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U2 - Community rankings - FIN - #4 Sunday Bloody Sunday, #3 - One, #2 - Bad, #1 - Where the Streets Have No Name -Spotify links, thanks to Krista4 (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter John Maddens Lunchbox
- Start date
Nemesis
Footballguy
Songfact:
Released in the UK on March 22, 1982, “A Celebration” was a non-album single designed to fill the gap between the October & War albums. The song would never appear on an actual U2 album, & has remained fairly obscure throughout the band’s career. “A Celebration” was issued on 7-inch vinyl in all areas of release. (UK, & throughout Europe, Japan, Australia & New Zealand. There was no release in North America.) In most regions, the sleeve had a small square center area surrounding a circle with a sunburst pattern above the text. Link
“A Celebration” was recorded quickly as U2 came off the 2nd leg of The October Tour. Edge would later remark that the song may have suffered a bit as a result of the band’s post-tour intensity & the fact that they had not yet “come down” enough to properly record in a studio again. The B-side in most areas was “Trash, Trampoline, and the Party Girl” which is more commonly known as simply “Party Girl.” It was written and recorded in just 40 minutes. The single was produced by Steve Lillywhite, & recording & mixing of the single took place in Basing Street Studios in London, finishing up just before the US leg of the tour was due to start. In Japan, the B-side was the album version of “Fire.”
“A Celebration” was the 3rd song for which U2 filmed a music video. Like the previous two clips (”I Will Follow“ & “Gloria“), it was directed by Meiert Avis. The video was shot at Kilmainham Gaol, a jail in Dublin. It primarily features Bono running about the building & dancing down the stairs, along w other band members performing around the Kilmainham grounds. Special effects include shots of the band members running through a doorway accompanied by bursts of “starlight” & walking through foggy rooms & corridors. There is also footage of buildings being destroyed & children riding horses through an apocalyptic landscape interspersed throughout the clip. The video has not been collected on any commercial U2 release.
“A Celebration” has never appeared on a commercial compilation by U2. It was released on some versions of the “Pride“ single, but did not debut on CD until 2008, w the remastered deluxe version of October.
Live - 1982 in Holland
Live - May 1982 on UK television
“A Celebration” was introduced in February of 1982 (1 month before the release), but has only played live on 32 dates on the October & War tours. It was last performed on November 30, 1983 in Tokyo, Japan. There have been no live recordings of “A Celebration” officially released.
Nemesis
Footballguy
Songfact:
“I’ve written a song now that’s like a 2-finger salute to the people who tried to foist a sense of guilt on us because we’re successful,” Bono said. “The thing is, we always wanted to be 1 of the biggest bands in the world.” On “Gone,” he takes on the price of fame (“You get to feel so guilty/Got so much for so little”) over guitar that’s like a drill boring into glass. “The sounds that a guitar is capable of creating are, at this point, cliché,” Edge said. “The challenge is to find things you can do w the instrument that are not already used up.” On the PopMart Tour, “Gone” was occasionally dedicated to late INXS vocalist Michael Hutchence. Said Bono at 1 show, “Going … going … but never gone.”
Bono has often expressed a view that he feels that he is "spoiled rotten, and paid too much" and that he'd "do it for free". It is evident that he feels that Michael Hutchence harbored similar feelings, which ultimately led to his apparent suicide. Gone, reflects this.
Bono: "'Gone' is the portrait of the young man as a rock star, trying to cut himself free from responsibilities & just enjoy the ride, the suit of lights, fame. 'You change your name, well that's okay, it's necessary. And what you leave behind you don't miss anyway.' But I think what this album tells you is that some things you can't leave behind. That's really it. It's like the university professor who just can't dance. Deep down we weren't as shallow as we'd like."
On their 2001 Elevation tour, Bono would jokingly say at the end of the song, "that was a song about self-mutilation, torture, and mortality, all kinds of confused things that happen to people in rock bands."
In a VH1 special for the GH 1990-2000 album, there is a clip of Bono saying "that song is a reason to go & play live."
U2 were working on this song when they found out their friend Bill Graham (not the concert promoter) had died. They dedicated the album Pop to him.
Gone landed at #34 when Rolling Stone ranked their Top50 U2 songs.
Been played live 146 times.......'97 PopMart tour and then some of the 2001 Elevation tour. Hasn't been played since then.
Another song from Pop that I just don't understand the love for..........glad it's "Gone" as I probably would have rated this #128.
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John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
#27 - Elevation (2000)
Highest Rank - 14
Lowest Rank - 122
Where to Find it - All that you can’t leave behind LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -33/218 - The slinky rhythm of the studio version of “Elevation” should not be underestimated. On the other hand, sometimes you write a song to watch a stadium of 80,000 people jump up and down. “Can’t sing but I’ve got soul / The goal is / ELEVATION” — truth in advertising.
Comment - Knows how to have a hook and ride with it. It’s not the deepest song they have (I stand to be corrected) in their repetoire, but it gave the album depth, especially single wise and rocks out. There are many versions of this track out there...will see what nemesis says.
Next up, a single from The Joshua Tree? This early? Which one is it?
