Joshua Tree b-sides discussion thread

[Varitek]

The other thread is an endless stream of email addresses, and I've just listened to the 4 new b-sides on CD and wanted to share my reactions.

Wave of Sorrow - This is gorgeous. Bono's voice sounds so clear, the music is beautiful, and I like the whole song much more than I liked the little snippets. I really, really love the lyrics. But we have to add "rain" to the list that includes "kneel" and "soul" (which makes an appearance in the song as well...oh Bono). I love how "would it wash us all away" melts into "wave of sorrow." Of the new songs, this one has the best lyrics by far, I can see why Bono was so excited about it.

Desert of Our Love - This one just makes me want to dance, I love the big-band feel Larry gets with the drums, and he and Adam are just in the best groove. I wish the lyrics were a little more clear, I feel like I'll never figure out what they all are. It's a nice fun upbeat backing, the boys are just having fun jamming, at one point Bono goes "one more verse" and at the end someone goes "that's the best we've done all day."

Rise Up - This one just might be my favorite. But my CD player just ran out of batteries as I listened again, so more once I rip it.

Drunk Chicken/America - this is a kind of throw-out-there fun one, I do see why they called it Drunk Chicken - that's kind of what it sounds like.

 

[gareth brown]

don't we already have like a few threads for the joshua tree demos?? i was expecting an oppurtunity to gush over 'Race Against Time' and 'Spanish Eyes' again

 

[Varitek]

Oh gush over them here...I just haven't listened to them yet, I am now watching the Outside Its America documentary.

 

[thelaj]

I made Wave of Sorrow the first track I have downloaded from iTunes, since the physical release isn't until December 4th here in the UK.

Great track, I really like it musically and lyrically. Bono's voice wavers between weak and strong in it though which detracts a little from the overall presentation.

 

[Jdelbove]

I am realy loving wave of sorrow and posted a thread specificaly on Bono's vocals on it (wich are the best he has done in a long time) but I am also impressed with the music and the rest of the band. When I saw the U2.com clip with Bono singing along I couldnt realy hear the song and figured seeing how Bono just did the vocals there little else but great vocals. But the music the way the piano and the drums work together sounds great almost gothic sounding. Great work by the band too I am suprised how well it fit Bono's new vocals and melody. Over all a realy realy great song time will tell how good it realy if after some more listens.

 

[Jdelbove]

also like Bono singing his own back up vocals

 

[Peterrrrr]

Well the song is realy intressting. Bonos voice is very different. He got a different sound in his voice, for an example the line "You're my bride, you wear her crown ".

Sometimes it sounds like he uses his voice to sing the words just like he did on the JT era and also with a little JT sound in his voice. I also hear little of the 94-95 voice, it sounds like he has smoke more in the latest months.
Im realy impressed with high "waaaaaaaaaaave" note.
I think he was a little shaky in the voice when he recorded the song, but that gave the song an even more personal sound. A new voice moment.

Im realy looking forward to hear more of his voice on the new album.

 

[martha]

the Outside Its America documentary.

 

[Blue Room]

I listened to the new demos this afternoon for the first time without hearing any samples or anything in advance. I figured all but "Wave Of Sorrow" would be throwaways. Wow, pleasantly surprised. I think "Desert Of Our Love", "Rise Up" and "Wave Of Sorrow" are all pretty good. As good as any of the B sides they released previously to me.

My only wish was that they left "Drunk Chicken/America" as an instrumental the poem rap over the top detracts from it more than it adds. The music though sounds like it would have sort of interesting. Has more of a high tech feel to it over most of the stuff on JT.

The DVD is excellent. Outside Its America and Paris 87 were worth buying the box set alone. Kudos to U2 this is one of the best releases they have ever done and obviously kept their hardcore fans in mind with it. A very encouraging trend for future releases.

 

[U2girl]

Not impressed.

Drunk chicken is even weaker than its title, Desert of our love sounds like a jam, like a sister song to the more developed Trip through your wires ("best we did all day", "bass and drums" and "one more verse" comments), Rise up is another uptempo song reminiscent of Spanish eyes.

