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

[dan_smee]

From the clip it sounds like the music is largely intact. Someone can just AI the original vocals over the new one and then everyone is happy

 

[womanfish]

Hey all. I've been away for a bit. But I'm back and I must say. I'm so underwhelmed by all of this. The pomp and circumstance over their worst album makes me sad. Country Mile is bottom of the barrel U2. Just sad to listen to. What did we get for POP's 20th? A far, far superior album? Crickets.

 

[super fly guy]

Hey all. I've been away for a bit. But I'm back and I must say. I'm so underwhelmed by all of this. The pomp and circumstance over their worst album makes me sad. Country Mile is bottom of the barrel U2. Just sad to listen to. What did we get for POP's 20th? A far, far superior album? Crickets.

Deary me,worst album?

 

[dan_smee]

Hey all. I've been away for a bit. But I'm back and I must say. I'm so underwhelmed by all of this. The pomp and circumstance over their worst album makes me sad. Country Mile is bottom of the barrel U2. Just sad to listen to. What did we get for POP's 20th? A far, far superior album? Crickets.

Welcome back! Nice to see you

Can’t say I agree re worst. I can get that the style of the songs and the pitch etc just don’t jive with what some people want from U2, but I think over time I’ve come to think of this album as a really great attempt at bottling some U2 magic as a primary colours, mainstream rock time capsule. It is what it is, and at times it’s quite glorious.

Gotta say I have NLOTH, October, SOI, Zooropa, ATYCLB, SOE and War all below it and I find it climbs with the passing of the years.

Country Mile grows, but it’s important I think to read it for what it is - a demo they saw value in polishing in 2024 so that it was somehwhat complete as part of this collection.

And before people jump down my throat - war and Zooropa over the years for me have fallen because they are quite polar records. The highs are phenomenal, but they each have some glaring lows that seem worse over time.

 

[Javin]

Country is definitely a grower, I wasn't sure about it first listen though. It feels like a new song because we had no knowledge of it existing before its release, which is cool. I'm really looking forward to hearing a quality version of Mercy & hope they release All my life one day.

I can't help wondering if these releases were planned all along or they are to compensate for the delays to the new album(s) & tour. I don't have any issue if it's due to Larry's recovery, I'm sure it will be worth the wait...

 

[lazarus]

Deary me,worst album?

I thought this take was too much but then I saw

Gotta say I have NLOTH, October, SOI, Zooropa, ATYCLB, SOE and War all below it and I find it climbs with the passing of the years.

Yikes.

Unless you're one of those weird old-timers fixated on early U2, October is without a doubt near or at the bottom. Last-minute lyrics to replace the stolen ones, and it's bookended by two far superior, landmark albums of college rock. I guess it has consistency on its side but too few high points.

But I wouldn't argue too hard with people who put the artistically compromised, kitchen sink production of SOI or SOE down there too. No Line is also compromised, but that's at least isolated to a few tracks instead of spread throughout the whole thing like a cancer.

I suppose I have my own hot take, which is that TUF doesn't rate too highly for me. I appreciate the new aesthetic direction and its overall sound/atmosphere, but song-wise it's less consistent to me, including a couple tracks that are barely even songs (4th of July, MLK), so it feels more slight than other albums. Even Bad isn't a highlight for me because it pales in comparison to the live version released just a year later and makes the studio take a tough sit. And I've never particularly cared for ATYCLB; it's a pleasant enough listen but not one that impresses me much on an artistic level.

 

[dan_smee]

I thought this take was too much but then I saw



Yikes.

Unless you're one of those weird old-timers fixated on early U2, October is without a doubt near or at the bottom. Last-minute lyrics to replace the stolen ones, and it's bookended by two far superior, landmark albums of college rock. I guess it has consistency on its side but too few high points.

But I wouldn't argue too hard with people who put the artistically compromised, kitchen sink production of SOI or SOE down there too. No Line is also compromised, but that's at least isolated to a few tracks instead of spread throughout the whole thing like a cancer.

