U2 - Community rankings - FIN - #4 Sunday Bloody Sunday, #3 - One, #2 - Bad, #1 - Where the Streets Have No Name -Spotify links, thanks to Krista4 (4 Viewers)

[The Dreaded Marco]

#72 - Seconds (1983)

Highest Rank - 25

Lowest Rank - 131

Where to Find it - War LP

Vulture.com ranking and comment -139/218 - Lead vocals and excellent guitar work from the Edge are the highlights here. There’s a lot to like about this one; tight, compact, evocative, it almost unintentionally contextualizes the record by coming in after “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” in that it’s another current commentary. If anything, it almost foreshadows what the band would do later on the Zoo TV tour, with the sample from a documentary about female soldiers in the middle.

Comment - Great album track

Next up, the first song we see from one of the big 2. The Joshua Tree makes its first appearance

I have always loved this song. Particularly the way the guitar joins the drums to be part of the rhythm section while the bass line becomes the lead. And this tune is the exception to my rule about vocalizing the choruses. I think what they do here works perfectly. 

I also love this one.  And the homage in The Breakfast Club was always a favorite moment from a favorite 80's film.  

 

[The Dreaded Marco]

For the next 10 (70-61) we will see six different albums represented, including Achtung Baby for the first time. Guess which track? 

Every track is good to great but I'll go with my least favorite, Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around the World........

 

[Anarchy99]

Every track is good to great but I'll go with my least favorite, Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around the World........

I wasn't sure which song I had ranked lowest from AB. Turns out this was it.

 

[Mr. Landry]

Regarding the first Achtung Baby song to appear, it speaks to the quality of the album that it is so hard to choose my least favorite, as I love them all.  Would probably go with So Cruel.  It hurts me to type that.

Blasphemy!

 

[Ghost Rider]

I agree that it is hard to rank the AB songs in order,  but I will just say that tracks 4 and 10 are both in my U2 top 7, and my bottom three from this record would be 3 (yes, really), 5 and 8.  

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Edge confirms working on new album. 

LINK

so a new album three years from now, lol.

Pretty please with sugar on top clean the ####### car, no Steve Lillywhite

 

[zoonation]

I agree that it is hard to rank the AB songs in order,  but I will just say that tracks 4 and 10 are both in my U2 top 7, and my bottom three from this record would be 3 (yes, really), 5 and 8.  

One was played to death.  It is still one of the all time great songs IMO.  The lyrics alone…

my favourites are 4, 7, 10.  

 

[zoonation]

Blasphemy!

I take it back actually.  I will go with Tryin to Throw Your Arms Around the World.  Which I also love, but suspect will be the first song we see from AB on this list. 

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Regarding the first Achtung Baby song to appear, it speaks to the quality of the album that it is so hard to choose my least favorite, as I love them all.  Would probably go with So Cruel.  It hurts me to type that.

Really? Here’s a hint. It ranks 4th on the Achtung Baby album for the rankers

Every track is good to great but I'll go with my least favorite, Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around the World........

Welcome fo the party pal! It is in the bottom 2 tracks so we will see it before #50. Is is the lowest or not? We will see soon

I wasn't sure which song I had ranked lowest from AB. Turns out this was it.

A big reason why its bottom 2 lol

Blasphemy!

Yep. All of us rank it in the top 50, one of only 16 tracks that manage that feat. It’s a close call for one of us, but 49 is still in the top 50. No one had it in their top 10, although 11 is close. 

I agree that it is hard to rank the AB songs in order,  but I will just say that tracks 4 and 10 are both in my U2 top 7, and my bottom three from this record would be 3 (yes, really), 5 and 8.  

I’m with you on 5 & 8. Both are in my bottom 5 from this album, as well as another single. My top 2 were also singles. The other 2 you mentioned, we will not see for awhile. 

 

[Nugget]

One was played to death.  It is still one of the all time great songs IMO.  The lyrics alone…

my favourites are 4, 7, 10.  

4 would have been top 20 for me 5-10 years ago.  

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

While we are playing guessing games, which is the second Joshua Tree track?

It lands at #56. One of us ranked it at #175.  If you ranked it at #175, please no spoilers lol

 

[The Dreaded Marco]

While we are playing guessing games, which is the second Joshua Tree track?

It lands at #56. One of us ranked it at #175.  If you ranked it at #175, please no spoilers lol

I'm going to go with Trip Through Your Wires.  

 

[Ghost Rider]

Feels like 8 and 11 from The Joshua Tree should be the clear bottom 2 from that one.  Good songs, but definitely the least best of the bunch. 

I will revolt if track 5 from TJT is not top 10.  

 

[Alex P Keaton]

I'm going to go with Trip Through Your Wires.  

I hate you 

(kidding)

 

[Alex P Keaton]

Feels like 8 and 11 from The Joshua Tree should be the clear bottom 2 from that one.  Good songs, but definitely the least best of the bunch. 

I will revolt if track 5 from TJT is not top 10.  

IMO 10 and 11 are clearly the worst songs on TJT.   

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

I'm going to go with Trip Through Your Wires.  

Not in the bottom 4 tracks

Feels like 8 and 11 from The Joshua Tree should be the clear bottom 2 from that one.  Good songs, but definitely the least best of the bunch. 

I will revolt if track 5 from TJT is not top 10.  

The #48 ranking that one of us had could make it tricky.  Not impossible mind you as someone has it at #2. Where the other two have it determines its fate

IMO 10 and 11 are clearly the worst songs on TJT.   

We’ve already seen #10. 

