The Greatness of R&H

[TheFlyOnTheWall]

While holding back from listening to the new material/album, i'm going through some older U2 stuff like R&H, and I just can't believe how good songs it has.
God Part II just blew me away...
And Hawkmoon is great. Not to mention Helter Skelter, or the classics...
I really don't know why is this album ranked so low. Maybe because of the many 'old' songs and covers. Still, a great album to me!

 

[God Part III]

My 2nd favourite next to Achtung.
Remember, it gave us "All I Want Is You"
Is it the greatest U2 track ever? You know it is.
Pride and Bullet The Blue Sky are far much better off live, the covers are great - I love the album.
God Part II is fantastic.
Anyone heard God by Lennon?

 

[TheFlyOnTheWall]

Anyone heard God by Lennon?

No, have it?

 

[Numb1075]

I don't know why R&H gets such a bad rap. I love it.

 

[cardosino]

Why does it get a bad rap ?

1. Love Rescue Me/When Love comes to town, possibly 2 of THE worst songs U2 has ever written.

2. Patchiness - It looks like the running order was chosen at random. It doesn't really have an identity, live or studio ? I never listen to it in it's entirety, I usually just program the good studio songs. Better they had just put out a live album, or a double CD, one with live songs, one with new studio recordings.

3. Silly "freedom for my people" interlude

4. Silver and Gold is a great song, the speech ruins it, and the "play the blues" thing makes me cringe more than David Brent on a bad day (2nd funniest show of all time)

 

[bsp77]

Why does it get a bad rap ?

1. Love Rescue Me/When Love comes to town, possibly 2 of THE worst songs U2 has ever written.

2. Patchiness - It looks like the running order was chosen at random. It doesn't really have an identity, live or studio ? I never listen to it in it's entirety, I usually just program the good studio songs. Better they had just put out a live album, or a double CD, one with live songs, one with new studio recordings.

3. Silly "freedom for my people" interlude

4. Silver and Gold is a great song, the speech ruins it, and the "play the blues" thing makes me cringe more than David Brent on a bad day (2nd funniest show of all time)

I agree with #2, otherwise a great album. The sudio songs are brilliant (including Love Rescue Me and When Love Comes to Town). And Heartland is about as perfect as a song can get.

 

[TheFlyOnTheWall]

Why does it get a bad rap ?

1. Love Rescue Me/When Love comes to town, possibly 2 of THE worst songs U2 has ever written.


2. Patchiness - It looks like the running order was chosen at random. It doesn't really have an identity, live or studio ? I never listen to it in it's entirety, I usually just program the good studio songs. Better they had just put out a live album, or a double CD, one with live songs, one with new studio recordings.

3. Silly "freedom for my people" interlude

4. Silver and Gold is a great song, the speech ruins it, and the "play the blues" thing makes me cringe more than David Brent on a bad day (2nd funniest show of all time)

1. Man, i totally disagree with you. Those songs are (especially Love Rescue Me, one of the best from that album)

2. I understand that. The songs are diverse and the listing isn't that good...

3. Freedom For My People is a really great little "song" that, by me, fits in the album.

4. I can't see why the speech and the "c'mon Edge, play the Blues" would make me cringe...

 

[cardosino]

"1. Man, i totally disagree with you. "

Question was "why does R+H have a bad rap", I offered opinions. Our opinions differ I guess ,no biggie.


"3. Freedom For My People is a really great little "song" that, by me, fits in the album."

Ditto re opinions. I think it's useless unlistenable filler, why not put more "real" US songs (live or studio) on the album ? A waste of space.


"4. I can't see why the speech and the "c'mon Edge, play the Blues" would make me cringe... "

The speech really takes away from the song. As for the "play the blues" part, I read an article once that summed it up better than I can, <"I can't" is the response>. Have you ever heard any blues ?

 

[God Part III]

No, have it?

Yes. You want it on e-mail or something?
It's also got this
"I don't believe in ..."
I didn't realise it at first, but the whole song is one big Lennon tribute.

"Instant Karma's gonna get 'em, if I don't get 'em first"
Lennon made a song called Instant Karma which says "Instant Karma's gonna get you" etc.
They also tributed him at the Boston concert while playing Bullet The Blue Sky!

 

[TheFlyOnTheWall]

Yes. You want it on e-mail or something?
It's also got this

Yeah, that would be great!
Thanks!

nudovicic [at] pazinski-kolegij.hr

 

[Sharik]

R&H really captures U2 at the peak of their powers. Hawkmoon 269 and Love Rescue Me have great texture and moodiness. God Part II is an interesting precursor to AB. Sure, it's a hodgepodge, but that's part of its charm. It didn't have to fit into some kind of superstitious, monochrome 11-song format.

And, yeah, there are horns on the album. Well, get your fill here.

 

[NamelessStreets]

I really like the album, if they had included some of the songs that are on the Film, it would have been much better. For example, EXIT, the brilliant BAD (the best example of this song ever played) WTSHNN and WOWY. I know these are on other albums, but so what. They are so, so different live. So much better.

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

Anyone heard God by Lennon?

I love that song, but it is about as depressing as any song can get. Then again, Plastic Ono Band is one desperate album, albeit a very good one.

 

[Sharik]

For example, EXIT, the brilliant BAD (the best example of this song ever played) WTSHNN and WOWY. I know these are on other albums, but so what. They are so, so different live. So much better.

Bad is particularly awesome in the movie, as is Exit. But the LP stil ruled the day at the time, and there were time considerations.

The Bad/WTSHNN sequence is truly (and literally) the centerpiece of R&H the movie.

 

[indigo tree]

Why does it get a bad rap ?



4. Silver and Gold is a great song, the speech ruins it, and the "play the blues" thing makes me cringe more than David Brent on a bad day (2nd funniest show of all time)

Wow, I always thought those things were the BEST parts of the song.
Anyway, I love R&H. I love its variety. I guess its patchiness is what I love about it. Being a disorganized person myself, it doesn't bother me in the least.
I mean this album has Heartland, one of the best U2 songs ever. TheBullet the Blue Sky ( ) performance is one of the best U2 has ever done. I love the gospel thing they did with ISHFWILF. And I really like some of the covers they did on there.

 

[BluRmGrl]

I loved R&H from top to bottom... I distinctly remember sitting in study hall in high school, loading it up in my CD player for the first time and getting CHILLS. Hawkmoon, Van Dieman's Land (LISTEN!!! it's Edge on LEAD!!!! ), When Love Comes to Town... and, for me, the piece de resistance: ISHFWILF live with the backing vocals from the gospel choir - spectacular!
I never saw that album as anything other than an attempt for the guys to emulate and honor some of their musical heroes.

 

[crystal4470]

the album needed the live version of sunday bloody sunday. i personally liked the album, but i wasnt fond of the movie. maybe im just use to watching straight concerts and not backstage, etc. stuff. but in saying that the scene in the movie that i loved the most was when they visited graceland and larry getting on the harley.

 

[TheFlyOnTheWall]

but in saying that the scene in the movie that i loved the most was when they visited graceland and larry getting on the harley.

And your avatar ie has nothing to do with that at all...

 

[TwoAmericas]

I love it when Bono goes up to the lady at Gracie Mansion and pleads to her to get Larry on the bike.

He should have said, "Do you know who I am? I am fucking Bono, bitch."

 

[Canadiens1131]

Well, I have no idea why people judge R&H as an "album" at all. What did Bono say about it, it works as a companion to the film, you can't take it out of context? Something like that, but it was never intended to be a full-fledged U2 "album". There are still some fantastic tracks on there