New Album Discussion 1 - Songs of..... - Unreasonable guitar album

[DeVaul]

So are we just ok with the fact that we're not getting the Chicago show on streaming services? Like what the actual fuck.

Par for the course. No streaming live show audio releases from the previous anniversary albums either.

 

[Achtung Ya'll]

Great post. I feel much the same about Pop - I was around the same age when it came out and it remains my touchstone for the U2 I love.

Same here. I was introduced to U2 via R&H from my dad in the early 90s. Discovered that and AB around the same time. But the first album I bought myself was Pop in senior year of high school and it remains one of my faves ever and my touchstone as well.

In the interim of that I found Zooropa, Passengers, MDH Soundtrack.

Then ATYCLB came out and it was just whiplash for me. Everyone was praising it and I was just like "what is this?"

HTDAAB was sort of the nail in the coffin for me at the time. "Oh we're never getting the U2 I fell in love with again."

I eventually came around on ATYCLB as I got older. It's become more of a soundtrack for my current period than Pop. And this new listen of HTDAAB and the re-assemble edition has me finally coming around to it as well. It's not in my top 5 or anything, but I do appreciate it more. Still not a fan of Mercy or COBL but whatever.

*HOWEVER* I am really kinda icked out by all the marketing for it. I know this is just a personal thing but the amount of insta videos I've seen of Edge talking about something or unboxing it or whatever is just rubbing me wrong for some weird reason. I don't like it. Then there was this video of Adam just absolutely reading something off a prompter just completely uninterested in it (and it was supposed to be some sort of personal recounting of the experience).

Maybe it's just me being an old man yelling at clouds but they can leave that shit behind for sure.

 

[Joey788]

After living with it for a week, my thoughts on the HTDAAB shadow album are about the same for the main album itself. It's a mixed-bag with some really great songs but also many weak points. "Evidence of Life" and "Luckiest Man in the World" are my favorites so far. I think "Treason" is fantastic musically but the vocals are a miss for me. "Country Mile" and "Happiness" are fine but nothing noteworthy. I also think it's strange to have "Picture of You" instead of "Xanax and Wine" here - the latter is definitely a more complete alternate take.

In any case, I was able to put together a pretty strong alternate tracklist using these bonus tunes that comes a bit closer to the "punk rock on Venus" vibes that U2 claimed the original album would be.

Atomic Bomb
1. Vertigo
2. Are You Gonna Wait Forever?
3. Xanax and Wine
4. Evidence of Life
5. Miracle Drug
6. Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own
7. City of Blinding Lights
8. All Because of You
9. A Man and a Woman
10. Smile
11. Luckiest Man in the World

Then for the songs that are alright but didn't make the main tracklist:

The Treason EP
1. Love and Peace or Else
2. Treason
3. Crumbs From Your Table
4. One Step Closer

 

[ascender_RS]

Par for the course. No streaming live show audio releases from the previous anniversary albums either.

I'm pretty sure the ones from ATYCLB and Joshua Tree are on Apple Music.

 

[DeVaul]

I'm pretty sure the ones from ATYCLB and Joshua Tree are on Apple Music.

I was thinking as separate releases. Super Deluxe streaming would make sense though!

 

[mikal]

I was thinking as separate releases. Super Deluxe streaming would make sense though!

Yeah that's what I was referring to. The only thing I can think of is that the band wanted some time for the YouTube stream.

 

[lazarus]

*HOWEVER* I am really kinda icked out by all the marketing for it. I know this is just a personal thing but the amount of insta videos I've seen of Edge talking about something or unboxing it or whatever is just rubbing me wrong for some weird reason. I don't like it. Then there was this video of Adam just absolutely reading something off a prompter just completely uninterested in it (and it was supposed to be some sort of personal recounting of the experience).

What's interesting to me is that despite all this promo, I haven't seen much mention that this won the Grammy for Album of the Year. I don't remember seeing it in press releases/articles about it, either. Is it just me or are the band and the press deliberately leaving this out, as if there's a feeling it wasn't deserved?

Personally I'd be plastering it all over and reminding people that the album was a relatively big deal at the time.