Highest Rank - 14
Lowest Rank - 122
Where to Find it - All that you can’t leave behind LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -33/218 - The slinky rhythm of the studio version of “Elevation” should not be underestimated. On the other hand, sometimes you write a song to watch a stadium of 80,000 people jump up and down. “Can’t sing but I’ve got soul / The goal is / ELEVATION” — truth in advertising.
Comment - Knows how to have a hook and ride with it. It’s not the deepest song they have (I stand to be corrected) in their repetoire, but it gave the album depth, especially single wise and rocks out. There are many versions of this track out there...will see what nemesis says.
Next up, a single from The Joshua Tree? This early? Which one is it?
Ghost Rider
Footballguy
This is probably 75-100 spots higher than I'd have it, but I won't be too hard on Elevation, as it is a fun live song. I have zero use for the studio version. Heck, I never listen to the live versions either. It's a fun one at the live shows. That's it.
Anarchy99
Footballguy
I really like the Tomb Raider version. The other ones seem too flat / a little bland.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Definitely one of the tracks that showed U2 were more back to "being themselves" after the detours of Zooropa and Pop. Works very well as a live song. Not a desert island track for me, but one I like very much, and I can't fathom why someone would rank it at 122.
Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
This is fair. Flip side though, I can’t imagine a world (or even a moment in time) where I would rank it 14.
Grace Under Pressure
Footballguy
Was just thinking about this song when last reviewing the list. I like the song well enough, although not nearly as much as some of the recent tracks or even some way farther down the list. But it’s an important song obviously, it’s the namesake for an entire tour and I believe they opened with it quite a bit IIRC.
Ghost Rider
Footballguy
I will give Elevation a little extra credit for the below. I was at that show in 2011 and remember Bono getting those five guys on the catwalk and rocking out. One of those awesome moments you never forget. (starts around the 2:30 mark)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DTADODNwZU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DTADODNwZU
Nemesis
Footballguy
Songfact:
"It is fun & frolics.....but the goal is soul," Bono says of the song. "It is about sexuality & transcendence, a playful piece about wanting to get off, or, in this case, to literally get off the ground. I can't actually remember writing it. It was all over in minutes, which is probably not the greatest admission to make in a song about sex."
"Elevation" started out being called "Busy Bee". It was inspired by a sound that guitarist the Edge achieved from a vintage effects unit when playing his Gibson SG guitar through a Fender Bassman amplifier. He likened the pedal to "some mad funkadelic thing". Co-producer Daniel Lanois, who had brought the unit to the studio, called it his "secret weapon", saying: "It's like a distortion pedal that has a warp, or a tone control, built on. As you push the pedal down you get the high frequency." Within 10 mins, Edge developed the riff that inspired the rest of the song. He then programmed a rhythm on a drum machine to which the band started playing & Bono improvised vocals. For the heavily distorted sound of the song's main guitar riff, Edge played his guitar through a 1970s Hiwatt amplifier. The wah-wah guitar effect at the end of the song was achieved by filtering the tone through an Electrix Filter Factory sound module. Edge said that "Elevation" was light relief among a sequence of serious songs on the album that included "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of", "Kite" & "Walk On.
Their 2001 tour was called "The Elevation Tour," & this was the 1st song in the set. U2 messed w convention by starting the show w the house lights still on. As the recorded intro music to this song played, the band would take the stage & start the show under the house lights. Somewhere in the middle of the song, the house lights would cut & the stage lights would come on. U2 tried this on the 1st show of the tour, & the response was so strong that they did it for the remainder of the tour.
The Elevation Tour was the most profitable tour in the US in 2001. It grossed $143 million in 113 dates.
Lyrics:
Soul, got no self-control
Living like a mole now
Going down, excavation
I and I in the sky <--Anyone got anything on this lyric?.....I can't find anything
You make me feel like I can fly
So high, elevation
Bono's laptop computer containing lyrics to the songs on the album was stolen in 1999. It was recovered by an Irish man who bought the stolen computer, & discovered the lyrics. He turned it in for a reward.
A remixed version was included on the soundtrack to the 2001 movie Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft. The "Tomb Raider Mix" version of the song was released as a single by U2, & differs significantly from the album version in that it was a heavier guitar & drums version & add'l tambourine. This arrangement is how U2 have performed the song since its release rather than the album version. It's become a fan favorite & is played during most U2 shows.
A video for this (1 of most expensive music videos ever filmed) was made featuring a "good" U2 doing battle w an "evil" U2, who kidnaps Edge. Croft rescues him, & the U2s face off in a street jam. It was directed by Joseph Kahn, who also helmed the band's "Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of" video.
A live performance was taped for British TV show Top Of The Pops on the rooftop of the Clarence Hotel in Ireland that Bono & Edge own Link . They also taped a performance of "Beautiful Day" for the show.
Charts: #1 in Ireland, Netherlands, Canada Top10: Australia, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Norway, Scotland, Spain, & UK
US peaked at #21
Won the 2001 Grammy for Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal. U2 won 4 awards that night, including Best Rock Album.
Elevation was not ranked in Rolling Stone's Top50 U2 songs.....crazy
Elevation - TJT 2017 tour
Been played live 520 times...............every tour since it was released.
