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

[david]

Didn’t Winter get the axe because it was produced too similar to that Coldplay song around the same time also produced by Eno?

 

[DancingBrft]

The idea that U2s b sides could make an album to rival TJT of TUF is honestly a pretty sloppy take. The crass counter would be: go on, make a track list and we’ll judge it against them, but I don’t think we need to.

They have some excellent b sides, one offs and leftovers. But all of them are from eras where the album material mostly outshone them and for good reason.

The later years with things like Crystal Ballroom and Book of Your Heart are maddening because they should have replaced album songs. You might make a case for luminous times to bump trip through your wires, but they very much exceptions and not rules.

I don’t think anyone said this. I know I didn’t, but to clarify, if EPAA or 4th of July are on UF, certainly The Three Sunrises and Love Comes Tumbling are right here in quality. And for JT, Luminous Times, Walk to the Water, then a little lesser, but still good songs like Sweetest Thing, Silver and Gold, Spanish Eyes, are strong tracks. For R&H, I think Dancing Barefoot is as good as some of the live material, etc.

 

[david]

I think Love Comes Tumbling has such a cool vibe and could have easily fit on UF like right after the title track. Three Sunrises I always felt was just a fun little song but a bit too peppy for the album once it gets going though.

The Joshua Tree produced a lot of great non album songs obviously because Bono had the idea of a double album. Dancing Barefoot is great, but it’s a Patti Smith cover, but I always did like their version of it.

 

[namkcuR]

Didn’t Winter get the axe because it was produced too similar to that Coldplay song around the same time also produced by Eno?

The only thing the two songs have in common is the strings in the intros. While this was always pointed out by fans, I don't recall the band or Eno(or anyone else) ever saying that that's why it was left off. I don't think it would've made it as far as it did(even being included in Linear) if that was the issue. I think they were just making room for the singles they added late in the game.

 

[david]

Yeah I did a YouTube dive I believe there’s a different arrangement of Winter used in the Brothers movie that’s less string heavy but kind of lacks the punchiness without them. Weird.

 

[dan_smee]

I personally think the b sides from like 84-91 are usually, not always, but usually top notch material. In my opinion, there is a full album’s worth of b-sides that are as good as UF, JT, R&H, and well, maybe 73% as good as AB, but that’s still pretty good. The one offers and stray tracks from 93-99 are as good as album material to me

The idea that U2s b sides could make an album to rival TJT of TUF is honestly a pretty sloppy take.

I don’t think anyone said this. I know I didn’t, but to clarify, if EPAA or 4th of July are on UF, certainly The Three Sunrises and Love Comes Tumbling are right here in quality. And for JT, Luminous Times, Walk to the Water, then a little lesser, but still good songs like Sweetest Thing, Silver and Gold, Spanish Eyes, are strong tracks. For R&H, I think Dancing Barefoot is as good as some of the live material, etc.

I may have misunderstood your original post, but after reading it back I’m pretty sure you said exactly what I suggested.

All the b sides you mentioned are perfectly fine songs. I think there is a false equivalence here that their scarcity/hipster status as lesser known tunes leads the uber fans to mythologise them. But to use your words: “there is a full album’s worth of b-sides that are as good as UF, JT, R&H, and well, maybe 73% as good as AB” is a take I really strongly disagree with and I think you’d have a hard time putting one together.

 

[DancingBrft]

The idea that U2s b sides could make an album to rival TJT of TUF is honestly a pretty sloppy take.


I may have misunderstood your original post, but after reading it back I’m pretty sure you said exactly what I suggested.

All the b sides you mentioned are perfectly fine songs. I think there is a false equivalence here that their scarcity/hipster status as lesser known tunes leads the uber fans to mythologise them. But to use your words: “there is a full album’s worth of b-sides that are as good as UF, JT, R&H, and well, maybe 73% as good as AB” is a take I really strongly disagree with and I think you’d have a hard time putting one together.

