Best Non-Album Track Survivor - 1984-1989 Preliminary Quarterfinal

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Vote for your TOP 15 FAVORITE tracks!

  • Total voters
    23
  • Poll closed .
N

namkcuR

ONE love, blood, life
Joined
Sep 7, 2004
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The results of the 1979-1983 Preliminary Quarterfinal:

Advancing:

11 O'Clock Tick Tock - 15
Pete The Chop - 13
A Celebration - 13
Party Girl - 13
Endless Deep - 12
Treasure - 12
Street Mission - 11
Touch - 10
Lost On A Silent Planet - 9
Boy-Girl - 9
The Fool - 9
Another Day - 9
Things To Make And Do - 8
Cartoon World - 8

Currently in a tiebreaker:

The Dream Is Over - 7
Angels Too Tied To The Ground - 7

Eliminated:

Saturday Night - 5
J.Swallo - 5
Be There - 5
False Prophet - 4
Speed Of Life - 3
Alone In The Light - 2
Father Is An Elephant - 2
Inside Out - 1
Carry Me Home - 1
Jack In The Box - 0

For the second poll, we look at perhaps the band's most celebrated era of non-album material. While the previous round may have been difficult for some with regards to getting up to 15 to vote for, this may be the toughest round for some in the opposite regard; that is, narrowing it down to just 15.

Instructions: In this poll, 25 non-album tracks from 1984-1989 will be available to vote for, with voting for multiple items enabled. You will vote for your TOP 15 FAVORITE tracks.

It is essential to the integrity of the competition that you vote for EXACTLY 15 tracks, not any more or any less. There is no way to lock you into a certain number of votes, so it is up to you to monitor yourselves.

Because 15 tracks is a lot to decide on, this poll will be open for 48 hours to give everyone a chance to vote.

Here is a list of tracks in this poll, all linked to YT for your reference.

1984-1989
Boomerang I
Boomerang II
Love Comes Tumbling
The Three Sunrises
Bass Trap
Sixty Seconds In Kingdom Come
Disappearing Act
Yoshino Blossom
Womanfish
Luminous Times
Walk To The Water
Spanish Eyes
Deep In The Heart
Race Against Time
Silver And Gold
Sweetest Thing / The Single Mix
Beautiful Ghost
Wave Of Sorrow
Desert Of Our Love
Rise Up
Drunk Chicken
Hallelujah Here She Comes
A Room At The Heartbreak Hotel
She's A Mystery To Me(Point Depot) / Snippet of never-released studio version
Wild Irish Rose
 
A couple additional things:

1. In the previous round, as voting is public, I saw some people not voting for 15 songs, but instead only voting for a few, and in at least one case, only one. In fact, that vote that pushed Angels Too Tied To Ground into a tie for 15th place came from someone who didn't vote for anything else.

I don't want to discourage anyone from voting, so I'm not going to get too upset over this, however, I do want to emphasize again that putting in the effort of voting for all 15 tracks will only benefit the competition.

2. I'd always assumed Wild Irish Rose was an original song, as in, written by U2. However, I came across this article today in preparation for this poll in which it is claimed that the song isn't originally U2's. If that were the case, the song would be disqualified as this survivor is only for original material. That said, this is the first time in the decade I've been aware of the song that I've seen any suggestion that it's not original, so I'm thinking whoever wrote that article may just be mistaken.

The song stays in the competition for now, but if anyone here can confirm that it's not original, or if I come across any information anywhere else that it's not original, I will disregard any votes it might receive. I don't foresee this being the case though.
 
Something like this, so many strong choices here that it could change very easily.

The Three Sunrises
Luminous Times
Spanish Eyes
Bass Trap
Yoshino Blossom
Disappearing Act
Walk To The Water
Love Comes Tumbling
Boomerang II
Boomerang I
Deep In The Heart
Desert Of Our Love
She's A Mystery To Me
Sweetest Thing
Race Against Time
 
Boomerang I
Boomerang II
Love Comes Tumbling
The Three Sunrises
Bass Trap
Sixty Seconds in Kingdom Come
Disappearing Act
Yoshino Blossom
Luminous Times (Hold on to Love)
Walk to the Water
Spanish Eyes
Deep in the Heart
Race Against Time
Silver and Gold
Sweetest Thing
 
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Can't believe that Inside Out got a vote and Jack in the Box, which I thought was one of the more well-known pre-Boy songs, didn't. And it's a right shame False Prophet didn't do any better.