I suppose I have my own hot take, which is that TUF doesn't rate too highly for me. I appreciate the new aesthetic direction and its overall sound/atmosphere, but song-wise it's less consistent to me, including a couple tracks that are barely even songs (4th of July, MLK), so it feels more slight than other albums. Even Bad isn't a highlight for me because it pales in comparison to the live version released just a year later and makes the studio take a tough sit. And I've never particularly cared for ATYCLB; it's a pleasant enough listen but not one that impresses me much on an artistic level.

Think you may have misread my post. I have those albums below HTDAAB. I missed R&H as well.

I was all ready to get defensive “what is such a controversial take saying HTDAAB is better than October????”

For the record:

God tier:
Achtung Baby
The Joshua Tree
the Unforgettable Fire

Wonderful albums. Pretty great, just missing the X factor the big three have:
Boy
Pop
HTDAAB

Largely great, with a few clunkers:
War
SOE
ATYCLB
Zooropa

Polar, too much filler:
R&H
SOI

Flawed. Love because U2, but hard to defend outside of this forum:
October
NLOTH

 

[DaveC]

October is awesome.

 

[david]

Yeah, with everything we know about the October album (stolen lyrics, band questioning religion faith and continuing on etc) it’s not a horrible album. It gave us Gloria, the title track, Tomorrow and a few other decent songs.

 

[lazarus]

No one said it was horrible. But it's clearly a step down from Boy, and doesn't ascend the heights of War. Yes, it has a few amazing tracks. But most albums have twice that number of bangers, and there are like 4-5 pretty forgettable songs.

 

[PookaMacP]

For me, the litmus test is how much you *choose* to listen to something - less what you think about it, in other words, and more what you feel.

I've been a fan of U2 for 27 years now and I genuinely think it's been about 26 years since I *chose* to listen to October. Apart from the song, October, it's just never grabbed me in the way that, say, Zooropa or parts of NLOTH do.

 

[aMansAman]

"In the desert you won't be long, we're here for an Atomic Bomb."

Anyone interested which song hides behind this snippet? This was brought up already I guess some pages back without much response.

We know the lyrics of side1 tracks and these lines are not there.

Known songs of Side 2 tracks include Country Mile, Are we gonna wait forever, All Because of You 2... unless they changed lyrics and music of the remastered songs as well.

In the trailer there is the Happiness snippet but it sounds different than the last seconds of the trailer with the lines quoted.
Batman theme is mostly instrumental and wont include Bono vocals I guess.

 

[dan_smee]

"In the desert you won't be long, we're here for an Atomic Bomb."

Anyone interested which song hides behind this snippet? This was brought up already I guess some pages back without much response.

We know the lyrics of side1 tracks and these lines are not there.

Known songs of Side 2 tracks include Country Mile, Are we gonna wait forever, All Because of You 2... unless they changed lyrics and music of the remastered songs as well.

In the trailer there is the Happiness snippet but it sounds different than the last seconds of the trailer with the lines quoted.
Batman theme is mostly instrumental and wont include Bono vocals I guess.

Yeah this was me raising this - the music behind it is Pull the Trigger from Spiderman. I wonder if it’s ABOY 2 - the other alternate takes aren’t on the disc (except Xanax and Wine which I think they see as a very different song) - maybe this one has a lyrical connection but sounds different?

 

[lazarus]

For me, the litmus test is how much you *choose* to listen to something - less what you think about it, in other words, and more what you feel.

I've been a fan of U2 for 27 years now and I genuinely think it's been about 26 years since I *chose* to listen to October. Apart from the song, October, it's just never grabbed me in the way that, say, Zooropa or parts of NLOTH do.

Before the 2008 remaster came out, this was definitely the case for me in terms of ever reaching for it, and i didn't even get around to buying that set until the mid 2010s. I do try to play it on occasion to keep giving it more chances, but I probably enjoy the bonus disc with the live material more.

