shuttlecock XXIV: it's the little swings

[Axver]

I suppose I should be grateful the band never seemed inclined to do a Boy 40th anniversary tour, because I'd have been fucking pissed off to miss that thanks to covid.

 

[prbiker15]

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CDGr6wCHAl7/?igshid=1t4rhlhad64b8

Good to know that Bono and Edge are still ok.

 

[david]

I never expected that.

 

[iron yuppie]

A U2 song that doesn't get enough appreciation is Breathe. It *might* be my favorite late-period U2 track. The Ground Beneath Her Feet is a challenger.

 

[cobl04]

I have always felt Breathe is overrated. It's overstuffed with ideas, there's like five different songs in there (the drum intro, the two meh pre-choruses, the soaring chorus, the fast-paced verses).

I really dig the verses (even though Bono seems to lose his breath as the song goes on), but it's executed poorly overall. Edge's guitar playing is nothing special. One of Larry's better tracks of the past 20 years though.

Cedars and Fez/Being Born are the standouts and the last two really good songs the band has made in my eyes. Exactly the route I wish they'd gone down.

 

[Axver]

Breathe is legit on the same level as Unknown Caller, Boots, and Comedy as one of the bottom four on that album - a series of ideas bad in their own right, shoehorned together to produce something even less than the sum of its parts. Far too much of that on NLOTH. The verses try too hard to be clever and Bono sounds exhausted even trying to try. It's the sort of thing that if I were wearing a U2 shirt in public and that song came on, I'd be so embarrassed that I'd just never show my face there again.

I am not being hyperbolic - much.

 

[LemonMelon]

I like Breathe a lot. The flood of syllables in the verses gives the song a fun energy despite its loping time signature and the cello was a stroke of genius from Eno. It's anthemic like so much great U2 without being boring or obvious.

 

[david]

Totally forgot Breathe opened the early 360 shows.

 

[lazarus]

I have always felt Breathe is overrated. It's overstuffed with ideas, there's like five different songs in there (the drum intro, the two meh pre-choruses, the soaring chorus, the fast-paced verses).

I really dig the verses (even though Bono seems to lose his breath as the song goes on), but it's executed poorly overall. Edge's guitar playing is nothing special. One of Larry's better tracks of the past 20 years though.

I kind of agree with this in theory, though I do still like the song a lot. There's still probably at least 4 songs on the album I prefer to it.

And I'll maintain, as I have since the 360 tour, that this was a TERRIBLE choice as an opener; the beat is all wrong for something to kickstart a show--isn't it in 3/4?? This kind of dense but anthemic track is far better later in the set, like it is on the album. It's like opening with Acrobat.

 

[djerdap]

I made Axver listen to Window in the Skies twenty times in a row.

I deserve a bottle of pelinkovac for that alone.

 

[intedomine]

And I'll maintain, as I have since the 360 tour, that this was a TERRIBLE choice as an opener; the beat is all wrong for something to kickstart a show--isn't it in 3/4?? This kind of dense but anthemic track is far better later in the set, like it is on the album. It's like opening with Acrobat.

I’m on board with this. A clunky awkward opener. I was quite happy to get Stingray Guitar at the shows I went to, but would have liked live Breathe to make a showing later in the set.

Bottom 5 for me:
Red Light
God Part 2
Love Rescue Me
Get Out Of Your Own Way
Elevation

And with regards to covers, I’m into Happiness is a Warm Gun! It’s nothing like the original, a worthwhile endeavour in step with what U2 were aiming for sonically at the time. I don’t listen much, but I like it when I do.

 

[cobl04]

The others I can understand, but God Part II?!

Stingray was dumb, but it did work as a bit of an energiser. Where they fucked up was segueing it into Beautiful Day, which went down like a wet fart. I'd have preferred Breathe, at least it would have been something fresh, and they'd dumped most of NLOTH by the time they got to us (and, infuriatingly, replaced it with renditions of North Star, which would comfortably be in my bottom five).

We really got the worst of 360. The first third had NLOTH and some little gifts like TUF and Your Blue Room and Stay. We got North Star, proto Every Breaking Wave, In a Little While every night. Then the final third got tons of good shit.

 

[LemonMelon]

360's 2011 shows went HARD

Even Better Than The Real Thing
The Fly
Mysterious Ways
Until the End of the World
Out of Control
Get on Your Boots
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Stay
Beautiful Day
Elevation
Pride
Miss Sarajevo
Zooropa
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Scarlet
Walk On

One
Where the Streets Have No Name
With or Without You
Moment Of Surrender
One Tree Hill

 

[Hewson]

And I'll maintain, as I have since the 360 tour, that this was a TERRIBLE choice as an opener; the beat is all wrong for something to kickstart a show--isn't it in 3/4?? This kind of dense but anthemic track is far better later in the set, like it is on the album. It's like opening with Acrobat.

