Songs of _________________; New album discussion #7

[dan_smee]

Well, you seem to be disappointed that a veteran arena/stadium act who hasn't put out an album in 5 years and is trying to remind the general public of their worth post-Covid while promoting an autobiography isn't opting for the avant garde approach, when that would be a pretty dumb move. It's "hey, we have a lot of great songs from the past 40 years, let's have a little fun with them and try some things with instrumentation and arrangements", not "let's take a song people love and turn it into something weird and unrecognizable".

Yep

 

[dan_smee]

I’m not sure what artistically successful or artistic value actually mean by the way. I don’t think anyone does - isn’t that, you know, the point?

 

[Hollow Island]

Well, you seem to be disappointed that a veteran arena/stadium act who hasn't put out an album in 5 years and is trying to remind the general public of their worth post-Covid while promoting an autobiography isn't opting for the avant garde approach, when that would be a pretty dumb move. It's "hey, we have a lot of great songs from the past 40 years, let's have a little fun with them and try some things with instrumentation and arrangements", not "let's take a song people love and turn it into something weird and unrecognizable".

I'm not disappointed. I didn't expect them to do anything radical. I even said that I wouldn't expect them to do anything similar, ffs. If you're going to respond to me could you at least respond to what I actually said?

I was just pointing out an instance when someone rerecorded material and did something interesting with it. Are we not allowed to talk about projects similar to SOS?

FWIW, "Trying things with instrumentation and arrangements" is exactly what Sylvian did. Ride did something similar with their last album, too.

Nowhere did I suggest that they or anyone else should "take a song people love and turn it into something weird and unrecognizable," so I don't know why you attributed that sentiment to me.

The album I'm referring to actually did the opposite with its source material: the strings are less confrontational than the electronics. I usually dislike it when artists make songs unrecognizable. Dylan is the archetypal example, but he's the archetype for a good reason. I hate how how he changes the melodies and music when he plays live.

 

[Hollow Island]

Anyway, hopefully Lanois is on a fair amount of the album and brought some of his wizardry to the material.

 

[The John Tree]

Well this isn’t so much “hipster gatekeeping” - which is a bit of an unnecessary low blow -so much as it is a guilty pleasure, but English pop star Robbie Williams just released a greatest hits albums where he re-recorded 22 hits as new versions (mainly as orchestral arrangements, though not always).

The overall result was…fine, I guess? Again, it was a situation where I would listen to each version and think “this isn’t drastically different and who needs a newer, inferior version of this song?”

That’s where I’m at with this project (admittedly, before hearing it). I want to like the idea of it, but I just…don’t get it. I’ll give it a listen, but I imagine I’ll just continue waiting for Songs of Ascent/Songs of America (the Idea)/Songs of…whatever.

 

[ascender_RS]

I'm looking forward to the audio book much more than the album at this moment, but I'm pretty interested to hear what they've done with the songs because like John says, they haven't just stuck an orchestra behind them.

I still don't get the choice of Vertigo to perform live at the book shows with that sort of arrangement. I've never understood when they play an acoustic arrangement of that song tbh, its one that needs the electric guitar turned up to 11, isn't very lyrically meaningful or deep, its just a great pop rock song.

 

[dan_smee]

Well this isn’t so much “hipster gatekeeping” - which is a bit of an unnecessary low blow -so much as it is a guilty pleasure, but English pop star Robbie Williams just released a greatest hits albums where he re-recorded 22 hits as new versions (mainly as orchestral arrangements, though not always).



The overall result was…fine, I guess? Again, it was a situation where I would listen to each version and think “this isn’t drastically different and who needs a newer, inferior version of this song?”



That’s where I’m at with this project (admittedly, before hearing it). I want to like the idea of it, but I just…don’t get it. I’ll give it a listen, but I imagine I’ll just continue waiting for Songs of Ascent/Songs of America (the Idea)/Songs of…whatever.

I don’t think it was completely a low blow - where you acknowledge that your discomfort is that you don’t get it, hollow island is constantly and belligerently calling the idea stupid to the point where we are less than half a step away from “and everyone who ends up enjoying this thing I haven’t heard yet are also stupid by implication”.

