Next Album Rumours Thread III - The Gospel of Adam

[doxxer]

I feel like if they would have lead off with Magnificent for the first single, it would have had strong reception at both rock and modern/alt stations coming off of Bomb.

Unknown Caller, while not perfect, fairs so much better in this track listing.

It just shows how powerful of an album they could have, and could still make by foregoing the quest for HITZ!

Unknown Caller is for me, the ultimate 'What Could Have Been'. So much potential. But really, the centerpiece of the whole thing, the Greek chorus, is what wrecks it. Everything else, perhaps apart from somewhat uninspiring Edge picking, is pretty great.

The techno-babble lyrics kill what otherwise would have been a top 3 song on this album. I mean "password, YOU! enter here, now!" SERIOUSLY?

Of those remaining tracks I liked Breathe, Magnificent, NLOTH, & Cedars of Lebanon was probably their best track since POP - that was until SOI (SLABT, Troubles, Cedarwood, Iris etc..)

 

[womanfish]

You've omitted roughly the same tracks I do on mine (although I keep Boots as it's not as bad as the other two in that middle section). But I'm curious how Unknown Caller works better when it has the same three tracks before it as on the release version, including coming right after MOS? Not sure how having Soon as an intro would change that. I think it already works on the official album.

While Magnificent would have been a "smarter" lead single, I still think MOS would have been a bigger statement from the band. Arguably their best track of the decade, Eno's favorite, great lyric, cathartic/inspiring message, powerhouse Bono vocal, etc. Instead, they gave it the closing slot on the 360 tour, where it didn't work, at all.



I'm not sure what to do with Breathe. I didn't like it as the concert opener, but maybe to begin the album that long intro would be fitting. I think it's fine where it is, tbh, as it has the same "showstopper" density of Acrobat, Dirty Day, Please, Exit.

good points from you both. My comment on Unknown Caller wasn’t because of the position in the track listing, but because of the omission of the shitty songs that follow it. I personally used to kind of lump UC into that shitty section. When i removed those song, it helped me to appreciate UC much more.

I agree with Breathe do. I wasn’t sure where to put it, but I’ll try Andrews suggestion and see.

I also don’t despise Boots, but just doesn’t fit into the the atmosphere of the album stripped down like this.

 

[doxxer]

Of those remaining tracks, I thought Breathe, Magnificent & 'NLOTH' were relatively good efforts, but Cedars of Lebanon was, in my opinion, possibly their best track since POP - that was until SoI (SLABT, Troubles, Cedarwood, Iris etc..)

 

[Gonna Run 2 U]

I remember hearing a beach clip of magnificent and how excited I was. After hearing how Eno changed it from a more masculine sounding tune to a 70s disco vibe really was a head scratcher.

 

[mikal]

I remember hearing a beach clip of magnificent and how excited I was. After hearing how Eno changed it from a more masculine sounding tune to a 70s disco vibe really was a head scratcher.

I think it was always like that but the beach clip didn’t pick up on everything. It sounded more like a WOWY vibe but I don’t think it ever was that.

 

[super fly guy]

The biggest head scratcher with beach clips was, boy falls from the sky being giving away to a crap musical!

 

[lazarus]

good points from you both. My comment on Unknown Caller wasn’t because of the position in the track listing, but because of the omission of the shitty songs that follow it. I personally used to kind of lump UC into that shitty section. When i removed those song, it helped me to appreciate UC much more.

Ahh, that makes total sense.

I haven't listened to Crazy Tonight in 10 years most likely so I never hear it after Unknown Caller!

 

[dan_smee]

The biggest head scratcher with beach clips was, boy falls from the sky being giving away to a crap musical!

The biggest head scratcher from the beach clips is that All My Life hasn’t seen the light of day

 

[dan_smee]

If U2 are spending time on acoustic songs (assuming it isn’t new music, which it certainly could be), then I think an interesting way of packaging a new release could be:

Disc 1 - acoustic versions of a range from their catalogue - couple of big hits, some fan favourites and deeper cuts.
Disc 2 - unreleased gems from the vault.

Powderfinger recently did something similar where they picked 10 or 11 songs from across their career that were never finished or released, got a single producer to tidy them up and make sure they worked together sonically and released it as a cohesive collection.