Elevation Partners, a $1.9 billion private equity company of which Bono was a co-founder & managing director, was named after the song. In 2006, when the NFL asked teams to stop using "Rock & Roll (Part 2)" by Gary Glitter as a touchdown song, the New England Patriots chose to use "Elevation"; they used it for the 2006 through 2009 seasons. The song has been used from 2006 to 2008 when the Vancouver Canucks score goals at home; it was used regularly during the 2007 NBA Playoffs & before kickoff at Colorado Rapids games (the Rapids play in the stadium at the highest elevation in the league).
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Nemesis
Footballguy
Elevation versions / remixes:
"Elevation" (Tomb Raider Mix) - U2 (03:38).........see JML's link
"Elevation" (Escalation Mix) - U2 (07:07)
"Elevation" (Influx Mix) - U2 (04:04).......I read that this would play prior to concerts to let the band get onstage.
"Elevation" (Quincey & Sonance Remix) - U2 (06:54)........this one is trippy
"Elevation" (The Vandit Club Mix) - U2 (08:51)............seems to be for the EDM crowd
Elevation (Paul Van Dyk Remix) 07:56
"Elevation" (The Biffco Mix) - U2 (04:19).............closer to the Tomb Raider mix
"Elevation" (Tomb Raider Mix) - U2 (03:38).........see JML's link
"Elevation" (Escalation Mix) - U2 (07:07)
"Elevation" (Influx Mix) - U2 (04:04).......I read that this would play prior to concerts to let the band get onstage.
"Elevation" (Quincey & Sonance Remix) - U2 (06:54)........this one is trippy
"Elevation" (The Vandit Club Mix) - U2 (08:51)............seems to be for the EDM crowd
Elevation (Paul Van Dyk Remix) 07:56
"Elevation" (The Biffco Mix) - U2 (04:19).............closer to the Tomb Raider mix
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
#26 - In God’s Country (1987)
Highest Rank - 27
Lowest Rank - 71
Where to Find it - The Joshua Tree LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -80/218 - A dream of America, one beyond cities and tour-bus windows, the music is as expansive as the sun rising over the horizon. And yet, there’s possibly unintentional commentary that’s almost hidden: “Sad eyes, crooked crosses / In God’s country.” It’s not accidental that a record inspired by America would end up being a fantastic road-trip record. Time this one right and you’ll think you’re flying.
Comment - Searching for the 4th single was such a difficult task. This ended up it in the US, but you have your top 3 obvious singles and then fantastic album tracks. It was such a surprise to see Red Hill Mining Town almost released as the second single. This sort just fills out the album nicely. Not really single material, but it deserves its place on the monster that is The Joshua Tree.
Next up, we start the top 25 with a track from The Unforgettable Fire which still has 4 tracks to go.
Highest Rank - 27
Lowest Rank - 71
Where to Find it - The Joshua Tree LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -80/218 - A dream of America, one beyond cities and tour-bus windows, the music is as expansive as the sun rising over the horizon. And yet, there’s possibly unintentional commentary that’s almost hidden: “Sad eyes, crooked crosses / In God’s country.” It’s not accidental that a record inspired by America would end up being a fantastic road-trip record. Time this one right and you’ll think you’re flying.
Comment - Searching for the 4th single was such a difficult task. This ended up it in the US, but you have your top 3 obvious singles and then fantastic album tracks. It was such a surprise to see Red Hill Mining Town almost released as the second single. This sort just fills out the album nicely. Not really single material, but it deserves its place on the monster that is The Joshua Tree.
Next up, we start the top 25 with a track from The Unforgettable Fire which still has 4 tracks to go.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
This is our final 25 in alphabetical order. Which song(s) do not belong?
A Sort of Homecoming
Acrobat
All I Want Is You
Bad
Beautiful Day
City of Blinding Lights
Even Better Than the Real Thing
Gloria
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
I Will Follow
Mysterious Ways
New Year's Day
One
One Tree Hill
Out of Control
Pride (In the Name of Love)
Running to Stand Still
So Cruel
Sunday Bloody Sunday
The Fly
The Unforgettable Fire
Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
Walk On
Where the Streets Have No Name
With or Without You
A Sort of Homecoming
Acrobat
All I Want Is You
Bad
Beautiful Day
City of Blinding Lights
Even Better Than the Real Thing
Gloria
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
I Will Follow
Mysterious Ways
New Year's Day
One
One Tree Hill
Out of Control
Pride (In the Name of Love)
Running to Stand Still
So Cruel
Sunday Bloody Sunday
The Fly
The Unforgettable Fire
Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
Walk On
Where the Streets Have No Name
With or Without You
Ghost Rider
Footballguy
In God's Country is a good song, but I think this got the "it was on The Joshua Tree and it has never been overplayed" bump (the latter probably what was dinged Bullet the Blue Sky for a voter or two). Again, good song, but it wouldn't make my top 50.
Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
I had it at 8.
This is my 2nd favorite song on TJT. My 3rd favorite also wasn’t a single.
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bigbottom
Footballguy
I love In God’s Country. And the first strums of that guitar solo are epic/iconic.
Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
Basically most of Achtung belongs in the really good but not top-25 category. As an album, it’s notable mostly because it doesn’t have any weak songs. All of them are a good listen, over and over. But most don’t hold up well against the best songs from other albums. The love for Achtung in here has been my biggest surprise (just slightly ahead of the borderline disregard for early U2). I don’t personally have I Still Haven’t Found in my top-25, but accept that most people have it way up there. Walk On probably doesn’t belong either.
Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
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bigbottom
Footballguy
Acrobat and So Cruel (heck, even Ultraviolet) making the Top 25 is pretty bonkers to me, but I’ve never had the absolute love for AB that many (most?) die hard U2 fans have.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Great stuff. Other than Streets, may be the track from TJT that most sounded like what people expected U2 to sound like at that time. The guitar on this is just sublime.
Once again, we have a Vulture writeup that doesn't really match its ranking. The other Vulture voters must have been much lower than the writer.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
These are the top 25 entries that would have been most likely not to make my own top 25. I don't hate any of them, so I don't think I would have been too much of an outlier had I done a ranking.
Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
I'll have definitely thought about this enough to produce one by then. I'll also post the results of a U2 song draft I did on another sports/music geek board.
Anarchy99
Footballguy
I don’t believe there was a vote by Vulture. I think it’s one person only ranking the songs as she sees fit.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Anarchy99
Footballguy
I can sort of see it. I have praised some songs I didn’t rank highly and was indifferent to negative on some songs I ranked a lot higher. But that is probably baked into the popularity of the song.
Nemesis
Footballguy
Love, love this song.........I have it at #6
It's such a great song that have ALL FOUR of them firing on all cylinders.
I already posted about U2's musicianship in this post. From that post, I'm re-posting this part about In God's Country as we may have new FBG'er eyes in this thread:
As an aside.......Some of you might recognize the name Rick Beato. He is a musician, songwriter, audio engineer & record producer that has a YouTube channel where he has de-constructed & reviewed hundreds of famous songs in his series called, "What Makes This Song Great?" (he has over 2.5 million subscribers....check him out)
Anyway, he did a review of the JT song, "In God's Country"...........and in that video he also talks about his admiration for the band musicianship & technique (BTW: "In God's Country" is in my Top 10 of songs from U2) Rick Beato's review of...In God's Country
APK: same EXACT sentiment for me...........AB has good songs, but I'm with @bigbottom that some of those AB songs don't belong in the Top25 : I only had 4 songs from AB in my Top25.......and Acrobat, So Cruel, Ultraviolet didn't make it.
And also I don't have "Still Haven't Found" in my Top25.........don't hate it, but don't love it.
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Nemesis
Footballguy
Songfact:
One of the songs on TJT that explores American culture & politics, Bono has stated that he originally didn't know whether the song was about Ireland or the US, but eventually his lyrics were inspired by the Statue Of Liberty in NYC. The song characterizes the US as a "desert rose" & a siren whose dress is torn in "ribbons & bows," a depiction both "sad & seductive". The lyric speaks of a lack of political ideas in the West which Bono later contrasted to the revolution in Nicaragua where he had travelled during the recording of TJT. With BTBS being another strongly political song from the album, together they firmly cemented U2 as a protest band, 1 very concerned w the unwarranted political interventions of America in other countries.
Bono was concerned that the American Dream was being threatened by shady politics. In a 1987 radio interview, Bono explained he was also addressing Americans' tendency to align themselves w old political ideologies instead of coming up w new ideas. "I thought, put off the old, put on the new," he said. "Where are the new dreams - where's the new dreamers? And, 'we need new dreams tonight' is the line. I wonder where they are. I want to see them."
The lyric, "I stand with the sons of Cain," refers to the biblical Cain in the Book of Genesis. One of the descendants of Cain, Jubal, was the 1st ever musician. According to the Genesis account, he was the "father of all who play the harp & lute."
Adam Clayton explained the significance of the song's desert setting: "The desert was immensely inspirational to us as a mental image for this record. Most people would take the desert on face value & think it's some kind of barren place, which of course is true. But, in the right frame of mind it's also a very positive image, because you can actually do something w a blank canvas, which is effectively what the desert is."
Recording: ICG was a difficult song for the band to record, which they attributed to not being trained musicians, & they do not speak very highly of it. During TJT sessions, they knew it was not going be one of their best songs but they needed more uptempo songs. It was developed out of Bono's frustration at trying to get "a bit of rock 'n' roll out of Edge". Bono tried to inspire the Edge by teasing & playing on his competitive instincts by claiming to be a better guitarist. Of the song, Bono said "[My] lyric was really good, the tune is pretty good, & the hook is pretty average - thanks to the Edge."
The song was recorded in the basement of the Edge's house, which Lanois called a "muggy little room where everything sounds dead".....and "not a very inspiring place". It worked because of the spontaneity & the lack of pressure at the time of recording. Now, you could say: 'You can't record down here. We need a proper room for the drums & we need this or that sort of mic.' But you could spend 3 days working out a foolproof plan & still not get a performance." (Lanois played add'l rhythm guitar on the recording)
In producing the song, Lanois used a mixing console w a bank of channels designated as sound treatments to work magic on Edge's guitar part. "At any given point I can send an instrument or a vocal to these treatments & get a quick impression of what is working & what isn't," he explained. On this track, the result transformed the entire song. He said: "The guitar now has a beautiful shimmer which has a lot to do w the mood of the track. What was a fairly straightforward rock track is now undermined by a mood of unrest; not all is well. It supplied Bono w new inspiration. It gave him a clue to modify his lyrics & give the track a greater dimension."