#11 is very interesting. Let’s just say it makes the top 50. Looking forward to discussion on that one. 

 

[The Dreaded Marco]

Not in the bottom 4 tracks

That is very surprising. 

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

That is very surprising. 

It is for me too. I had it lowest of all TJT tracks.

The #2 overall songs from each of us are weird. 

All the #1 ranked songs are top 5

3 of us have the #3 and #4 ranked songs from each of us top 10, all have it top 20.

#2? Weird.

The one mentioned earlier has a #48 ranking. Thats the best result.

 My #2 attracted a 64 & 78

Anothers also got 84 & 99

The last one also got a 72 and a 182. 

 

[The Dreaded Marco]

I’m enjoying this thread a lot. I’m a huge fan of the band through ATYCLB. 

I would’ve loved to participate in the rankings but the last 4 albums would’ve sunk it for me and I know you asked U2 fans like me to stay out.  Understandably.  

Still appreciate all the work and commentary here. Nice job by all of you. 

 

[Nugget]

While we are playing guessing games, which is the second Joshua Tree track?

It lands at #56. One of us ranked it at #175.  If you ranked it at #175, please no spoilers lol

I'll go with Bullet the Blue Sky.  I could see it being disliked by some. 

 

[The Dreaded Marco]

AB and TJT are two of my favorite albums of all time. But each song has to be better than another. 
 

My ranking for AB:

4,5,3,6,2,10,12,7,1,8,11,9. 
 

TJT:

3,1,5,9,4,2,7,11,8,10,6

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

I’m enjoying this thread a lot. I’m a huge fan of the band through ATYCLB. 

I would’ve loved to participate in the rankings but the last 4 albums would’ve sunk it for me and I know you asked U2 fans like me to stay out.  Understandably.  

Still appreciate all the work and commentary here. Nice job by all of you. 

I hope i didn’t ask anyone to stay out. Just if we were going to rank, the list of 228 was required. I know a lot of songs are unfamiliar to most fans of their heyday, but I would at least attempt to have a listen to the last 4 albums with no or low expectations. I really enjoyed HTDAAB and Songs of Innocence. Songs of Experience has its moments. No Line on the Horizon can die in a ditch. 

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

#70 - Love Rescue Me (1988)

Highest Rank - 57

Lowest Rank - 115

Where to Find it - Rattle and Hum LP

Vulture.com ranking and comment -60/218 - The song’s backstory is how it earned its place on the album: Bono woke up one morning with a song in his head, but he wasn’t sure if it was one of his songs, or one of Bob Dylan’s songs. So he calls Bob and goes to his house in Malibu, where he sings the song to Dylan. Dylan says, “No, it’s not one of mine — but it could be,” and the two of them collaborate to finish the lyrics. One of the five songs recorded in five hours at Sun Studios, the Memphis Horns are the best part of the song, transforming it into countrified soul; Dylan is singing background vocals somewhere in the mix, and there’s allegedly a version with lead vocals that wasn’t used, so there was no conflict with the Traveling Wilburys. It’s the flip side, really, of “Hawkmoon 269,” the dressed-up-for-church version. It’s not a bad song by any means, but there were stronger contenders that ended up as B-sides. You can’t put a co-write with Bob Dylan on a B-side.

Comment - Somehow I ended up as the highest ranker here breaking my run of second highest ranker. The version I have in my head has BB King singing it. Must have been a live version i attended in 89 or my imagination running riot. Edit - found the show i was at https://youtu.be/3J9MONcV4gsIm not a lyrical person, but even i notice how good they are here. That Dylan influence? Sung and performed well

Next up, Songs of Experience gets to the cream

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

#69 - Love is Bigger than Anything in its Way (2017)

Highest Rank - 69

Lowest Rank - 102

Where to Find it - Songs of Experience LP

Vulture.com ranking and comment -Not Listed

Comment - This song almost works fantastically. Some great ideas and sounds, but not quite patched together. A modern track that no one seems to hate, or love for that matter. This is the third last track without a top 50 ranking from any of us. 

Next up, A song title that sounds a bit arrogant. Shame the song doesn’t match it. This will be followed by another song from the early days.

 

[Ghost Rider]

The #48 ranking that one of us had could make it tricky.  Not impossible mind you as someone has it at #2. Where the other two have it determines its fate

Oof. 

I'll go with Bullet the Blue Sky.  I could see it being disliked by some. 

Someone who is a communist, I suppose.  

 

[Ghost Rider]

Love Rescue Me was the one studio track from R&H that I wasn't wild about for a long time, but I came around to liking it quite a bit.  It's probably still my least favorite of the studio tracks, but it's a good song. Very nice vibe. 

Love Is Bigger... is a good tune.  Has that classic, anthemic U2 vibe and feel. 

 

[Anarchy99]

Oof. 

Apparently we are just going to skip over the awkward dinner table talk, the cheesy rom-com movie, and the overpriced drinks afterwards . . . to jump to songs way down the road.

I will own up to being the lowest (ie worst) ranker on this song. In my defense, I like the alternate live version much better. That version I would rank in the Top 5-10, but I was under the impression that we could only rank songs based on them being readily available and accessible (as in, you could buy it pretty easily). The live version I speak of doesn't fit that definition (and I guess that criteria was not really a thing after all. More on this in a couple weeks when we get to it.

So blame me for your song probably not ranking as high as it otherwise would have. Carry on. And now back to the countdown . . .

 

[Alex P Keaton]

Apparently we are just going to skip over the awkward dinner table talk, the cheesy rom-com movie, and the overpriced drinks afterwards . . . to jump to songs way down the road.

