The one song that should be on the 'Best of-' but won't...

[Angel]

ACROBAT

I know many will agree, and perhaps a few won't. It is one hell of a song. Probably one of the best songs U2 ever wrote, and bathed in all it's mystery... it comes out a classic. Why have they never played it live? Why wasn't it a single? Yet it remains, amongst the hardcore fans of U2, one of their greatest hits. I say hits, yes! When I listen to it, it stands alone. It's so powerful. That song could have been something... it is something.

...No, nothing makes sense
Nothing seems to fit
I know you'd hit out
If you only knew who to hit
And I'd join the movement
If there was one I could believe in
Yeah I'd break bread and wine
If there was a church I could receive in
'cause I need it now...

In all seriousness, why release a 'Best of 1990-2000'? Just re-release ACHTUNG BABY! lol

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I disappeared in you
You disappeared from me
I gave you everything you ever wanted,
It wasn't what you wanted

 

[elevatedmole]

I'm personally not a huge fan of Acrobat (it isn't bad, but Achtung Baby is so chock-full of awesome songs that the less-stunning ones tend to not be as good compared to the really really good ones, IMO) but I could have sworn I heard they played Acrobat during ZooTV. I could be wrong, but I was pretty sure they played it. Maybe not.

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"Don't call me Shirley." - Larry

"I was drunk, high on him, a shrinking, shadowboxing dwarf following in his foosteps...badly...STARSTRUCK.." - Bono, on meeting Frank Sinatra for the first time

"Bono? Bono is going to tie ropes around my neck? Wait a minute.." - Edge, when shooting the 'Numb' video

 

[oliveu2cm]

Originally posted by Angel:


In all seriousness, why release a 'Best of 1990-2000'? Just re-release ACHTUNG BABY! lol

loll angel!! I was drawing up a list of what i thought would be on the best of 90-00 and had soooo many AB songs!

Acrobat was never played live- only in hershey penn at a soundcheck, someone bootlegged it thankfully! but that's the only live recordings we have.

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You see your love made complete

www.u2takemehigher.com

MPS: "Evil shouldn't look this good"

"The way I might look at you" ~Adam

 

[spinninghead77]

Definatly my favorite song of Actung Baby!! It is so good, and the lyrics are so awesome!! It is one of those songs that I can listen to over and over again!!

What I wouldn't do to hear it live.....

 

[Salome]

I love the lyrics and like most of Edge's work on Acrobat

overall it isn't one of their most interesting pieces musically though IMO

------------------
Salome
Shake it, shake it, shake it

 

[zoomerang II]

I hope it truly is a "best of" instead of "the singles" i hope wgrywh and igwsha dont make it, even though they were singles. Love is blindness is surely one of the "best" of the 90's? Acrobat for me is borderline stuff for a best of album, but i see where you are coming from.

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In the stillness of the evening
When the sun has had its day
I heard your voice whispering...

 

[tackleberry]

ACROBAT is the weakest song off of Achtung Baby. Why would they put it on a Best of compilation? Sure, the lyrics are very good, but the guitar riff and melody are pretty ordinary. I think its mostly a throw away tune that fits the album but cannot stand on its own.

I think UTEOTW is a better choice for the Best Of but I even think that will not make it either. Especially if they choose to include ATYCLB songs.

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"You gotta put the women and children first, but you've got an unquenchable thirst for New York..."

 

[Angel]

Originally posted by tackleberry:

I think UTEOTW is a better choice for the Best Of but I even think that will not make it either. Especially if they choose to include ATYCLB songs.

UTEOTW is possibly U2's best song, IMO. I still think Acrobat rocks and deserves aspot on the best of... but won't make it. UTEOTW, though, I believe- is a sure thing.

 

[gherman]

Acrobat is great but I think that song is more for the die-hard fans. I think songs like "Ultraviolet" and "Trying To Throw..." would fit public apreciation on a Best Of for the 90's.

 

[Salome]

Ultraviolet???

see my remarks about Acrobat minus the good lyrics minus kudos to Edge

------------------
Salome
Shake it, shake it, shake it

 

[mikal]

Gone

------------------
Look what you did, you little JERK!

Kevin! You're such a disease!