Release: In Nov 1987 “In God’s Country” was released as the 4th single from TJT but in North America only. It had limited chart success & limited airplay compared to the previous 3 singles from the album. It did, however, manage to chart in the UK as an import single. The sleeve is similar to the other JT singles, w a black & white photo of Bono by Anton Corbijn surrounded by black borders & gold accents (sleeve back). The image of Bono was the same across all formats of the single, unlike a couple of the previous singles, which used different portraits depending on the format.
The single was released with the album versions of “Bullet the Blue Sky” and “Running to Stand Still.” The lack of new material may have contributed toward the lower sales of this release compared to the previous 3.
Charts: UK at #48 US peaked at #44 Canada: #25
Lyrics:
Yeah
Desert sky
Dream beneath a desert sky
The rivers run but soon run dry
We need new dreams tonight
Desert rose
Dreamed I saw a desert rose
Dress torn in ribbons and in bows
Like a siren she calls to me
Sleep comes like a drug
In God's Country
Sad eyes, crooked crosses
In God's Country
Set me alight
We'll punch a hole right through the night
Everyday the dreamers die
To see what's on the other side
She is liberty
And she comes to rescue me
Hope, faith, her vanity
The greatest gift is gold
Sleep comes like a drug
In God's Country
Sad eyes, crooked crosses
In God's Country
Naked flame
She stands with a naked flame
I stand with the sons of Cain
Burned by the fire of love
Burned by the fire of love
Video: The official video, directed by Barry Devlin (who also did their "Still Haven't Found" video), was filmed in Arizona in April 1987 for the song but was only used in the MTV-produced documentary “Outside It’s America.” Footage of Bono, decked out in denim & performing the song in a darkened room on acoustic guitar, is intercut w archival images from the 1930s & 40s of children, miners, steel factories, & soldiers in black-&-white. Add'l footage includes city lights in color & famous United States locations such as the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, & Times Square. The other members of U2 do not appear in the video. The clip by itself has never been collected on any U2 compilation to date, although the complete “Outside It’s America” documentary was included on the DVD accompanying the super deluxe reissue of TJT in 2007. The video was finally released on the band's YouTube channel on 19 February 2021.
Live versions:
- March 8, 1987 - Balmoral TV Studios - Belfast, Northern Ireland Filmed in front of a small audience for the TV show Old Grey Whistle Test, U2 play 6 songs. Only Exit & In God's Country are broadcast on TV....but (This is the entire 6 song set)
1- People Get Ready (cover)
2-Southern Man (Neil Young cover)
3-Trip Through Your Wires...........this is the Second ever live performance of TRIP
4-Exit.............................................ths is THE FIRST EVER live performance of EXIT
5-In God's Country.......................this is THE FIRST EVER live performance of IGC
6-Pride (In the Name of Love).....band starts for 10 secs & then had to start over
- March 27, 1987 - LA Liquor Store Rooftop Did you know that U2 played In God's Country as part of the 8 song setlist while filming of the famous "Streets" video?? (video sux, but ICG starts at 7:20 mark)
- July 4, 1987 - Paris released on the Live from Paris digital album & DVD + included on the super deluxe reissue of TJT.
- Nov 8, 1987 - Denver, CO released on the “Excerpts from R&H” promotional CD, & can also be seen in the R&H movie.
- Dec 2, 2001 - Elevation Tour - Miami ACOUSTIC Only Bono (w/ harmonica) & Edge
- May 23, 2015 - Phoenix The ONLY time ICG is played on the I+E tour.......& it's w/ a fan who comes onstage & plays guitar
- In God's Country - from TJT 2017 tour
IGC was not ranked in Rolling Stone's Top50 U2 songs.....another crazy head-scratcher
Been played live 189 times..........almost entirely on the 87 JT tour and the 2017 & 2019 JT anniv tours.
==========and to the #71 ranker: don't make me hunt you down ===============
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Nemesis
Footballguy
Every U2 Album Cover Explained Here are the stories behind some of the iconic U2 album covers.
==============================
The Unforgettable Fire cover: Speaking of album covers, U2 released TUF in 1985. The 1st portion of the album was recorded in 1984 at the famous Slane Castle in Ireland, yet the castle used for the album cover is not Slane Castle........ but Moydrum Castle also in Ireland.
The photograph is a virtual rip off of the cover of a 1980’s book “In Ruins: The Once Great Houses of Ireland” by Simon Marsden. U2 had to pay the books author compensation because the photo was taken from the same spot, used the same polarising filter technique, used the same color scheme but only added the band in the photo. Check out the photos Link
Photo of Moydrum Castle near the turn of the 20th century. & much of the history is really interesting (if you're into that kind of thing):
Moydrum castle was owned by the British & on Sunday July 3, 1921, 60 members of the IRA’s Athlone Brigade descended on this stately mansion & lit the spark of its demise – an act of violence & reprisals.
Location: The castle is centrally located just east of Athlone, about 1/2 way between Dublin and Galway & just off the M6 highway. When i visited Ireland with Mrs. Nemesis about 10 yrs ago, i wish I had known as I drove right past the castle on the M6 highway......I definitely would have stopped.
==============================
The Unforgettable Fire cover: Speaking of album covers, U2 released TUF in 1985. The 1st portion of the album was recorded in 1984 at the famous Slane Castle in Ireland, yet the castle used for the album cover is not Slane Castle........ but Moydrum Castle also in Ireland.