I will own up to being the lowest (ie worst) ranker on this song. In my defense, I like the alternate live version much better. That version I would rank in the Top 5-10, but I was under the impression that we could only rank songs based on them being readily available and accessible (as in, you could buy it pretty easily). The live version I speak of doesn't fit that definition (and I guess that criteria was not really a thing after all. More on this in a couple weeks when we get to it.

So blame me for your song probably not ranking as high as it otherwise would have. Carry on. And now back to the countdown . . .

That will be a fun discussion in a week or two!

 

[Anarchy99]

#69 - Love is Bigger than Anything in its Way (2017)

Highest Rank - 69

Lowest Rank - 102

Where to Find it - Songs of Experience LP

Vulture.com ranking and comment -Not Listed

Comment - This song almost works fantastically. Some great ideas and sounds, but not quite patched together. A modern track that no one seems to hate, or love for that matter. This is the third last track without a top 50 ranking from any of us. 

Next up, A song title that sounds a bit arrogant. Shame the song doesn’t match it. This will be followed by another song from the early days.

It hurts doesn't it? My hopes . . . dashed. My dreams . . . down the toilet.

Not sure if I want to demand a recount and an audit over the results of this song (I probably will want to save my one booth review for later). Clearly there was outside interference and the Dominion tabulation machines were rigged.

Sad that because of you jamokes, our recent RAH entries came in at:

Silver and Gold 76 (Vulture 50)
Angel of Harlem 74 (Vulture 17)
When Love Comes to Town 73 (Vulture 55)
Love Rescue Me 70 (Vulture 60)

Clearly the fine folks at Vulture are well educated, classy individuals and connoisseurs of fine art that swirl and sip cognac in a sitting room with a crackling fireplace going. You heathens likely wear "I'm With Stupid" tee shirts, drink Bud Light, and spend all weekend in your mom's basement playing Fortnite for 72 hours straight.

That being said, Love is Bigger isn't a bad song, but to rate it higher than those RAH songs . . . sacrilegious. Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!

 

[Nemesis]

#70 - Love Rescue Me (1988)    Highest-57   Lowest- 115     Rattle and Hum LP
Vulture -60/218 - Bono woke up 1 morning w a song in his head, but he wasn’t sure if it was 1 of his songs, or Bob Dylan’s songs. So he calls Bob & goes to his house in Malibu, where he sings the song to Dylan. Dylan says, “No, it’s not 1 of mine — but it could be,” & they collaborate to finish the lyrics. 1 of 5 songs recorded in 5 hrs at Sun Studios, the Memphis Horns are the best part of the song, transforming it into countrified soul; Dylan is singing background vocals somewhere in the mix, & there’s allegedly a version w lead vocals that wasn’t used, so there was no conflict w the Traveling Wilburys. It’s the flip side, really, of “Hawkmoon 269,” the dressed-up-for-church version. It’s not a bad song by any means, but there were stronger contenders that ended up as B-sides.

Comment -The version I have in my head has BB King singing it. Must have been a live version i attended in 89 or my imagination running riot. Edit - found the show i was at https://youtu.be/3J9MONcV4gsIm not a lyrical person, but even i notice how good they are here. That Dylan influence? Sung & performed well

Songfact:
Yes, Bob Dylan collaborated w Bono on the song (Dylan was even given writer credits).......but Dylan's vocal track was not used in the final release because of contractual obligations to The Traveling Wilburys  (a group Dylan was playing in w George Harrison, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, & Jeff Lynne).

Bono explained the song's meaning: "It's about a man people keep turning to as a savior but his own life is getting messed up and he could use a bit of salvation himself."

Lyrics:
     Yeah I’m here without a name
     In the palace of my shame
     I said love rescue me

Bono explains the "palace of your shame" lyric:
"Part of the rock star disease is stewing in your own juices. All writers think their feelings are important but a great writer realizes that though his feelings may be important, they're not all important enough to share. 'The palace of your shame' describes how people build their lives into a monument of self-pity. Irish people love the melancholy. It's that bitter sweetness that we do better than anyone else. I always reckon it's the rain."

Dylan came up w the line "I'm hanging by my thumbs, I'm ready for whatever comes, love rescue me."

Bono wrote some of this while staying w The Edge at a house in LA. After Edge moved out, the Menendez family moved in. Later, Eric & Lyle Menendez killed their parents there in 1989 & were subsequently sentenced to life.

Been played live 52 times...........w 48 of those on the 1989 Lovetown tour     (& then 4x on the 2010 360 tour)

 

[Nemesis]

#69 - Love is Bigger than Anything in its Way (2017)   Highest-69   Lowest-102     Songs of Experience LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -Not Listed

Comment - This song almost works fantastically. Some great ideas & sounds, but not quite patched together. A modern track that no one seems to hate, or love for that matter. This is the 3rd last track w/out a top 50 ranking fr any of us. 

Songfact:
The band began playing this tune live during TJT Tour in summer 2017, & on several occasions Bono told audiences that it was going to be the last song on Songs Of Experience. It ended up being the track before "13 (There is a Light)."

Bono explained the lyric, "Lead me in the way I should go. I'm running out of chances to blow,". He said: "The older protagonist is asking the younger one for help."