I can see how it sounded like that. I guess what I meant was, all the songs I mentioned plus some one offs like You Made me the Thief, In The Name of the Father, the MDH stuff, HMTMKMKM, could make a strong album’s worth of material. Post 2000, and especially post 2017, the overall quality (with a few excellent exceptions) has gone way down

 

[DancingBrft]

The idea that U2s b sides could make an album to rival TJT of TUF is honestly a pretty sloppy take.


I may have misunderstood your original post, but after reading it back I’m pretty sure you said exactly what I suggested.

All the b sides you mentioned are perfectly fine songs. I think there is a false equivalence here that their scarcity/hipster status as lesser known tunes leads the uber fans to mythologise them. But to use your words: “there is a full album’s worth of b-sides that are as good as UF, JT, R&H, and well, maybe 73% as good as AB” is a take I really strongly disagree with and I think you’d have a hard time putting one together.

Old age is a terrible thing!!! Think twice, type once!

 

[trevgreg]

I'm going to strongly disagree with you here - U2 have so many album-worthy non-album tracks...

11 O'Clock Tick Tock, A Celebration, Party Girl, Love Comes Tumbling, The Three Sunrises, Luminous Times, Spanish Eyes, Sweetest Thing, Lady With The Spinning Head, Slow Dancing, HMTMKMKM, North And South Of The River, Two Shots Of Happy One Shot Of Sad(one of the greatest songs they ever wrote imo), the MDH tracks, Summer Rain, Electrical Storm, Are You Gonna Wait Forever, Fast Cars/X&W/Pictures Of You, Mercy/Luckiest Man, Winter, Invisible, Crystal Ballroom, Book Of Your Heart

I'd even argue Treason should've been on Bomb if it was anything close to finished.

HMTMKMKM and Sweetest Thing were hits.
11OTT, Party Girl, and Spanish Eyes are still live fan-favorites even if they don't get played often. Slow Dancing gets played ever now and then too.
I feel like some might replace something like The Refugee or Red Light on War with A Celebration.
The MDH tracks were always well-received and a lot of people are of the opinion that they're better than some of the stuff that made ATYCLB.
I think a lot of people feel that some version of Fast Cars/X&W/Pictures Of You should've made Bomb.
Mercy was a last-minute cut from Bomb and it finally getting a proper release was a big deal around here.
Winter was a late cut from NLOTH, is in the Linear film, and Brian Eno publicly stated how upset he was that it got cut.
Many of us have been frustrated that the SOI/SOE non-album tracks were cut.

And I haven't even mentioned the two songs that got nominated for Oscars(even though they're not very popular around here).

Your last two sentences - "U2 would fall over their own damn feet to put out any song that they felt would be a hit. Always have, always will." - are correct(at least from Joshua Tree onwards), but one, just because a song is really good doesn't mean it would be a hit...like, Love Comes Tumbling, Luminous Times, Slow Dancing, Two Shots, Stateless, they're great songs but they in all likelihood would've been deep cuts even if they made an album. They don't scream radio. And two, the band isn't always a good judge of what's a hit and what's not, especially in later years. They thought Boots and Crazy Tonight and Get Out Of Your Own Way and American Soul would be hits.

With respect, I think you are underselling U2's non-album output.

In Headache’s defense, there’s a bit of a difference between a true “b-side” and something that was released as a standalone single or soundtrack song. I would probably hold the likes of HMTMKMKM or 11 o’Clock Tick Tock on a different consideration for some discussions than, say, Smile or Big Girls are Best. The first two were probably recorded and released with the idea it was the best they could contribute at the time, while the latter were deemed alright enough, but not something they ultimately thought could top the other 10-12 songs they had in mind for an album “statement.”

That said, when you get into the streaming era with bonus tracks or “re-assembled” tracks and such, the definition gets a tad murkier. One thing I keep in mind is that we ask ten different fans what songs “should” have made an album or left off, we’ll get ten completely different answers. And that's cool. The band almost certainly goes through some version of that for every album release, so it wouldn’t be surprising if some bonus tracks or b-sides have their fans. And they (or some of the band members) obviously liked them enough to put them out in some format anyway, or re-work them to what they deemed releasable.