The photograph is a virtual rip off of the cover of a 1980’s book “In Ruins: The Once Great Houses of Ireland” by Simon Marsden. U2 had to pay the books author compensation because the photo was taken from the same spot, used the same polarising filter technique, used the same color scheme but only added the band in the photo. Check out the photos Link
Photo of Moydrum Castle near the turn of the 20th century. & much of the history is really interesting (if you're into that kind of thing):
Moydrum castle was owned by the British & on Sunday July 3, 1921, 60 members of the IRA’s Athlone Brigade descended on this stately mansion & lit the spark of its demise – an act of violence & reprisals.
When the IRA roused the household from its slumber, Costello informed Lady Castlemaine of the IRA’s intention to burn Moydrum Castle, & he explained his reasons for doing so. He ordered a number of his men to assist her in recovering several boxes of valuables, before the group split up & began dowsing each of the castle’s 34 rooms with petrol.
Armchairs were removed from the castle & placed in the front lawns to provide some comfort for the Handcock women, such as it was, as their home met its fiery end. The IRA then set fire to the building, withdrawing in formation & giving a military salute to Lady Castlemaine, who Costello recalled ‘remained very dignified under the circumstances’.
Location: The castle is centrally located just east of Athlone, about 1/2 way between Dublin and Galway & just off the M6 highway. When i visited Ireland with Mrs. Nemesis about 10 yrs ago, i wish I had known as I drove right past the castle on the M6 highway......I definitely would have stopped.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
6 of the rankers top 25 did not make my top 25. 4 will be in the next 6 tracks. The other 2 may be a surprise, with the #6 overall song being one of them. I have a very specific reason its not in my top 25.
Anarchy only has 15 of his top 25 land there, with him playing wrecker on the 10 that missed, sometimes wildly. Even the ranker with an alternate view, got 14 of the last 25. He only plays wrecker on 3, but they are all in the next 6.
The last ranker also has 19 of the last 25, but all of the top 16 tracks are in his last 21. His list most resembles the top 25
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
Really interested in this.
I was almost tempted to include the vulture rankings, but they dont include Songs of Experience, miss some obvious ones and rank some totally obscure stuff.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
#25 - The Unforgettable Fire (1984)
Highest Rank - 5
Lowest Rank - 91
Where to Find it - The Unforgettable Fire LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -95/218 - U2’s fourth record was recorded in a round gothic ballroom at Slane Castle, where the band had rehearsed and fell in love with the acoustics. (“The sound is magnificent,” Bono said of the space in 2006. “If Phil Spector was going to lie in state, it would be here.”) When you listen to the album’s title track, you can feel all of this, as well as the influence of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, who took over the board this time out. It is a vast, expressive piece that bears no resemblance to traditional verse-chorus-verse rock or pop songwriting from a vocal melody standpoint. It’s one of those songs that you can absolutely feel, heart in your throat or in the pit of your stomach, but have no idea what it’s actually about. Bono himself admits that the lyrics are a sketch, but there is a strong sense of love lost and love longed for: “Stay this time,” “Come and take me away,” “Save your love / don’t push me too far.” It is an astonishing composition.
Comment - Introspective. The change in producer reaps rewards and gets depths out of the band that Lillywhite didn’t. I think this may be one of the songs that overachieves in the rankings. The #5 ranking pushes it higher than I would have expected, although the #91 is an anchor that holds it down.
Next up, back to Achtung Baby with another single
Highest Rank - 5
Lowest Rank - 91
Where to Find it - The Unforgettable Fire LP
Vulture.com ranking and comment -95/218 - U2’s fourth record was recorded in a round gothic ballroom at Slane Castle, where the band had rehearsed and fell in love with the acoustics. (“The sound is magnificent,” Bono said of the space in 2006. “If Phil Spector was going to lie in state, it would be here.”) When you listen to the album’s title track, you can feel all of this, as well as the influence of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, who took over the board this time out. It is a vast, expressive piece that bears no resemblance to traditional verse-chorus-verse rock or pop songwriting from a vocal melody standpoint. It’s one of those songs that you can absolutely feel, heart in your throat or in the pit of your stomach, but have no idea what it’s actually about. Bono himself admits that the lyrics are a sketch, but there is a strong sense of love lost and love longed for: “Stay this time,” “Come and take me away,” “Save your love / don’t push me too far.” It is an astonishing composition.
Comment - Introspective. The change in producer reaps rewards and gets depths out of the band that Lillywhite didn’t. I think this may be one of the songs that overachieves in the rankings. The #5 ranking pushes it higher than I would have expected, although the #91 is an anchor that holds it down.
Next up, back to Achtung Baby with another single
Ghost Rider
Footballguy
The Unforgettable Fire is such an awesome song. Would have been top 10 for me, pretty close to the top 5 (depends on what day you ask me). The atmosphere in it is incredible.
bigbottom
Footballguy
Whoa. This was No. 1 for me back in the day, and would not stray outside the Top Ten for me today. Vulture ranking it at 95 is almost inexplicable to me.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
5 and 91/95 both seem like stretches to me. I’d probably have it somewhere between 25 and 50. Nothing wrong with it, I just like other stuff better.
Nemesis
Footballguy
Have always liked this song..............I have it at #21 in my Top25.