The track was remixed by Beck, Cheat Codes, Will Clarke, the Funk Hunters & Daybreakers. The new versions helped the song take the top spot on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. It was the 4th time the Irish band had reached #1 on that tally, (others were:   "Lemon" (1993), "Discotheque" (1997) & "Beautiful Day" (2001)).
Beck Remix
Cheat Code remix

Played with a full orchestra for the "At the BBC" recording

Been played live 76 times    (2018 I+E tour and the 2019 TJT tour)

 

[Nemesis]

On this day Nov 21, 1983:   Under a Blood Red Sky Album is released.

On this day Nov 22, 1978:  U2 were supposed to play a show w a number of other bands at St. Anthony’s Hall in Dublin, but were removed from the bill when they got in a dispute over who was headlining. 

On this day Nov 23, 2004:   How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is released. The album debuted at #1 in the U.S. where 1st wk sales doubled that of ATYCLB & set a record for the band. The same day, The Complete U2 digital box set is released by Apple Computer on the iTunes Store. It is the 1st major release of a purely digital online set by any artist. It contains the complete set of U2 albums & singles, & also contains live, rare & previously unreleased material fr 1978 to 2004, w a total of 446 songs. The release accompanies a U2 Special Edition iPod.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

#70 - Love Rescue Me (1988)

Highest Rank - 57

Lowest Rank - 115

Where to Find it - Rattle and Hum LP

Vulture.com ranking and comment -60/218 - The song’s backstory is how it earned its place on the album: Bono woke up one morning with a song in his head, but he wasn’t sure if it was one of his songs, or one of Bob Dylan’s songs. So he calls Bob and goes to his house in Malibu, where he sings the song to Dylan. Dylan says, “No, it’s not one of mine — but it could be,” and the two of them collaborate to finish the lyrics. One of the five songs recorded in five hours at Sun Studios, the Memphis Horns are the best part of the song, transforming it into countrified soul; Dylan is singing background vocals somewhere in the mix, and there’s allegedly a version with lead vocals that wasn’t used, so there was no conflict with the Traveling Wilburys. It’s the flip side, really, of “Hawkmoon 269,” the dressed-up-for-church version. It’s not a bad song by any means, but there were stronger contenders that ended up as B-sides. You can’t put a co-write with Bob Dylan on a B-side.

Comment - Somehow I ended up as the highest ranker here breaking my run of second highest ranker. The version I have in my head has BB King singing it. Must have been a live version i attended in 89 or my imagination running riot. Edit - found the show i was at https://youtu.be/3J9MONcV4gsIm not a lyrical person, but even i notice how good they are here. That Dylan influence? Sung and performed well

Next up, Songs of Experience gets to the cream

Mrs APK:  “how the #### does this rank higher than Angel of Harlem?  How are they even in the same general vicinity?”

So yeah.  Oh, and she actually likes this song.  We both had Angel in our top-30.

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

That will be a fun discussion in a week or two!

Try a month or 2

It hurts doesn't it? My hopes . . . dashed. My dreams . . . down the toilet.

Not sure if I want to demand a recount and an audit over the results of this song (I probably will want to save my one booth review for later). Clearly there was outside interference and the Dominion tabulation machines were rigged.

Sad that because of you jamokes, our recent RAH entries came in at:

Silver and Gold 76 (Vulture 50)
Angel of Harlem 74 (Vulture 17)
When Love Comes to Town 73 (Vulture 55)
Love Rescue Me 70 (Vulture 60)

Clearly the fine folks at Vulture are well educated, classy individuals and connoisseurs of fine art that swirl and sip cognac in a sitting room with a crackling fireplace going. You heathens likely wear "I'm With Stupid" tee shirts, drink Bud Light, and spend all weekend in your mom's basement playing Fortnite for 72 hours straight.

That being said, Love is Bigger isn't a bad song, but to rate it higher than those RAH song . . . sacrilegious. Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!

Love is Bigger....is this high cause nobody hates it. Only a few tracks like that left. The Rattle and Hum had one ranker who basically hated it and another who was pretty meh about it. The fact I am second, or in the case of Love Rescue Me, the highest ranker, tells you everything you need to know. We all have our outlier album. One of us loves Pop and I am way higher on the Songs of Innocence stuff. 

 

[Nemesis]

Last wk's Tidbits showed HOW Achtung Baby got it's name.   It also listed some of the alternate titles considered for the album.

In this week's U2 Tidbits, let's stay with the Achtung Baby album & look at the recording & release of it.
But did you know the Album Cover Artwork included a Controversial Nude Photo of one of the bandmembers?         (I didn't know about it until recently stumbling across it for this thread)

Recording:
Achtung Baby (their 7th album) was produced by Danny Lanois (primary producer) & Brian Eno.......w/ Mark Ellis  (aka Flood) returning as the engineer for the album. Eno worked w the band for a wk at a time, before leaving for a mth or more at a time.  After criticism of their 1988 release R&H, U2 wanted to shift their musical direction & decided to record in Berlin & arrived in the city on October 3, 1990 on the last flight into East Berlin on the eve of the reunification of Germany. (While looking for public celebrations that night, they mistakenly ended up joining an anti-unification protest by Communists.) 

They would begin recording in the famed Hansa Studios, where many including David Bowie & Iggy Pop had recorded.  Expecting to be inspired, U2 instead found the city to be depressing & gloomy.  The band found their East Berlin hotel to be dismal & the winter inhospitable, while the location of Hansa's Studio 2 was a former SS ballroom, the Meistersaal, which added to the "bad vibe". 

The band struggled during these early recording sessions, & were quite divided on a direction to take the album. Bono & The Edge (who had been listening to EDM) advocated for new musical directions along these lines & were working more closely together, writing material without the rest of the group.  In contrast, Mullen was listening to classic rock acts, & he & Adam were more comfortable w a sound similar to U2's previous work & was resistant to the proposed innovations. Furthermore, Edge's interest in dance club mixes & drum machines made Mullen feel that his contributions as a drummer were being diminished. 

