U2 Band • Page 12

revisiting Innocence + Experience for the first time in years (how are they already a half decade old, jesus) at the moment

my feelings haven't massively changed on these. still think the second half of Innocence (Volcano -> The Troubles) is their best run of songs since 2000, but the first half is an overproduced, sloppy mess with very few redeeming features. the bonus tracks (especially Crystal Ballroom) are easily some of the best tracks too, so it's even more frustrating as a full album listen

Experience is different in the sense that nothing really sticks out as bad, but nothing is really that great either. feels like every song is either a couple revisions under or a couple takes past its best, super frustrating. the Spotify live version of Little Things is probably their single best release of the 2010s though, which really makes me long for an unproduced version of these two albums even more lol

bring on Surrender, I guess!

 

I know there are 39 other ones coming, so there's a chance some of them will be good, but I do not like the new version of Pride at all. Not even a little bit.

I mainly agree with your thoughts on Songs of Innocence - back half is better, the bonus tracks are better than the album, and any of the alternate versions of the songs are better than the ones they actually used for the album itself.

I'll have to search out that Spotify live version of Little Things. I actually think Songs of Experience is a damn good album, and that song in particular is probably my favorite track off of it. That song makes me feel like they could absolutely still be putting out good music if they could only be bothered to actually do so.

I'm trying not to be too down on Songs of Surrender, but I can't really think of a less interesting thing they could have chosen to put out right now...

 

I don't know if I agree that the alt Troubles is better than what's on the album, but otherwise for sure. the acoustic Every Breaking Wave is actually really lovely and makes the absolutely rancid production on the album version just stick out even more

there's a lotta great stuff on Experience, I love Little Things, Red Flag Day and Best Thing especially. it just never comes together as a great album

 

I think I'm in the minority on The Troubles, but I vastly prefer the alternate version in the bonus tracks to the album version featuring Lykke Li.

 

Anyone else reading Bono's book? I finished it earlier this week. At first I wasn't sure I was enjoying it - lot of lines that made me roll my eyes - but by the time I finished I actually was really into it and would have read more if it were longer.

I don't think there's too much new info in it, if you've been a fan forever, but there are some cool tidbits. He also reveals a little more about his relationship with his dad, which I've always been curious about but felt like he never really explained. The best parts are when he's writing about his marriage to Ali IMO. He also does a good job presenting a lot of his contradictions, i.e., he's humble but he isn't, he's a musician but not really, etc. etc.

It has me cautiously excited to listen to Songs of Surrender and got me doing a discog run especially the last couple albums. I love this band even when they aren't at their best, there's always a couple hidden gems on all their records.

 

I finished it a few months ago. I enjoyed it, but definitely feel like it could have used a sterner editorial eye, haha. A lot of chapters that would have benefitted from being shorter. I got particularly tired of reading about his religious faith. But I loved the stuff about his interpersonal relationships like you said, and I was fascinated to learn a little bit more about the day-to-day work of his humanitarian efforts. Some pretty staggering stuff that he's been able to bring about on that front.

 

I get where you’re coming from with those comments about length and editing for sure, especially in the middle section. It was hard for me not to compare it to Born to Run, which is a better written and structured book, but there’s some charm to the messiness of Bono’s approach I think (albeit it took me a few pages to get comfortable with that).

The religious stuff wasn’t too bad for me, I was expecting worse tbh. I think the fact his parents were comfortable with each other on either side of that Catholic/Protestant divide, at that time, is probably a major through-line for his worldview generally, and was something I actually didn’t know

 

It felt like a 500 page memoir where sometimes he just needs to shut up and stop name dropping is the perfect Bono book haha

 

My favorite name drop was Björk, she didn’t need to be in there whatsoever; but the book is just a little better for it lol

 

The Dave Grohl book is the name-droppiest memoir of all time, so I hardy even registered the name dropping in Bono’s book. I still enjoyed Dave’s book too, it just felt like every chapter in the second half was about an encounter with one of his heroes.

 

What does everyone think of Songs of Surrender? I am very surprised at how much I’m enjoying it. A lot of songs really with, more so than I had expected. And some great production and performances as well.

 

I was a fan of most of it. There were a couple that haven’t clicked with me, but out of 40 songs. That’s not bad. Don’t think I’ll sit and listen to it front to back very often, but a disc here or there will be fun

 

finally found the time to sit down with SoS. this thing is inconsistent as all hell, some of it is absolutely terrible and some is almost as compelling as the originals

that said I'm impressed to see them doing something so off the cuff and personal to them. from a band that's been overthinking and overcooking their music for more than a decade, this is an encouraging move. I think Edge should produce the next album, assuming it ever happens

 

this thing was worth price of admission for Dirty Day alone, I like that better than the original. new Invisible is also great

 

Yeah it's definitely inconsistent. I like Invisible, Electrical Storm, AIWIY, and Stay. Most of the tracks are OK but make me want to just listen to the original or live versions.

I don't love what they did to "Walk On," which is arguably my favorite U2 song. They didn't need to change the lyrics as much as they did to give us the gist there lol. Bono's voice on "Bad" sounds really strained, which is disappointing because I was excited to hear that one as well.

"Out of Control" really reminds me of Dashboard Confessional, I'm wondering if the guitar is in open D tuning and that's why or something.

 

I do really think the Disney+ documentary is essential background for this. I get people being over Letterman in 2023 for sure but there are some really great Bono/Edge moments in there that give a nice context to this thing

the performance of "One" with the full orchestra is also so much better than what kicks off SS lol

 

The documentary was really cool, I watched it twice already haha, Glen Hansard is such a ham in it. Also was really cool to see Grian Chatten from Fontaines DC in it

 

I had to google it real quick lol, I was like surely that's not Fontaines' Grian in this U2 documentary

wild moment

 

I think it’s been literal years since listening to this band on purpose, in spite of ostensibly loving a lot of their work. So, decided to put that re-recorded thing on shuffle the other day and listen while making and eating breakfast.

Eh, cool idea, bet it was a creatively fulfilling project on their end, but don’t think it’s ultimately for me.

 

I am once again wondering how A Day Without Me wasn't a massive hit. the combination of that chorus hook and Edge's incredible guitar lick is one of the first real moments of chemistry in their discog. and then that little coda with the wordless vocals is just magic, such a great song

 

I finished Bono’s memoirs over my holiday and really enjoyed it. Really insightful and made me want to revisit some of those early albums which I’ve never really spent much time with.

I do wish he’d gone into some of the more recent material more, but by that point the main focus is activism and I found that interesting too.

 

I should read those memoirs. have my problems with the last two albums for sure, but that shift towards fully embracing writing about his past especially in Innocence has been really interesting, and I really enjoyed hearing Bono and Edge talking about their youth on the Letterman special. feel like too many bands try and preserve their image forever but there's something fascinating about U2 just owning getting older and using it as a colour in their music

 

LMAO

 

Aaron Dessner (The National) kind of suggested U2 would be his dream collaboration in a recent interview with Esquire.

What do we think a Dessner-produced U2 album would sound like?

 

I think it’d be a bit sleepy. They really need to stop trying to chase a late career hit again (a la Beautiful Day) and go back to creating interesting music like the run of Achtung Baby to Pop.