It fits my criteria of a good/great U2 song.........great Edge ringing intro to get you to come closer to the speaker......then BAM! the pounding bass & the thump of the drums come in to drive it into gear. What's great is Edge's guitar doesn't need to overpower the song , , and Bono's vocals on this are superb & supplies the melody/harmony.
I think In God's Country and TUF are in similar company. They are both from a time in the 80's when U2 fans would buy the record & go home & listen to the entire album. The band would release their 1st or 2nd single to radio & the public would hear those songs, but "real U2 fans' wanted to dig deeper into the album & find that next gem that they think SHOULD BE the next single OR a song that ISN'T GETTING THE LOVE it deserves. That U2 fan wants to feel like they are more immersed into the band's music than most of the people that just listen to the radio hits. That song is more PERSONAL to the fan and therefore, they nostalgically hold that FEELING well into the future. (nothing wrong with it, just trying to understand the rankings)
Last edited by a moderator:
Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
bigbottom
Footballguy
While I imagine this is the case with some U2 fans, I can assure you it’s not with me. I love the hits and they would have been prominently represented in my top 25. My rankings would have probably been the most mundane of the lot. For example, New Year’s Day is my clear number one. Is The Unforgettable Fire considered a deep track? It was the title track after all.
Anarchy99
Footballguy
Apparently, I am getting a bad reputation and labelled as a home wrecker for some of these remaining songs. Not sure why. I had TUF at 33. I must be the lowest on some of the Top 25, but I am not 100+ spots lower like a bunch of the Top 26-50 songs have had. So be it. I guess it depends where the other songs end up ranked before I can discuss more thoroughly.
Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
Someone else had it 91. Not sure why 33 would be considered home wrecking. I do find a 91 ranking to be a bit confusing when we still have a bunch of average songs from Achtung remaining.
Nemesis
Footballguy
THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE ALBUM (the 4th studio album released by U2)
After completing the War Tour in Japan late in 1983, U2 rehearsed some material at Bono's seaside home in a Martello tower in Bray, County Wicklow in anticipation of the next record. During this time, early versions of the songs "Pride (In the Name of Love)", "The Unforgettable Fire", & "A Sort of Homecoming" were composed.
U2 had recorded their 1st 3 albums at Windmill Lane Studios but decided to find a new location for their next studio album. Clayton lamented the lack of a live room in which the band could play together at Windmill Lane, while the band's manager Paul McGuinness said the studio had barely enough space for people to work. He set to finding a new location & initially came up w Church Hall in Ranelagh, but it was overpriced & instead, they settled on Slane Castle. The building's owner, Lord Henry Mountcharles, offered to lease it to the group for less than half the cost of Church Hall, & also offered lodging & dining for the band & crew on-premises. The castle's Gothic ballroom, which was originally built for music had a 30-foot high domed ceiling. This was what they were looking for....to capture the natural acoustics of a room in their recordings.
After doing 3 albums w U2, Lillywhite was adamant that he was not producing a 4th U2 album. Conny Plank, who had produced Kraftwerk, was in consideration but was ruled out. The band also considered Jimmy Iovine, who had produced their live album UABRS the year prior, but they found their early musical ideas for the new album to be too "European" for an American producer. Iovine thought that he was in line for the job & went so far as to hold a meeting about recording logistics at Slane Castle. However, at the last minute, McGuinness informed him that they would be proceeding with different producers.
In April of 1984, U2 announced that Brian Eno would be producing the album instead. Eno had been approached in 1983 about working w the band, when they were seeking a producer for the “War” album, but he turned down the invitation as he was considering retiring from music production to become a video artist. The band continued to request his services, & he finally said yes, revealing later that he planned to have his partner, Danny Lanois do most of the work on the release. Island Records thought the band were "mad" & initially tried to talk U2 out of hiring Eno, believing that just when they were about to achieve the highest levels of success, Eno would "bury them under a layer of avant-garde nonsense". Ultimately, Island were convinced by Bono's persuasiveness & the band's enthusiasm for the collaboration. In hindsight, the group's decision to stretch themselves & find an extra dimension became the "turning point in their career".
The title of the album, “The Unforgettable Fire” is a reference to an art exhibit about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima Japan during World War II, that the band had seen while on the War tour.
On May 5, 1984 the band started to record at Slane Castle, which is located in the town of Slane & has been the family home for the Conyngham family since the 18th Century. The band & crew, & producers all stayed in the castle, & recording took place around the clock when inspiration hit, which ultimately produced 15 pieces of music. The recording sessions at the Castle were filmed by Barry Devlin for an eventual documentary that aired on RTÉ-TV about the recording sessions.
U2 - The Making of The Unforgettable Fire - documentary (1984) (25 mins long, but shows recording in the castle & studio)
The “Making of” documentary was previously available on “TUF Collection” VHS & the “U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle” DVD.
Lanois was initially viewed as an "interloper", which caused tension at the start of the sessions. Once the band realized his musical talents, they embraced him as a fellow collaborator. As a songwriter & multi-instrumentalist, Lanois understood musical notation & was able to simplify the songwriting process for them. Drummer Larry Mullen Jr. in particular enjoyed working w Lanois, as the producer took an interest in the band's rhythm section, which Mullen felt had been neglected on their past recordings. Mullen called himself "not technically proficient" & appreciated Lanois spending time to develop his skills & encourage different approaches to playing drums. The producer convinced Mullen to utilize timbales & 2 types of snare drums in his drum kit, & he explained how to use brushes & tom-toms on various drum parts. The crew also experimented with distant miking of his drum kit, placing microphones up to 60 feet away.