Hipster gatekeeping is where someone restricts and shapes a collective view towards or away from an idea into an esoteric one that they influence using privileged and seemingly nuanced and unpopularised viewpoints. I reckon it’s pretty close…

 

[Registered Dude]

Today's addition of EBW brings us to 25. Still 15 to reveal. 4 of which are SOI/SOE era.
https://www.u2songs.com/discography/u2_songs_of_surrender_album

There are a total of 11 songs from the Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience era included with these new recordings. (27.5%) Every studio album except for Zooropa is represented. Most, but not all, of the songs are songs that have been singles or well-known songs from each of these albums.

From the 1980s there will be three songs from Boy, one from October, two songs from War, two songs from The Unforgettable Fire, four songs from The Joshua Tree and one from Rattle and Hum as well as a non-album track. There are 14 songs in total from the 1980s. (35%) From the 1990s, there are six songs from Achtung Baby and one song from Pop for a total of seven songs from the 1990s. (17.5%) From the 2000s, there will be two songs from All That You Can’t Leave Behind, four songs from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, and two songs from No Line on the Horizon. (20%)

“Out of Control” – U2 (From Boy)
“Stories for Boys” – U2 (From Boy)
“11 O’Clock Tick Tock” – U2 (Non-Album Single)
“Two Hearts Beat as One” – U2 (From War)
“Bad” – U2 (From The Unforgettable Fire)
“Where the Streets Have No Name” – U2 (From The Joshua Tree)
“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” – U2 (From The Joshua Tree)
“With or Without You” – U2 (From The Joshua Tree)
“One” – U2 (From Achtung Baby)
“Until the End of the World” – U2 (From Achtung Baby)
“Wake Up Dead Man” – U2 (from Pop)
“Beautiful Day” – U2 (From All That You Can’t Leave Behind)
“Vertigo” – U2 (From How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)
“City of Blinding Lights” – U2 (From How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)
“Crumbs from Your Table” – U2 (From How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)
“Miracle Drug” – U2 (From How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)
“Moment of Surrender” – U2 (From No Line on the Horizon)
“Breathe” – U2 (From No Line on the Horizon)
“Invisible” – U2 (Non-Album Single)
“Ordinary Love” – U2 (Non-Album Single)
“Iris (Hold Me Close)” – U2 (From Songs of Innocence)
“Song for Someone” – U2 (From Songs of Innocence)
“Every Breaking Wave” – U2 (From Songs of Innocence)
“The Showman (Much More Better)” – U2 (From Songs of Experience)
“Lights of Home” – U2 (From Songs of Experience)

I'm interested in further choices from UF, R&H and AB. Hopeful for some deep cuts in the mix, like Heartland and TTTYAATW.

 

[mikal]

Today's addition of EBW brings us to 25. Still 15 to reveal. 4 of which are SOI/SOE era.
https://www.u2songs.com/discography/u2_songs_of_surrender_album




“Out of Control” – U2 (From Boy)
“Stories for Boys” – U2 (From Boy)
“11 O’Clock Tick Tock” – U2 (Non-Album Single)
“Two Hearts Beat as One” – U2 (From War)
“Bad” – U2 (From The Unforgettable Fire)
“Where the Streets Have No Name” – U2 (From The Joshua Tree)
“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” – U2 (From The Joshua Tree)
“With or Without You” – U2 (From The Joshua Tree)
“One” – U2 (From Achtung Baby)
“Until the End of the World” – U2 (From Achtung Baby)
“Wake Up Dead Man” – U2 (from Pop)
“Beautiful Day” – U2 (From All That You Can’t Leave Behind)
“Vertigo” – U2 (From How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)
“City of Blinding Lights” – U2 (From How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)
“Crumbs from Your Table” – U2 (From How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)
“Miracle Drug” – U2 (From How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)
“Moment of Surrender” – U2 (From No Line on the Horizon)
“Breathe” – U2 (From No Line on the Horizon)
“Invisible” – U2 (Non-Album Single)
“Ordinary Love” – U2 (Non-Album Single)
“Iris (Hold Me Close)” – U2 (From Songs of Innocence)
“Song for Someone” – U2 (From Songs of Innocence)
“Every Breaking Wave” – U2 (From Songs of Innocence)
“The Showman (Much More Better)” – U2 (From Songs of Experience)
“Lights of Home” – U2 (From Songs of Experience)

I'm interested in further choices from UF, R&H and AB. Hopeful for some deep cuts in the mix, like Heartland and TTTYAATW.