Beyond the title track, Gloria is clearly a classic and I also love I Threw a Brick... and Tomorrow. But Fire is hands down the least iconic of their 1980s singles (at least When Love Comes to Town has a legendary guest), and for the life of me I couldn't hum Stanger in a Strange Land if my life depended on it, maybe I'd have luck with Rejoice on a good day. So it's not so much that there are outright stinkers, and it does have a lot of energy, but it's rather anonymous overall compared to every other album this decade. Aside from adding piano to their palatte there isn't enough growth from Boy or something to set it apart sonically, it's just a general downgrade in terms of personality and writing.

 

[TinKnight]

HTDAAB is in their top half and I will hear no more debate about it.

I'm not being hyperbolic, Country Mile is probably my least favorite U2 song ever. I hate the name, I hate the lyrics, I hate the plodding. I hate "waaaaalk wiiiiiith meeeee out on this countryyyyyyyy miiiiiiiille".

 

[Scorpionac]

HTDAAB was my intro to the band, specifically Vertigo. It slipped down my rankings as I found the rest of their music was even better. Even then, I found the second half of HTDAAB a bit weak and still do. If it were up to me, I'd swap Crumbs, Species, and Yahweh for Electrical Storm, Mercy, and Xanax.

I'm enjoying Country Mile. I can see why it was cut, but it has a cool guitar tone and it's nice to hear a U2 song about taking a walk lol. I also like whenever Edge sings because he always tries so earnestly and ends up sounding like a U2 tribute band. It's charming.

 

[aMansAman]

Yeah this was me raising this - the music behind it is Pull the Trigger from Spiderman. I wonder if it’s ABOY 2 - the other alternate takes aren’t on the disc (except Xanax and Wine which I think they see as a very different song) - maybe this one has a lyrical connection but sounds different?

Thanks for the Pull the Trigger hint. I never listened to the Spiderman Soundtrack.

Re ABOY 2: I thought this is equal to ABOY Alternate Version. There are not these lyrics. Or is ABOY2 meant to be a sequel and a new song basically.

Courious what the Are you gonna wait forever re-assemble edition will sound like. As this implies to be more than a remaster

 

[dan_smee]

I just thought it’d be weird for it to be the version we have to be included when native son and Yahweh and sometimes you can’t… aren’t. It surely isn’t Batman and I can’t see it being Happiness.

If you’ve never listened to the Spiderman soundtrack you should also listen to Sinistereo - an all Edge vocal. Bono pops up on Rise Above 1 and Picture This.

 

[aMansAman]

So for you most likely it is ABOY2? And they would re-assemble-use the Pull the Trigger music?

Lyricwise the Atomic Bomb reference seems strange to connect to All Because of You.

Sinistereo... came across this release some time ago.

Because... Because... the re-assemble outtake release I wanted to dig out some "beach clips" on YT. I found All my life which has some more guitar work than usual in the new "we want to be played on the radio" era (or is this behind us already).. and a piano/Bono track which I missed I guess when these clips appeared

 

[mikal]

So for you most likely it is ABOY2? And they would re-assemble-use the Pull the Trigger music?

Lyricwise the Atomic Bomb reference seems strange to connect to All Because of You.

Sinistereo... came across this release some time ago.

Because... Because... the re-assemble outtake release I wanted to dig out some "beach clips" on YT. I found All my life which has some more guitar work than usual in the new "we want to be played on the radio" era (or is this behind us already).. and a piano/Bono track which I missed I guess when these clips appeared

At some point, I really hope we hear “Thank You”, “All My Life”, “Boy Falls From The Sky” (U2 Version), and “For Your Love”. 4 songs that could have kept U2’s 2000 era fortune rolling a bit longer.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Okay, for the first time in at least 15 years I've given Atomic Bomb and end-to-end spin again, and have to say, it has not grown on me.

It's the clear start of a very sharp and permanent decline, to me. I don't think it's their worst album, but it's the one I dislike the most.