Progress was extremely slow to come up w any completed songs during these sessions, & often would approach the same song over & over again hoping to get somewhere.  Bono & Lanois, in particular, had an argument that almost came to blows during the writing of "Mysterious Ways". During 1 tense session, Clayton removed his bass guitar & held it out to Bono, saying, "You tell me what to play & I'll play it. You want to play it yourself? Go ahead."  With a sense of going nowhere, the band considered breaking up & then a breakthrough was reached when Bono improvises a line “We’re one, but we’re not the same – we get to carry each other, carry each other”.  It begins to gel, & within a few hrs the song “One” is born.  It becomes the centerpiece & brings w it some confidence that all are on the right track.  The birth of ONE in Hansa Studios, Berlin

U2 returned to Dublin before Christmas where they had an opportunity to listen to the material they had recorded in Berlin. They agreed that there was promise in the material, & they made a brief return to Hansa in Jan 1991 to finish up some recordings. While only 2 completed songs came out of the work in Berlin, the sessions had been productive with multiple demos that still needed work.   (this is probably the point in time when demo tapes got out & into the hands of bootleggers & were subsequently distributed over the next couple of mths)

In Feb 1991, U2 relocated to record in a seaside home located just outside Dublin (& w/in walking distance of Bono's & Edge's homes). Like the recordings in Slane Castle for TUF & in the bands homes for TJT, the move was an attempt to bring some atmosphere that Lanois felt couldn’t be found in studio. The band struggled during these sessions w a song called “Lady With the Spinning Head” (#75 on our FBG ranking list)  but that work would eventually produce “The Fly”, “Ultraviolet (Light My Way)” & “Zoo Station”. Towards the end of the sessions, Eno returned to the Dublin sessions & was horrified w what he heard, calling it "a total disaster".  He worked w the band over the next # of wks to strip out some of the overdubbing that had been added to tracks.  Theorizing that the band was too close to their music, he even insisted they take a 2 wk holiday despite the recording deadline was at a crisis point & only 1 month away.   Eno on his role: "to come in & erase anything that sounded too much like U2".  By distancing himself fr the work, he believed he provided the band w a fresh perspective on their material each time he rejoined them.  "I would deliberately not listen to the stuff in between visits, so I could go in cold".  Song lineup from Dublin studio

In July 1991, the band moved to Windmill Lane Studios for final mixing of the tracks where Eno, Flood, Lanois, & previous U2 producer Steve Lillywhite mixed the tracks.  Each producer created his own mixes of the songs, & the band picked the version they preferred or requested that certain parts to be combined. Recording continued right up to the Sept 21 deadline, incl last min changes to “Mysterious Ways”, “The Fly” & “One”. The final night was spent deciding on a running order, & the Edge travelled to LA to deliver the album for final mastering.

Looking back on it, the band referred to the album's musical departure as "the sound of 4 men chopping down The Joshua Tree".  Bono called the album a "pivot point" in the band's career, saying, "Making AB is the reason we're still here now."

The Cover Artwork
For the album's cover, the desire was to steer clear of anything black & white to provide separation fr past album covers (Boy / R&H / TJT).  Photo sessions were done w U2's longtime photographer Anton Corbijn, who initially shot the band in Berlin in late 1990, & then later in Feb 1991 & a final shoot was done in Morocco in July. 

The band couldn’t decide on 1 single image to use for the cover.  So instead, they decided to use them all, which led to the 16 mostly brightly colored images arranged in a 4x4 grid pattern on the front & again on the back.  (the style is reminiscent of The Stones’ Exile on Main Street album) 

Included in the photos on the back of the original release was a standing nude photo of Adam Clayton, (color-treated in harsh red & blue tones)....but there was no hiding Adam’s manhood.  The idea to do the naked photo shoot was Bono’s & it had to do w 1 of the album’s early working titles, which was Adam:

“It was a basic progression from the 1st album of the Boy to Man, making a very simple straightforward statement, a person standing in a very unglamorous way. It wasn’t intended to have any particular sexuality about it, just a statement of where the band are in the most open & ‘naked’ way possible.”​

This caused some stir when North American record executives saw the proposed cover for the 1st time, as some music retailers & other territories threatened to not sell the album because of the full-frontal nudity.  Island Records reacted quickly, reprinting the artwork (for the CDs & cassettes only) with either a black "X"  or  a green shamrock covering Adam’s nudity.  But because the vinyl was a limited run & not repressed, & Clayton’s naked picture remains on those, making the relatively small # of vinyl copies instant collectors’ items.  Meanwhile, the label on the physical CD featured the graffiti image of a baby that was taken from an external wall at Windmill Lane & drawn by artist Charlie Whisker. This babyface was later used throughout the Zoo TV tour, appeared on the Zooropa album, & was resurrected on the U2360 tour. He has been named “Cosmo”.

Release
The album was released worldwide on Nov 18, 1991, (North America was the 19th). Island Records & U2 refused to make advance copies of the album available to the press until just a few days before the release date, preferring that fans listen to the record before reading reviews. The decision came amid rumors of tensions w/in the band, similar to the Hollywood practice of withholding pre-release copies of films from reviewers whenever they receive poor word-of-mouth press. The group maintained a low profile after the record's release, avoiding interviews & allowing critics & the public to make their own assessments.

