The history of U2 v. Discography Thread: Songs of Innocence

[hefdaddy42]

I listened to about half of it this morning.  Pretty good, pretty consistent, but not stellar.

[KevShmev]

I'll be curious to see if any songs from No Line make it on this year's tour. 

I have to think that they know by now that Get On Your Boots was a major failure and will chuck it.

Moment of Surrender was the closer on nearly every show on the 360 tour (I think there were one or two exceptions), but I can't imagine it anywhere else in the set, and they won't close with it again.

I could see Magnificent surviving, but even that wasn't get played much on the last leg of the 360 tour.

I don't see them playing anything else from it.

[hefdaddy42]

I listened to about half of it this morning.  Pretty good, pretty consistent, but not stellar.

I finished it this morning.

I prefer the first half of the album.

But I like Cedars of Lebanon.

[KevShmev]

We now move to 2014 and U2's most recent studio album, Songs of Innocence.  Released on September 9th, U2 did a ground-breaking thing, by releasing it for free to all iTunes users.  This was a great thing the band did, despite what some crybabies said about it- "Wahhh, I don't want a U2 album on my playlist!!"  "Then delete it, dumbass."  Sadly, some of the backlash was loud enough to where the album was then panned for the way it was released, instead of being judged on merit, which is kind of a shame since it is a really good album; their best and most consistent since Achtung Baby. Every song on this album is good, and many of them range from really good to great, including standouts like "Iris (Hold Me Close)," "The Troubles," "Song for Someone" and "Every Breaking Wave." I am very fond of "Sleep Like a Baby Tonight" and "This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now" as well.  "The Miracle" kind of got the "Vertigo" treatment - featured ad nauseam in an Apple commercial - but while not one of the better songs here, it's still enjoyable enough, and definitely better than "Vertigo."

One really nice thing about this album is the sound of it; it actually breathes!  Dismantle had compression issues at times, and then Horizon was suffocated to the point of nearly choking by the mastering, but Songs of Innocence has a very nice, open sound.  Considering how "airy" U2's music often is, the mastering and production of their albums should enhance that, not hinder it.  They accomplished that on this record.

Overall, the songwriting is just darn good on this record.  There is a nice hook in nearly every song, Edge's busts out many classic guitar leads, and Adam Clayton gives us one of his most bad ass bass lines ever ("Volcano").  I kind of go back and forth on how good I think "Volcano" is - I am sometimes not sure how effective I think the chorus is - but that bass line sucks me in right away every time.  "California (There is no End to Love)" seems to have gotten a lot of non-love from fans, but I like it a lot.  The melody is rather un-U2ish, but that is why I like it; it's them giving us something a little different, while maintaining the catchiness that is found on the entire album. 

Basically, this is an album you can turn on and enjoy from start to finish, without ever having to skip over anything. I can't say anything on here is one of their best songs ever, although who knows how some of them might blossom when played live as often happens with U2, but I will say that most bands that get to a 13th studio album, do not make one this good, especially after close to 3 1/2 decades together.  U2 is still a very relevant band here in 2015.  Bring on the Innocence + Experience Tour!!!

[Kotowboy]

Will reply in full later. Amazing album. But I  think that Song For Someone IS one of their best songs ever.

[King Postwhore]

I haven't played this as much as the others.  I need to remedy this.  I like it but haven't given it enough spins.

[Kotowboy]

This album is immediately better than No Line On The Horizon. Just from hearing the guitars on "The Miracle" ( great song too ).

And the quality barely dips. Best of all is no Eno or Lanois to be seen anywhere!!

A Song For Someone is one of their best songs this century and Every Breaking Wave is pretty ace too.

I'd rank this #1 for their last 4 albums if only for the fact that there's nothing as outright tedious as "White As Snow" or "Grace".

And as mentioned above - if you found the album on your iDevice unexpectedly - just delete it and move on.

Morons online likened it to "filling my fridge with turds".

No. It's more like someone bought a different brand of milk than you're used to and put it in your fridge by mistake instead of their fridge and you can just put it back.

[KevShmev]

If they continue their long-standing tradition of the last encore being a new song, I think Song for Someone is the natural pick.  Some would say The Troubles, but with the prominent female vocal, I'm not sure how they'll do that live.  I know U2 isn't opposed to a backing track, but to use a backing track for a lead vocal that significant would be a whole new thing.

