Album tracks that should have been B-Sides

[financeguy]

Miami wold top this list for me it would have been better as an idiosyncratic B-Side on one of the Pop singles I feel.

Though if it was a B-Side we would probably be debating what an ignored gem it was.

 

[the tourist]

Miami would have been good if they'd played it on the album like they played it on the tour; or, if they'd had the proper drums of the second half of the song being played the whole way through.

As for songs that should have been b-sides -- Red Light (to be replaced with Treasure and A Celebration),

Trip Through Your Wires (to be replaced by Spanish Eyes),

Some Days Are Better Than Others, (to be replaced by Lady With The Spinning Head Extended Dance Mix),

Miami or The Playboy Mansion (to be replaced by Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me and I'm Not Your Baby).

 

[Rafiennes]

When I Look At The World could have had more impact on me as a b-side. They could have replaced it with with Love You Like Mad, stuck to the original track listing and I could'a been a happy camper.

 

[WinnieThePoo]

Elevation
All Because Of You
City Of Blinding Lights
Men And Woman

 

[LMP]

Another Time, Another Place (replaced by 11 O'Clock or Another Day)

Red Light (replaced by A Celebration)

4th of July (replaced by The Three Sunrises)

Trip Through Your Wires (replaced by Spanish Eyes)

Somedays are Better Than Others (replaced by Slow Dancing)

Miami (replaced by Hold, Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me)

 

[WinnieThePoo]

Trip Through Your Wires (replaced by Spanish Eyes)

Somedays are Better Than Others (replaced by Slow Dancing)

Miami (replaced by Hold, Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me)

Spanish eyes is a certain b-side

HMTMKMKM was released and done in 1995
it was perfect as a single

Slow Dancing is good as Willie Nelson's ponytail
spirit of zooropa is not there

 

[Utoo]

Elevation
All Because Of You
City Of Blinding Lights
Men And Woman

Really? To each his own, I s'pose.

I'd say that on the Bomb, they should've dropped One Step Closer (does ANYBODY ever talk about this song???) and replaced it with Mercy....

I'm too lazy to think about the other albums, though I like the tourist's idea of A Celebration for Red Light.

 

[the tourist]

I like One Step Closer.

 

[BrownEyedBoy]

Definitely Trying to Throw Your Arms Around the World

 

[zoopop]

One Step Closer is such a pretty song. Creates a bit of atmosphere for the Bomb. Try listening to it while driving at night.

 

[typhoon]

Men And Woman

Kinky.

Someone rename this thread "Album tracks that you don't like."

 

[WinnieThePoo]

Kinky.

Someone rename this thread "Album tracks that you don't like."

you might say that

 

[financeguy]

Kinky.

Someone rename this thread "Album tracks that you don't like."

Well not necessarily. I don't dislike Miami I just think it's not quite up to scratch by u2 standards to be an album track. Also people could feel a b or c track doesn't fit well with a particlar album and should have been left off, for example.

 

[the tourist]

I definitely think One Step Closer is a very strong moment on The Bomb, because it's the real ballad, in the vein of The First Time.

 

[LMP]

HMTMKMKM was released and done in 1995
it was perfect as a single

I disagree a bit, it's a great song and release, but I'd much rather see it on PoP

it's fits the thematic content, lyrics, general feel and overall awesomeness of that album

while Miami is a fun rock song, it is a weakpoint on the album as a whole

 

[gareth brown]

...one Step Closer (does ANYBODY ever talk about this song???)

yes. too bloody much. it's a grower but that's only because I've got used to it being on the album, i still detest it.

that song's best left unreleased. but then you'd get people making such a fuss over it just because it's unreleased which is so obviously an instant reason for being a high-standard piece of music. (see also; 'Wild Irish Rose', 'Smile', and in some opinions, 'Mercy')

I personally think 'Love Rescue Me' would have made a better B-side than an album track, seems like a bit of a waste of space. Perhaps they could have kept 'Silver and Gold' [studio version, the live one's pretty boring compared to the sound of the studio recording] for Rattle and Hum and just knocked off the former on one of the LPs singles.

 

[Aardvark747]

The First Time.....to be replaced with original Slow Dancing.

 

[Azor]

Elvis Presley & America doesn't even deserve being a b-side

 

[Jack In The Box]

One Step Closer...

 

[WalkOn21]

but then you'd get people making such a fuss over it just because it's unreleased which is so obviously an instant reason for being a high-standard piece of music. (see also; 'Wild Irish Rose', 'Smile', and in some opinions, 'Mercy')

That's a good point. There certainly are a few unreleased songs I like (see Native Son, Xanax And Wine, Mercy), but as you say, people are making a habit out of liking songs just because they're unreleased.

Smile isn't that good. It's not surprising they left it off the album.


But OK, that's a bit offtopic. For ontopic's sake: Tomorrow could be a b-side. And I agree with Miami. It doesn't fit on the album.

 

[Meghan]

I like all these songs.