In the US, the 5-inch CD was distributed in 2 very different types of packaging. CDs at the time were packaged w a wasteful outer box called a ‘longbox’ that allowed CDs to be displayed in shelving originally used for 12-inch vinyl. For AB, U2 wanted to do away w the wasteful packaging & chose to release the CD in a jewel case by itself w no longbox.  (Island encouraged the jewel case by offering a 4% discount).

As with TJT, AB produced 5 singles:    (“The Fly“ / “Mysterious Ways“ / “One“ / “Even Better Than the Real Thing“ / “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses“). When 4 of the single covers (except for "One") are placed together, they make 1 larger image, of U2 riding in a trabant car. Link

The album debuted at #1 on the USA Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, & debuted at #2 in the UK albums charts.  It has sold 18 million copies to date worldwide  (2nd to TJT, which has sold 25 million copies).  AB won a Grammy Award in 1993 for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group w Vocal & was nominated for Album of the Year while Lanois & Eno captured the award for Producer of the Year (Non-Classical).

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

#68 - Magnificent (2009)

Highest Rank - 25

Lowest Rank - 139

Where to Find it - No Line on the Horizon LP

Vulture.com ranking and comment -71/218 - The key line to this song is in the second verse, where Bono sings about his first cry being a joyful noise. U2 aren’t working Bible references into their songs accidentally, and if you circle up to the top of the verse: “I was born to sing with you.” Extend that further to the first verse: “I was born to be with you.” Bono could be talking about a lover or he could be talking about the audience — or both.

Comment - Another song that almost moves up a level, but just held back. The fact I am second highest ranker surprises me, but I rank it at #86. The 25 ranking puts it this high overall.

Next up, a very early track that thins out the Boy album even further 

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

#67 - A Day Without Me (1980)

Highest Rank - 31

Lowest Rank - 121

Where to Find it - Boy LP

Vulture.com ranking and comment -154/218 - When Boy came out, this was the track where you thought, “Hey, someone has been listening to Tom Verlaine.” That’s hardly a diss — it’s not like bands doing that were exactly thick on the ground — and the Edge’s ability to translate what he heard and make it his own is one of the hallmarks of U2. Bono deserves some credit for the purchase of the Memory Man echo unit that creates the soaring arpeggios on this track and “11 O’Clock Tick Tock.”

Comment - The run of my second highest rankings comes to an end, with surprise surprise an old track. It’s a nice album track. Vulture has it lower than any of us. 

Next up, is this the last divisive 90s single. Somehow I fell into a youtube hole with about a dozen remixes of the song. I think I prefer the Lemon remixes lol. Then, as per usual of late another Rattle and Hum track

 

[Ghost Rider]

Magnificent was the gateway song in getting me back into U2 in 2009. I had drifted away from them since the late 90s (I never heard anything from How to Dismantle... except for the obvious big hit until 2009/2010, for example), but hearing this was like, "damn, this sounds like old U2!!"  So yeah, I am a fan. The suffocating mix of the No Line on the Horizon record in general doesn't let the song breathe as much as it needs to, but it's still a damn fine song.  Live versions didn't shine as much as I thought they would, but I think that was more about Bono not being able to consistently belt it out like he did back in the day, and he seemingly picked his spots every night on the 360 tour as to when he would let loose, and this song never seemed to get that treatment.  Too bad, as this should have been a modern classic. 

A Day Without Me is a solid deep cut, but not much more than that, IMO. 

 

[Brony]

#67 - A Day Without Me (1980)

Highest Rank - 31

Lowest Rank - 121

Where to Find it - Boy LP

Vulture.com ranking and comment -154/218 - When Boy came out, this was the track where you thought, “Hey, someone has been listening to Tom Verlaine.” That’s hardly a diss — it’s not like bands doing that were exactly thick on the ground — and the Edge’s ability to translate what he heard and make it his own is one of the hallmarks of U2. Bono deserves some credit for the purchase of the Memory Man echo unit that creates the soaring arpeggios on this track and “11 O’Clock Tick Tock.”

Comment - The run of my second highest rankings comes to an end, with surprise surprise an old track. It’s a nice album track. Vulture has it lower than any of us. 

Next up, is this the last divisive 90s single. Somehow I fell into a youtube hole with about a dozen remixes of the song. I think I prefer the Lemon remixes lol. Then, as per usual of late another Rattle and Hum track

Love this song.  My #31.  One of several songs from Boy that would get the blood flowing during training runs in high school.    Definitely sounds 'of that era', a little punk, a little Duran Duran.  That's not horrible in my book. 

 

[Nemesis]

#68 - Magnificent (2009)   Highest- 25    Lowest- 139     No Line on the Horizon LP
Vulture-71/218 - The key line to this song is in the 2nd verse, where Bono sings about his 1st cry being a joyful noise. U2 aren’t working Bible references into their songs accidentally, & if you circle up to the top of the verse: “I was born to sing w you.” Extend that further to the 1st verse: “I was born to be w you.” Bono could be talking about a lover or he could be talking about the audience — or both.

Comment - Another song that almost moves up a level, but just held back. The fact I am 2nd highest ranker surprises me, but I rank it at #86. The 25 ranking puts it this high overall.

Songfact:
Bono noted that Magnificent's lyrics were influenced by both Cole Porter & Bach, & that the song is about "2 lovers holding on to each other & trying to turn their life into worship."

Daniel Lanois (1 of NLOTH's producers):     "We wanted to have something euphoric & Bono came up w that little melody. And he loved that melody, & stuck w it. Almost like a fanfare. And then I was involved in the lyrical process on that, because we wanted to talk about sacrifice that 1 makes for 1's medium or 1's art."

