Rank Your Favorite Songs on the Album Part 5: How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

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TheEdge25

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Let's go with the band's 2004 release. Expecting some mixed feelings on this one. here goes:
---Fantastic---
1 - City of Blinding Lights
---Good, Not U2's Best---
2 - Original of the Species
3 - Crumbs From Your Table
4 - Vertigo
---Decent----
5 - All Because of You
6 - Love And Peace or Else
7 - Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
8 - Miracle Drug
---Alright---
9 - Yahweh
---Blech---
10 - A Man and A Woman
11 - One Step Closer

This one was tough for me to rank, in that HTDAAB is not my favorite U2 album in anyway. COBL is, in my opinion, the best song on the album.
Rankings 2-4 are interchangeable. I don't think they are U2's best songs at all, but they are good enough for the album.
The rest of my rankings is pretty set in stone. I do think numbers 10 and 11 are pure crap, though. Sorry to those who like them.

Well, have at it!! :wave:
 
Great:
City of Blinding Lights

Very good:
Crumbs From Your Table
One Step Closer
Yahweh
Vertigo

Good:
Original of the Species
Love and Peace Or Else
A Man and a Woman
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
Miracle Drug

Not a big fan:
All Because of You
 
1. One Step Closer
2. A Man And A Woman
3. Fast Cars
4. Vertigo
5. City Of Blinding Lights
6. Love And Peace Or Else
7. Miracle Drug
8. Crumbs From Your Table
9. All Because Of You
10. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
11. Original Of The Species
12. Yahweh

All in all, my least favourite U2 album.
 
  1. City Of Blinding Lights
  2. Miracle Drug
  3. Original Of The Species
  4. Vertigo
  5. Crumbs From Your Table
  6. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
  7. A Man And A Woman
  8. Yahweh
  9. One Step Closer
  10. Love and Peace or Else
  11. All Because Of You

And to all you haters I have this album in my top five! :tongue:
 
1- City
2- Crumbs
3- Miracle
4- Sometimes
5- Man/Woman
6- Original
7- Vertigo
8- Love
9- All Because
10- Yahweh
11- One Step

:up:
 
11) A Man and a Woman
10) Yahweh
9) Love and Peace or Else
8) Miracle Drug
7) All Because of You
6) Crumbs From Your Table
5) Original of the Species
4) Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own
3) One Step Closer
2) Vertigo
1) City of Blinding Lights


"Fast Cars" would probably rank #5 or #6. Don't know why they left it off... :doh:

...and nobody say "because it doesn't fit with the rest of the record!!1" because HTDAAB is probably U2's least cohesive album. The song should have made the cut!
 
1. City Of Blinding Lights
2. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
3. Original Of The Species (I adore the strings in this. Beautiful, Beatle-esque music)
4. One Step Closer
5. A Man And A Woman (Sweet lyrics, simple, straightforward, pretty song)
6. Vertigo (Fun, rocking song with a cool video)
7. Love & Peace Or Else (Love the music in this one)
8. All Because Of You
9. Yahweh
10. Crumbs From Your Table
11. Miracle Drug

9-11 can flip around depending on my mood-as I've said before, those are the only three songs off here that don't grab me as much. Top 5 are set and strong-love those songs (1 and 2 may, MAY tie, though...best songs off here, bar none), and the remaining ones are great, too. I like this album :shrug:. I think it's got good stuff on it.

Angela
 
1. City Of Blinding Lights
2. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
3. Crumbs From Your Table
4. A Man and A Woman
5. Miracle Drug
6. Original Of The Species
7. Yahweh
8. Vertigo
9. One Step Closer
10. Love & Peace Or Else
11. All Because Of You
 
i used to be the fiercest (is that a word?) defender of this album back when i first joined. i remember making a number of threads in which i outlined all the reasons why this album was amazing, at the same time making :angry: faces at the haters.

then i stopped listening to it (i don't know how long it's been since i last did, but it's a very long time) and i don't know if i will again. it hasn't aged well, and there are a number of moments i really don't enjoy.

that said, it was my first U2 album. having heard Vertigo and really liking it, this album was #1 on my Christmas list, and Santa duly delivered. i loved the opening trio, hated Love and Peace (or else what??) and then i think i was destined to become a pretty big U2 fan as soon as City of Blinding Lights started.

i don't think i like COBL as much now as i did then (my username, my current avatar is my avatar from when i first joined the forum) but i still think it's a terrific song.