I saw the only show on the early leg that didn't use Breathe as opener, 2nd Foxboro show opened with Magnificent. Miles better opening than the previous night. Much better energy to start the show.
Why they only did that switch up once is (like so many U2 decisions) baffling.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

2011 360 show at MetLife is still at the top of my list.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Philly I got Magnificent, which was a really nice change up from having seen “The Fly” in Miami.

[emoji6]

 

[Axver]

I made Axver listen to Window in the Skies twenty times in a row.

I deserve a bottle of pelinkovac for that alone.

Is that the name of that spirit you tried to ply me with? Croatia is a terrible country full of terrible people like djerdap who serve you the one and only alcohol I have been unable to finish a shot of—a single shot!

(Fuck, we had a good time.)

Bottom 5 for me:
...
God Part 2

This deserves a ban, even if the rest of your list is on point.

Stingray was dumb, but it did work as a bit of an energiser. Where they fucked up was segueing it into Beautiful Day, which went down like a wet fart.

...


We really got the worst of 360. The first third had NLOTH and some little gifts like TUF and Your Blue Room and Stay. We got North Star, proto Every Breaking Wave, In a Little While every night. Then the final third got tons of good shit.

I co-sign both of these statements. So, so fucked off about our 360 setlists. We got the tail end of tours for years, when they'd dropped all the new songs and cool obscurities, and I was pretty excited that we were finally getting the band mid-tour. Instead, we get the absolute worst of the tour, and the one time a tour does not end down here the band pull out all the stops to perform its best setlists right at the end.

Anyway, always see U2 on the first leg of a tour. It doesn't matter if they aren't as sharp as later, you've got a better shot at hearing something interesting rather than the 1,000th karaoke of Still Haven't Found.

 

[namkcuR]

Random, but...

Top 5 holy grail tracks that have never seen the light of day:

1. The "Bono" version of The Wanderer from the Zooropa sessions
2. The 1988 full studio version of She's A Mystery To Me
3. The 2002 version of Playboy Mansion
(If you don't know what this is - when they recorded the 'new' mixes for the Best Of 1990-2000, they also recorded a new version of Playboy Mansion, reportedly with a dramatically altered lyric that omitted all of the dated pop culture references - it was cut from the album, and then it was going to be a b-side for the Hands That Built America single, but that single was cancelled. So it's in the vault, apparently).
4. I think beach clips from 2008 suggest there are earlier, significantly different versions of NLOTH tracks such as Magnificent, Unknown Caller, and Breathe. UC is the one I'm most interested in, without the dumb chorus lyrics.
5. The ATYCLB-era version of OOTS(Apparently an early, less-produced version heard briefly during a 60 Minutes interview from back then)

HM: The full version of the North Star recording used in the Transformers movie(even though probably none of you want to hear that)

Can you guys think of any others?

 

[the tourist]

All My Life

 

[cobl04]

I wouldn't mind hearing that purported late 90s version of City of Blinding Lights.

But really, I just want the world to know about Mercy.

 

[lazarus]

Stuck in a Moment with Mick Jagger on bvox?

And wasn’t there a collaboration between U2 and Underworld?

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Full band Boy Falls From The Sky

Treason (the song they did with Dr. Dre)

The Danger Mouse version of SOI

 

[Popmartijn]

And wasn’t there a collaboration between U2 and Underworld?

Yes, they apparently collaborated in the Pop era. I once read an interview with Karl Hyde where he was asked about it. From what I can recall he said it's in U2's vault, so up to them to release it.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Stuck in a Moment with Mick Jagger on bvox?

And wasn’t there a collaboration between U2 and Underworld?

Yes, they apparently collaborated in the Pop era. I once read an interview with Karl Hyde where he was asked about it. From what I can recall he said it's in U2's vault, so up to them to release it.

Whatever this is, it's guaranteed to be fantastic.

 

[Axver]

In Cold Blood or gtfo.

 

[lazarus]

The Danger Mouse version of SOI

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

https://www.u2songs.com/news/rumour_u2_to_release_atyclb_box_this_fall

That it's 20 years since this album came out makes me feel really fucking old

 

[Axver]

Can't wait for the "rarities" disc to just be a bunch of random remixes and single edits rather than the unreleased songs we either know or hope exist.

I hope I'm wrong and that there is some interesting stuff that is entirely new to us nerds. I also hope someone emails it to me because a) I don't care to contribute to Bono's next gold-plated toilet and b) I definitely don't want to put down money on U2's worst album, not even if the deluxe edition can give me a massage or cook dinner.

 

[lazarus]

Yeah, I’ll definitely be torrenting it for any “new” material. Considering this is from 2000 any remaster improvement will already be minimal, and aside from In A Little While, all of these sound better live anyway. I already own the Unreleased and Released disc from Propaganda, so I’m suspicious there will be enough on here to justify buying it.

This album is pleasant, the writing is good, but pretty fucking lifeless as a recorded document. Eno was wrong this time around in his strategies.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Yeaaaaaa I'm not going to bother arguing the point about the album itself... but regarding the rarities and what not, they'd almost certainly be on Spotify or YouTube Music so I don't foresee an issue with that.