of the album, as well as Bass Trap, I'll never understand why 4th of July was chosen over Bass Trap. Then there's the Boomerangs which are also great b-sides. Man, TUF was quite an era.

Though I do agree that TJT b-sides were even better.

 

[Vlaco]

1.) JT
2.) AB
3.) UF

 

[Mauwer]

Easy...The Joshua Tree
Then definetly The Unforgetable Fire.

Cheers ,

Mauwer

 

[Axver]

I'd say UF is quite easily the strongest b-side era: TTS, LCT, Bass Trap, the Boomerangs, and SSIKC are all quality tracks. JT would be second for me, but I find it hit and miss: Luminous Times and Spanish Eyes are better than almost anything actually on the Joshua Tree, but Sweetest Thing is terrible and Walk To The Water and Deep In The Heart are quite weak too. Silver And Gold is a pretty solid b-side, though I wouldn't rank it as good as anything from the UF era, and as interesting as Race Against Time is, I find it hard to see it actually rising above b-side status.

 

[Zoots]

Love Comes Tumbling

 

[LarryMullenFan]

JT, then R&H.

 

[Screwtape2]

Well, considering that I think Walk To The Water is the greatest song ever written...

 

[bono_212]

I'd say UF is quite easily the strongest b-side era: TTS, LCT, Bass Trap, the Boomerangs, and SSIKC are all quality tracks. JT would be second for me, but I find it hit and miss: Luminous Times and Spanish Eyes are better than almost anything actually on the Joshua Tree, but Sweetest Thing is terrible and Walk To The Water and Deep In The Heart are quite weak too. Silver And Gold is a pretty solid b-side, though I wouldn't rank it as good as anything from the UF era, and as interesting as Race Against Time is, I find it hard to see it actually rising above b-side status.

You make a good point, I always tend to focus on the b-sides I LIKE from TJT, rather than all of them. Plus, I also have a habit of including the new unreleased stuff as b-sides and they really aren't, so really imo, TUF has the best b-sides. They're all all around great from that era

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

-best of 1980 to 1990: the b-sides

winner

 

[Zoots]

-best of 1980 to 1990: the b-sides

winner

I know JT and UF has several awesome b-sides but let's not forget the amazing Achtung ones!

 

[digitize]

JT followed by Achtung, probably, although the Achtung ones are very strong. They're just not as developed as the JT ones.

 

[LemonMelon]

UF. This is partially why I find the album to be so disappointing.

 

[martha]

JT

 

[Jimmy Jazz]

Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby are better but two of my favorite b-sides are from POP - Holy Joe and North And South Of The River. Should have been on the album.

ATYCLB is pretty strong too. Summer Rain, Always, Big Girls Are Best and Don't Take Your Guns To Town. Not too shabby.

 

[david]

Joshua Tree simply because of the original songs and covers are so outstanding.

 

[europop2005]

Pop

I love Holy Joe

 

[Jimmy Jazz]

Joshua Tree simply because of the original songs and covers are so outstanding.

what covers?

 

[bono_212]

What are you talking about in regards to AB having fantastic b-sides. There are only like 3 songs and the rest are crappy remixes

 

[phillyfan26]

1. Unforgettable Fire
2. The Joshua Tree

The rest ... spotty.

 

[Iskra]

JT by a mile.
Walk to the Water and Luminous Times are amazing pieces of work.

 

[intedomine]

Unforgettable Fire
Acntung Babye

 

[nathan1977]

JT -- in terms of quality of material (7 B-sides, 6 original songs and a cover of Bono's "Silver and Gold").
UF -- in terms of potential material (6 B-sides released, 1 other unreleased track).

No other period comes even close, and it reminds me that their most prolific period has been when Eno and Lanois have been producing them. Ditto for Coldplay, incidentally, who may release both an EP soon and another album next year. If U2 really has 50-60 songs to choose from, I wonder what it is about Eno (and Lanois) that releases their creativity?

 

[Axver]

I know JT and UF has several awesome b-sides but let's not forget the amazing Achtung ones!

JT followed by Achtung, probably, although the Achtung ones are very strong. They're just not as developed as the JT ones.

Well, sure, Achtung gave us Lady With The Spinning Head, Alex Descends, and Where Did It All Go Wrong, but let us not forget that is also the era that inflicted U2's covers of Paint It Black and Fortunate Son onto us.

 

[bono_212]

Well, sure, Achtung gave us Lady With The Spinning Head, Alex Descends, and Where Did It All Go Wrong, but let us not forget that is also the era that inflicted U2's covers of Paint It Black and Fortunate Son onto us.

I want so badly to forget

 

[Popmart Shopper]

Well, sure, Achtung gave us Lady With The Spinning Head, Alex Descends, and Where Did It All Go Wrong, but let us not forget that is also the era that inflicted U2's covers of Paint It Black and Fortunate Son onto us.

Dont Forget Salome!

 

[MMP]

R&H and AB

R&H: A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel [one of U2's best songs], Hallelujah (Here She Comes) [very good], Everlasting Love [cover - beautiful], Unchained Melody [cover - beautiful], Dancing Barefoot [cover - very good]

AB: Lady with the Spinning Head [one of U2's best songs], Where Did It All Go Wrong? [beautiful], Salomé [very good], Alex Descends In Hell [very good], Paint It, Black [cover - amazing], Fortunate Son [cover - beautiful], Satellite of Love [cover - beautiful]