 

[ocu2fan]

This would never happen. Never happen, but what if on a Best of they left "One" off? What would that be like? Would it be funny?

 

[dougal55]

Hi Angel!

Hmmmm, funnily enough, I listened to Acrobat last weekend for the first time for over a year or so.

When I heard it again over the weekend, Im inclined to agree that the song is very good especially the lyrics you quoted from the song....which left me thinking "Woah! These words are real powerful" and the music was...ah! Great drumming by Larry and some good guitar work by the Edge too (but not in the same league as Love Is Blindness and Zoo Station on the same album though IMO). All in all a good song to listen to on the Achtung Baby but rather weak compared to the other classics on the same album.

Thats my pennys worth at this time......

dougal

 

[sulawesigirl4]

Originally posted by ocu2fan:
This would never happen. Never happen, but what if on a Best of they left "One" off? What would that be like? Would it be funny?

kind of like leaving it off the live concert DVD that will represent the Elevation shows for posterity.

 

[Roland of Gilead]

Gone.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

they probably won't include *all* the singles (there wouldn't be enough room i think, but i could be wrong...since they only released about half as many albums in the nineties as opposed to the eighties. (excluding live albums and passengers, but including rattle and hum since singles were released off it and there were studio songs as well.)
but anyway, i heard a radio interview around the time the first best of came out, and the dj commented that a lot of fans would be upset that bullet the blue sky and other stuff wasn't on there, and the edge (i think) said that they chose their biggest hits, and not the songs the fans liked the best.
i assume they'll be doing the same thing again. i'm hoping this doesn't come off as mean or bitchy, but this is supposed to be a greatest hits thing, and not "what songs do you like the best?" although i am hoping they don't totally shaft pop like they did with october on the greatest hits. the title track made it onto the 80-90 cd as a bonus track, but gloria and/or fire weren't to be seen, nor were any of the b-sides. only two pop videos were played on that mtv2 special, i'm just hoping they won't pretend like pop doesn't exist. it was a great album and i'd love to see discotheque, etc. on there.

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there is no tomorrow, only tonight...
ME!

 

[Roland of Gilead]

Best Ofs should be viewed as pleasing the hardcore fan in terms of sound quality, the mix, and B-sides. As for new fans, it is a chance to introduce them to the "hits" of the 90's to the present. We need to keep in mind that there are many out there that will claim All That... as their first U2 cd. Of course, this will be very hard for many of us on this site to understand. Best Ofs are, generally, for the "average" fan. Hardcore fans focus their attention on the B-sides. We (long time fans) should be very greatful that this band is willing to collect the B-sides together like this.

Only Bad and the hidden track October made the A-side of the first Best Of as non-singles. We should expect the same or less in terms of non-singles on the A-side of the future Best Of. Having over 17 songs released as singles from 91 to 01 leaves little room for anything else on the A-side. In fact, it may mean the ignoring of several singles.

(Remember, Two Hearts, Fire, and A Celebration were singles that never made the cut on the 80's Best Of)

Unless!!! We are talking about a double-CD Best Of with a separate B-sides CD!

3 CDs total! That would be really sweet, but don't listen to me. The wife says I am full of it and I tend to agree with her.

[This message has been edited by Roland of Gilead (edited 01-17-2002).]

 

[Hallelujah Here She Comes]

I've been thinking about just this sort of thing for the past few days. Should U2 put their biggest hits on a best of compilation or they're best songs? Personally, I think if they're going to call it a "Best of" instead of a "Greatest Hits" they shouldn't just put the singles that sold a kagillion copies on it. Then again, it's much easier to determine which songs were the most popular as opposed to which were the "best".

I would love to see Acrobat on a greatest hits record (and played live for once), along with Love is Blindness, Gone, Until the End of the World and Kite but I'm sure there are more than a few people who would vehemently disagree with me. So maybe just including the most popular singles is the only fair way to do it. I don't know. I think I'm just going to go make my own "Best of 1991-2001" cd.