1. City of Blinding Lights
~
2. One Step Closer - originally among my least favourites from the album, i now think this is a really understated beauty in the mould of The First Time. i love how it builds but never quite opens up all the way.
3. Miracle Drug - i never bought the "Walk On 2/Beautiful Day 2" garbage, and i don't dry retch when Bono sings about the top of newborn baby's heads.
~
4. Sometimes You Can't Make It... - ignoring the over-sentimentality or whatever, there is a good sung buried here.
5. Crumbs From Your Table - one song i never quite understood the hate for.
6. Original of the Species
~
7. Yahweh - the version from U23D is amazing.
8. Vertigo - i like Native Son.
9. Love and Peace or Else - better live, but looking back it's not one of their best songs
~
10. A Man and a Woman - not bad, just ordinary.
11. All Because of You

Fast Cars didn't impress me like it did most others. i never heard Xanax and Wine.
Smile is good.
Mercy... is not dead! :D
 
I like a lot of the songs on this album, but like many, don't feel like it's a very cohesive album. Also, the production on Yahweh pisses me off. I really like the song, and that distortion on the low end ruins it.

Who listens to that and thinks it sounds good? Isn't it the job of these professional whozits to clean that shit up? Fucking industry loudness wars.

Anyway.

1. City of Blinding Lights
2. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
3. Vertigo
4. Miracle Drug
5. Original Of the Species
6. Crumbs From Your Table
7. Love and Peace Or Else
8. Yahweh
9. All Because of You
10. One Step Closer (I like it more than I used to)
11. A Man and a Woman
 
Yeah, I like just about every song but it is as far from coherent as U2 has ever gotten.

1. City of Blinding Lights
2. Crumbs From Your Table
3. Miracle Drug
4. One Step Closer
5. A Man and a Woman
6. Original of the Species
7. Vertigo
8. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
9. Love and Peace or Else
10. All Because Of You
11. Yahweh
 
Ah, it's time for another story from Ashley (TM).

Having falling in love with U2 after ATYCLB came out, I didn't have a shot at hearing a fresh U2 album for quite some time. I eagerly anticipated the release of the album, but at the time had no one really to share that excitement with, since I didn't really know much about online forums at the time.

Well, the day finally arrived. I liked, but did not love, Vertigo, and had heard a few :30 clips, but that was about it. It was about 11:40 at night and I was about to head to Meijer to pick up a copy for the midnight release, but a vigorous game of Halo with my step-dad and his friends made me miss the actual midnight purchase (I used to keep the receipt as a joke because it said exactly what time to the second which I bought it).

School night or not, I went straight home and listened to it. I can't remember now if I had my CD player in my car or not, but I don't think I listened to any of it on the ride home. When I did get home, I ran straight to my room, got out the portable CD player and started up the album. I had purchased the Super Special Edition so I read along to that insane book while I was at it. It was a wonderful time, but even then, I kind of suspected at the pit of my stomach that this was nowhere near the best U2 had to offer. But that didn't matter then. Then, I listened to it twice, had to wake up three hours later for school. And, that's right I remember now, I did have my CD player in my car, because I listened to it on the way to school, on the way to work, on the way home, at home, etc. I spent a lot of time with it, and it was the first time I got to see U2 live, so I do have fond memories attached, but it's U2's least cohesive album and in the bottom half of their discography as a result.

All that being said, I don't think there's really any bad songs on it. And now:

City of Blinding Lights
One Step Closer
Yahweh
Miracle Drug

Crumbs from your Table
Original of the Species
Love and Peace Or Else

Still good, but nowhere near great:
Vertigo
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own - I really feel like this song should never have been released, waaaaay too personal to Bono.
All Because of You
A Man and a Woman
 
Decent U2 Listening
1. City Of Blinding Lights
(Fast Cars)
2. Crumbs From Your Table
3. One Step Closer
4. A Man And A Woman
5. Miracle Drug
6. Love And Peace Or Else

Mediocre U2 Listening
7. Vertigo
8. All Because Of You

Utter Bollocks
9. Yahweh
10. Original Of The Species
11. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
 
corianderstem said:
Also, the production on Yahweh pisses me off. I really like the song, and that distortion on the low end ruins it.