Wave of sorrow by far sounds the most developed - it feels odd to have present Bono vocals on a JT song, but none top the official JT B-sides (except maybe Race against the time).

 

[Blue Room]

Its funny, but the trend I have noticed is that most fans that grew up in or experienced U2 in the JT era seem to like most of the demos and the newer fans do not. Just an observation.

Personally, I like alot of the jam stuff. It can be very interesting when U2 gets into a groove and Bono improvises.

 

[U2girl]

Well, maybe the older fans are too nostalgic about JT..

I guess I hoped these new songs would rival the released B-sides. Instead, to me, it feels like the new songs are to JT as Salome outtakes were to AB.

 

[RedRocksU2]

Its funny, but the trend I have noticed is that most fans that grew up in or experienced U2 in the JT era seem to like most of the demos and the newer fans do not. Just an observation.

I agree with you BR.
Completely.

 

[Utoo]

I still don't understand why the hell people do not realize that the four friggin' unreleased songs were "unreleased" for a reason. I don't get it. I mean, they have a billion b-sides from that era, and these ones didn't make the cut. They're thrown on here as a to diehards. Why on earth are people expecting these throwaways from 20 years ago to be sex laced in chocolate??

I think it's a gift that Wave of Sorrow is as great as it is, and I'm happy to take it. As for the others, they're nice to listen to, and that's just fine.

 

[martha]

I still don't understand why the hell people do not realize that the four friggin' unreleased songs were "unreleased" for a reason.

Which is why I'll spend four bucks for them on iTunes, but not 45 clams on a box set.

 

[Varitek]

Its funny, but the trend I have noticed is that most fans that grew up in or experienced U2 in the JT era seem to like most of the demos and the newer fans do not. Just an observation.

Personally, I like alot of the jam stuff. It can be very interesting when U2 gets into a groove and Bono improvises.

I was born in 1987, so I suppose that makes me a newer fan, and I love the new stuff. Part of it might be because I originally fell for U2 via War and JT, part of it is definitely that I love hearing the band jam, and the new songs are wonderful jams that are so much fun and I can tell they are having fun playing them.

And obviously I wasn't expecting full, polished songs. I don't want them, nor do I think they had them. If people were expecting these songs to be a proxy for new, fully polished material, they just had misguided expectations. Obviously if they didn't release them at the time they aren't going to be as polished as the other b-sides; they decided not to release them so why do that work? But these songs are wonderful and raw and fun.

I guess as an insight into U2 unfinished they may be compared to Salome, but Salome was mostly earlier iterations of songs we saw released, a very different type of insight - into the evolution of those songs.

 

[last unicorn]

Strangely, most of the demos, with the exception of Wave of Sorrow, a song I really love, does nothing for me. Desert of or Love is interesting with its dance beat, but nothing really amazing. But I only know the bootlegs, I haven't received my box set yet. I cannot wait to get the Paris show, I don't want to watch anything from it before I have it in my hands. A question for all of you who already have it: What's the artwork like?

 

[Blue Room]

I was born in 1987, so I suppose that makes me a newer fan, and I love the new stuff. Part of it might be because I originally fell for U2 via War and JT, part of it is definitely that I love hearing the band jam, and the new songs are wonderful jams that are so much fun and I can tell they are having fun playing them.

And obviously I wasn't expecting full, polished songs. I don't want them, nor do I think they had them. If people were expecting these songs to be a proxy for new, fully polished material, they just had misguided expectations. Obviously if they didn't release them at the time they aren't going to be as polished as the other b-sides; they decided not to release them so why do that work? But these songs are wonderful and raw and fun.

I guess as an insight into U2 unfinished they may be compared to Salome, but Salome was mostly earlier iterations of songs we saw released, a very different type of insight - into the evolution of those songs.

Oh, I know, I'm sure there are some fans that were into U2 in 1987 that dont like the demos also. Just seemed to be a trend I was noticing. Certainly not all inclusive. You are correct about expectations regarding the demos. I honestly was expecting complete garbage. So maybe thats why they didnt strike me as all that bad when I listened. I was expecting more of sounds or complete rough ideas like "Beautiful Ghost". The only one like that to me is "Drunk Chicken/America". THe other three seem like actual songs even if they are very raw.