 

[Salome]

Originally posted by Roland of Gilead:
As for new fans, it is a chance to introduce them to the "hits" of the 90's to the present.

rerelease Achtung Baby with HMTMKMKM as bonus track
that should cover all U2's hits of the 90's (I don't like it either, but it is true)



------------------
Salome
Shake it, shake it, shake it

 

[annalivia]

Originally posted by Angel:

ACROBAT

I know many will agree, and perhaps a few won't. It is one hell of a song

I totally agree! Acrobat is... can't really describe it... very special to me.

anna



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We went to London to sell our songs, but never our souls,
to sell your songs but never your souls,
Out of Control, I wanted to get out of control...

 

[by350]

All I have to say is that UTEOTW is one of U2's greatest songs! Why this song was never picked up on radio, etc...it still ROCKS! I can listen to the live version over and over again. Edge's guitar is phenomenal!!! Lemon and Gone are also awesome!

 

[Dustybot]

[/b][/QUOTE]rerelease Achtung Baby with HMTMKMKM as bonus track
that should cover all U2's hits of the 90's (I don't like it either, but it is true)

[/B][/QUOTE]

Didn't Discotheque get higher on the charts than One? And if I'm not mistaken Staring at the Sun didn't do horribly.

 

[zooropamanda]

Originally posted by tackleberry:
ACROBAT is the weakest song off of Achtung Baby. Why would they put it on a Best of compilation? Sure, the lyrics are very good, but the guitar riff and melody are pretty ordinary. I think its mostly a throw away tune that fits the album but cannot stand on its own.

Are you serious?!!
How could you call it a weak song? Wow, Ive never heard anyone say that before.
Throw away?!
*shocked*
Maybe I've been listening to a different song for the last decade.
Bono himself has said Acrobat is his favourite track from AB. Interesting, indeed...

 

[Dustybot]

I agree zooropamanda. I always thought Achtung Baby was the one U2 album safe from the "throwaway song" talk. The whole thing is just so cohesive, so beautiful. Ah well, to each their own I suppose.

 

[Guy With The Stuff]

Originally posted by Angel:

ACROBAT

In all seriousness, why release a 'Best of 1990-2000'? Just re-release ACHTUNG BABY!

AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
Sorry, just expressing my dismay that I CAN'T FIND MY COPY OF AB!!!! I lost it a while back and hearing the name Acrobat reminded me of what I'm missing!! I do think Acrobat should definitly be on the Best of- If they release one. I'm not really sure if Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses should be on there, but that's just my own personal taste.

 

[Mrs. Vedder]

GONE. I hope it makes on the album... ok maybe not. *cries*

------------------
"It's Evolution Baby!"

 

[brettig]

SURELY Bullet deserved a spot on the best of 1980-1990

 

[pax]

"Kite" probably won't make it on the Best of 1990-2000, although it should. It is flat-out one of the best songs they ever did.

And wouldn't it be fun to have another B-sides CD, leading off with "Big Girls Are Best"? That would thrill me.

 

[snutes1]

The "weakest tune" in AB is 'trying to throw your arms around the world' think about it and listen to the album again in its entirety.

The non singles in the 'best of' should be

UTEOTW
Acrobat
Gone
In a little while (if applicable)

Paul

 

[senrab]

I thought Sunday Bloody Sunday was officially not a single.

I'm probably wrong, though...

Originally posted by Roland of Gilead:
Best Ofs should be viewed as pleasing the hardcore fan in terms of sound quality, the mix, and B-sides. As for new fans, it is a chance to introduce them to the "hits" of the 90's to the present. We need to keep in mind that there are many out there that will claim All That... as their first U2 cd. Of course, this will be very hard for many of us on this site to understand. Best Ofs are, generally, for the "average" fan. Hardcore fans focus their attention on the B-sides. We (long time fans) should be very greatful that this band is willing to collect the B-sides together like this.

Only Bad and the hidden track October made the A-side of the first Best Of as non-singles. We should expect the same or less in terms of non-singles on the A-side of the future Best Of. Having over 17 songs released as singles from 91 to 01 leaves little room for anything else on the A-side. In fact, it may mean the ignoring of several singles.

(Remember, Two Hearts, Fire, and A Celebration were singles that never made the cut on the 80's Best Of)

Unless!!! We are talking about a double-CD Best Of with a separate B-sides CD!

3 CDs total! That would be really sweet, but don't listen to me. The wife says I am full of it and I tend to agree with her.

[This message has been edited by Roland of Gilead (edited 01-17-2002).]