Early Song Rankings

[dan_smee]

This is almost perfectly how I see it after a similar number of listens.

I also have Book of Your Heart in the top category. I’m puzzled by its omission from the album proper.

Yeah I agree - love it.

 

[trainmaniac]

0 - 10:

Love is All We Have Left: 6,5
Lights of Home: 9,5
You're The Best Thing About me: 6,5
Get Out Of Your Own Way: 5
American Soul: 6
Summer of Love: 10
Red Flag Day: 9
The Showman: 8,5
The Little Things That Give You Away: 9,5
Landlady: 8,5
Blackout: 9
Love is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way: 8
13: 6,5
Book of Your Heart: 7,5

 

[hasin73]

I have not given all songs full attention yet. But those that I haven given a repeat listening.......

TLTTGYA
LIGHTS OF HOME
BLACKOUT
LIBTAIIW
13

All the above are absolutely fantastic songs...... Can't give any ratings yet. Later. Next I will give attention to....

Summer of Love
Landlady ( already felt very good on first listen )
Showman
LIAWHL
RFD

 

[hasin73]

Landlady also takes its place among the fantastic U2 songs of the album.

 

[hasin73]

Landlady is gonna outlast all these.

I have a feeling you may be right eventually.

 

[Airseven]

Love is All We Have Left 6/10
Lights of Home 6.5/10
You're The Best Thing About Me 5/10
Get Out Of Your Own Way 5.5/10
American Soul 5/10
Summer of Love 7/10
Red Flag Day 7.5/10
The Showman 6.5/10
The Little Things That Give You Away 6.5/10
Landlady 7.5/10
Blackout 5.5/10
Love is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way 8/10
13 6/10

Average: 6.3

 

[Rich79]

I'm holding out until I have the CD, but I find these early rankings and ratings refreshing. It's interesting though because the perfect 10 rating seems to be elusive on almost everyone's list. I usually find that even my least favorite U2 albums at least have one or two 10s.

 

[Tyagu_Anaykus]

in order best to worst (for now):

1- Landlady
2 - Blackout
3 - Love is All We Have Left
4 - Summer of Love
5- The Little Things That Give You Away
6 - Lights of Home
7 - Red Flag Day
8 - 13
9 - The Showman
10 - Love is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
11 - Book of Your Heart
12 - American Soul
13 - Get Out Of Your Own Way
14 - You're The Best Thing About me

0-10
9.0 - Landlady
9.0 - Blackout
8.9 - Love is All We Have Left
8.0 - Summer of Love
8.0 - The Little Things That Give You Away
7.5 - Lights of Home
7.5 - Red Flag Day
7.0 - 13
7.0 - The Showman
7.0 - Love is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
7.0 - Book of Your Heart
6.0 - American Soul
5.0 - Get Out Of Your Own Way
4.0 - You're The Best Thing About me

7/10 (because of the last two. I really don't like them)

this is fun.
who knew they still had it in them

 

[JoRu]

I'm holding out until I have the CD, but I find these early rankings and ratings refreshing. It's interesting though because the perfect 10 rating seems to be elusive on almost everyone's list. I usually find that even my least favorite U2 albums at least have one or two 10s.

I rarely give out 10s for songs, so it's not much of a knock against the album that I don't think there's a 10 on there. The U2 songs I would give a 10 to right now is probably:

- A Sort Of Homecoming
- Where The Streets Have No Name
- I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
- One Tree Hill
- Zoo Station
- Ultraviolet
- Zooropa
- Please
- Moment of Surrender

Songs like Lights of Home, Summer of Love and 13 all being close to being part of that group is a huge deal for me, did not expect them to make songs of that caliber on their 14th album in their 41st year.

 

[deltau922]

1 Blackout
2 Love Is Bigger
3 The Little Things
4 Lights Of Home
5 You’re The Best Thing
6 Summer of Love
7 Red Flag Day
8 Get Out Of Your Own Way
9 American Soul
10 13
11 Landlady
12 Showman
13 Love Is All We Have Left

 

[U2freakboy]

Great

Lights of home ( string version )
13
landlady
summer of love

Good

Love is all we have left
lights of home
ordinary love
best thing
get out of your own way
the blackout
the little things ( first part )
red flag day
showman

bad

book of your heart ( good ideas but very bad mix, a demo , at best )

awful

love is bigger than anything in its way ( bad maroon5/coldplay song )
american soul

I can see people who don’t like pop saying Love is Bigger isn’t their cup of tea. But to say it’s awful is simply ridiculous. It’s a perfectly crafted pop song.