Heartland would make sense because I believe they already recorded a new version that was supposed to be on that Joshua Tree Tour documentary that never came out.

Also curious if Love Is Blindness will make the cut and it will be Edge's acoustic version, which I'm totally ok with having an official version of.

 

[Registered Dude]

at some point it was revealed that some of this stuff will feature Edge on lead vocal, maybe even in a solo capacity. I don't remember where I came across that.

Love is Blindness would make sense

 

[lazarus]

Of course they pick my 3 least-favorite tracks from SOI.

 

[mikal]

For some of these SOI tracks, I do wonder if they'll be versions that we've already heard. Like they may just throw in the Adele version of EBW, but we'll see.

 

[The John Tree]

There’s gotta be something that mentions the Troubles in Northern Ireland. My guess is Raised By Wolves will be on it - especially since they already have the acoustic/brass version from the SoI deluxe edition.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Well, you seem to be disappointed that a veteran arena/stadium act who hasn't put out an album in 5 years and is trying to remind the general public of their worth post-Covid while promoting an autobiography isn't opting for the avant garde approach, when that would be a pretty dumb move. It's "hey, we have a lot of great songs from the past 40 years, let's have a little fun with them and try some things with instrumentation and arrangements", not "let's take a song people love and turn it into something weird and unrecognizable".

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Hipster gatekeeping is where someone restricts and shapes a collective view towards or away from an idea into an esoteric one that they influence using privileged and seemingly nuanced and unpopularised viewpoints. I reckon it’s pretty close…

 

[Registered Dude]

hipster gatekeeper as envisioned by AI is pretty good. Thought in fairness to everyone here, I dont think it's a fair depiction

now, "grumpy u2 fan", on the other hand

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

hipster gatekeeper as envisioned by AI is pretty good. Thought in fairness to everyone here, I dont think it's a fair depiction

now, "grumpy u2 fan", on the other hand

please pay me 50 thousand dollarydoos

 

[DeVaul]

now, "grumpy u2 fan", on the other hand

I didn’t need a mirror

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Bored PLEBA Yacht Club

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

i call this one "the GA line hasn't actually started we're only getting organized"

 

[mikal]

https://www.u2songs.com/news/spoile...kuSz9_68OI1yo8RMyS6vO519VrV7VHYv2x2J2nezazxA8

Spoilers: Bono’s Surrender Chapter Titles
Original Stories by Aaron J. Sams (2022-10-19)
We’ve been teasing the songs that will appear on Songs of Surrender for a few weeks now. Bono announced the album is coming soon on Sunday, and we are looking forward to hearing those songs that will appear on this new album of older songs. But coming out first is Bono’s autobiography Surrender. We can share the structure of the book now. The book will be out in full on November 1 in most countries, just under two weeks. For more on the availability of the book and foreign versions of the book, please visit our Book entry here.

Please look away now if you do not wish to have spoilers about the book contents. We do have a Spotify playlist up if you wish to listen along to the original versions of these songs as you read through the article.

The book is split into three sections. Each section will have a number of chapters. And each chapter is named after a previously released U2 song.

Part One includes:

1. Lights of Home
2. Out of Control
3. Iris (Hold Me Close)
4. Cedarwood Road
5. Stories for Boys
6. Song for Someone
7. I Will Follow
8. 11 O’Clock Tick Tock
9. Invisible
10. October
11. Two Hearts Beat as One
12. Sunday Bloody Sunday
13. Bad
14. Bullet the Blue Sky
15. Where the Streets Have No Name
16. With or Without You
17. Desire

Part Two includes:

18. Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
19. Until the End of the World
20. One
21. The Fly
22. Even Better Than the Real Thing
23. Mysterious Ways
24. Stuck in a Moment
25. Wake Up Dead Man
26. The Showman
27. Pride (In the Name of Love)

Part Three includes:

28. Beautiful Day
29. Crumbs from Your Table
30. Miracle Drug
31. Vertigo
32. Ordinary Love
33. City of Blinding Lights
34. Get Out of Your Own Way
35. Every Breaking Wave
36. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
37. Love is Bigger Than Anything in its Way
38. Moment of Surrender
39. Landlady
40. Breathe

At the end of the book is a section of afterwords.