Loved the original Xanax and Wine back then. The new 'Picture of You' version is obv. just that but the edit feels a bit forced, the original far more loose and with that almost - almost - like it was a live take or something, which was cool.

Never understood the hype with Mercy.

 

[Catman]

All this Hutdab (sorry, I'm feeling a bit nostalgic for that annoying short-hand) talk has me thinking about its placement among the rest of U2's 2000s output... and unfortunately, I think it might be at the bottom. I just don't go back to it very often (then again, ask me around Christmas time, and it might shoot up a few spots; it's just one of those seasonal U2 records, imo)...

5) HTDAAB
4/3) SOE
3/4) NLOTH
2) ATYCLB
1) SOI

Clearly, I'm vacillating w/ the 3rd and 4th placements (just kinda depends on the day, tbh), but I feel pretty confident w/ the rest. Someone mentioned hot takes, well here's one for everyone: Songs of Innocence is probably my third favorite U2 album... :x

As for the new tunes, I listened to Country Mile, and it's... fine? I might listen to it a few times in the future, but it's just kinda background noise tbh. Nothing egregious, but certainly nothing special by any means.
And as someone who definitely preferred og Mercy to it's WAIE variant*, I'm curious about this Luckiest Man in the World thing (all I've heard is a brief snipped of the chorus, which sounds like a slight improvement). So I guess the jury's still out on that one...

Spoiler: *

 

[mikal]

All this Hutdab (sorry, I'm feeling a bit nostalgic for that annoying short-hand) talk has me thinking about its placement among the rest of U2's 2000s output... and unfortunately, I think it might be at the bottom. I just don't go back to it very often (then again, ask me around Christmas time, and it might shoot up a few spots; it's just one of those seasonal U2 records, imo)...

5) HTDAAB
4/3) SOE
3/4) NLOTH
2) ATYCLB
1) SOI

Clearly, I'm vacillating w/ the 3rd and 4th placements (just kinda depends on the day, tbh), but I feel pretty confident w/ the rest. Someone mentioned hot takes, well here's one for everyone: Songs of Innocence is probably my third favorite U2 album... :x

As for the new tunes, I listened to Country Mile, and it's... fine? I might listen to it a few times in the future, but it's just kinda background noise tbh. Nothing egregious, but certainly nothing special by any means.
And as someone who definitely preferred og Mercy to it's WAIE variant*, I'm curious about this Luckiest Man in the World thing (all I've heard is a brief snipped of the chorus, which sounds like a slight improvement). So I guess the jury's still out on that one...

Spoiler: *

I will agree with you that SOI is a very strong album. Such a shame they botched the release. I'll never forget how cool it was to get a new album without any build up hype, and to immediately love it. And still do think highly of the album (musically) 10 years later.

 

[DomCobb]

I think the "in the desert/atomic bomb" has to be from Happiness, which is maybe also why they didn't label the song in the trailer (because they already did). I'm guessing the verses have that driving beat and then it slows down for the "happiness..." chorus.

For me I think HTDAAB ranks on the lower end of their output for sure. It was my first entry point to the band, I have some nostalgia for it, but also it feels a bit separate from the rest of their output to me because I didn't discover most of the rest of their music until many years later. It's an album with a specific vibe that isn't quite what I want from the band. But I still enjoy it. I think they probably could have assembled a better 11 tracks. I don't know if Country Mile should have made the cut, a lot of it feels pretty underbaked to me. But Picture of You/Xanax and Mercy at least would have been better than some of the songs on there. Curious to see about the other new ones.

As for October, I'm a staunch defender, there's a couple bum tracks but overall I love most of those songs and return to it often. It's definitely in the top half of their catalogue for me.

 

[Catman]

I will agree with you that SOI is a very strong album. Such a shame they botched the release. I'll never forget how cool it was to get a new album without any build up hype, and to immediately love it. And still do think highly of the album (musically) 10 years later.

