Best Song Survivor: The Unforgettable Fire Round One

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

What is your least favorite song?

  • A Sort of Homecoming

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Pride (In the Name of Love)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • The Unforgettable Fire

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Promenade

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Bad

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    40
  • Poll closed .

digitize

ONE love, blood, life
Joined
Jun 7, 2007
Messages
14,124
Location
Chicago
Sorry for the slight delay. I was somewhat caught up in the US Presidential Election. Anyway, An Cat Dubh/Into the Heart was defeated in the last round, leaving New Year's Day, The Electric Co., Gloria, Sunday Bloody Sunday, and Out of Control moving onto the 1980s semifinals round. It is now time for the late 80s, starting with The Unforgettable Fire. Four songs will move on to the late 1980s quarterfinal round. You have 24 hours to vote for your least favorite song, the next song to be kicked out of this contest. For anyone just joining us, rules may be found here.
 
Indian Summer Sky. The only song on the album that I don't adore.
 
Indian Summer Sky is under-rated awesomeness.

MLK for me - a glorified intro rejoicing in the status of a separate song. U2 got it right live, but not on the album.

Fuck I adore this album. ASOH, UF, and Bad I absolutely want to make the final, but the fourth position? Pride, Wire, Promenade, and Indian Summer Sky are all very worthy. One of Pride or ISS, I think, but it's hard to choose.
 
4th of July. It's ok as an intermezzo, but it's sad much better songs didn't make the album.
 
Definitely MLK. Fourth may be just an instrumental interlude but it works really well on the album. MLK is as Ax says a glorified outro and not an especially good one at that.
 
Stuff this drawn out process. Cut straight to the chase. The winner...

Promenade

The most beautiful thing they ever did.

End.

A Sort of Homecoming called. It says you accidentally posted the name of the wrong track.
 
I like ASOH a lot too, but somehow it falls a little in my estimation coz I reckon they never got the live version right. Promenade on the other hand is unmuddied and sacred. Just one version that is perfect.

Maybe I just listened to too many UF bootlegs over the years. Probably the worst tour for static (and short) set lists. But I found love for this hand via bootlegs from that tour. Used to buy them on vinyl back in the 80s!
 
I love 4th of July, very ballsy move to have such an abstract track opening side 2 of an album, or to even include it at all!
However, the other tracks are much better.
 
This is a really tough round for me. I adore The Unforgettable Fire. I really enjoy even all of the "lesser" tracks because of how well they work in the context of the album. It's hard for me to choose a least favorite. There's nothing not to like.
 
This is a really tough round for me. I adore The Unforgettable Fire. I really enjoy even all of the "lesser" tracks because of how well they work in the context of the album. It's hard for me to choose a least favorite. There's nothing not to like.
It's an amazing album. Great songs, great atmosphere.
 
4th of July is a beautiful piece, and certainly a gutsy inclusion on the album. I especially love how it sets the mood and leads perfectly into Bad. Fantastic.

However, that being said, it is essentially filler and can't compete against the rest of the album.
 
AndrewCowley said:
Promenade

The most beautiful thing they ever did

You know, it probably is.

When King of Limbs came out, I said Separator is Radiohead's Promenade (although they couldn't be more different thematically ;))
 
Promenade-4th of July-Bad is one of the best song combos in U2's catalogue, purely in terms of atmosphere, mood and perfect flow.

On the other hand, MLK is quite dull as a closer.
 
ISS until it's gone.

The first half of this album is like the best 20 minutes of music ever.
 
Of course 4th of July is running away with the votes. :giggle: Including mine! It's a pretty lead-in to Bad, but doesn't really stand alone as a song.
 
4th of July. A fairly interesting bit of noodling in the studio that was captured, especially the longer version. But overall, Bass Trap would have been the better choice if they were to include an instrumental.
 
But overall, Bass Trap would have been the better choice if they were to include an instrumental.

Absolutely agree - 4th of July's album placement is good (which is why I voted for the album's other bit of nothing, MLK, since its placement is poor), but Bass Trap or Sixty Seconds in Kingdom Come would have done the job just as well, and are much better tracks. Especially Bass Trap.
 
Fourth of July is most definitely not filler. It serves a clear purpose on the album, which is to transition between the two halves, and, in my opinion at least, it does that beautifully. Elvis Presley and America, though, has little to recommend it. I can admire the experimental impulse, but not the results.
 
Back
Top Bottom