This song features additional keyboards by will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas.

This was at 1 time titled "French Disco."  

Lyrics
"Only love can leave such a mark, but only love can heal such a scar"   (pretty good line here) 

I was born
I was born to sing for you
I didn't have a choice
But to lift you up
And sing whatever song you wanted me to
I give you back my voice
From the womb my first cry
It was a joyful noise
Oh, oh​

The lyrics leave a wide path for interpretation but to me, this song expresses about being a parent & bringing a child into the world

U2's Magnificent entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #79 the same wk as Rick Ross' entirely different track "Magnificent" debuted at #88. Two other instances of different songs w the same title debuting the same wk were:
           July 3, 1976 - Fleetwood Mac (#74) & D.J. Rogers (#100)......"Say You Love Me"
            Feb. 13, 1993 - Mary J. Blige (#47) & Mick Jagger #84)........."Sweet Thing."

Been played live 109 times........almost entirely on the 360 Tour   (was never played on the TJT 2017 or 2019 tours)

There might be 50 different mixes of this song, but this is the one I released at the time: U2 - Magnificent (Fred Falke Radio Remix)
U2 - Magnificent (Live on Letterman)

hearing this was like, "damn, this sounds like old U2!!"

As discussed when Get on Your Boots was reviewed:    Why in the heck did U2 release Boots as the 1st single from NLOTH when Magnificent probably would have given them a hit single?

 

[Nemesis]

#67 - A Day Without Me (1980)   Highest- 31    Lowest- 121       Boy LP
Vulture-154/218 - When Boy came out, this was the track where you thought, “Hey, someone has been listening to Tom Verlaine.” That’s hardly a diss — it’s not like bands doing that were exactly thick on the ground — & Edge’s ability to translate what he heard & make it his own is 1 of the hallmarks of U2. Bono deserves some credit for the purchase of the Memory Man echo unit that creates the soaring arpeggios on this track & “11 O’Clock Tick Tock.”

Comment - It’s a nice album track. Vulture has it lower than any of us. 

Songfact:
Suicide & mental illness are the main themes of this song. Bono wrote the lyrics after hearing news that Ian Curtis had killed himself - the Joy Division lead singer died on May 17, 1980 at age 24  (which later became New Order after his death). 

A Day without me was U2's 1st single from the Boy album.  (it was released 2 mths before Boy came out).  This was the 1st song Steve Lillywhite produced for U2. After the group signed w Island Records, the label had Lillywhite helm the track to see if he was compatible w the band. He was & Lillywhite ended up producing their first 3 albums.

The release of “A Day Without Me” also played a key role in breaking the band in the US, when DJ Carter Alan, upon hearing it in a record store in Boston, MA, started playing it on his show on WBCN radio. It was one of the earliest plays of U2 on American radio, & WBCN would continue to push U2 on future releases.

Been played 153 times........almost entirely on Boy, October, War, and a couple times on the TUF setlists.

 

[Anarchy99]

Mrs APK:  “how the #### does this rank higher than Angel of Harlem?  How are they even in the same general vicinity?”

So yeah.  Oh, and she actually likes this song.  We both had Angel in our top-30.

Preaching to the choir. 

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

#66 - Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me (1995)

Highest Rank - 24

Lowest Rank - 170

Where to Find it - Batman Forever Soundtrack

Vulture.com ranking and comment -74/218 - “I figured it’d be good for us to be involved in something that’s basically throwaway and light-hearted,” the Edge said about this Zooropa leftover that was transformed into something that sounds exactly like the soundtrack for a comic-book hero. It soars and zooms and creates a mood.

Comment - A throwaway (I wrote that before i saw the vulture comment) song in an era they had trouble writing great songs, this is effortless. They overthink things sometimes. 2 top 40 rankings and 2 over a 100. Is this the last divisive 90s single? We had Numb, Lemon, Miss Sarajevo and this one. Its probably a throwaway, but its such a fun track. Bono is in great form here. U2 not taking themselves seriously. Why so serious? 

Next up, Rattle and Hum continues to dominate this stretch of the rundown

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

#65 - Hawkmoon 269 (1988)

Highest Rank - 57

Lowest Rank - 110

Where to Find it - Rattle and Hum LP

Vulture.com ranking and comment -18/218 - The previous track on the album might have been called “Desire,” but this is rapture. “Hawkmoon 269” is six minutes of a fiery inferno. Bono howls and Edge lights his guitar strings afire like a fuse leading to dynamite. Adam Clayton’s bass is so low you can feel it in the pit of your stomach; lower, probably. And this is likely one of Larry Mullen Jr.’s finest performances. He manages to guide the tension and the intensity with insane precision. The jazz drummer Larry Bunker is on the tympani, there’s a gospel trio at the end, and oh, THERE IS BOB DYLAN ON THE HAMMOND ORGAN — that crazy carnival melody at the start and then bubbling underneath and meandering through the song. U2 have rarely played “Hawkmoon 269” live. It is probably better that way — to leave it in its pure state, hidden in a record that sold millions of copies worldwide but was mercilessly ripped apart by the rock-critic Establishment for putting on airs, when it was just four kids from Dublin falling in love with American music history.

Comment - The second last song without a top 50 rank. Interestingly the last one is well inside the top 50. Just not my style at all. Like a lot of this album, but ai recognise the importance anD what the band is trying to do. The album is sort of like the home made costume at a fancy dress ball. Lots of blood, sweat and tears went into it, but it just doesn’t fit in with any other album. I think vulture lost their damn freakin mind putting this track at 18. 