For this one, the following songs select themselves, some of which are in my U2 top 20:
1. Boomerang II
2. Love Comes Tumbling
3. The Three Sunrises
4. Bass Trap
5. Womanfish
6. Luminous Times
7. Spanish Eyes
8. She's a Mystery to Me
9. Wild Irish Rose

Let's then round out an incredible UF era:
10. Boomerang I
11. Sixty Seconds in Kingdom Come

And bringing up the rear:
12. Rise Up
13. Race Against Time
14. Deep in the Heart
15. Silver and Gold

Funny how most of these songs are great tracks, at least nine of which I contend should have been on albums, and then you have dross like Disappearing Act, Wave of Sorrow, and one of the worst songs U2 ever recorded, A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel.

Of course, it's no coincidence that two of those three terrible songs were touched up in the 2000s.
 
That wasn't a ranking, by the way. Just the order in which I worked down (and then back up and around) the list to make sure I didn't fucking accidentally vote for 16 this time.

My actual top five would be something like Wild Irish Rose, Spanish Eyes, Love Comes Tumbling, Boomerang II, The Three Sunrises.
 
Axver said:
Funny how most of these songs are great tracks, at least nine of which I contend should have been on albums, and then you have dross like Disappearing Act, Wave of Sorrow, and one of the worst songs U2 ever recorded, A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel.

Of course, it's no coincidence that two of those three terrible songs were touched up in the 2000s.
Click to expand...

What?!

Disappearing Act is great, it's got a great hook and enough atmospherics to make it feel like it's still UF era(I think the vocal is the only thing that was done in 2009). Definitely going to be one of my votes.

I like Wave Of Sorrow too, though I'm not sure it'll get in my 15.

Between these and Angels Too Tied, you don't seem to be too fond of the 're-issue' b-sides. :wink:
 
Found it very easy this round to sweep aside any demos/outtakes then just select every UF/JT b-side and two from Rattle and Hum. and even then I found I was picking those last two along with Boomerang II and Walk To The Water just to make up the numbers!
 
namkcuR said:
I think the vocal is the only thing that was done in 2009
Click to expand...

And therein lies the problem. It's just unforgivable to take something from a great era of the band and give it the 2000s Bono treatment.
 
I love Disappearing Act, mostly because of the percussion.

Never could get into Wave of Sorrow. Nothing about it stands out.
 
LemonMelon said:
I love Disappearing Act, mostly because of the percussion.

Never could get into Wave of Sorrow. Nothing about it stands out.
Click to expand...

I agree with this, Disappearing Act and Oh Berlin are the only "new/old" songs from the special edition albums that I really love.

This was such a great period for U2, an insane amount of great songs to choose from. I would say that there have been few bands ever as good as U2 were between 84-93.
 
Luminous Times is one of my all-time faves. Great lyric.

SO:

Luminous Times
Walk to the Water
Room at the Heartbreak Hotel
Spanish Eyes
Deep in the Heart
Race Against Time
Silver and Gold
Beautiful Ghost
Wave of Sorrow
Sweetest Thing
She's a Mystery
Wild Irish Rose
Hallelujah
Disappearing Act
Yoshino Blossom

Easily an absolute all-time classic album-worth's material in there. Wow.
 
I had no idea so many people liked A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel. What is wrong with all of you?!

And I'm also surprised that Boomerang I somehow has more votes than Boomerang II right now.
 
A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel is awesome! Such a cool, slow, deep groove. Great melody. Dynamic. That wonderful R&H production sound. A superb Adam Clayton bass line.
What's your beef with it?

Sent from my SM-G920I using U2 Interference mobile app
 
kiwilad said:
A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel is awesome! Such a cool, slow, deep groove. Great melody. Dynamic. That wonderful R&H production sound. A superb Adam Clayton bass line.
What's your beef with it?

Sent from my SM-G920I using U2 Interference mobile app
Click to expand...

Literally everything about it grates on me and it drags forever. But Bono's singing and the awful backing vocalists are what make it possibly my least favourite U2 song ever. I've listened to it three in my life and I will never get that time back.
 
Boomerang II - Bono's vocal here is pretty primal and raw, and that's what lifts this track above its brother for me.

Love Comes Tumbling - For me, this is a first-ballot contender to win the whole thing. Just a gorgeous, heartbreaking, stirring song. I'm not sure if it was recorded before UF or not, but if it was and they actually chose to leave it off, that is mystifying.