 

[lazarus]

And on the Mercy vs Luckiest debate - I found it helpful breaking down the changes and trying to land on a call about whether the change felt better/worse from and artistic/poetic standpoint and from a logical/thematic standpoint. My gut feel is that Mercy is a better tune, but Luckiest sounds far better. As a result I’ll probably listen to Luckiest more, but I’ll never retire Mercy, in the same way that a very good soundboard performance of Streets may not be as magical musically as an all time performance on an average audience bootleg, I’ll probably listen to the soundboard version more.

I’ve only called out changes where I think the change is beyond arbitrary. You’re ice (luckiest) vs if you’re ice (mercy) isn’t worth analysing.

Verse 1 changes:
But if I’m the prosecution…. Murder.
Luckiest is better. It makes more sense (subject is sugar but would get away with murder provides a comparison that better reflects the complexity of the dynamic) and has a negligible difference poetically.

your heart has no home…. Rather be alone
Mercy on poetry, luckiest on logic. Again, the lyric change brings it more on theme, but it just doesn’t sound as good. Maybe the rather be alone bit works, but keep the other bits of Mercy? On balance, Mercy is better.

Ripping the stitches… relics of your love
Luckiest for mine. Two hands to rub, someone else’s luck. It’s sketch work, albeit great Bono sketch work. The line is now complete, makes sense and has more impact IMO

Sand inside the pearl, you were the luckiest man in the world.
Oh the whole I give this to Mercy, BUT for the one chorus I kind of love this. I would think they’d made the song measurably better if this line was used for the last part of the second chorus with the “you didn’t want to be” bit, but the original was kept for the rest.

I’ll be there to bleed it.
Mercy. Unnecessary change that doesn’t enhance understanding and reduces poetic impact.

You can love me….. without trust
Mercy. No question on artistic grounds. I see why the change was made for the theme, but it is so much less impactful.

Feel nothing…
Mercy. They cut out the atonal long feeeeeeeeeeeel. It hit so hard. The vulnerability in singing it with such raw passion was one of the things that made the original so magical.

The whole last bit from these golden days.
Mercy. I think if they kept the changes I called out above then this last bit from Mercy would have hit so much harder. I don’t think it’s bad having the chorus back. The golden days line is fine but doesn’t quite land, and missive the raw simplicity of the original.

So on the whole - my feeling is that it isn’t a clear cut case of mercy better lyrics/song, luckiest better sound. I think some of the changes have absolute merit. A would love someone with more advanced tools than I to make a hybrid version that has luckiest as the backing track and uses these lyrics:

It isn't clear cut? My brother in christ, of the 8 changes/differences you listed, you gave Mercy the win on 6 of them. Seems pretty obvious which version is better, even by your own accounting.

 

[ascender_RS]

In addition to whatever their marketing people are telling them to do for the "likes", I wish Edge would do more stuff like podcasts or long-form YouTube stuff like Rick Beato whenever they have something like this to promote.

 

[trevgreg]

So are we just ok with the fact that we're not getting the Chicago show on streaming services? Like what the actual fuck.

For all the complaints that reusing the Boston show got for ATYCLB's re-release, I was glad to finally have a decent quality audio download from the show, instead of a 160 kbps rip from 20 years ago. Which served me well over those years, of course, but still!

So yes, I'd probably agree.

 

[dan_smee]

It isn't clear cut? My brother in christ, of the 8 changes/differences you listed, you gave Mercy the win on 6 of them. Seems pretty obvious which version is better, even by your own accounting.

“Isn’t a clear cut case” - not every instance of lyrics changes is better/worse. Nor is the size and value of every change equal. I get you don’t like the changes, but the whole post was trying to show that in my eyes it is more nuanced than good vs bad

 

[super fly guy]

At this point,I wish Mercy could be deleted from history. No debate then.

 

[Scorpionac]

I have some fondness for Bomb while recognizing it's not their best work. Like a few people here it was my first exposure to U2, at age 13 in 2005. I really liked Vertigo and was disappointed when I bought ATYCLB to find that Elevation was really the only rock song on there.

From there I went to the 80s best of, which might as well have been a different band entirely. But super glad I made the jump, cause after that I devoured all their music within months, including Mercy, which -- I'm not gonna lie -- reminds me of being an angsty teenager, just like the rest of Bomb.