[Kotowboy]

I can imagine Edge doing the high vocal. He's got quite a high voice.

[KevShmev]

Perhaps.  If they play that live, hopefully Edge extends that guitar solo at the end; it cutting off the way it does on the CD is a little aggravating.

[Kotowboy]

So that's the last album ! No more U2 to discuss unless you want to mention Passengers. But apart from Miss Sarajevo - i've never (knowingly) heard any of it.

[KevShmev]

Miss Sarajevo is great, but I don't know anything else from it, and based on what I've read about it, I have no urge to listen to it.

But there are a number of non-album tracks that really didn't get their due in this thread due to not being on a proper studio album:

Miss Sarajevo
The Sweetest Thing
The Crystal Ballroom
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
Invisible
Ordinary Love
Luminous Times
The Hands That Build America
etc.

[Kotowboy]

Miss Sarajevo is great, but I don't know anything else from it, and based on what I've read about it, I have no urge to listen to it.

But there are a number of non-album tracks that really didn't get their due in this thread due to not being on a proper studio album:

Miss Sarajevo
The Sweetest Thing

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
Invisible
Ordinary Love

The Hands That Build America

Love all of those - especially the 2 Songs Of Innocence era songs. Also I should mention Electrical Storm. Not a bad non-album single. Sounds a wee bit like

Ordinary Love. Maybe they re-worked it ?

[KevShmev]

Yeah, I like Electrical Storm a lot, too.  Forgot to add that one.

[King Postwhore]

I have all of those as a fake CD on ny I-pod. It's like an extra album.

[KevShmev]

Well, I think this thread is about over, uneventfully, but I'd like to thank the few of you who participated on a regular basis, as well as those who chimed in here and there.  It was fun talking about this band again.

[Kotowboy]

Did you hear Russia are suing Apple  because the cover of Songs Of Innocence "promotes homosexuality" 

[hefdaddy42]

I thought Songs of Innocence was a really good record, much more consistent than some of their other modern efforts.

[KevShmev]

It definitely is.  Every album since AB had at least one or two obvious skippers, but Songs of Innocence is strong from start to finish; not a weak track in the bunch.

[KevShmev]

With the tour starting in two weeks, we could keep this thread going by discussing it.  I was just reading some of the rehearsal spoilers, and it sounds like they are rehearsing most of the new album and many of the obvious classics, with them rehearsing deeper cuts like Miracle Drug, One Step Closer and The Playboy Mansion.  Interesting choices.  I think some fans' heads will explode if they don't play Acrobat again.

[Kotowboy]

They've not played New Years Day in a while. *










* At least not on any live DVD that I can remember since PopMart.

[KevShmev]

I don't think that one was listed among the ones allegedly being rehearsed, but you never know.

One report is that ticket sales are not kicking ass like they thought - many are sold out technically, but quite a few of them have a lot up on stubhub - so the idea of them doing two shows in the same city, with radically different set lists, may not come to fruition, since that would mean ditching too many standards (casual fans would likely do just one show, and they'd be pissed if they went the night One or something wasn't played), and I suspect they feel like they still need to play a lot of those standards, so as not to irk casual fans who might be seeing them for the first time.  Songs like One and With or Without You, great as they are, really need to be given a tour or two off, but it won't happen.  In a sense, U2 is a victim of their own success.

[Beautiful Agony]

They've not played New Years Day in a while. *










* At least not on any live DVD that I can remember since PopMart.

They played New Year's Day on the 360 tour.

[Beautiful Agony]

The appearance on The Tonight Show on friday will be good promo for the tour.

[hefdaddy42]

The appearance on The Tonight Show on friday will be good promo for the tour.

Yep.  Looking forward to that.

[King Postwhore]

I didn't know!  Cool.  I'll DVR it!

[KevShmev]

The tour began last night in Vancouver.