At the end of the day, I’m just glad they’re all out there. And as I get older or write more songs, I can sort of hear why maybe something wasn’t put on or left off an album (no memorable hook, a song structure that sort of meanders, etc.). But I do like a lot of the b-side/bonus material enough too and probably prefer them over some album tracks that did get chosen. But like I said, they’re out there anyway and that’s ultimately all that matters.

 

[david]

I put together my playlist of 2000 to present “strays” on Apple Music and tinkered with order and gave it a listen and the result was just me thinking “well this is a nice compilation of songs” haha. They’re just songs. They’re nice, but yeah.

 

[ferball415]

I had a U2 dream last night. They released a 30-second clip of a new song called "Smoke," kind of a Zoo Station-vibe.

This is my favorite U2 song of the past decade.

 

[mikal]

Yeah I did a YouTube dive I believe there’s a different arrangement of Winter used in the Brothers movie that’s less string heavy but kind of lacks the punchiness without them. Weird.

And Edge's guitar was slightly out of time at the end of the Brothers version, which is completely unacceptable.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

In Headache’s defense, there’s a bit of a difference between a true “b-side” and something that was released as a standalone single or soundtrack song. I would probably hold the likes of HMTMKMKM or 11 o’Clock Tick Tock on a different consideration for some discussions than, say, Smile or Big Girls are Best. The first two were probably recorded and released with the idea it was the best they could contribute at the time, while the latter were deemed alright enough, but not something they ultimately thought could top the other 10-12 songs they had in mind for an album “statement.”

That said, when you get into the streaming era with bonus tracks or “re-assembled” tracks and such, the definition gets a tad murkier. One thing I keep in mind is that we ask ten different fans what songs “should” have made an album or left off, we’ll get ten completely different answers. And that cool. The band almost certainly goes through some version of that for every album release, so it wouldn’t be surprising if some bonus tracks or b-sides have their fans. And they (or some of the band members) obviously liked them enough to put them out in some format anyway, or re-work them to what they deemed releasable.

At the end of the day, I’m just glad they’re all out there. And as I get older or write more songs, I can sort of hear why maybe something wasn’t put on or left off an album (no memorable hook, a song structure that sort of meanders, etc.). But I do like a lot of the b-side/bonus material enough too and probably prefer them over some album tracks that did get chosen. But like I said, they’re out there anyway and that’s ultimately all that matters.

Yes.

Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me was a single, pushed heavily.

11'O'Clock Tick Tock was a single(which I would argue is infinitely better live than studio, alas).

Same with Invisible, Electrical Storm, A Celebration and the redone Sweetest Thing.

Invisible was downloaded 3 million times and featured on the debut of the Tonight Show and had its own Super Bowl ad.

The Million Dollar Hotel tracks were on their own album. Obscure, sure, but not the same as a b side or unreleased track.

That is what I was referring to when I said their b sides or unreleased tracks isn't exactly Springsteen level output. True b sides and/or unreleased tracks, not singles or soundtrack songs that were pushed heavily.

Sorry - there isn't a Because The Night or My Love Will Not Let You Down in that grouping (among others).

They have some nice b sides - but nothing really earth shattering. Honestly I'd argue the biggest "miss" from a b side that should have been an album track was a recent miss - Crystal Ballroom.

 

[namkcuR]

That is what I was referring to when I said their b sides or unreleased tracks isn't exactly Springsteen level output. True b sides and/or unreleased tracks, not singles or soundtrack songs that were pushed heavily.

Sorry - there isn't a Because The Night or My Love Will Not Let You Down in that grouping (among others).

They have some nice b sides - but nothing really earth shattering. Honestly I'd argue the biggest "miss" from a b side that should have been an album track was a recent miss - Crystal Ballroom.

Depends what you mean by earth shattering - just the quality of the song, or the public perception(if any) of the song? In any case...

Party Girl(played live a few times every tour)
The Three Sunrises
Love Comes Tumbling
Spanish Eyes(played live most times they're in Spain, and it even has a music video)
Silver And Gold(which I forgot to mention in my original post)
Luminous Times
North And South Of The River
Mercy(which, while technically on the Reassembled album now, was an unreleased b-side for two decades).

