Best "Live" Improvement

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Which of these is the best "live" improvement over the album version?

  • Mofo

    Votes: 7 7.9%

  • Running to Stand Still

    Votes: 5 5.6%

  • Silver and Gold

    Votes: 3 3.4%

  • Bullet the Blue Sky

    Votes: 10 11.2%

  • Bad

    Votes: 14 15.7%

  • Gone

    Votes: 12 13.5%

  • Until the End of the World

    Votes: 7 7.9%

  • Exit

    Votes: 5 5.6%

  • Walk On

    Votes: 10 11.2%

  • Please

    Votes: 16 18.0%
  • Total voters
    89
A

Achtung Boris

Babyface
Joined
Sep 19, 2000
Messages
22
These are songs I think sound so much better live as opposed to the album version. Pick the Best !
 
While I like the JT version of BTBS, the early live performances were a bit flat.

BTBS is about as good a live song as U2 does these days. I love the Stay/I've Got You Under My Skin version.
 
Bono's shades said:
I think it's a tie between Gone and Please.
Click to expand...

I voted Please becaue the live versions from PoPmart and MTV VMA's 97 gave life to that song that the album version didn't even begin to have. Gone was one of my faves off of PoP, even though it was much better on PoPmart than anywhere else including Elevation tour IMO.

I kinda agree with you though. Also UTEOTW was a great album song that blew up live beyond my expectations:up:

Nice thread Boris:up:
 
spanisheyes said:
Simply and passionately stirring...Bad

Chris
Click to expand...

:bono: :edge: :adam: :larry:
icon14.gif
 
Last edited:
I voted for Gone, because it sounded so much better on the Elevation tour than it did on Pop! ;) :D It was harder rocking!

I really wanted to vote for New York but it wasn't there. Though I am a BIG ATYCLB buddy, I never really dug NY until I saw/heard it live. It was awesome and I came to really appreciate its lyrics, musical work, and the way Bono's voice sounds early in the song. I felt this way long before 9/11 but of course that gave it new meaning too. Some of the lyrics like 'voices on the cellphone, voices from home, voices down the stairwell' and 'lose your wife in the queue for the lifeboat' 'hot as a hairdryer in your face' and other things gave me chills after that.
 
I voted for Gone as well. Although Bad is my all time fave U2 song I love the album version, just the way it is, neither more nor less than any live performance. As for Gone I would rather go with live performances, from both Popmart (my fave is S?o Paulo ;)) and Elevation tours.

Honorable mention is Dirty Day, IMO it should be on this poll...now that is a song really transformed when played during the Zooropa tour. Absolutely love it.

:cool:
 
Last edited:
hotpepper

I voted for Walk On. Man, that song got me good at the five elevation shows I was at.

Good idea for a poll.

If I Will Follow was on the list, I probably would have voted for that. That song is still going strong after so many years and it ROCKS in concert!
 
With a token few exceptions, most of U2's songs sound SO much better live than on the album. Of course, since U2 are renowned for their live performances. :)

Of the choices you presented, I picked "Walk On." I just adored the "Hallelujah" ending. I especially loved the Grammy performance - by far one of the best versions of that song I've heard.
 
This is an easy one for me.....Silver & Gold hands down is their best live "improvement" of any of their songs. Without a doubt, the other choices are worthy as well, but to me Silver and Gold live is 100 times better than the original B-side studio version and 1000 times better than the version that appeared on the Sun City album...which was actually just Bono going solo with a backup band.

So, what makes Silver & Gold the best live improvement to me? Simply put, it's Bono's passionate political commentary ( I'm a HUGE fan of the War-JT tour "political rants" & "preaching" Bono would interject into the middle of songs) and Edge's brilliant guitar solo. And, quite frankly, I can't think of any other U2 song in a live context that has left us with such a memorable quote..."Am I buggin you...didn't mean to bug ya...Ok Edge...Play the blues".

Silver & Gold was a mediocre song on the B side album version...but the live versions of the song really transformed this song into a politically charged, heavy-hitting live song that really fit well into the context of the JT tour setlist.

Yes, U2 have written much better songs in their career...but I don't believe they have ever made a so-so song sound oh so good live any better than they did with Silver & Gold.
 
I voted for Mofo. The album version sounds weak and hollow, but when played live it is turned into a full sweeping anthem that captures what the Pop era was all about. By far the biggest improvement in my book.
 
I picked "Running to stand still" because of the ZOO TV version
I probably (even though one can argue about what has been added to the song) would have picked Streets if it had been up there
 
PLEASE. I think Please album version would not fit in the top 30 U2 songs, but Please live version will easily make U2 Top 10.
 
I voted for Until the End... a brilliant example of a merely good song transformed into an ass-kicking roaring monster live.

But personally I'd pick Dirty Day as the best live improvement. It's really flat and boring on Zooropa, but it almost steals the show on ZooTV in Sydney.
 
As far as improvement... I'd have to put it between Bullet and Please, since they both changed so dramatically for the better.
 
My vote went to UTEOTW...I listen to the Zootv Sydney version over and over. It totally ROCKS...

"Jesus.....This is Judas!!!!"
 
UTEOTW is soooo much better live! I loved hearing it everytime at the shows I went to! This song totally kicks some major ass!! this song has attitude baby!!:wink:
 
the biggest improvement not mentioned is "last night on earth"......this song is so f*ckin awesome in concert......thank god they released it on some singles.:evil:
 
They're ALL good!!! You will never get me to pick!!!

anyway no matter what I chose I'd change my mind 2 minutes later. I :heart: all those songs you listed!
 
I voted for Walk On. It's kind of dull and not very exciting on the album, but live it takes on a life of its own. It was a perfect for closer for the tour, and I love the Hallelujah ending.
 
We have a good distribution going for this poll. I guess I picked some good ones to put on here.


I don't know if I would put "The Fly" on because I think the album version is very good. Same goes for "One", "EBTTRT", and "Mysterious Ways". Just goes to show how great the studio work is on Achtung Baby.
 
As far as vast improvements go, I think first of "11 O'clock Tick Tock" and "Electric Co" from Under a Blood Red Sky -- their original recordings were fine, but onstage they became terrifying. Truly no comparison there. Also the two live songs on Wide Awake -- "Bad" and "A Sort of Homecoming" -- so much better than on UF. And of course the rescue mission they performed on "Please" resulted in a classic: its segue into "Streets" is one of this band's all-time moments.

Yes, "Bullet," "UTEOTW," "Walk On," and "Silver & Gold" are all awesome live, maybe even defintive, but they were pretty great as original recordings as well, so they don't really belong in this poll. And for those of you who suggested the live "Fly" over the glorious studio recording, I'm taking down names and will be around later to officially sign your certificates of disgrace.
 
I still maintain that Silver & Gold is the best live improvement from the studio version for reasons I mentioned in an earllier post here. However, while listening to "Under A Blood Red Sky" over the weekend it reminded me what a HUGE improvement "Party Girl" is over the original studio version.

Much like "Silver & Gold", the studio version of "Party Girl" is ok, but nothing special. "Party Girl" live, however, is absolutely fantastic and a "cult" fan classic to this very day. Any song that elicits crowd participation is usually better live and Party Girl certainly delivers the goods. Therefore, I belive Party Girl a worthy choice for the poll and I hereby unofficially "write it in" as a candidate.
 
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