Cedarwood Road - Song Discussion

[lazarus]

Why does the heavy guitar disappear during the verses? Totally weak. And in the chorus it's far too low in the mix.

This could have been a lot more of a rocker, but there's a tendency to make Bono's vocal the most important thing, or the only thing, and that's unfortunate.

 

[An Cat Gav]

Anyone else here an echo of Crumbs from Your Table in this one?

Great track, yet another one!

 

[purpleoscar]

Why does the heavy guitar disappear during the verses? Totally weak. And in the chorus it's far too low in the mix.

This could have been a lot more of a rocker, but there's a tendency to make Bono's vocal the most important thing, or the only thing, and that's unfortunate.

Some of the guitar is buried but I hope a CD will fix that.


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[Vlaco]

Some of the guitar is buried but I hope a CD will fix that.


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I hear it too, but this one is so good, it triumphs over Crumbs in every single way.

 

[owl]

I particularly enjoy the bridge:

Northside
Just across the river to the Southside
That’s a long way here...

 

[Vlaco]

Edge's guitar during the intro reminds me of a cold and white December evening. Don't know why and it doesn't make much sense, but it creates a melancholic atmosphere.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I meant in terms of staging, not a different arrangement. That's what I heard anyway.

That's what you heard?

 

[Moser]

Man, that outro

Nice lyrics, B Man.

 

[Tim Wallach]

Anyone else here an echo of Crumbs from Your Table in this one?

Great track, yet another one!

For sure on the intro. Very similar.

 

[U2girl]

The biggest grower for me. One of the not so many songs on SOI where Edge really gets a chance to shine.

I hope they don't do a SUC with this one. The riffing needs to get out live.

 

[boystupidboy]

Anyone else here an echo of Crumbs from Your Table in this one?

absolutely.... I hated crumbs and cant stand this track either... The only song on the album so far to grip my shit

 

[Irvine511]

It kicks the shit out of Crumbs.

I wonder if it's about the best thing on the album.


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[Moser]

I don't hear any resemblance to Crumbs.

 

[birdman]

That's what you heard?

Yeah, my first listen was just me imagining how they could organize the performance of these songs the best.

 

[Hallucination]

Why does the heavy guitar disappear during the verses? Totally weak. And in the chorus it's far too low in the mix.

This could have been a lot more of a rocker, but there's a tendency to make Bono's vocal the most important thing, or the only thing, and that's unfortunate.

I completely agree and that's why this song is my least favourite on the album. The guitars are awesome and then it just gets neutered by lowering the guitars in the mix and bringing in the stupid xylophone. It's starts great and then becomes a total letdown and to me sounds like a NLOTH B-side.

 

[RademR]

SUC was cheesy, Cedarwood rocks out. Awesome guitar by Edge. At first I heard it and said "ok great guitar but doesn't do much else for me". It has grown on me and now love it, although it's still bottom half.

 

[littleheartsuitcase]

This song has been stuck in my head nonstop over the past few days. I especially like it because it's such a personal look at the childhood and area that formed Bono/U2. And the bridge rocks! Love Edge's harmony too on this. Tracks 6-11 are just gold for me.


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[saltlick]

Sounds like part of the soundtrack from an old Clint Eastwood movie that was remade in 2130

 

[thavidesco]

It kicks the shit out of Crumbs.

I wonder if it's about the best thing on the album.


Sent from

Stop offending Crumbs. Crumbs are great. Its production was a bit problematic.

Althought it has the same helpless solo section, at least Crumbs doesn´t have that embarrassing descending ending part of the main riff.

Maybe drums sound a bit crumbish.

 

[purpleblackeye]

Great track! it's become a favorite for sure.

 

[Cask]

Best song of the album in my opinion. Can't stop listening to it.

 

[Numb1075]

I like the song, but thought it would be better as a straight-out rocker, keeping the heavy Edge guitar and bass line for most of the song. I thought the transition to when Bono starts singing slows the pace down. The song, therefore, loses steam for a minute before gathering momentum once again.

With such an outstanding intro, I think the band should have kept the pace high and just melted people's faces with a heavy rock tune.

But hey, to each their own.

agreed 100%.

They unleashed The Edge for a few brief moments and then went soft. Soft is still a good thing but this song could have been one of their heaviest fun songs. I like the song a lot but it could have been a whole lot better if The Edge just killed it for 4 whole minutes.

 

[Musikwala]

Stop offending Crumbs. Crumbs are great. Its production was a bit problematic.

Agreed. Crumbs is like the best song on HTDAAB. It is just that the production was horrendous.

agreed 100%.

They unleashed The Edge for a few brief moments and then went soft. Soft is still a good thing but this song could have been one of their heaviest fun songs. I like the song a lot but it could have been a whole lot better if The Edge just killed it for 4 whole minutes.

The Edge is not Jimmy Page. U2 is just not that kind of band who would kill it for 4 whole minutes with a guitar solo. lol.

My thoughts on Cedarwood Road: Excellent song! It is perhaps tied right now with Raised by Wolves as my #1 fav track on the album. Great lyrics! Great guitar work too obviously. I simply love that intro and how it appears again for "north side, just across the river to the south side...". Nothing really to complain about here. It is a grower though, just like most songs on this album.

 

[Numb1075]

Agreed. Crumbs is like the best song on HTDAAB. It is just that the production was horrendous.



The Edge is not Jimmy Page. U2 is just not that kind of band who would kill it for 4 whole minutes with a guitar solo. lol.

My thoughts on Cedarwood Road: Excellent song! It is perhaps tied right now with Raised by Wolves as my #1 fav track on the album. Great lyrics! Great guitar work too obviously. I simply love that intro and how it appears again for "north side, just across the river to the south side...". Nothing really to complain about here. It is a grower though, just like most songs on this album.

I understand that he is not Jimmy Page and i am not looking for crazy solos. What i am saying is that this song has a monster riff in the beginning, why not continue it? He occasionally holds back too much of his talents.

 

[last unicorn]

The track didn't do very much for me in the beginning, but now I feel it's one of the best on the album. I like Edge's guitar here a lot.

 

[ndmaxfield]

A couple of themes emerging for me about this song:
1) Restraint. In a good way. As in - Danger Mouse walked around the studio with a loaded gun and told the band he'd shoot anybody who got out of control during recording. Keep it powerful, but don't go apeshit like a second-class garage rock band. Keep it tight until the last note.
2) Funk. In a good way. U2 gives James Brown the one in this song. I feel like the drum track could appear at any moment on a Public Enemy record.

 

[Hollow Island]

The guitar riff is dirty, I love it! This song is going to be amazing live.

 

[BSBONO]

Going to be great live in Until the End of the World way. Can see similar theatrics with Edge and Bono playing off each other

 

[pepokiss]

The first part reminds me of a Muse song. I just can see Bono walking in a forest or something, like an Anime closer. Then the riff comes. And in the end, it just explodes. The riff and the "AND A HEART" part... this is U2 going metal (?), headbanging, rock and roll...

Live it will be amazing!

 

[drt4]

The guitar riff is dirty, I love it! This song is going to be amazing live.

I'm not so sure, though I hope to be proven wrong. I think it's one of the top songs on the album, but I was thinking about this, and I just don't see this song going over well live. It's too mid tempo - no big chorus - it works on the album but I think will kind of fall flat in concert.

Kind of like Crumbs (though I think this song is better than Crumbs, and they admittedly hardly gave Crumbs a chance live).