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

[KevShmev]

I'm tough. 1/2 Irish. See it fits the thread.

I'm 0/4 Irish which is why I hate Guinness

I'm 62.5% Irish.

Can't say I'll be a big participant in this one, but I do have to admit that of all bands that I missed seeing live back in the day, U2 would be right behind Queen. I even had a chance to see the free show they did at Justin Herman Plaza in SF and decided class was more important. Someone go back in time and beat the crap out of young me please.

Give me your address and I'm there.

Not as familiar with their older stuff like this, but I will listen and contribute as much as I can.

Cool.

[KevShmev]

Released in 1983, War was sort of their breakthrough, as it had multiple popular hits, and this was the time when MTV really started playing the snot out of them.  The "New Year's Day" video was played a ton, and I believe it was the first U2 song I ever heard (or at least paid attention to).  To this day, it remains one of my favorites.  "Sunday Bloody Sunday" remains the most enduring classic from this record, although it's always better live, and "40" was a crowd favorite for many years.  "Two Hearts Beat As One" was a minor hit as well, I think, and I like it, but I'll take deeper cuts like "Surrender" and "Drowning Man" any day; those are two very underrated tunes.  "Seconds" is a funny little tune as well.  On the flip side, "Red Light" stands out as a major swing and miss.  Overall, this was a major upgrade over the first two albums.  U2 was starting to become a force to be reckoned with.

[Kotowboy]

New Years Day 

Probably the first U2 song I remember loving back in 1993.

I love the version on "Popmart " - even if Bono's voice isn't up to snuff on that tour.

Sunday Bloody Sunday sounds great on the Rattle And Hum video.

[KevShmev]

I love how they frequently change up Sunday Bloody Sunday.

The Under Blood Red Sky version was mostly like the studio version, with a slightly longer, and better, intro.

The Rattle and Hum version had it just Bono and Edge's guitar for about half the song, before they explode into rocking out.

The Popmart version was just Edge's voice and guitar.

Not many bands have the guts to constantly mix it up with a song most casual fans know (and thus will often want it as is).

[hefdaddy42]

I finished Boy and am halfway through October.  I haven't listened to them in years.  It was really interesting hearing that raw energy again. 

This is a great band.  Anyone who says otherwise hasn't actually listened to them.

[King Postwhore]

Kev, I'll comment later today on War.  I love this album.

[KevShmev]

   

This is a great band.  Anyone who says otherwise hasn't actually listened to them.

 

[hefdaddy42]

Just finished War.  Holy crap.  Yeah, it's mostly top heavy (except for "40", which I love), but what a top.  Also, lyrically, at this point the band had no equals, from the standpoint of using art to try to impact society in a positive way.  They obviously cared a lot about many causes, and it came through in their music.

Not sure if there has ever been another band that is as socially conscious as U2.

[King Postwhore]

I was 15 years old and I drove my bicycle to the mall (7 miles away) to get War on cassette.  I loved the video for "New Years Day" and had to get the album.  I overplayed that cassette so much that I had to get the album and cassette.   A lot of what Hef said is so true in many ways.  I loved their passion and you could hear and read that they put everything into their music and lyrics.

I was lucky enough to see them in concert on that tour as a 15 year old.  Bono was like a cult leader.  I would have climbed mountains if he told me that night.  Passion is the word I always use to describe them at that time.

[hefdaddy42]

Yep.  Every other band just cared about titties and beer.  U2 cared for a lot more than that.

[KevShmev]

I knew some peeps back in the day who, for them, War was not only their pinnacle, but they considered The Joshua Tree something of a sell-out, and thus fell out of love with the band, never to reunite. There is something to be said about getting into a band from the ground floor, but it can also skew your perspective if they ever hit it big and/or change directions. 

Socially conscious...that is a great way to put it, hef.

Anyone else have mad love for Surrender like I do? 

[King Postwhore]

I sure do.

I never get people that can't see a band evolve.  How many fans have you heard in Rush say the same thing that they bailed after 2112 or Moving Pictures?


Bands will never sound the same over the years unless your name is AC/DC and hell!  They changed as well!

[Kotowboy]

   

This is a great band.  Anyone who says otherwise hasn't actually listened to them.

 

Most people who hate on U2 just hate Bono's antics outside the band - which has nothing to do with the music.