Also, I do not think it's fair to make all of these qualifications for what counts as a U2 b-side and then point to Because The Night, which Bruce gave to Patti Smith at the time and which was a huge hit for her. If Patti had never recorded it, I am not sure we'd think of the song in the same way.

 

[Irvine511]

Also, I do not think it's fair to make all of these qualifications for what counts as a U2 b-side and then point to Because The Night, which Bruce gave to Patti Smith at the time and which was a huge hit for her. If Patti had never recorded it, I am not sure we'd think of the song in the same way.

this song also was given a huge boost with the 1975-1985 Bruce Live album, which has a fairly spectacular version.

 

[Fly-2000]

lol

Bono Charts His First No. 1 Hits Without U2

 

[BEAL]

He did it!

Now move on from it with U2

But my fear is they’re thinking hey maybe we should have guest musicians and rappers on all our songs to hedge bets…

 

[Hewson]

He did it!

Now move on from it with U2

But my fear is they’re thinking hey maybe we should have guest musicians and rappers on all our songs to hedge bets…

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Depends what you mean by earth shattering - just the quality of the song, or the public perception(if any) of the song? In any case...

Party Girl(played live a few times every tour)
The Three Sunrises
Love Comes Tumbling
Spanish Eyes(played live most times they're in Spain, and it even has a music video)
Silver And Gold(which I forgot to mention in my original post)
Luminous Times
North And South Of The River
Mercy(which, while technically on the Reassembled album now, was an unreleased b-side for two decades).

Also, I do not think it's fair to make all of these qualifications for what counts as a U2 b-side and then point to Because The Night, which Bruce gave to Patti Smith at the time and which was a huge hit for her. If Patti had never recorded it, I am not sure we'd think of the song in the same way.

i don't think it's unfair at all. bruce never released a studio version until 30 years after the fact. i merely mentioned that song - but there are dozens more that are of far higher quality than songs that U2 have left off albums.

i know everything we're talking about here is HIGHLY subjective. but i'm sorry - a lot of these songs are not album tracks. they belong exactly where they ended up.

there are obviously exceptions. i already stated Crystal Ballroom. North and South of the River is phenomenal and certainly could have found its way on an album. And i'll give you Luminous Times and Party Girl - even though Party Girl is, as Bono himself states, a silly song. and much like 11'o'clock tick tock, party girl is significantly better live than in studio. I'll toss in Slow Dancing, Two Shots of Happy and She's A Mystery To Me - ironically all songs they wrote for other people. She's A Mystery To Me in particular seems like a blown opportunity. I know there has to be a U2 version out there somewhere. If there isn't, they should make one.

toss in a few songs that turned into other songs (Xanax and Wine) and a cover or two (Dancing Barefoot, Everlasting Love) and that's about it. for me, at least.

whereas bruce and pearl jam have left songs off albums that you listen to and say "fuck, that would have been the best song on the album" on the regular (and did so purposefully). i think the only song i can say that about is Crystal Ballroom.

again - all subjective.

 

[MSU2mike]

I can't believe this much digital ink is being spilled about U2's b-sides. That's not a criticism, I've enjoyed the conversation, I'm just surprised. That's U2 in 2025!

FWIW I absolutely agree that Crystal Ballroom, North & South of the River, Luminous Times, and a handful of others probably could/should have made the cut. But I'm also just glad I can hear them (I fire up North & South... with some frequency)

What I'm really curious about are what are these Bruce & PJ songs that are so good? I love both, but I guess not to the point that I'm digging into their b-sides. Curious what I'm missing out on

 

[namkcuR]

i don't think it's unfair at all. bruce never released a studio version until 30 years after the fact. i merely mentioned that song - but there are dozens more that are of far higher quality than songs that U2 have left off albums.

i know everything we're talking about here is HIGHLY subjective. but i'm sorry - a lot of these songs are not album tracks. they belong exactly where they ended up.