 

[mikal]

At this point,I wish Mercy could be deleted from history. No debate then.

Butterfly effect though haha. If Mercy isn't leaked, do we get Luckiest Man in the world or would they have turned this idea into something overcooked on NLOTH.

 

[david]

In addition to whatever their marketing people are telling them to do for the "likes", I wish Edge would do more stuff like podcasts or long-form YouTube stuff like Rick Beato whenever they have something like this to promote.

Yep, I’m an avid watcher of Beato’s channel and it’s clear he wants Edge for the channel. I’m sure it’ll happen. Beato has landed some big names already. Just a matter of time.

 

[DomCobb]

[INSERT YEAR] it is.

u2songs | Adam Clayton Shares Tour Plans in 2026 or 2027 |

U2Songs.com

www.u2songs.com

“We are recording, we are in and out of the studio. We really want to get a record of new songs to our audience. When we know what that record is, we’ll go out and tour it. I don’t know which year. It may be 2026, it may be 2027. It depends.”

Genuinely probably means nothing but I believe this is the first time anyone in the band itself has put a date on a potential album release in the past 8 years (Adam saying either late 2025 or early 2026).

 

[MSU2mike]

In addition to whatever their marketing people are telling them to do for the "likes", I wish Edge would do more stuff like podcasts or long-form YouTube stuff like Rick Beato whenever they have something like this to promote.

Agree with this, particularly the Beato part. I think that'd be solid.

Now that you've put this idea in my head I think my U2 white whale is them being interviewed by Pat Finnerty.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Soaks of Experience

Songs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints

 

[super fly guy]

Butterfly effect though haha. If Mercy isn't leaked, do we get Luckiest Man in the world or would they have turned this idea into something overcooked on NLOTH.

Good point,well maybe if mercy never leaked. Think that's a good compromise.

 

[vaz020202]

I know this has been mentioned many times but…

Paul McG left the band because he thought he could take them as far as he could in the digital age. Apart from Bono negotiating the SOI release with Apple, what have ‘management’ done in the digital age that Paul couldn’t do?

When we talk about the band’s legacy, I feel it would have been better served still under his stewardship

 

[Irvine511]

I’ve enjoyed revisiting Bomb as well. At the time, or not long after, I think I said I thought it was U2’s attempt at a summer blockbuster album, and I think that’s still true. Although part of the ATYCLB campaign was Bono (cringily) saying they were applying for the job of “best band in the world,” this is the album where they first sound like they are actually performing the role of THE BEST BAND IN THE WORLD. It was designed and engineered to thrill, and to sell, and it does and did. I remember I was in the best shape of my adult life in 2005, because I’d listen to this album while running and exercising. The pedal-to-the-metal quality of it makes it a good listen in small, specific doses, but exhausting all at once. Even the QUIET MOMENTS (ie, OSC) feel like HERE IS A QUIET MOMENT. As great as COBL and (to a lesser extent) Sometimes are, they aren’t quite Streets or One, which by 2004 had become U2 expectations. I think it’s fair to say that this is the album where they became too self-conscious by half (“what is U2’s job?”) and probably be looked at as a jump the shark moment, the real Pop over correction (which ATYCLB wasn’t). It has a couple of all time highs, and no real lows, but it does become… annoying. After a while.

Many thrilling moments, but less than the sum of its parts.

 

[Joey788]

In addition to whatever their marketing people are telling them to do for the "likes", I wish Edge would do more stuff like podcasts or long-form YouTube stuff like Rick Beato whenever they have something like this to promote.

I’m surprised they haven’t done Conan’s podcast yet. He’s gotten Paul McCartney, Billie Eilish, Chris Martin and the remaining members of Nirvana to name a few. Seems like an easy win for the band.

 

[bobbvis]

So this sci-fi Irish folk album is what?.........the third or fourth album being worked on since the pandemic? Next tour an eras-esque in 2030.

 

[Achtung Ya'll]

Man listening to Stateless today and I wish that was the next (final) album we'd get. Songs of Ascent... and it's just the band and Eno and Lanois just doing amoebic sonic explorations that just sort of fade out into retirement.