They almost never say anything about the music except that Lolz Edge uSes Delay IN Every SOnG!!!11!!111.. Which is like saying that John Petrucci uses gain in every

song.. They're both a guitar "effect" so what's the difference ? Plus it's a really lazy cliche. The man can play just fine without.

[KevShmev]

Exactly.  Besides, he pretty much popularized that effect, and Edge is proof that you don't need to be a virtuoso to be a great guitar player.  Some would laugh at me calling him a great guitar player, but considering how many memorable moments he has in songs by one of the biggest bands ever, and how those songs would suffer without those moments, it's not funny at all; it's just true.

[hefdaddy42]

I knew some peeps back in the day who, for them, War was not only their pinnacle, but they considered The Joshua Tree something of a sell-out

WTF

[KevShmev]

I think With or Without You was seen by some as a wimpy ballad.  While all previous U2 videos had been for rockers, With or Without You was the lead single, plus it was massive from the start, and I think some just viewed it as the band losing their rock edge and trying to get more popular by writing a ballad.  Fools.

[hefdaddy42]

It's only one of the greatest ballads ever written.  Sellouts.

[KevShmev]

Damn right.  And hell, I wasn't that fond of it immediately, but that outro I loved from the start, and the more I saw the video (it was played non-stop on MTV), the more I grew to like the song as a whole.

[KevShmev]

And because it's kind of the companion piece to War...



Oddly, Under a Blood Red Sky is the only live album U2 has ever released; every other live release since has been a VHS/DVD/Blu-ray.  I generally am not a live album guy, but this is one I revisit a lot, mostly because the majority of the songs are better here than they were in the studio, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" for one; the version on this album is THE definitive version of the song, IMO.  "The Electric Co." is also one that stands out as being absolutely dynamite live, and "40" was a live staple back in the day, largely for it being a sing-along song for the crowd, so it's always going to better live.  "Gloria" is always a fun rocker live.  Plus, we get a couple of b-sides that you won't find on any U2 studio album, "Party Girl" and "11 O'Clock Tick Tock."  Damn fine live album.

[hefdaddy42]

It's a great album.  Like a lot of the U2 collective, it's been a long time since I've listened to it.  I will get around to it at some point this weekend.

[King Postwhore]

Exactly.  Besides, he pretty much popularized that effect, and Edge is proof that you don't need to be a virtuoso to be a great guitar player.  Some would laugh at me calling him a great guitar player, but considering how many memorable moments he has in songs by one of the biggest bands ever, and how those songs would suffer without those moments, it's not funny at all; it's just true.

The Edge in the undisputed champion of textures.  He revolutionized the sound that no one has equaled.

[King Postwhore]

I was lucky enough to have parents that had money for HBO & Showtime during their early years.  The Red Rocks concert was first broadcast on Showtime.  I of course recorded it on my dad's new VRC that recorded in Stereo and Hi-Fi and has the first on screen programing.  For the outlandish price of $900.00 in 1983!

My lasting memory was of Bono with the flag our near the fans singing "No More!" for SBS.

[KevShmev]

OMG, I remember that, VCRs being outrageously expensive.  Seems like a long time ago.  Oh wait, it was.

Say what you want about Bono, but the man knows how to entertain.

[hefdaddy42]

Listening now to Under A Blood Red Sky.  Such energy!

[King Postwhore]

Hef, if Bono told me to walk into a 5 lane highway during heavy traffic, I would have.  He had such command of the crowd, it was like a sermon.  It was a religious experience.

[hefdaddy42]

Hef, if Bono told me to walk into a 5 lane highway during heavy traffic, I would have.  He had such command of the crowd, it was like a sermon.  It was a religious experience.

[KevShmev]

Hef, if Bono told me to walk into a 5 lane highway during heavy traffic, I would have.  He had such command of the crowd, it was like a sermon.  It was a religious experience.

 

[KevShmev]

U2 decided to get more atmospheric and less rocking on their next album, plus they wanted to get a bit more arty, and toward's that end, they approached Brian Eno about working with them on their next album.  Eno was pretty much against the idea, but agreed to at least meet the band, bringing along his engineer Daniel Lanois.  By the end of the meeting, U2 (Bono) had talked Eno into working with them and off to the studio they went to make The Unforgettable Fire.  Ironically, even though they wanted to get more ambient, it was a rocker that gave the band's popularity another adrenaline shot, that song of course being "Pride (In the Name of Love)," one of several songs on the album about Martin Luther King, Jr.  "Pride" is a tried and true classic in every sense of the word.

