dan_smee
ONE love, blood, life
Little Things is their best song since One. Yes I am serious.
Next Album Rumours Thread III - The Gospel of Adam
- Thread starter pacemaker
- Start date
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.
Ok, so I just recently got around to joining this forum after lurking for many years..
I just wanted to start off by saying, I've been really impressed with the level of insightful discussion from U2 fans on here and I've found many of the opinions shared from certain posters on here resonated with me to such a degree that I had to make an account & interact for myself.
I believe that SOE & SOE are respectable, solid albums for a band into the 4th decade of their career. Nothing ground-breaking that's for sure, but some excellent songwriting nonetheless.
But honestly, after tuning out from this band for almost 2 decades, SOI is the album that recaptured this U2 fan's interest. I haven't felt this strongly about any U2 album since the nineties.
As a life-long fan who came back and revisited this 2014-2015 period, as a statement, it honestly feels levels above anything else the band has done since the late-1990's.
Now that I've gone back and watched the live performances of those album tracks (Iris, Cedarwood Road, Raised by Wolves, etc..) my feelings about this particular record are well and truly confirmed. There's so much potency and power behind these songs.
I sincerely believe SOI and it's corresponding tour was probably the most coherent statement from the band in well over 20 years..
I genuinely don't think the band have the focus (nor the commitment) to produce another record as consistent and cohesive (from back to front) as SOI again.
They toiled away for five excruciating years.. and the result was the most complete, fully-realized, and 'finished' sounding record since Achtung Baby.
SOI is easily my favorite of the 5 albums from the last twenty years. Songs like The Miracle, EBW, California, Iris, Volcano, Cedarwood Road, Raised By Wolves, Sleep Like a Baby Tonight, This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now, The Troubles, Lucifer's Hands & the Crystal Ballroom are as energetic, melodic, and interesting as the band have been in decades. They also followed it up with a tour that was, I think, a far more coherent production than 360.
I personally thought that it was a genuinely unique and innovative tour that accompanied SOI and they seemed to be hungrier than ever after their 5 year hiatus.
They just seemed really determined & focused with SOI and it's narrative - and it showed. There was an enthusiasm and drive emanating from the band that we hadn't seen in decades. They were well & truly back.
Apple launch drama aside.. this is easily their best (post-1997) late-career work. Thematically and sonically tight/cohesive, and bringing new blood in producers - notably (Burton, Epworth & Gaffney) helped I think. It's a really great example of how much a difference an engaged & inspired Bono brings to U2 albums, since the Edge just stopped trying for the most part.
I think Innocence features excellent songwriting and wonderful reflection on youth; strong melodies and great lyrical content as well. A solid, respectable (4/5 star), late-career effort from the band, in my opinion. From this record tracks 5-11 and 2-3 lay claim to some of the strongest songwriting in U2's catalog. Iris through to the finish is the best 2nd half of any U2 album ever made, hands down. Cedarwood Road is one of their top 10 ever for me, and Sleep and The Troubles would be near or at the top of the next 10.
In my opinion, SOI is the band's most complete and fully-realized record since Achtung Baby.
And probably their 4th best album overall - The sum truly is greater than the parts...
1. Achtung Baby, 2. Joshua Tree, 3. POP, 4. SOI/Zooropa.
I just wanted to start off by saying, I've been really impressed with the level of insightful discussion from U2 fans on here and I've found many of the opinions shared from certain posters on here resonated with me to such a degree that I had to make an account & interact for myself.
I believe that SOE & SOE are respectable, solid albums for a band into the 4th decade of their career. Nothing ground-breaking that's for sure, but some excellent songwriting nonetheless.
But honestly, after tuning out from this band for almost 2 decades, SOI is the album that recaptured this U2 fan's interest. I haven't felt this strongly about any U2 album since the nineties.
As a life-long fan who came back and revisited this 2014-2015 period, as a statement, it honestly feels levels above anything else the band has done since the late-1990's.
Now that I've gone back and watched the live performances of those album tracks (Iris, Cedarwood Road, Raised by Wolves, etc..) my feelings about this particular record are well and truly confirmed. There's so much potency and power behind these songs.
I sincerely believe SOI and it's corresponding tour was probably the most coherent statement from the band in well over 20 years..
I genuinely don't think the band have the focus (nor the commitment) to produce another record as consistent and cohesive (from back to front) as SOI again.
They toiled away for five excruciating years.. and the result was the most complete, fully-realized, and 'finished' sounding record since Achtung Baby.
SOI is easily my favorite of the 5 albums from the last twenty years. Songs like The Miracle, EBW, California, Iris, Volcano, Cedarwood Road, Raised By Wolves, Sleep Like a Baby Tonight, This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now, The Troubles, Lucifer's Hands & the Crystal Ballroom are as energetic, melodic, and interesting as the band have been in decades. They also followed it up with a tour that was, I think, a far more coherent production than 360.
I personally thought that it was a genuinely unique and innovative tour that accompanied SOI and they seemed to be hungrier than ever after their 5 year hiatus.