Who listens to that and thinks it sounds good? Isn't it the job of these professional whozits to clean that shit up? Fucking industry loudness wars.
Click to expand...
:lmao:

But I agree with you 100 percent! I would probably put "Yahweh" a little bit higher if it weren't for the damn production (live, it's ace). The only reason I didn't rank it dead last is because of the "this love is like a drop in the ocean" bit. That part kinda almost melts away the shattered remains of my cold, black heart... :therethere:
 
1. City of Blinding Lights
2. Miracle Drug
3. Crumbs From Your Table
4. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
5. Fast Cars
6. All Because of You (the normal and the alternate) :yes:
7. Love and Peace or Else
8. Original of the Species
9. Vertigo (/Native Son) :lol:
10. Yahweh
11. A Man and A Woman
12. One Step Closer
 
I'm a major fan of this one. I'll always have a place for lean, guitar-driven rock with interesting lyrics, and big melodies, as played by U2. This album really hit the spot for me. I also disagree with some in that I think it's a perfectly coherent record. I mean, it's not a frickin' concept album, but it's just as coherent, lyrically, as, say, The Joshua Tree (exception: the love song, "A Man and A Woman"). Repeated themes of looking back on youth from experience are all over the record, lyrically.

I understand the concern about the brash production job, and I concur that a couple of tracks in particular would have benefitted from some more balanced dynamics (like, some 'soft' to go along with the 'loud') -- for example, "Love and Peace". The tracks do sound a bit too much the same, sonically. But this isn't a major issue for me -- I personally like loud with lots of treble and leakage. Sounds more "real" to me.

Anyway, my "ranking":

Outstanding:
City of Blinding Lights
Yahweh

Excellent:
Vertigo (could have done without a few silly Bono moments, but that riff is easily one of the 2 or 3 best they've ever come up with.)
Miracle Drug

Very Good:
All Because of You
Original of the Species
Crumbs From Your Table

Good:
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
A Man and A Woman

Mediocre:
One Step Closer
 
65980 said:
Vertigo (could have done without a few silly Bono moments, but that riff is easily one of the 2 or 3 best they've ever come up with.)
Click to expand...
Yeah, despite my inkling towards a more experimental U2, the riff in this song is simply iconic. It's not the bravest or boldest tune the band has ever put out, but it doesn't always need to be. It's just a great rock song. After 20+ years toying around in that genre, it's kinda surprising to still hear something like this come out of U2.

It's a golden single.
 
1. Miracle Drug
2. City Og Blinding Lights

3. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
4. Vertigo

5. Crumbs From Your Table
6. All Because Of You
7. Original Of The Species
8. Love And Peace Or Else

9. One Step Closer
10. A Man And A Woman
11. Yahweh

The last three are bad but the others vary from decent to excellent.
 
1. City of Blinding Lights - 9/10
2. A Man And A Woman - 8.5/10
3. Crumbs From Your Table - 8.5/10
4. Fast Cars - 8/10
5. All Because of You - 7.5/10
6. Love And Peace Or Else - 7.5/10
7. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own - 7/10
8. Vertigo - 7/10
9. Miracle Drug - 7/10
10. One Step Closer - 6.5/10
11. Yahweh - 6/10
12. Original Of The Species - 5.5/10

The ending is sooooo fucking bad. I like some random songs on this album that most people hate, but I don't care. It's not as if anyone is that high on anything else here. I actually do like this album, but the highs are undeniably low. Good memories, obviously. The leak thread was glorious (and fucking hilarious in hindsight; 100% comedy gold, Jerry), and the album singlehandedly guided me through my transition into 8th grade and on into high school, paying off in a concert I'll never forget. How can I hate this record at this point? It's just not possible.
 
Timeless U2 masterpieces:
1. Vertigo
Very good U2 songs:
2. City of Blinding Lights
3. A Man and a Woman
Good U2 songs:
4. Original of the Species
5. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
6. Crumbs From Your Table
Average U2 songs:
7. One Step Closer
8. Miracle Drug
Bad U2 songs:
9. All Because of You
10. Yahweh
Unbelievable, how could you do this to us, U2?:
11. Love and Peace Or Else

I became a fan in 2001/2002 so this was the best thing that ever happened to me for a couple of days. I remember hearing Vertigo with that Mexican DJ late at night and joining this forum. I remember crying when I first heard Miracle Drug.