But the album's unquestioned biggest classic is "Bad," which, while really good in the studio, took on a whole new life whenever they played it live.  Never was this more evident than at Live Aid in 1985 when the band (along with Queen) stole the show, largely thanks to their extended version of "Bad" that saw Bono pull a fan out of the crowd to dance with, only to disappear for several minutes amongst the crowd while the rest of the band just played along thinking this was a disaster and that it could be a career-killer. Even Bono at the time thought he had goofed big time, as "Bad" went so long that they it took up the rest of their allotted time, preventing them from playing their hit at the time, "Pride." However, the reverse happened, as fans everywhere thought it was a fantastic and iconic moment in rock history, one which was yet another adrenaline shot for the band and their surging popularity.  Say what you want about Bono, but his instincts as a performer are almost always dead on.  Future live versions of the song on Wide Awake in America (an EP released in 1985, featuring two live tracks and two b-sides) and the movie Rattle and Hum are just impossible to beat. 
 
Overall, this album is a very top-heavy, IMO.  Much of the back half, while interesting, isn't that notable, although they were trying out their ambient muscles, but Side 1 is loaded with great tunes.  Aside from the aforementioned "Pride," the title track is an amazing track featuring a gorgeous string arrangement and an impassioned vocal effort by Bono.  "Wire" is one of the more underrated songs the band has ever done; that middle section with the raging guitar effects is one of the more bad ass moments in the band's career.  And the opening track, "A Sort of Homecoming," is another gem.  It is also worth noting that "Disappearing Act," a song from that sessions that never the saw the light of day until the 25th anniversary edition of this came out with it featured as a bonus track, is another killer tune from this era.  Had this been on the proper album, it would have been that much better as a whole, but even as is, it is still a very good record, even if, like I said earlier, it is a little top-heavy.

[King Postwhore]

I am a huge fan of Wire and the the title track. More to come.

[Kotowboy]

I really like the song MLK.

[KevShmev]

I am a huge fan of Wire and the the title track. More to come.

Bring it.

I really like the song MLK.

It's not a bad little song.  Just not notable, IMO.  Its placement on the album doesn't help, it being stuck at the end of a mostly unimpressive Side 2, IMO.

[Kotowboy]

I'd like to add that - whilst The Edge ( Mr. Dave Evans ) is a great guitar player - he is also a skilled pianist and vocalist also.

I'd say his voice is almost as good as Bono's. His backups are spot on anyway.

So yeah the man is super talented.

[King Postwhore]

Tomorrow morning Kev!

[Counselor of Prog]

For me, this is the seminal album that introduced me to the legends that are U2.  Naturally, "In the Name of Love" made the rounds on the local radio station ad nauseum , which unfortunately obscured the rest of this outstanding opus.  "Bad" got some renewed street cred on the hit show Alias , while "Wire" and the haunting title track still resonate deep within.  And I've still yet to find the lyrics online to "Elvis Presley and America," the ditty that, 30-plus years later, still mesmerizes me.

[KevShmev]

Tomorrow morning Kev!

 

I'd like to add that - whilst The Edge ( Mr. Dave Evans ) is a great guitar player - he is also a skilled pianist and vocalist also.

I'd say his voice is almost as good as Bono's. His backups are spot on anyway.

So yeah the man is super talented.

 

I always like when Edge sings.  He has a very pleasant-sounding voice, and like you said, can sing pretty well, too. 

For me, this is the seminal album that introduced me to the legends that are U2.  Naturally, "In the Name of Love" made the rounds on the local radio station ad nauseum , which unfortunately obscured the rest of this outstanding opus.  "Bad" got some renewed street cred on the hit show Alias , while "Wire" and the haunting title track still resonate deep within.  And I've still yet to find the lyrics online to "Elvis Presley and America," the ditty that, 30-plus years later, still mesmerizes me.

That's cool.  It's good to see that some have an appreciation for the Side 2 obscure tunes, even if I am not much of a fan of them. 

Also, I forgot to mention this in my review, but I HATE this album cover.  That color (purplish-red) is just god-awful.