there are obviously exceptions. i already stated Crystal Ballroom. North and South of the River is phenomenal and certainly could have found its way on an album. And i'll give you Luminous Times and Party Girl - even though Party Girl is, as Bono himself states, a silly song. and much like 11'o'clock tick tock, party girl is significantly better live than in studio. I'll toss in Slow Dancing, Two Shots of Happy and She's A Mystery To Me - ironically all songs they wrote for other people. She's A Mystery To Me in particular seems like a blown opportunity. I know there has to be a U2 version out there somewhere. If there isn't, they should make one.

toss in a few songs that turned into other songs (Xanax and Wine) and a cover or two (Dancing Barefoot, Everlasting Love) and that's about it. for me, at least.

whereas bruce and pearl jam have left songs off albums that you listen to and say "fuck, that would have been the best song on the album" on the regular (and did so purposefully). i think the only song i can say that about is Crystal Ballroom.

again - all subjective.

Fair enough - it is all subjective, so we can agree to disagree(strongly). A couple things though.

One, there is a U2 version of She's A Mystery To Me. They 100% recorded it during the Sun Studios sessions in 1987(when they recorded a few of the R&H tracks), it's just never seen the light of day beyond a snippet or two.

Two, regarding the bolded, a lot of people said exactly that about Mercy and HTDAAB for 20 years.

Also, gonna throw one more b-side out there for consideration - Holy Joe(Garage Mix). Just considering that the album version of Miami can be underwhelming, and the dated lyrics of Playboy Mansion, maybe that could've made Pop. Also, I'm not sure it's my personal opinion, but Summer Rain is beautiful and I feel like a number of people around here would take it over Wild Honey/Peace On Earth/Grace, though POE is the only one I'd personally consider swapping for it.

Anyway, yeah, agree to disagree.

 

[The John Tree]

What I'm really curious about are what are these Bruce & PJ songs that are so good? I love both, but I guess not to the point that I'm digging into their b-sides. Curious what I'm missing out on

I'm only a casual Pearl Jam fan - their collection of B-Sides and One Offs wasn't that impressive to me - but I'm a massive Springsteen fan. Bruce is known for being remarkably prolific - especially between 1976 and 2000. As a result, he had a shit ton of unreleased material that initially leaked through tape traders along with live performances that would become fan favorites. Since then - beginning in 1998 - Bruce began gradually releasing material that was unreleased - beginning with Tracks, a 4-disc boxed set spanning his entire career to that point.

There are some phenomenal Bruce songs that were released on Tracks, my personal favorites being: Seaside Bar Song, So Young and In Love, Roulette, Loose Ends, Take 'Em as They Come, Shut Out the Light, My Love Will Not Let You Down, Brothers Under the Bridges '83, Pink Cadillac, Janey Don't You Lose Heart, Sad Eyes, Part Man Part Monkey, and Brothers Under The Bridge '95.

Since then, Bruce has released boxed sets for legendary albums Darkness On The Edge of Town and The River, both of which featured full albums' worth of unreleased songs. For Darkness On The Edge of Town - a harder edged, angry record - Bruce had his own "shadow album" of generally lighter, soul and R&B flavored rock songs that Stevie Van Zandt preferred. They were held off of the album primarily because they didn't match the tone of the record, but there is some absolutely fantastic material on those albums as well, including the studio version of Because The Night, Save My Love, The Promise, and The Little Things My Baby Does, among others. The River boxed set, too, featured some incredible outtakes such as Meet Me In The City, Chain Lightning, Little White Lies, and more.

Bruce is about to open up the vaults *again* two weeks from now when he releases seven unreleased albums, recorded between 1983 and 2018. Rather than being grab bags of unreleased songs, these albums are mostly fully realized projects that Bruce decided not to release for one reason or another (one was too similar to his last album, another was shelved in favor of another project, another was a movie soundtrack for a film that was never released, etc.).

The crazy thing is, despite all of this material being released, there's a lot more still unreleased. Off the top of my head, I can think of 2-3 more albums of songs that we know about that haven't been released yet. It's a staggering body of work.