They just seemed really determined & focused with SOI and it's narrative - and it showed. There was an enthusiasm and drive emanating from the band that we hadn't seen in decades. They were well & truly back.
Apple launch drama aside.. this is easily their best (post-1997) late-career work. Thematically and sonically tight/cohesive, and bringing new blood in producers - notably (Burton, Epworth & Gaffney) helped I think. It's a really great example of how much a difference an engaged & inspired Bono brings to U2 albums, since the Edge just stopped trying for the most part.
I think Innocence features excellent songwriting and wonderful reflection on youth; strong melodies and great lyrical content as well. A solid, respectable (4/5 star), late-career effort from the band, in my opinion. From this record tracks 5-11 and 2-3 lay claim to some of the strongest songwriting in U2's catalog. Iris through to the finish is the best 2nd half of any U2 album ever made, hands down. Cedarwood Road is one of their top 10 ever for me, and Sleep and The Troubles would be near or at the top of the next 10.
In my opinion, SOI is the band's most complete and fully-realized record since Achtung Baby.
And probably their 4th best album overall - The sum truly is greater than the parts...
1. Achtung Baby, 2. Joshua Tree, 3. POP, 4. SOI/Zooropa.
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zoopop
Rock n' Roll Doggie
I enjoy both albums. The high points of SOE are better than the hight points of SOI. But I do agree SOI sounds more coherent. I will say if U2 would have avoided the Apple fiasco and released a double album they would have gotten strong praise from the media/fans/haters.
This had to be discussed and considered by the band.
This had to be discussed and considered by the band.
mikal
Blue Crack Addict
I hate even talking about the Apple debacle, mostly because it was ALMOST brilliant. The error occurred on the technical end, and part of me wonders if the band even knew that if someone had ticked on "Automatic Downloads of Purchases" in their settings, that they'd never be able to delete it.
They may have gotten a little bad press if the album downloaded to their phones but they could quickly delete it. Takes 1 second to delete an album off your library. But it never would have gotten so bad if it weren't for that technical error.
Again, I put this more on Apple than U2 because I have always speculated that this whole technical hiccup was never discussed when the idea formalized.
They may have gotten a little bad press if the album downloaded to their phones but they could quickly delete it. Takes 1 second to delete an album off your library. But it never would have gotten so bad if it weren't for that technical error.
Again, I put this more on Apple than U2 because I have always speculated that this whole technical hiccup was never discussed when the idea formalized.
MrPryck2U
ONE love, blood, life
A new decade is in full effect. There's been a lot to unpack since U2's last album. It would be nice to hear their take on the current world that we're dealing with. It would also be nice for U2 to perhaps simplify things instead of overcomplicating them with the production. I enjoyed the stuff from the last 2 albums, but I'm looking for U2 to do something different.
LuckyNumber7
Blue Crack Addict
Oh I think the bottom line is don’t invade someone’s privacy or choice. They should’ve never auto downloaded it period. Maybe autodownloaded it For anyone who has previously downloaded a U2 album? And otherwise made it free for those who hadn’t.
DaveC
Blue Crack Addict
i don't want anything at all auto-downloading itself onto my phone. i don't care what it is, ask me first. i don't even let apps update without asking me.
i can almost guarantee the release would have been a PR success if they had done the same thing but just offered it as a surprise free download and advertised the shit out of that.
i can almost guarantee the release would have been a PR success if they had done the same thing but just offered it as a surprise free download and advertised the shit out of that.
Yes. All they had to do was make it a free download to all. Give people the choice vs what happened.
It really did cause a stir with “non fans” because when I’ve brought up U2 with strangers, new friends, etc this is what is discussed. It’s not even “their best music was in the 80s!!”, but now “fucking downloaded an album into my library!!!”
It really did cause a stir with “non fans” because when I’ve brought up U2 with strangers, new friends, etc this is what is discussed. It’s not even “their best music was in the 80s!!”, but now “fucking downloaded an album into my library!!!”
Good grief it's not even top half of the album it's on, and I can't remember what half that album sounds like (that's the better half).
LuckyNumber7
Blue Crack Addict
What beef have you with it?
Don't mind him. It's a great song, he just can't see it like the rest of us can.
The saddest and most overlooked shit of the entire damn thing - which i still contend did incredible damage to their legacy - was that just 8 months earlier they did offered Invisible as a free song through iTunes, just like they did with Innocence - but you had to go download it.
And people did. I think it was downloaded like 3 million times.
So the shift to having it automatically appear in every single iTunes library has to have been a conscious decision and not since glitch.
That one decision is the single worst decision they've ever made. Their legacy had never fully recovered.
Welcome to the forum and wow, what an excellent first post!!
Very good analysis of the entire SOI era and I agree almost word for word!
I felt the album was special from first listen, and that feeling only grew over time.
Easily the best album since Achtung Baby for me. For what it's worth, a lot of long time fans that I know felt the same way.
However, what especially resonated with me was your take on the energy and hunger from the band during the tour. I felt the same thing very strongly- to me, the whole vibe was ELECTRIC. The Fallon appearance leading up to the tour, the rehearsals in Vancouver, etc.