 

[2861U2]

After two listens:

Very Good:
1) The Little Things That Give You Away
2) Summer Of Love
3) Get Out Of Your Own Way
4) Lights Of Home
5) Landlady
6) You're The Best Thing About Me

Good:
7) The Showman
8) The Blackout
9) 13
10) Love Is All We Have Left
11) Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way

Okay:
12) American Soul

Don't Care For:
13) Red Flag Day

A couple notes:
- I liked it WAY better on the second listen. So if you're holding out, don't dismiss it.
- As I figured I would, I wish I would have tried harder to avoid hearing the songs we've heard already
- As good as the songs are, I think this is the worst tracklisting of any of their 2000s albums. Yes- including Bomb. I'll play around and find an order I think works, but it certainly isn't this.

 

[JoRu]

- As good as the songs are, I think this is the worst tracklisting of any of their 2000s albums. Yes- including Bomb. I'll play around and find an order I think works, but it certainly isn't this.

I think the tracklisting is good overall. Lights of Home -> The Best Thing is not great, though, and I would perhaps switch Red Flag Day and The Showman with each other. Maybe something like this:

1. Love Is All We Have Left
2. Lights of Home
3. Get Out Of Your Own Way
4. American Soul
5. You're The Best Thing About Me
6. Summer of Love
7. The Showman (Little More Better)
8. Red Flag Day
9. The Blackout
10. The Little Things That Give You Away
11. Landlady
12. Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
13. 13 (There Is A Light)

 

[corianderstem]

I need another listen or two before I rank.

 

[rennowba]

Only listened to the leak once and the stream once

1 summer of love
2 red flag day
3 the little things that give you away
4 the blackout
5 the showman
6 lights of home
7 get out of your own way
8 land lady
9 you're the best thing about me
10 love is bigger then anything in it's way
11 American soul
12love is all we have have left
13 13

I like them all though

 

[TinKnight]

The Little Things That Give You Away
13 (There Is A Light)
Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
Summer of Love
Landlady
Love is All We Have Left
Lights From Home
You’re The Best Thing About Me
The Blackout
The Showman (Little More Better)
Get Out of Your Own Way
Red Flag Day
American Soul

 

[Flaming Friar Sr]

Like them all a lot, but here’s my early ranking:

1. The little things
2. Love is all we have left
3. Get out of your own way
4. Landlady
5. 13
6. Best thing
7. Summer of love
8. Lights of home
9. Blackout
10. Red flag day
11. American soul
12. Showman
13. Love is bigget than anything in its way

 

[Tyagu_Anaykus]

Yesterday I listened the album through other headphones that gives a great bass and... I'm even more in love with it! It changed my perception - specially - to my bottom 3.

1- Landlady
2 - Blackout
3 - Love is All We Have Left
4- The Little Things That Give You Away
5 - Lights of Home
6 - Summer of Love
7 - Red Flag Day
8 - Love is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
9 - 13
10 - The Showman
11 - Book of Your Heart
12 - American Soul
13 - Get Out Of Your Own Way
14 - You're The Best Thing About me

0-10
9.0 - Landlady
9.0 - Blackout
9.0 - Love is All We Have Left
9.0 - The Little Things That Give You Away
8.5 - Lights of Home
8.5 - Summer of Love
8.5 - Red Flag Day
7.5 - Love is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
7.0 - 13
7.0 - The Showman
7.0 - Book of Your Heart
7.0 - American Soul
7.0 - Get Out Of Your Own Way
6.0 - You're The Best Thing About me

 

[kiwilad]

I'll give this a go

1. Landlady
2. Little Things
3. Lights of Home (strings)
4. Lights of Home
5. Love is All We Have Left
6. Love is Bigger
7. 13
8. Book of Your Heart
9. Summer of Love
10. Get Out
11. Red Flag Day
12.The Showman
13. Blackout
14. Best Thing
DNF: American Soul

 

[dan_smee]

With the fairly well agreed strength of this album, I’m wondering where it will settle in album rankings. Talk of ‘best since x album’ is interesting, but not telling with U2 - they haven’t been at the peak of their powers for a whole album for 26 years. My album ranking is:

Achtung Baby
The Joshua Tree
The Unforgettable Fire
Pop
Boy
HTDAAB
Zooropa
War
Songs of Innocence
Rattle & Hum
ATYCLB
October
NLOTH

My honeymoon phase mindset wants me to put it 4th in that list. I have a feeling it will settle either side of Boy, but not below HTDAAB.