 

[dan_smee]

I’m hoping with all this stuff and several albums they are basically writing several projects and developing them through to nearly done as a way of filling in time while Larry is recovering. It would make sense for them to have the work done sans final recording for a bunch of things and then just smash through it with Larry. Maybe that is where Bono’s “we’re not releasing SOA now” stuff comes from. Queue them up, record them, drop them over the next 5-6 years, bail around their 70ths

 

[lazarus]

I’ve enjoyed revisiting Bomb as well. At the time, or not long after, I think I said I thought it was U2’s attempt at a summer blockbuster album, and I think that’s still true. Although part of the ATYCLB campaign was Bono (cringily) saying they were applying for the job of “best band in the world,” this is the album where they first sound like they are actually performing the role of THE BEST BAND IN THE WORLD. It was designed and engineered to thrill, and to sell, and it does and did. I remember I was in the best shape of my adult life in 2005, because I’d listen to this album while running and exercising. The pedal-to-the-metal quality of it makes it a good listen in small, specific doses, but exhausting all at once. Even the QUIET MOMENTS (ie, OSC) feel like HERE IS A QUIET MOMENT. As great as COBL and (to a lesser extent) Sometimes are, they aren’t quite Streets or One, which by 2004 had become U2 expectations. I think it’s fair to say that this is the album where they became too self-conscious by half (“what is U2’s job?”) and probably be looked at as a jump the shark moment, the real Pop over correction (which ATYCLB wasn’t). It has a couple of all time highs, and no real lows, but it does become… annoying. After a while.

Sorry, but I take issue with this. Beautiful Day was just as "designed and engineered" as anything on Bomb. I understand that the latter's posture and sound are bigger and bolder, whereas ATYCLB is more understated, but that album is still itself an ersatz attempt at recapturing past glories.

I'd also argue that Bomb has the benefit of being primarily inspired, at least thematically, by the death of Bob Hewson. So it has more emotional heft for me overall, even if a few tracks on ATYCLB have some poignant origins (Stuck, Kite, POE).

 

[Irvine511]

Sorry, but I take issue with this. Beautiful Day was just as "designed and engineered" as anything on Bomb. I understand that the latter's posture and sound are bigger and bolder, whereas ATYCLB is more understated, but that album is still itself an ersatz attempt at recapturing past glories.

I'd also argue that Bomb has the benefit of being primarily inspired, at least thematically, by the death of Bob Hewson. So it has more emotional heft for me overall, even if a few tracks on ATYCLB have some poignant origins (Stuck, Kite, POE).

Sure, I think that ATYCLB and BD are attempts to remind you of the U2 you think you loved (even if BD is actually entirely new), but I think it’s Bomb that on the whole sounds more like a “this is what a U2 album needs to deliver.”

I also like that ATYCLB feels more sonically diverse, whereas Bomb has a cohesive guitar sound. You can admire the consistency, but by the time we get to ABOY, I need a break.

 

[ascender_RS]

I’m hoping with all this stuff and several albums they are basically writing several projects and developing them through to nearly done as a way of filling in time while Larry is recovering. It would make sense for them to have the work done sans final recording for a bunch of things and then just smash through it with Larry. Maybe that is where Bono’s “we’re not releasing SOA now” stuff comes from. Queue them up, record them, drop them over the next 5-6 years, bail around their 70ths

I'd love this to be the case, but as we all know and even they admit, there will be a whole lot of "noodling" going on and 40-100 "songs" for a while and at some point something will come into focus and we'll get to hear 10 of them.

And that's your lot for 5 years.

 

[ascender_RS]

I’m surprised they haven’t done Conan’s podcast yet. He’s gotten Paul McCartney, Billie Eilish, Chris Martin and the remaining members of Nirvana to name a few. Seems like an easy win for the band.

I think the problem with most of these is that even long form ones, we'll get to hear the same old stories about the famous songs, the same anecdotes etc. I was kind of disappointed that The Rockonteurs one wasn't more nerdy to be honest.

A long form Beato w/Edge would be interesting and surely on the cards at some point. He's had Lanois on and previously mentioned that U2 haven't asked for any of his videos on them to be taken down.

 

[vaz020202]

I think the problem with most of these is that even long form ones, we'll get to hear the same old stories about the famous songs, the same anecdotes etc.

This is exactly why I don’t bother watching any interviews. It gets very tedious