This, of course, is easier for Bruce to do than a band like U2 because he is the sole songwriter and records at-will. He doesn't have to get Max Weinberg on board. He doesn't even need the E Street Band to record - the forthcoming boxed set only features certain members of the E Street Band on certain songs, if at all.

Furthermore, U2 seems to hoard ideas. "City of Blinding Lights" traces its lineage back to the Pop sessions, while "If You Wear That Velvet Dress" and "If God Will Send His Angels" were part of the Zooropa sessions. "Wake Up Dead Man" was at least a lyric idea in Bono's mind as far back as the Joshua Tree. Rather than the unreleased songs the band may have up their sleeve (of which we know a few), the real interesting stuff to my ears would be what these earlier iterations of U2 songs sound like.

Unfortunately, we're unlikely to hear a lot of them because Zooropa got shafted as merely an appendix to the Achtung Baby boxed set, and both Bono and The Edge seem very disinterested in a Pop boxed set.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

lol

Bono Charts His First No. 1 Hits Without U2

they just played an instrumental loop from the beginning of Bono's Desire coming back from commercial in the NBA finals

 

[DancingBrft]

Yes.

Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me was a single, pushed heavily.

11'O'Clock Tick Tock was a single(which I would argue is infinitely better live than studio, alas).

Same with Invisible, Electrical Storm, A Celebration and the redone Sweetest Thing.

Invisible was downloaded 3 million times and featured on the debut of the Tonight Show and had its own Super Bowl ad.

The Million Dollar Hotel tracks were on their own album. Obscure, sure, but not the same as a b side or unreleased track.

That is what I was referring to when I said their b sides or unreleased tracks isn't exactly Springsteen level output. True b sides and/or unreleased tracks, not singles or soundtrack songs that were pushed heavily.

Sorry - there isn't a Because The Night or My Love Will Not Let You Down in that grouping (among others).

They have some nice b sides - but nothing really earth shattering. Honestly I'd argue the biggest "miss" from a b side that should have been an album track was a recent miss - Crystal Ballroom.

I’d say the closest thing to a “Because the Night” is You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart, which yes is not a U2 song but a Bono/Gavin Friday co-write, but a fine piece of work by Sinead that should be better known, though was not close to a hit.

 

[DancingBrft]

I'm only a casual Pearl Jam fan - their collection of B-Sides and One Offs wasn't that impressive to me - but I'm a massive Springsteen fan. Bruce is known for being remarkably prolific - especially between 1976 and 2000. As a result, he had a shit ton of unreleased material that initially leaked through tape traders along with live performances that would become fan favorites. Since then - beginning in 1998 - Bruce began gradually releasing material that was unreleased - beginning with Tracks, a 4-disc boxed set spanning his entire career to that point.

There are some phenomenal Bruce songs that were released on Tracks, my personal favorites being: Seaside Bar Song, So Young and In Love, Roulette, Loose Ends, Take 'Em as They Come, Shut Out the Light, My Love Will Not Let You Down, Brothers Under the Bridges '83, Pink Cadillac, Janey Don't You Lose Heart, Sad Eyes, Part Man Part Monkey, and Brothers Under The Bridge '95.

Since then, Bruce has released boxed sets for legendary albums Darkness On The Edge of Town and The River, both of which featured full albums' worth of unreleased songs. For Darkness On The Edge of Town - a harder edged, angry record - Bruce had his own "shadow album" of generally lighter, soul and R&B flavored rock songs that Stevie Van Zandt preferred. They were held off of the album primarily because they didn't match the tone of the record, but there is some absolutely fantastic material on those albums as well, including the studio version of Because The Night, Save My Love, The Promise, and The Little Things My Baby Does, among others. The River boxed set, too, featured some incredible outtakes such as Meet Me In The City, Chain Lightning, Little White Lies, and more.

Bruce is about to open up the vaults *again* two weeks from now when he releases seven unreleased albums, recorded between 1983 and 2018. Rather than being grab bags of unreleased songs, these albums are mostly fully realized projects that Bruce decided not to release for one reason or another (one was too similar to his last album, another was shelved in favor of another project, another was a movie soundtrack for a film that was never released, etc.).