 

[Jarvio]

1 Achtung Baby
2 The Joshua Tree
3 All That You Can't Leave Behind
4 How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
5 The Unforgettable Fire
6 Songs Of Innocence
7 War
8 Songs Of Experience
9 No Line On The Horizon
10 Boy
11 Pop
12 Rattle And Hum
13 Zooropa
14 October

 

[Aardvark747]

1. Love is bigger than anything in its way
2. Love is all we have left
3. The Blackout
4. The little things that give you away
5. The Showman
6. The lights of home
7. Red flag day
8. Get out of your own way
9. Best thing
10. Landlady
11. Summer of love
12. American soul
13. 13

 

[Hollow Island]

The Little Things That Give You Away
The Showman
13
Red Flag Day
Landlady
Lights of Home (strings)
Summer of Love
The Book of Your Heart
Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
Lights From Home
Love is All We Have Left
The Blackout
You’re The Best Thing About Me
American Soul
Get Out of Your Own Way

 

[corianderstem]

My favorites:

Lights of Home
The Little Things That Give You Away
Summer of Love
The Blackout

These are also very good:

Love Is All We Have Left
13
The Book of Your Heart
Red Flag Day

I like these more than a lot of people, but they're not the best on the album:

You're the Best Thing About Me
Get Out of Your Own Way
The Showman

I don't get it, what's wrong with me?:

Landlady


My least favorite by a country mile, but damn that intro is just killer:

American Soul

 

[Scorpionac]

Right now, something like this:

Love is All We Have Left
The Little Things That Give You Away
Book of Your Heart
Love is Bigger Than Anything
There is a Light
You’re the Best Thing About Me
Landlady
The Blackout
Summer of Love
Lights of Home
Red Flag Day
American Soul
The Showman
Get Out of Your Own Way

 

[Catman]

Right now...

Landlady (yeah, I know--it resonates w/ me, what can i say)
The Little Things...
Love is Bigger...
Red Flag Day
Lights of Home
Summer of Love
The Blackout
The Showman
Love Is All...
Best Thing
13
GOOYOW
American Soul

 

[BoyOnTheHorizon]

I am changing mine already:

1 - Red Flag Day/Lights of Home (tie)
3 - Summer of Love
4 - Love is bigger than Anything
5 - The Showman
6 - Little Things
7 - You're the best thing
8 - Love is All We have Left
9 - The Blackout
10 - American Soul
11 - Get Out of Your Own Way
12 - Landlady
13 - 13

My turn:

1 - Lights of Home
2 - The Little Things
3 - Red Flag Day / Showman( Tie)
5- You're The Best Thing
6 - Summer of Love
7 - The Blackout
8 - Landlady
9 - American Soul
10 - Get Out of Your Own Way
11 - Love is All We Have Left
12 - Love is Bigger than Anything
13 - 13*

*The only skipper in my book. Maybe it will grow, but the Song for Someone chorus ruined for me.

On first listen i thought it was a great B-side compilation album, but after maybe 4 listens i think it's a good album, it continues the freshness and confidence they regained on SOI. Better than No Line already, and probably better than Bomb.
SOI maybe its not a classic but it has a cohesiveness that's absent on ATYCLB, SOE goes on with that trend but with more remarkable tunes. Does it have a Beautiful Day or Stuck in a moment in it? I am not sure.
Well only time will tell if its as good as it sounds now.

 

[Gonna Run 2 U]

Landlady
Love Is All We Have Left
Red Flag Day
Summer Of Love
Lights Of Home
The Showman
The Blackout
Love Is Bigger Than Anything In It’s Way
You’re The Best Thing About Me
13
The Little Things That Give You Away
Get Out Of Your Own Way
American Soul

 

[FazeCraze]

For those of you who are ranking Little Things low, what don't you like about it? It just seems objectively amazing. Respecting everyone's opinions. Just Genuinely curious.

 

[corianderstem]

Just had listen #4, and amazing how my rankings change each time. Red Flag Day is now a little meh to me, and 13 bowled me over.

Still nothing on Landlady, though.