I also remember how I stopped listening to it a few weeks after it came out and how I didn't care when they played SYCMIOYO live the next summer, how LAPOE annoyed me, and how only COBL and Vertigo held their own when played next to their older songs.

I still love Vertigo, I probably always will, I think it's an amazing song, but everything else about this album makes me think usually just makes me want to put on ATYCLB or NLOTH.

But fantastic theme with the naïvité/growing up/looking back/the more you see the less you know-thing. If only Brian Eno had been there. Oh well, it paved the way for NLOTH...

And Vertigo >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Native Son.
 
Top 2 (the band got it 100% right in keeping these two above all else from the album for the 360 tour):

1. City Of Blinding Lights
2. Vertigo

Very close 3rd (I think it's a sweet, loving, and lasting image that the conversational lyric invokes):

3. Original Of The Species

I like these next four, although I don't listen to them much at all:

4. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
5. Miracle Drug
6. One Step Closer
7. Yahweh

I haven't listened to any of these in years:

8. All Because Of You
9. A Man And A Woman
10. Love And Peace Or Else
11. Crumbs From Your Table
 
i love how the categories change with every thread & post.

MrPryck2U said:
With a name like cobl04, who would have ever guessed you'd like Bomb? :wink:
Click to expand...
not so much anymore though :shh:
GirlsAloudFan said:
Top 2 (the band got it 100% right in keeping these two above all else from the album for the 360 tour):

1. City Of Blinding Lights
2. Vertigo
Click to expand...
i can get on board with this! :yes:
 
ok, I'll try to be not too negative though it is easily my least favourite U2 album.
1. FAST CARS - (ok, most of you wont count this as a HTDAAB song, and I understand why but for me without it HTDAAB becomes quite a sorry affair) Wild and sexy song, reminiscent of the Who with added "Salome", I think it's something new for U2 and a great deal of fun, a very cool song indeed.
2. City Of Blinding Lights - beautiful epic song, the part beginning "and I miss you when you're not around" up to the "wooh wooh ooh ooh wooh Oh you look…" is one of my favourite's in u2's entire catalogue.
3 SYCMIOYO - Ultra sentimental perhaps, but Bono's pain is genuine and heartfely and his difficult love/hate relationship with his dad is displayed here in it's entirety, a real example of Bono ripping out his heart to share with us all. Great melody and lyrics too, another one to the add to the slow building U2 ballads with One, WOWY, Miss Sarajevo, electrical storm and stay etc
4. VERTIGO - A dip now in quality from the first three, but it's still a great single, slightly throwaway perhaps but a top riff, pulsating and exciting, a deserved number 1.
5. One Step Closer - I'm glad this made the album, a brave song to include, it's understated and very poignant, the opposite of much of this record. The line about seeing the lights in front fading is very haunting.
6. A Man and A Woman - I don't understand the hate for this, ok it's not one of their best, but it's something different for U2 and I think they pull it off quite well.
7 Love and Peace Or Else - ok the title is crap, but a nice departure for U2, very dirty sleazy riff, just wish they'd got a tad sleazier, this songs ok.
8. Crumbs from your table - this song suffers from terrible production and over dubbibg Bono's voice, lovely melody and hook, could have been a much bigger and better song if it had been handled properly.
9 Original Of The Species - this song says nothing to me really, it doesn't offend me and I don't hate it, but it just kind of bores me.
10- All Because of you- An attempt at out and out rocking out, but it just sounds like dull dad rock to me.
11 - Yahweh - starts out brilliantly, echoes of one tree hill, but that soon fades, very disappointing, Bono finally writes a song adressed to his Maker, and frankly, he lets Him down!
12 - Miracle drug. I always knew hat one day U2 would release a song I would hate, but I didn't guess that they would release one that would bore me to death, everything about this song bores me, the subject matter, the melody, the lyrics. Sad.
Not as negative as I feared, I have at least some love for 3/4 of the tracks.
 
Good to see some Crumbs love:

Excellent
1. Crumbs
2. COBL
3. OSC

Very good
4. MD
5. OOTS
6. Vertigo

OK
7. Yahweh

Average
8. LAPOE
9. AMAAW

U2 could do much better
10. ABOY
11. SYCMIOYO
 
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