There are a raft of songs from the 2000s that would fit - the ATYCLB leftover that was meant to be a b side to stuck (forgot the name), All My Life, Thank You for the Day, Mercy, about 50 titles from ATYCLB and HTDAAB sessions - plus heaps from earlier days too like Be There, original version of White City and Stingray Guitar, JT leftovers (and you didn’t take any enemies etc). I’d be stunned if with zero effort at all they couldn’t give a shitload of tapes to Flood and say “come back with a 12 song album of songs that are rough, but nearly finished” and they wouldn’t get something worthy of release.

 

[pacemaker]

I like the idea of songs that have little or nothing to do with each other, either finished from the vault (very cool idea) or new stuff. I’d be more than okay with a return to albums with broad themes and concepts as opposed to clunky personal narratives.

Remastering the videos gives me hope that they’ve started considering legacy and rarity releases but it wouldn’t surprise me if we ever see next to nothing.

 

[DeVaul]

The biggest head scratcher from the beach clips is that All My Life hasn’t seen the light of day

JFC yes.

 

[An Cat Gav]

The sadness and missed opportunity of No line On The Horizon

This is my proper playlist for that album:

Soon
Magnificent (a song that has become one of my very favorites of theirs)
No Line…
Moment of Surrender
Unknown Caller
Fez
White as Snow
Breathe
Cedars

have been listening to this for the last week. It’s beautiful, meditative, a dollop of darkness, a dash of hope, and a new unique sound/feel throughout. Without embarrassment. Really the perfect U2 mix.

I feel like if they would have lead off with Magnificent for the first single, it would have had strong reception at both rock and modern/alt stations coming off of Bomb.

Unknown Caller, while not perfect, fairs so much better in this track listing.

It just shows how powerful of an album they could have, and could still make by foregoing the quest for HITZ!

I'd have Winter in there too, towards the end.

 

[mikal]

The biggest head scratcher from the beach clips is that All My Life hasn’t seen the light of day

Both are big head scratchers for sure. I'd also add that "For Your Love" became "Stand Up Comedy". From what I heard of that clip (it wasn't a beach clip but someone recorded it outside their studio), that not only could have been a staple song off of NLOTH, but a potential banger lead single and could have completely changed that album.

 

[womanfish]

Both are big head scratchers for sure. I'd also add that "For Your Love" became "Stand Up Comedy". From what I heard of that clip (it wasn't a beach clip but someone recorded it outside their studio), that not only could have been a staple song off of NLOTH, but a potential banger lead single and could have completely changed that album.

From U2 Songs:

The Edge and Lillywhite are working on a single verse of a song called Stand Up Comedy. They have been working on the verse for hours, the song for 16 months – since Fez, in fact, when it was called For Your Love – but something is still not right

This is a perfect highlight of... The obsessive, loop of self-destruction and second guessing they seem to get themselves into trying to pick at every little thing. . I mean, 16 months, and congrats, you made a shit song.

 

[mikal]

From U2 Songs:

The Edge and Lillywhite are working on a single verse of a song called Stand Up Comedy. They have been working on the verse for hours, the song for 16 months – since Fez, in fact, when it was called For Your Love – but something is still not right

This is a perfect highlight of... The obsessive, loop of self-destruction and second guessing they seem to get themselves into trying to pick at every little thing. . I mean, 16 months, and congrats, you made a shit song.

100%. I remember being shocked that the kick ass guitar riff, verse, chorus, were completely scrapped for such a shit song. I'm convinced that "For Your Love" would have been a big enough song where it could have been a 1st single and launching pad for NLOTH. Follow it up with Magnificent, then Moment Of Surrender and all of a sudden you have an album with 3 strong singles. GOYB nixed any momentum for those two latter songs.

 

[JamietheEdgefan]

Both are big head scratchers for sure. I'd also add that "For Your Love" became "Stand Up Comedy". From what I heard of that clip (it wasn't a beach clip but someone recorded it outside their studio), that not only could have been a staple song off of NLOTH, but a potential banger lead single and could have completely changed that album.

I don't think I've ever heard this, but I'm very intrigued. Any idea where I could find it?

 

[mikal]

I don't think I've ever heard this, but I'm very intrigued. Any idea where I could find it?

I just searched Youtube and can't find it. It used to be there. It might be tough to find now. It was before the 2008 beach clips came out. A couple months before if I remember correctly.