Yeah, I was listening to it the other day to-and-fro work, and I love the album just as much--if not more so--than I did back then. Incredibly cohesive, too (maybe U2's most cohesive album? apologies, i'm just a Hot Take Harry today lol). A few of the songs can be pretty difficult to listen to for personal reasons (and I imagine for entirely different reasons to some users), but--like many of my favorite albums--it's hard for me not to listen to the record from beginning to end.

EDIT:

As for October, I'm a staunch defender, there's a couple bum tracks but overall I love most of those songs and return to it often. It's definitely in the top half of their catalogue for me.

October might be the album I listen to least, but I will say it's probably the one which most surprises me whenever I go back to it. For whatever reason, I'm always a bit taken aback by how many songs I enjoy.

 

[aMansAman]

Good to see that SOI is popular among some people around here. I also think regarding the "feeling" it evokes in me that its a very cohesive record. Musically I dont like Miracle, Song for Someone. But as a whole Songs of Innocence is a great "album" - body of work. Plus Crystal Ballroom. The longer version on side D Deluxe Edition is an eclectic ride

In contrast HTDAAB is too mainstream for me. Vertigo/Sometimes../COBL maybe even ABOY were the last widely recognized Singles of a U2 album?

 

[david]

The last 20 years has been quite the journey and trajectory for the band. I guess Hutdab was the last album to give us “big” U2 songs with Vertigo and CoBL. They were also still pretty current mainstream/relevant I guess in that 04/05 era riding off the career resurgence that All That You Cant Leave Behind gave them a few years prior. But yeah, NLOTH kind of failed, but then the tour was awesome (and a little weird) in that during the last leg they pretty much just stopped playing NLOTH songs and dug up rarities and performed unreleased tracks. The last 10 years has been a weird place for them with the fallout of the whole iTunes thing. Plus, they rightfully embraced their legacy act status and went ahead and did a tour behind an album anniversary and did the whole “play an album in order” thing which is fine. Then the Sphere residence shows.. I feel like the last song they tried to make huge was the piano ballad version of Every Breaking Wave… which didn’t quite take off but wasn’t bad tbh. I don’t think they even need to try anymore but there’s that part of me that still wants them to try and put out a “big” album if they still have it in them.

 

[cobl04]

Very Very Very Good Though a Lot of That is Tied to Nostalgia

1. All That You Can't Leave Behind
2. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

The Gap Between the Floor and the Ceiling is Astronomical But This is the Last Time They Really Had a Pulse and Made Some Interesting Shit

• No Line on the Horizon

A Fucking Absolute Mess With the Three Worst Songs They've Ever Written But Strangely it Does Contain a Few Mild Highlights Though I Will Never Listen to it Again

• Songs of Experience

Their Career Nadir and the Album that Completely Destroyed their Reputation With Maybe a Couple of OK Songs

• Songs of Innocence

Absolutely Go Fuck Yourself and Never Speak to me or My Son Ever Again

• Songs of Surrender

 

[lazarus]

I find SOI offensive just on its face because of the artistic compromise of ditching Danger Mouse, but the final three tracks are easily more than "Maybe OK". Plus you have Raised By Wolves which should at least be applauded for its abrasiveness and energy. And of course, Invisible. But I do understand why the rest would be mostly disposable pop-rock to many longtime fans.

Years later I'm still not sure if SOE should be ranked above it, because that album doesn't have the broken promise of the DM collab, we knew it was going to be produced by committee and a lot of us didn't have high expectations. But as you said, it's a schizophrenic mess, with too many musical contributions from a bunch of randos who shouldn't even be allowed to *watch* U2 record, let alone get to play on it. And the bad songs are baaaad. That being said, there are probably more good/great tracks than its predecessor.

It's really a toss-up.

 

[DomCobb]

1. Songs of Innocence
2. Songs of Experience

Big gap

3. HTDAAB

Big gap

4. NLOTH
5. ATYCLB