The crazy thing is, despite all of this material being released, there's a lot more still unreleased. Off the top of my head, I can think of 2-3 more albums of songs that we know about that haven't been released yet. It's a staggering body of work.

This, of course, is easier for Bruce to do than a band like U2 because he is the sole songwriter and records at-will. He doesn't have to get Max Weinberg on board. He doesn't even need the E Street Band to record - the forthcoming boxed set only features certain members of the E Street Band on certain songs, if at all.

Furthermore, U2 seems to hoard ideas. "City of Blinding Lights" traces its lineage back to the Pop sessions, while "If You Wear That Velvet Dress" and "If God Will Send His Angels" were part of the Zooropa sessions. "Wake Up Dead Man" was at least a lyric idea in Bono's mind as far back as the Joshua Tree. Rather than the unreleased songs the band may have up their sleeve (of which we know a few), the real interesting stuff to my ears would be what these earlier iterations of U2 songs sound like.

Unfortunately, we're unlikely to hear a lot of them because Zooropa got shafted as merely an appendix to the Achtung Baby boxed set, and both Bono and The Edge seem very disinterested in a Pop boxed set.

What amazes me about Bruce, and you shed light on it here, is he could have been a more “pop” or “R&B” commercial artist and have been just as good. Those songs he left off or gave to others are great songs! Just wasn’t what he wanted to do with his music. And previous to that, he could have been a guitar hero if he wanted to be, he’s so good. But he chose a different path. He could have been at the top of the musical world in any of those three arenas, not quite sure how many other people have that much talent or work ethic. He does what he wants.

 

[DancingBrft]

i don't think it's unfair at all. bruce never released a studio version until 30 years after the fact. i merely mentioned that song - but there are dozens more that are of far higher quality than songs that U2 have left off albums.

i know everything we're talking about here is HIGHLY subjective. but i'm sorry - a lot of these songs are not album tracks. they belong exactly where they ended up.

there are obviously exceptions. i already stated Crystal Ballroom. North and South of the River is phenomenal and certainly could have found its way on an album. And i'll give you Luminous Times and Party Girl - even though Party Girl is, as Bono himself states, a silly song. and much like 11'o'clock tick tock, party girl is significantly better live than in studio. I'll toss in Slow Dancing, Two Shots of Happy and She's A Mystery To Me - ironically all songs they wrote for other people. She's A Mystery To Me in particular seems like a blown opportunity. I know there has to be a U2 version out there somewhere. If there isn't, they should make one.

toss in a few songs that turned into other songs (Xanax and Wine) and a cover or two (Dancing Barefoot, Everlasting Love) and that's about it. for me, at least.

whereas bruce and pearl jam have left songs off albums that you listen to and say "fuck, that would have been the best song on the album" on the regular (and did so purposefully). i think the only song i can say that about is Crystal Ballroom.

again - all subjective.

Good call on She’s a Mystery, good song, would love to hear a U2 version

 

[Irvine511]

"If You Wear That Velvet Dress" and "If God Will Send His Angels" were part of the Zooropa sessions.

This is my U2 white whale. The songs as described by BP Fallon and Flanagan in 1993.

 

[Hewson]

This is my U2 white whale.

 

[Fly-2000]

White whale, not beached whale.... Beach... clips? It's a sign!

 

[Rich79]

If only I liked Bruce and Pearl Jam, I'd have the trifecta necessary to enjoy this forum on certain days.

Also, while U2 does have a lot of strong non-album/b-side tracks, not many of them fit on the album they'd have been hypothetically "cut" from. North and South of the River? A fine song...but on POP? Glad it was cut. Hold Me Thrill Me - One of their best songs, but it started its genesis during Zooropa sessions, I believe; doesn't work on that album. Crystal Ballroom? Maybe on the lost Danger Mouse version of SOI. Most of their choices to leave certain songs as b-sides/bonus tracks/one-offs have been the right call, I'd say. Do I want them to make more material like Hold me, Thrill me? Hell yes! but make a whole album in a similar vein (an unreasonable guitar album, if you will) instead of shoe-horning it in where it doesn't fit.