Next up, a title track from the 90s that is very interesting and No Line on the Horizon gets to its second last track.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

#72 - Seconds (1983)

Highest Rank - 25

Lowest Rank - 131

Where to Find it - War LP

Vulture.com ranking and comment -139/218 - Lead vocals and excellent guitar work from the Edge are the highlights here. There’s a lot to like about this one; tight, compact, evocative, it almost unintentionally contextualizes the record by coming in after “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” in that it’s another current commentary. If anything, it almost foreshadows what the band would do later on the Zoo TV tour, with the sample from a documentary about female soldiers in the middle.

Comment - Great album track

Next up, the first song we see from one of the big 2. The Joshua Tree makes its first appearance

Love it, I’m definitely closer to 25 than 131. It’s got a powerful message that’s isn’t jackhammered into the listener. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

#71 - Exit (1987)

Highest Rank - 47

Lowest Rank - 174

Where to Find it - The Joshua Tree LP

Vulture.com ranking and comment -52/218 - Sometimes the muses lead you in a direction you don’t expect, or anticipate: the darkness and evil in works by authors such as Flannery O’Connor, Truman Capote, and of course, Norman Mailer, whose The Executioner’s Song was the nominal influence for “Exit.” The song isn’t a retelling of any one story, but rather an examination of the forces that drove the people or characters those authors wrote about. “Exit” is a roller coaster of emotions, pinned down by Adam Clayton’s heartbeat bass in formation with Mullen’s drumming picking up the pulse — there is so much masterful precision going on — and then Edge’s guitar slipping by like wisps of fog until it explodes in violent intensity, Bono’s vocals walking a line between observer and participant.

But when you invoke the muses, there is sometimes a cost. “Exit” would let the band exorcise their demons, but then Bono slipped and fell early on during a performance of the song, badly damaging his shoulder and causing him to perform the rest of the tour in a sling (you can see it in the video of “Trip Through Your Wires”). Later, the man who murdered actress Rebecca Schaeffer in 1989 would claim that he was inspired by the song. All of the above likely contributed to the disappearance of the track in the band’s live set once the Joshua Tree tour was over, until the announcement in 2017 of the 40th-anniversary tour. This time out, Bono took off his glasses, donned some eyeliner and a costume change, and created a character he referred to as “Shadow Man” for the performances of the song, which was both masterful and breathtaking. But the real hero of the track in 2017 was the Edge, whose fury on guitar went above and beyond.

Comment - Doesnt really fit on this album despite being a compelling song. It’s our first entry into the big 2 albums. 

Next up, Back to Rattle and Hum....again.

As was the case with many, I played JT incessantly when it came out. At first my favorite was Streets, then it was Bullet, … and then it was Exit. The dynamics of this one are incredible, and it has one of Bono’s best vocals. It being so different from their usual approach may be part of why I like it so much. It is still in my top 10 today.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

This was #25 on my list.  Based on a few comments in this thread, it seems like some folks don’t really like when U2 gets too political or preachy.   I’m the opposite — I like their early, overtly political or I’ll call them “humanitarian” songs.  This song is freaking fantastic.  It gives me chills still sometimes.

A guy I know went to the same TJT 30th anniversary show I did and afterwards threw a hissy fit on Facebook because of Bono’s political remarks onstage (some of which were anti-Trump).

My thought was, you were expecting U2 not to be political? You dolt.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

#70 - Love Rescue Me (1988)

Highest Rank - 57

Lowest Rank - 115

Where to Find it - Rattle and Hum LP

Vulture.com ranking and comment -60/218 - The song’s backstory is how it earned its place on the album: Bono woke up one morning with a song in his head, but he wasn’t sure if it was one of his songs, or one of Bob Dylan’s songs. So he calls Bob and goes to his house in Malibu, where he sings the song to Dylan. Dylan says, “No, it’s not one of mine — but it could be,” and the two of them collaborate to finish the lyrics. One of the five songs recorded in five hours at Sun Studios, the Memphis Horns are the best part of the song, transforming it into countrified soul; Dylan is singing background vocals somewhere in the mix, and there’s allegedly a version with lead vocals that wasn’t used, so there was no conflict with the Traveling Wilburys. It’s the flip side, really, of “Hawkmoon 269,” the dressed-up-for-church version. It’s not a bad song by any means, but there were stronger contenders that ended up as B-sides. You can’t put a co-write with Bob Dylan on a B-side.

Comment - Somehow I ended up as the highest ranker here breaking my run of second highest ranker. The version I have in my head has BB King singing it. Must have been a live version i attended in 89 or my imagination running riot. Edit - found the show i was at https://youtu.be/3J9MONcV4gsIm not a lyrical person, but even i notice how good they are here. That Dylan influence? Sung and performed well

Next up, Songs of Experience gets to the cream

It’s ok. And a Bono-Dylan collaboration should be more than that. The elements that some people don’t like about RAH are all here on this one. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Mrs APK:  “how the #### does this rank higher than Angel of Harlem?  How are they even in the same general vicinity?”

So yeah.  Oh, and she actually likes this song.  We both had Angel in our top-30.

I’m with her.

 

[Anarchy99]

I was clowning around earlier about Vulture, but they have 9 RAH songs in their top 81. 

Talk about kismet. Maybe we are soul mates. A love for the ages. I may have to get a subscription now. 

RAH sold 14 million copies. Clearly there have to be other people that like it besides me.