These are song titles of each chapter. Other songs are mentioned throughout the text mixed in among these chapters. Bono works in lyrics from the songs as well as mentioning the songs themselves. Each chapter is also accompanied by a drawing done by Bono himself.

Chapter titles have been taken from from U2’s earliest album Boy right up to 2018’s Songs of Experience. There are a total of 11 songs from the Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience era including two non-album tracks, “Invisible” and “Ordinary Love”. (27.5%) Every studio album except for Zooropa is represented.

From the 1980s there will be titles from Boy, one from October, two songs from War, two songs from The Unforgettable Fire, four songs from The Joshua Tree and one from Rattle and Hum as well as the non-album track, “11 O’Clock Tick Tock”. There are 14 songs in total from the 1980s. (35%) From the 1990s, there are six songs from Achtung Baby and one song from Pop for a total of seven songs from the 1990s. (17.5%) From the 2000s, there will be two songs from All That You Can’t Leave Behind, four songs from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, and two songs from No Line on the Horizon.(20%)

The book opens with a chapter titled “Lights of Home” and the book opens with the first line from that song, “I shouldn’t be here, ‘cause I should be dead”.

The Songs of Surrender album which Bono mentioned was coming soon on Sunday night is expected to include new recordings of all of these songs done during Covid lock downs with the full band. Bono also revealed that The Edge would be on (one of) the covers for the record, choosing an image of himself with his bald head showing to be used as the cover art.

 

[Rich79]

We already have the perfect alternate version of Lights of Home

Three songs that have nowhere to go but up (for me) are on here and I still don't expect I'll enjoy them, but trying to remain open: GOOYOW, Landlady (to a lesser extent), and Showman (my least fave U2 song of the lot)

What I'm most intrigued by so far is Bullet being on this list. I don't think you try to match the intensity with an alternate version. I think you have to go way out in left-field with it.

Also really looking forward to Wake up Dead man and Miracle Drug.

(Of course this is assuming we're getting every single one of these as an album track.)

 

[mikal]

The ultimate redemption is if the remake of Get Out Of Your Own Way was so good that suddenly everyone on Interference liked it.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

ok we can pretty much figure this out...

1. Lights of Home

I'MMA START WITH ME SMACKING MY DAMN HEAD ON THE GROUND AND ALMOST DYING TO DRAW YOU IN

2. Out of Control
3. Iris (Hold Me Close)

MOM DIES

4. Cedarwood Road

GUGGI... THIS IS FOR YOU

5. Stories for Boys

HEY I'M IN A BAND NOW

6. Song for Someone

ALI

7. I Will Follow

JEEEESUS

8. 11 O’Clock Tick Tock
9. Invisible

HEY OUR BAND HAS SONGS NOW

10. October

HEY JESUS ALMOST BROKE UP THE BAND

11. Two Hearts Beat as One

HEY ME AND ALI GOT MARRIED

12. Sunday Bloody Sunday

HEY WE'RE FROM IRELAND AND THERE WAS TROUBLES THERE

13. Bad

HEY HEROIN

14. Bullet the Blue Sky

AMERICA IS AN IDEA

15. Where the Streets Have No Name

HEY ME AND ALI WENT TO AFRICA

16. With or Without You
17. Desire

HEY WE WANT TO BE THE BIGGEST BAND IN THE WORLD BUT OOOPS THE CRITICS DON'T LIKE RATTLE AND HUM

Part Two includes:

18. Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses

HEY THEY DON'T LIKE US ANYMORE WHAT DO WE DO NOW?

19. Until the End of the World

OH MY GOD THE BERLIN WALL CAME DOWN

20. One

HEY THE BAND ALMOST BROKE UP CAUSE LARRY WASN'T ON BOARD

21. The Fly

ACHTUNG Y'ALL

22. Even Better Than the Real Thing

HEY THIS SHIT'S WORKING

23. Mysterious Ways

I DUNNO ZOO TV OR MAYBE JESUS AGAIN OR POSSIBLY ALI

24. Stuck in a Moment
25. Wake Up Dead Man

FOR MICHAEL HUTCHENCE!