 

[Axver]

OK, I'm really bored, so I'll go through this album-by-album. In brackets are songs I would consider as replacements.

Boy: Nothing, though I'd sacrifice The Ocean or Shadows And Tall Trees for 11 O'clock Tick Tock
October: Is That All? (Nothing. Scarlet would be a good closer.)
War: Red Light (Treasure)
The Unforgettable Fire: Elvis Presley And America (The Three Sunrises - I love EPAA but it probably would've been better on a single)
The Joshua Tree: Trip Through Your Wires (Spanish Eyes)
Rattle And Hum: Love Rescue Me (Dancing Barefoot, so what that it's a cover?)
Achtung Baby: I'm just not going to touch this
Zooropa: Babyface (Not a damn clue)
Pop: Miami, Playboy Mansion (North And South Of The River, I'm Not Your Baby)
ATYCLB: In A Little While, Wild Honey (Summer Rain, Levitate)
HTDAAB: Nothing, though I'd like to bring in Smile

 

[Nisse]

Boy: Shadows And Tall Trees/Boy-Girl, Another Time, Another Place/Touch

October: Scarlet/J.Swallow, Stranger In A Strange Land/Father Is An Elephant

War: The Refugee/Trash Trampoline And The Party Girl, Seconds/A Celebration

Unforgettable Fire: Elvis Presley And America/The Three Sunrises, MLK/Love Comes Tumbling

Joshua Tree - - -

Rattle And Hum: Love Rescue Me/Hallelujah, Here She Comes, Freedom For My People/A Room At The Heartbreak Hotel, I Still Havent Found What Im Looking For/Spanish Eyes, Pride/Walk To The Water, Bullet The Blue Sky/Race Against Time, Star Sprangled Banner/Deep In The Heart

Achtung Baby:So Cruel/Alex Descends Into Hell For A Bottle Of Milk

Zooropa:---

Passengers: Elvis Ate America/Viva Davidoff, Theme From The Swan/Bottoms

Poplayboy Mansion/Holy Joe, Miami/Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me

ATYCLB: In A Little While/Summer Rain, The Ground Beneath Her Feet/Love You Like Mad

HTDAAB:A Man And A Woman/Are You Gonna Wait Forever?
Yahweh/Yahweh(Alt), Fast Cars/Xanax And Wine

 

[Utoo]

ATYCLB: In A Little While, Wild Honey (Summer Rain, Levitate)

mmmmmm.......Summer Rain......

 

[WalkOn21]

Fast Cars/Xanax And Wine

 

[clifedge]

I agree with you on Miami and Playboy Mansion.

 

[clifedge]

yes. too bloody much. it's a grower but that's only because I've got used to it being on the album, i still detest it.

that song's best left unreleased. but then you'd get people making such a fuss over it just because it's unreleased which is so obviously an instant reason for being a high-standard piece of music. (see also; 'Wild Irish Rose', 'Smile', and in some opinions, 'Mercy')

Hm...One Step Closer was never even a grower for me. It's not my favorite song, but I liked the first time I heard it. I think it's kind of like The First Time from Zooropa. It's just a well-written slow song, and the story behind it is cool too.

 

[Karlonthe2nd]

I really like One Step Closer.

It has what is possibly my favourite U2 lyric of all time-

''Well the heart that hurts is a heart that beats''

 

[Meghan]

I really like One Step Closer.

It has what is possibly my favourite U2 lyric of all time-

''Well the heart that hurts is a heart that beats''

Lovely, ain't it?

 

[AtomicBono]

that song's best left unreleased. but then you'd get people making such a fuss over it just because it's unreleased which is so obviously an instant reason for being a high-standard piece of music. (see also; 'Wild Irish Rose', 'Smile', and in some opinions, 'Mercy')

this is very true. I fucking love Mercy and think it's one of the best things the band has ever done, but Wild Irish Rose does nothing for me (sorry Axver). Smile is good, but nothing exceptional. I can see why it was left off the album.

One Step Closer I love and it's really essential for HTDAAB because it provides a bit of a "break." Not that it's boring or anything, but every other song it seems is very overt and in-your-face and single material. There NEEDS to be something that gives you a chance to breathe, you know? It's a nice reflective sort of ballad and the only song that would have worked in its place is Smile, but personally I think OSC is better.

I would not change Pop at all. As everyone knows, I am of the opinion that the album is perfect seriously though, I really don't think songs like Hold Me Thrill Me and North and South of the River fit the mood of Pop at ALL. The only other song that would have made sense on Pop is Holy Joe, and that ended up as a bonus track anyway. Even it would feel a little out of place on the album, I think.

Love Rescue Me should have been a b-side. The song does nothing for me, and it's not essential to the album. Of course, I'm of the opinion that Rattle and Hum is a mess. It could have been so much better...

Make Wild Honey (though I do love the song) as a b-side and replace it with Summer Rain. That'd definitely be an improvement.