Alright, here it is, COBL_04’s track-by-track review of Songs of Surrender. Please note before reading - only one song out of the 40 is better than the original in my view. My overall thoughts are that they’re really bad at doing understated and for the most part this is a mildly interesting, but largely boring record that I’m very glad I didn’t buy and will never listen to again. You could make a solid EP of like 10 or so tracks but not sure I’ll even be doing that as there’s issues with every single song.
One
I quite like Bono’s vocals and the piano line is nice, and I’m a sucker for any time Edge goes into that refrain mode, but what makes One so enduring is the emotion and the passion, very little of which is present here. 6
Where the Streets Have No Name
If the choice at a live show was between no Streets and this Streets, I’m taking no Streets eight days a week. So boring. This rendition, in a nutshell, exposes all the pitfalls of this stupid project. They have absolutely no idea how to do understated. It just doesn’t suit them. Which is fine! Just stick to what you know! Don’t put shit like this out. 1
Stories for Boys
Yawn. Quite like Bono’s vocals here and wish he’d do more of this, but the piano doesn’t work at all for me. 4
11 O’Clock Tick Tock
It’s great to hear them playing a great old song of there’s that’s hugely underrated, and it’s one of the better tracks on here, but losing so much of the energy of the original doesn’t help it. 6
Out of Control
It genuinely sounds like Edge can’t play the acoustic guitar in the way he’s trying to? It sounds amateur and disjointed. Absolute dogshit. Bono’s vocals are lazy, which gets covered up when it’s full-band electric, but they can’t hide here. 1
Beautiful Day
That awesome animation they made for this song might have sucked me in. I don’t mind what they did with this. Not a patch on the original, but solid. 7
Bad
I was really, really enjoying this until Bono ruined it. “Surrender… this is a song of surrender.” “Jars of clay.” “Into a time of innocence again.” “If I could ask for help / I know what you would say / You could only have it all / if you give it all away.” “Fuck OFF man. It’s not a Mercy-esque ruining, but it’s not far off. The music saves it, they recreated this song exceptionally well. Probably helps that Larry and Adam appear to have a contribution. What a song Bad is. 8
Every Breaking Wave
A more boring version of the original. It’s fine. 5
Walk On
As much as I want to hate this, particularly Bono’s new lyrics, I don’t. It’s quite nice. The song itself, as much of a meme it has become, still holds up. 7
Pride
Why is Edge so shit at playing the acoustic guitar? I think this is an interesting recreation, which is more than you can say for most of the songs on here. That instrumental break is cool, and the last minute or so is great. 7
Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
Seriously, Edge has been playing the guitar for, what, like 60 years? He’s not that good at it. The chorus is quite nice and the song holds up, because it’s a fucking great song, but I never need to hear this over the original again. 5
Get Out of Your Own Way
The fact that this is one of my favourite songs on the album tells you how shit it is. This is quite fun. Miles, miles, miles better than the original, which is maybe the worst song they’ve ever committed to tape. Still never want to hear it again, but good on them. 7
Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out of
What’s the point in having this song on here? It’s exactly the same as the live versions they’ve been playing for years. I’ve always loved this song and felt it is underloved by the community. This rendition is fine, Edge’s refrain part is so good, of course. 6
Red Hill Mining Town
Nice enough. A little better than the live version from the JT30/2 shows. God, I’ll never get those fucking images out of my mind. Nice to hear something other than Bono’s vocals and Edge’s shit acoustic guitar playing. 6
Ordinary Love
Fuck this song man. It’s fine, but so emblematic of everything I dislike about modern-day U2. Maybe this is slightly better than the original. Don’t know. Don’t care. The harmonised singalong is nice, as well as whatever’s happening in the background. 4
Sometimes You Can’t Make it on Your Own
I have a lot of love for this song but not this version. The style and tone they’ve gone for, the piano in particular, doesn’t work imo. 2
Invisible
The main guitar riff is less saccharine in this rendition than in the original, which helps it a lot. I’d probably take this over the original, but doubt I’ll ever listen to it again. Pretty nice. 6
Dirty Day
I love Bono’s vocal register, not much else. The verses are good. That father-to-son verse is so bad. The outro is okay. 6
The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)
Fuck this song as well. So shit. Maybe the new chorus is slightly better than the original’s? Maybe it’s worse? Don’t know. Don’t care. And it doesn’t have as much of the obnoxious ohhh ohhs. 2
City of Blinding Lights
Another good example of them being unable to do understated, or unable to do it well. They made a great song a bit boring. Don’t mind the high-note guitar in the chorus, but this is a bit shit. 4
Vertigo
No Vertibanjo. Yawn. 3
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Pretty boring retread. 4
Electrical Storm
This song was impressively understated already, and they just made it pretty boring. The change for the last third is nice but is very abrupt. 4
The Fly
Interesting enough recreation in some parts. The bridge sucks. The choruses hold up because they’re so strong as is. 5
If God Will Send His Angels
It’s great to hear this song. The piano is quite beautiful at times. Def prefer the Pop version, but this is good. 7
Desire
Don’t mind the falsetto take. All my favourite alternate Desires however are heavier. 6
Until the End of the World
I actually love the start. The solo does not lend itself well at all to being acoustic, and the outro is tonally wrong - this is a life-affirming song, but it’s also shattering. It’s not uplifting. And they’ve made the outro sound uplifting. Otherwise, pretty good. 7
Song for Someone
I’ve been on record as saying I really like the original version of this song. It has just the right out of sentiment without quite going overboard (rest assured, I still think it’s not very good). This rendition is yet another example of something that just absolutely does not need to exist. Not horrible, but forgettable. 4
All I Want is You
Pretty good. Pretty faithful, which is probably why it’s pretty good. 6
Peace on Earth
Edge’s vocals sound a bit pinched to me. This is fine. 5
With or Without You
It’s like they went “how can we take the crappiest live versions we’ve done of this song in the last decade and make it more boring”. 3
Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
Why the fuck did he remove most of the lyrics from the chorus?! Still, this is one of the better recreations on here. Love the lower vocal register. 7
Sunday Bloody Sunday
We’ve heard this a million times. Yawn. 4
Lights of Home
Fine, I guess. Don’t need the original in my life, nor this one. 4
Cedarwood Road
My patience is starting to be tested now. The chorus to this is good. And like the rest of this album, this is a more boring, crappier version of the original. 4
I Will Follow
The way they’ve recreated the riff is kinda cool to listen to once and then never again. 5
Two Hearts Beat as One
Pretty cool, way better vocal from Edge than some of his other ones. Like the funky vibe. Can’t help but feel it would be a heap better if it wasn’t so stripped down. 7
Miracle Drug
Tonally it sounds all wrong, both the music and the singing. 3
The Little Things That Give You Away
It’s solid because it’s a good song and it’s a pretty faithful recreation. Still not as good as the original. 6
'40'
Quite nice, but doesn’t need to exist. 6