The Three Sunrises - Has always kind of live in LCT's shadow for me, but a very good track in its own right, energetic, bright, atmospheric, melodic, harmonic, just really good.

Bass Trap - U2 don't have many instrumentals, but this is probably the most mellow and relaxing. It is serene.

Disappearing Act - One of my favorite of all the re-issue 'finished' b-sides. Incredibly catchy chorus and great atmospherics.

Yoshino Blossom - Love the keyboard groove - to me, reminiscent of NYD - and the beat in this one. Infectious, one can move to it. In the end, my last vote came down to this and Wave Of Sorrow, and while I like Wave Of Sorrow a lot, this one excites me more atm.

Luminous Times(Hold On To Love) - Another contender to go far, imo. The way it builds is breathtaking, and the combination of the lyric and Bono's powerful vocal is captivating. Soul music.

Walk To The Water - Takes a bit to get going, but worth it for 'let me love you, let me love you, leeeeeeet meeeeeee'. Haunting atmosphere and evocative lyrics.

Spanish Eyes - Classic, recognizable even to casual fans.

Deep In The Heart - Always loved it, similar atmospherics to WTTW, draws you in.

Silver And Gold - From an era that didn't have that many straight ahead rockers, this is a pretty good one. Good lyrics and great solo at the end.

Sweetest Thing - Perhaps as close to a perfect pop song as U2 ever wrote. Both versions have their pros(climax in the original, string arrangement and more polished vocal take in the single mix), but the song is great no matter what. Should make it to the final 30 imo.

Hallelujah(Here She Comes) - Hadn't listened to this in a while, but it's just a really warm, catchy, effortlessly breezy track, the kind you don't necessarily associate with U2. Love it.

She's A Mystery To Me - I hope that one day, U2 lets their studio version out of the vault in full(and not retroactively 'finished', I want Bono's 1988 vocal). It's just a great, soulful song. If it's good enough for Roy Orbison, it's good enough to advance.

Wild Irish Rose - Just gorgeous. Deserves an official release.
 
There aren't 15 good songs here. I maxed out at about 12. Spanish Eyes is hugely overrated but it gets a vote thanks to the 15 rule.

Drunk Chicken is better than all the other JT reissue detritus simply by virtue of being kind of funny. The rest, I'd have been interested in originals, but re-recorded versions with 2010s Bono vox, no thanks.

Those two R&H studio cuts are fucking great, I love them both dearly. Heartbreak Hotel is fun as hell, Axver be damned.

The best tracks here, by a country mile, are, in order, Walk to the Water, Love Comes Tumbling, Bass Trap, Boomerang I, Luminous Times.
 
cobl04 said:
Actually, Ruckman can you take my vote off Spanish Eyes and give it to Womanfish? Thank you.
Click to expand...

I can't change the way it appears in the poll, but I will make the adjustment when I tally.

Also, you actually voted for 13. No worries, close enough.
 
Just under an hour left to vote!

At the moment, Hallelujah(Here She Comes) and Wild Irish Rose are tied for 15th place. If they finish tied, we will have another tiebreaker round just the like the 79-83 one.

I ask that no one do a drive-by vote where they vote for one these two songs and nothing else just to break the tie. Really want encourage people to vote for the full 15 or, failing that, make an honest effort to vote for as many as they can.
 
I forgot how great A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel was. There's soul in that track. It has that same sleazy groove as Hawkmoon 269, but with the Silver and Gold guitar tone.

The songwriting isn't anything amazing, but the performance and atmosphere sells me on it big time.
 
Last edited:
namkcuR said:
2. I'd always assumed Wild Irish Rose was an original song, as in, written by U2. However, I came across this article today in preparation for this poll in which it is claimed that the song isn't originally U2's. If that were the case, the song would be disqualified as this survivor is only for original material. That said, this is the first time in the decade I've been aware of the song that I've seen any suggestion that it's not original, so I'm thinking whoever wrote that article may just be mistaken.
Click to expand...


Technically it's an original song. It's based on this Yeats poem which was also turned into a folk song called Salley Gardens. But there's plenty of original lyrics (and music) in the song.

Down By the Salley Gardens
By William Butler Yeats

Down by the salley gardens my love and I did meet
She passed the salley gardens with little snow-white feet
She bid me take love easy, as the leaves grow on the tree
But I, being young and foolish, with her would not agree

In a field by the river my love and I did stand
And on my leaning shoulder she laid her snow-white hand
She bid me take life easy as the grass grows on the weirs
But I was young and foolish, and now am full of tears
 
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