 

[JamietheEdgefan]

Ah, fair enough. There were quite a few clips in the leadup to NLOTH that showed some cool early demos - they all seem to have been wiped off the internet, sadly!

 

[pacemaker]

Now I'm really interested in hearing For Your Love again. I fondly remember beach clip leak threads, but don't remember much of the music, and have lost them to the digital sands of time.

I like some songs that most fans here despise, but Stand Up Comedy is a major sore point for me. I fucking loathe that song. The Crazy-Boots-SUC is laughably bad in the context of NLOTH, but I think that even just removing/replacing SUC would largely fix the album.

The fact that they spent 16 months turning anything into that MOR-Jason-Mraz-cum-riff-rawk is my personal U2 nadir. Fuck Stand Up Comedy.

 

[mikal]

Now I'm really interested in hearing For Your Love again. I fondly remember beach clip leak threads, but don't remember much of the music, and have lost them to the digital sands of time.

I like some songs that most fans here despise, but Stand Up Comedy is a major sore point for me. I fucking loathe that song. The Crazy-Boots-SUC is laughably bad in the context of NLOTH, but I think that even just removing/replacing SUC would largely fix the album.

The fact that they spent 16 months turning anything into that MOR-Jason-Mraz-cum-riff-rawk is my personal U2 nadir. Fuck Stand Up Comedy.

The guitar riff was similar to Boy Falls From The Sky. I wish I could hear it again too.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Stand Up's lyrics are cringey but I don't mind the music. Like much of No Line it suffers from being over thought and over worked.

 

[DeVaul]

Totally. Great riff and bass lines but Bono shit the bed. The “stand up!” part could’ve worked if everything else around it wasn’t a self-satisfied platitude.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Stop wearing glasses that make you look
Like a little old lady

 

[DeVaul]

Purple lenses, dreadful, this song’s verbal diarrhea

 

[mikal]

The only thing Stand Up gave me was alternate lyrics to make fun of some guy who started an account here to complain about how people need to keep their space on the GA floor.

"Come on ye people! Stand back and don't shove!"

"SHOVE SHOVE SHOVE SHOVE SHOVE"

 

[BEAL]

I remember the original stand up riff was released in those little U2.com clips of U2 recording process.

It was Edge by himself in the studio just playing that riff over and over. It was a little more rough and faster than what was turned into the released song.

At least with NLOTH, Edge was actively trying to come up with decent riffs.

I also loved those little clips that U2 released during that build up. Of course after a few months they stopped and basically the entire album was changed.

 

[jphelmet]

Stand Up Comedy and it’s awful brother American Soul, two horrible missteps.

I hate those two songs.

 

[womanfish]

i’ve avoided Stan Up Comedy for so long, I took a moment to listen to it all the way through and was just gobsmacked. It’s like 4 songs pasted together and whoever mixed it was was really angry with the band.

 

[MattD]

Lord knows what they were trying to do with Stand Up Comedy.

Perhaps it should have been given a more glossy production, faster riff? But thinking about this, speed that riff up with a more palatable and less plodding rhythm and you've basically got The Fly haven't you Maybe I don't hate it as much because I was only 18 when it was released and in my final year of school, so maybe nostalgia is painting a different picture to the rest of you. But it is undeniably a mess of a song. Not as hateful as the Ryan Tedder teeny bop crap, but dad rawk at its finest.

I've just recently listened to No Line On The Horizon again, and it's still the album post-All That You Can't Leave Behind which has the most potential yet arguably their most disappointing. There's a really interesting album in there crying to get out before they smothered it with bland 'rawk' production. I have this feeling there's an excellent album somewhere in the vaults, a tracklist made up of the pieces that were intended for Songs of Ascent and the original versions of much of the No Line before they were massacred for a dad rock sound (much to the exasperation of Eno & Lanois). Something more mysterious and ambient. While it might not count as a stone cold classic as it would lack the iconic tunes, it could still hold up as a late career masterpiece.

I'd love them to do an Anthology of sorts, at the very least release Songs of Ascent in its original form.

Maybe one day we will get the ideal No Line On The Horizon.

 

[DeVaul]

It’s like 4 songs pasted together and whoever mixed it was was really angry with the band.

Totally, and each musical section is actually quite enjoyable, at least to me. Would be interesting to hear an instrumental. Even the Vitamin String Quartet didn’t try it, but they did break this one out:

https://youtu.be/DHwSVjw8gY8