I still remember the day of that first U2 tour show in 4 years like it was yesterday. I've never been so excited for a show I wasn't anywhere near physically. I work overnight, so I remember arrving to work and having a surprising emotional reaction to seeing my first picture of the band on stage under that big light bulb.
When I saw the show in person for the first time in Boston on 07/10/2015, it was an out of body experience! I expected it to be amazing, but NOTHING COULD'VE PREPARED ME for how they knocked me over that night. It is still the single best show I've seen U2 or any act put on, and if you read the fan reviews of that show here, many people felt the same way.
I had seen 1 Vertigo show, 4 360 shows and the 2009 Somerville Promo tour show prior to that night. Watched countless footage. I've seen U2 9 times since that night between I&E, JT 2017 and E&I.
If that night, I&E July 10 in Boston, had been the last I ever saw of the band, I would've been thoroughly satisfied the rest of my life. I don't think they'll ever decline substantially live- they'll know and hang it up first- but no matter how they perform going forward, they owe me NOTHING after that special night.
OP
OP
pacemaker
Refugee
Welcome, doxxer - I'd warn you about pun threads/Leo jokes/etc. but if you've been lurking for so long, you're probably pretty ready for this place. Also, I'm right there with you about SOI being my favorite post-2000 album.
I was in a not-great place (financially/mentally/soul-sucking job/etc) during the SOI and SOE era, so I missed both tours. It was partly on me for not preparing for onsales and whatnot, but it was also the first time I had major difficulty getting tickets for any of the markets around me, so I kinda just gave up. Following along, especially on opening night like you mentioned, was actually really... therapeutic, in a way, for me.
I was able to make it to JT30, though, in between all the weird personal madness. It was amazing, but I'll be honest in saying that if that's the last time I ever see U2 (having seen every tour since Popmart, excluding the i/E/e/I era), I'll be bummed. The (ambilvalent-towards-U2) girl I was dating at the time came with me and she loved it! She (happy) cried during Ultraviolet, and had similar reactions throughout the show. I didn't want to ruin her enthusiasm, but my internal reaction to the show was basically, "Screen looks great, guys sound great, I GOT TO SEE EXIT!!!! I wish I hadn't missed the arena tours..."
Anyway, as I approach 40 I guess I'm now in a position to drop $400+ on nosebleeds for Genesis (though will be reimbursed for 3/4 of that
) so the next time U2 tickets go on sale? I'm pulling out all the stops.Anyway, as I approach 40 I guess I'm now in a position to drop $400+ on nosebleeds for Genesis (though will be reimbursed for 3/4 of that
The Genesis ticket prices are nuts. Suddenly they became The Rolling Stones?
Hewson
Blue Crack Supplier
I took a look yesterday and literally the worst seats in the building (last row of balcony opposite corner from stage)have a face value of $250.50.
Even the Stones never charged that much for complete crap seats.
Made the decision about whether or not to spend money to see Phil sitting the whole show very easy.
It's times like this that I'm glad I work in an arena
I agree that Little Things is good, but tries WAY too hard to be great.
There’s a great song in there somewhere
mikal
Blue Crack Addict
That's one nice thing about being a metal guy, most of the concerts I go to cost about 40 dollars and are in concert halls that fit 1,000-3,000.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
mikal
Blue Crack Addict
That's a great GIF because I actually love getting lubed up!
OP
OP
pacemaker
Refugee
I could only get one, but scored a Nine Inch Nails ticket for $59 today (after fees it was about $80). $40 and $95 face value for other sections. This might have been the first time I spent well under my budget on tickets, figuring they’d be more expensive.
As for Genesis, since Phil could evaporate at any moment, I’m okay with $100 nosebleeds.
As for Genesis, since Phil could evaporate at any moment, I’m okay with $100 nosebleeds.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
Reznor could be asking for a lot more than that; it's refreshing to see someone not try to max out their perceived (and inflated) value.
Then again, when you're pulling in Hollywood/Disney paychecks you definitely aren't hard up for concert revenue.
Then again, when you're pulling in Hollywood/Disney paychecks you definitely aren't hard up for concert revenue.
ascender_RS
Refugee
Of course the SOI album thing was overblown, but it was like crack for an entire generation of keyboard warriors who will take any opportunity to slag off Apple or Bono no matter what they do. It was a perfect storm of over-reaction.
It wasn't overblown. It was a giant fuck up and invasion of privacy
OP
OP
pacemaker
Refugee
Can't wait for all of the "A Decade after Dubliners' Download Debacle: Songs of Innocence Turns 10" in a few years 
mikal
Blue Crack Addict
I think what he’s trying to say (maybe) was that it was a fuck to but good God does our generation suck.
I get it and sure there was some overreaction, but it wasn't just people lashing out because they hate Bono or whatever other excuse U2 fans try to come up with... it was a genuinely dumb thing.
Good intentions, really dumb execution.
Good intentions, really dumb execution.
