11 O'clock Tick Tock!

[Axver]

We've had ATYCLB appreciation threads. We've got a WGRYWH appreciation thread. We've had all kinds of other appreciation threads. But what we don't have is ...

... an 11 O'clock Tick Tock appreciation thread!

In my opinion, this is the best U2 song. I absolutely love it, and it's a crime that although it was once a setlist centrepiece, it's been largely left out since The Unforgettable Fire tour. I'm always on the lookout for live versions of it, and I'd have to say the 5 June 1983 one from Red Rocks is the best in my opinion. Though some say the performance at Irving Plaza was incredible ... I've never heard it - does anyone know if it's available online?

So is there anyone else here who loves this truly great song?

 

[gareth brown]

I agree that this is one of U2's best songs! The live version from Red Rocks back in '83 is absolutley fantastic. Shame about the woman Bono dragged from the crowd. Watch her as Bono sings 'Call out your name'...she's just hanging onto him and suddenly realises '....I'm on camera...'. Just watch her as she finally realises, then suddenly starts dancing and smiling at the camera. Next shot you see of her, she's going mad and giving the victory 'V's to the crowd!

But back to the topic...I had an MP3 of the Single Version which is quite cool. But my favourite version has to be from one of the Bootlegs LCK sent me. One of the best intros and endings to the song they played, shame they changed it.

 

[discothequeLP]

This song is one of the best U2 songs ever. It's so much fun to play guitar for the song! Man, it's awesome. Irving plaza was OK, but they played it real slow. Right before the song, Bono says "We haven't played this song, for most of your lives."

 

[U2Kitten]

I love that song! I was so surprised but happy when they did it on the Elevation tour!

 

[WinnieThePoo]

it's rather crappy version on that UBRS red rocks cd , crappy gig , very limited .

versions from boy tour were good , the NYC00 version is alright

 

[Axver]

It's so much fun to play guitar for the song!

Too right! I absolutely love playing it. I wish Edge felt that strongly about how fun it was to play that he'd talk the others into making it the setlist regular it once was.

I love that song! I was so surprised but happy when they did it on the Elevation tour!

Yeah, I'm so glad they did it on Elevation! Though I've got one version - 8 June in Boston - and although it's very good, it's not as good as earlier versions, because the two solos at the end are run together and Bono changed my favourite line ("We thought that we had the answers/It was the questions we had wrong", my favourite quote full stop) to ... something I can't understand!

Right before the song, Bono says "We haven't played this song, for most of your lives."

Ha! Though for me, that's true. I believe they played it once on The Joshua Tree tour and eight times on Elevation, so I don't even need all my fingers to count how many times they've played it in my life (I was born early 1987). I can't believe it slipped from the setlist so fast. Can you imagine With Or Without You or Where The Streets Have No Name vanishing from the setlist so fast? It went from a regular (If I'm remembering the setlists I've read correctly, it was The Unforgettable Fire tour opener, and before that it was so very common and a centrepiece), to totally abandoned for over a decade.

it's rather crappy version on that UBRS red rocks cd

I wouldn't go that far. It's not the strongest performance, and I have no idea why they used that one over so many other brilliant performances (particularly the one on the UABRS video), but I still enjoy it.


Today I downloaded two versions of it: 17 March 1983 and I can't remember if it's 6 March or 3 June 1981 (from the Another Time Another Place boot, anyway), and they're both very good. I rather enjoy them. But I'm still of the opinion 5 June 1983 - which I'm listening to now - is the very best. Edge does so well on the guitar, and Bono's in fine voice.

 

[AcrobatMan]

i like 11 o clock.. i really do..

think its one of the better U2 songs.. i had ranked in as my 29th best U2 songs.. that was before WGRYWH got into my top 20 song list...

lets see it this way..i prefer this song to 100 other U2 songs

1 where streets have no name
2 Bad
3 Unforgettable fire
4 One
5 Until the end of the world
6 Acrobat
7 New years day
8 Please
9 All i want is you
10 Beautiful day
11 Stay (Faraway, So Close)
12 I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
13 One Tree Hill
14 Staring At The Sun
15 The Fly
16 Pride
17 Running To Standing Still
18 Mothers Of the Disappeared
19 Silver And Gold
20 Ultraviolet
21 Kite
22 Indian Summer Sky
23 Sunday Bloody Sunday
24 Twilight
25 Zooropa
26 Bullet The Blue Sky
27 Red Hill Mining Town
28 A Sort Of Homecoming
29 11 o clock

........ and so on...

 

[Axver]

I used to rank Bad above it, but now it's taken over as my favourite U2 song. Running off memory, here's how my top ten goes (any further would be a little hard this late at night!);

1. 11 O'clock Tick Tock (6 March 1981)
2. 11 O'clock Tick Tock (5 June 1983)
3. Bad (8 November 1987)
4. Gloria (5 June 1983)
5. I Will Follow (13 December 1981)
6. Bullet The Blue Sky (11 June 1992)
7. One Tree Hill (26 December 1989)
8. With Or Without You (19 (20?) November 1987)
9. Walk On (1 September 2001)
10. Please (23 September 1997)

The top five are prone to reshuffling amongst each other, and the bottom five change randomly. Honourable mention must go to The Electric Co. (13 December 1981 and I've forgotten the date of the UABRS EP one) - either or both of those live performances usually makes it but I just couldn't find a spot tonight.

 

[intedomine]

its a stunning song and ive heard only several live versions of it.......

i gotta ask this question though....why on earth wasnt it on the best of 80-90 cd, or on the b sides bonus disc