Set list:

First Set

1. The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone) (Piano Intro)
2. Out of Control / Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio (snippet)
3. Vertigo / God Save The Queen (snippet)
4. I Will Follow
5. Mofo (snippet) / Iris (Hold Me Close)
6. Cedarwood Road
7. Song for Someone
8. Sunday Bloody Sunday (new semi acoustic version)
**Video Transition, complete with new broadcasts and news clips**
9. Raised By Wolves / Psalm 23 (snippet)
10. Until The End of the World

Second Set

11. Invisible
12. Even Better Than The Real Thing (360 Version)
13. Mysterious Ways / Burning Down the House (snippet) / Young Americans (snippet)
14. Desire
15. Sweetest Thing
16. Every Breaking Wave
17. Bullet The Blue Sky / The Hands That Built America
18. Pride (In the Name of Love)
19. The Troubles
20. With or Without You

Encore

21. City of Blinding Lights
22. Beautiful Day / I Remember You (snippet)
23. Mother and Child Reunion (snippet) / Where The Streets Have No Name / California (snippet) / All You Need is Love (snippet)
24. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / Invisible (snippet)

--------

Pretty predictable.  Basically, a bunch of new songs and all hits, with no real deep cuts from older albums.  We'll see if they add some as the tour progresses.

[Kotowboy]

They played When Love Comes To Town tonight - no surprise there. I imagined they might.

Also they dug out " Miracle Drug ".



In other news - what is Bono's ( recorded ) range ? New York is pretty Low and Sleep Like A Baby Tonight is the highest I've ever heard him go I'm sure.

 
I saw a thing online that said he had 4 octaves but i'm pretty sure from the lowest note in New York to that super high note in Sleep Like A  Baby is more than 4 octaves...

[KevShmev]

Last night's 2nd show in Vancouver wasn't that different from the 1st show.  That had to be disappointing for any fan that went to both, since U2 made it sound like they'd be radically changing set lists on this tour, especially when playing multiple shows in the same city.  But, given that ticket sales haven't been great this year, I am guessing that explains the safe set lists, since they probably figure they cannot alienate the casual fans by not playing most of the hits.  Oh well. 

[Kotowboy]

I've checked out their itinerary. Nearly all the shows are sold out.

They're never gonna better the 360 tour because it was the most successful tour ever.

[KevShmev]

Right, the shows are sold out, but reportedly the scalpers ate up a lot of them, and many tickets are apparently going for cheaper than you would have thought on Stubhub, because the demand just isn't there.  Checking out a few of the Vancouver clips on YT, I am not sure how much I'd paid to see them again.  Seems like every other song has Bono yapping for two minutes before it.   I remember in the U2 book I have, where Bono actually thinks a lot of fans want to hear his political chatter.  Uh, no, they are there for a rock show, not to see you jump on your political platform. 

[Kotowboy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=276&v=6UapLs03yOs

This is pretty cool.

Bono gets a tribute singer on stage to sing with them and then starts playing piano.

Complaining about getting free music?  Good grief, people.  If you don't like U2, then don't listen to it.  Some people just love to complain about anything.

This reminds me. Some people act like getting Songs Of Innocence on their iPods was a huge inconvenience and likened it to filling up their fridge with turds.

Not even close. You can delete the album and be done with it. It's more like you share a house and you have a fridge each. One day your housemate puts something of his in

your fridge by mistake or just temporarily whilst there was no room in his. You can simply move it back. That's how I see it.

[KevShmev]

Kinda cool, but the guy holding up his phone to record it just looks so stupid.

[Beautiful Agony]

They played The Roxy Thursday night


The Ocean
11 o'clock Tick Tock
I Will Follow
Electric Co.
Beautiful Day
Elevation
Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Out of Control
Vertigo
Song for Someone
California

Here's some videos that have surfaced so far.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=72&v=gL7UIQQufSE
The Ocean


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b-7AOR9urA
I Will Follow



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bQffzNVAFA
Electric Co.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk03GNX73wo
Beautiful Day (feat. one lucky lady)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UKQtn9kpD8
Elevation


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCNiTjd8XLI
Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl-5ZDI5-80
Sunday Bloody Sunday



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQrHjoXFxqs
Vertigo  (Bono does a little crowd surfing) 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svxOZl7Ogjo
California (There Is No End to Love)

[KevShmev]

That is pretty cool that one of their five Cali shows this week was at a small club like that.  I wish more popular bands would do something like that once in a while, just for the hell of it.