26. The Showman

LOOK I'M THE FLY NOW

27. Pride (In the Name of Love)

HEY WE THINK POP FAILED BECAUSE OF HUBRIS SO I NAMED THIS CHAPTER PRIDE.. GET IT???!?!?!

Part Three includes:

28. Beautiful Day

HEY PEOPLE LIKE US AGAIN

29. Crumbs from Your Table

BONO'S LOVE AFAIR WITH FOOD (OR PROBABLY SOMETHING ABOUT SISTER ANN)

30. Miracle Drug

MAYBE EDGE'S DAUGHTER GETTING SICK AND POSTPONING THE VERTIGO TOUR? NAHHHH PROBABLY ABOUT HIS WORK GETTING AIDS ANTIVIRALS OUT THERE.

31. Vertigo

APPLE, BUT WHEN IT WAS GOOD!

32. Ordinary Love

ALI OR MAYBE MANDELA

33. City of Blinding Lights

ACTUALLY JET FUEL CAN WEAKEN STEAL BEAMS ENOUGH FOR THE UPPER FLOORS TO PANCAKE

OR MAYBE 360. UNCLEAR.

34. Get Out of Your Own Way

HEY WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET OUT OF OUR OWN WAY SINCE 2009

35. Every Breaking Wave

APPLE, BUT BAD THIS TIME

36. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For

I'M JUST A PILGRIM WHO HASN'T MADE ANY FUCKING PROGRESS

37. Love is Bigger Than Anything in its Way

I HAVE KIDS NOW AND THEY DO SHIT

38. Moment of Surrender

I ALMOST DIED AGAIN

39. Landlady

BUT ALI WAS THERE FOR ME

40. Breathe

HYRDOXYCLORAQUINE AND BLEACH (please hum this to the tune of xanax and wine thank you)

 

[MattD]

It's strange how the band keep forcing universally reviled songs like Song For Someone and Get Out Your Own Way. Fans hate them, the public think they're naff - who is actually benefitting here?

It's like they genuinely believe if they keep banging that drum, it will become a classic. Brainwashed by Californian NFT fuckwits like Tedder and Oseary no doubt.

 

[The John Tree]

As funny as this is, I think Headache is probably around 90-95% right. As for the ones he didn't expand on:

Out of Control will likely be stories about what a little hellion he was as a child.

I actually think Cedarwood Road will be the chapter about the difficult relationship he had with his father, post-Iris's death.

11 O'Clock Tick Tock will be the chapter introducing us to those wild n' crazy punks the Lypton Village.

With Or Without You, I'm hoping, is a peek inside his marriage with Ali. It's been hinted that Edge's split during the making of Achtung Baby led to a sort of domino effect within the band.

I would imagine Stuck In A Moment is for Michael Hutchence.

Wake Up Dead Man, I imagine, is where Bono assures as that, although he went through a rough time, his faith in God remained intact.

 

[The John Tree]

It's strange how the band keep forcing universally reviled songs like Song For Someone and Get Out Your Own Way. Fans hate them, the public think they're naff - who is actually benefitting here?

It's like they genuinely believe if they keep banging that drum, it will become a classic. Brainwashed by Californian NFT fuckwits like Tedder and Oseary no doubt.

I'm going to run and hide after saying this, especially because I've been fairly critical of this entire project in this thread, but:

I like both of these songs and I'm actually quite excited for GOoYOW to be re-recorded, as I believe there's a good song in there. It was just awfully produced. Hopefully they get it right the second go-around.

 

[ascender_RS]

It's strange how the band keep forcing universally reviled songs like Song For Someone and Get Out Your Own Way. Fans hate them, the public think they're naff - who is actually benefitting here?

The band aren't in touch with the views of the fan base at all.

Remember when they started playing Acrobat in 2018 and said something along the lines of "we never knew fans wanted to see us play that song live."

I'm guessing they don't care so long as they can keep making music and selling out tours. Which is probably true for 99% of artists out there tbh.

 

[mikal]

As an artist, you also have a right to like your own songs even if your fans on an outdated social platform don't like it.

 

[mikal]

Bono: "Song For Someone" perfectly represents an important part of my life. I think I'll include it on my autobiography.

Management: But Bono, I saw some comments on a fan forum that people don't like that tune.