U2 - the lost album

[dan_smee]

Something I’ve always done with other artists is make albums from random songs like non singles and solo projects. I have weirdly never tried it with U2. So I set the task of making an album from all the standalone singles they have promoted as u2 (or u2 with someone), made specifically as a proper single and then made a running order. I ignored Christmas songs, and singles from b sides. Tough to get a good flow given they were all made to stand alone. Anyway - this is the tracklist I came up with - and if you want to play along, bonus points for fitting YSSML in a decent spot:

1 - Miss Sarajevo
2 - The Saints are Coming
3 - Sweetest Thing
4 - Electrical Storm (William Orbit mix)
5 - Your Song Saved My Life
6 - 11 O’Clock, Tick Tock (full version)
7 - Invisible
8 - The Hands That Built America
9 - Night and Day
10 - Another Day
11 - Ahimsa
12 - Window in the Skies
13 - A Celebration
14 - Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
15 - Ordinary Love

 

[gvox]

Something I’ve always done with other artists is make albums from random songs like non singles and solo projects. I have weirdly never tried it with U2. So I set the task of making an album from all the standalone singles they have promoted as u2 (or u2 with someone), made specifically as a proper single and then made a running order. I ignored Christmas songs, and singles from b sides. Tough to get a good flow given they were all made to stand alone. Anyway - this is the tracklist I came up with - and if you want to play along, bonus points for fitting YSSML in a decent spot:

1 - Miss Sarajevo
2 - The Saints are Coming
3 - Sweetest Thing
4 - Electrical Storm (William Orbit mix)
5 - Your Song Saved My Life
6 - 11 O’Clock, Tick Tock (full version)
7 - Invisible
8 - The Hands That Built America
9 - Night and Day
10 - Another Day
11 - Ahimsa
12 - Window in the Skies
13 - A Celebration
14 - Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
15 - Ordinary Love

Love this!

Edit: I didn't read far enough... you are actually including songs that they made singles. Gotcha

 

[dan_smee]

Love this!

Edit: I didn't read far enough... you are actually including songs that they made singles. Gotcha

To me the most interesting thing was thinking about these songs in the context of a broader album, rather than the elevated pressure and spotlight of them being stdalone singles.

A track like Ahimsa is slammed, but if it was a non-descript album track like One Step Closer we may think of it differently

 

[Javin]

Nice work Dan. I'm interested in what a best of 1990-2000 would look like if you could only choose from the 3 nineties albums & singles. And what 3 songs would you have a new mix of?

 

[gvox]

To me the most interesting thing was thinking about these songs in the context of a broader album, rather than the elevated pressure and spotlight of them being stdalone singles.

A track like Ahimsa is slammed, but if it was a non-descript album track like One Step Closer we may think of it differently

Hmm.. maybe.. Although I will say I’ve really come to adore One Step Closer and believe it could stand on its own no matter how it came out.

Ahimsa I have not really been able to latch onto like that..