Slane also provided some recording challenges: 1st, the ballroom had too much natural reverberation, necessitating sound absorption materials such as drapes to be added to the walls. 2nd, some of the recording took place in the library, which was smaller, rectangular, filled w books, & provided improved sound quality. 3rd, was the water wheel generator on River Boyne that powered the building. During low tide or periods of no rain, there was not sufficient power to keep their recording equipment operational. "When that stupid river started to run low, the voltage would go down & it would beat the crap out of the equipment." As a backup, the team were forced to make use of an old diesel generator which, at times, broke down or caught fire. Meanwhile, Edge experimented w the placement & miking of his guitar amplifier. At times, it was situated outside on the balcony encircling the castle, using a plastic cover when it rained. This placement was originally done for sound isolation purposes, but ended up producing a good sound. Other times, his amplifier was placed at the bottom of a staircase.
On June 6th, after a month of work in the castle the band & Eno & Lanois would return to the Dublin studio at Windmill Lane to continue work on the album. The band struggled to finish up songs in the studio, as throughout the recording sessions, Bono had been ad-libbing his vocals, without completing lyrics. Larry: "we seemed to do our best work when we were in the room together. We depended on Bono to be there, every step of the way. He had to be singing something, anything, to get the song finished." 12 days before the deadline to complete the record, Bono told his bandmates he did not think he would be able to finish the lyrics in time, creating a panic internally. McGuinness reminded the group of their commitment to tour Australia & New Zealand in less than a month, & that producers & studio would not be available afterwards. To complete the album, the band worked 20-hour days for the final 2 weeks. Recording finished at Windmill on August 5th, 1984. On that final morning, Lanois was preparing to depart for London w the album tapes for mastering, & Bono expressed interest in recording another take of his vocals for "A Sort of Homecoming". With his taxi to the airport waiting outside, Lanois cued up the tapes for Bono to record 1 final vocal take & Lanois told the band he would mix it in London.
After the album recording was finished, the band travelled through Ireland w photographer Anton Corbijn over a couple of days looking for photo opportunities. The front cover shows Moydrum Castle, just outside of Athlone. The castle shown on the back cover was Carrigogunnell Castle, located near the village of Clarina. <---Remember this photo? Back cover Liner notes photo What it looks like today
Most U2 fans have probably heard the name Slane Castle.........but as I posted yesterday I don't think they knew that Moydrum Castle WAS ON THE FRONT COVER..............But I had forgotten THE PHOTO ON THE BACK WAS slightly different. Couple of yrs ago, I wanted a vintage U2 concert shirt.......I chose THIS shirt....with the TUF Australia / NZ leg on the back.
The album cover was designed by Steve Averill, who had worked on all of the previous album covers. The band met w an art director at Island Records contemplating using their services for the design of the cover. After seeing Island's suggestions, Paul McGuinness immediately reached out to Averill to design the cover using the photographs by Corbijn as a starting point.
The album was released on October 1, 1984 in Europe, & the following day in North America in a variety of formats. Initial releases included cassette & 12-inch vinyl formats. Also among the earliest formats was an 8-track cassette release through Columbia House & RCA Record Club in North America.
(Remember???) A special release on vinyl from Australia has the vinyl produced in yellow vinyl. There has only been 1 known copy of this vinyl, apparently produced by Festival Records in Australia to be sold w a 12-inch single, but the project was scrapped & perhaps only 1 copy was ever pressed. Festival was known to play w these different colored releases, & they exist in quite limited numbers. It is not known how many of these colored vinyl “schemes” were known about & approved by U2, & how many were done on the side by the production facility.3 commercial singles were released from TUF:
1-“Pride (In the Name of Love)” which was issued worldwide.
2-“The Unforgettable Fire” was released worldwide, but not in the US. In the US & Canada the EP “Wide Awake in America” was released . (Later on, WAIA would be issued worldwide)
3-"Bad"........but only in South Africa, with a 7-inch vinyl pressing.
TUF tour started on August 29, 1984 in Christchurch NZ, prior to the release of the album. The tour would conclude w a series of festivals, ending in Werchter Belgium on July 7, 1985.
The album was released to good reviews, & strong sales. The album peaked at #1 in the UK & Ireland...... The US #12.
In 2009, U2 re-released TUF for it’s 25th anniversary (its 2nd remastering, which was overseen by Edge). Plans for the re-release were announced very low key through advertising on merchandise bags when fans bought merch at the U2360° shows in Barcelona. The release contained a number of previously unreleased items, including new remixes, & a couple of previously unreleased songs.
“Disappearing Act”, 1 of these unreleased songs, was finished in 2009 w added vocals added to the track 25 yrs later. It was originally called "White City" & recorded during the Slane Castle sessions. (JML asked in 1 of the 1st posts if we should include a list of songs that were never released. Disappearing Act was on this list so we never reviewed it in our FBG rankings but I just listened to it for the 1st time. Take a listen....it's not "Bad".......but it's not "Ladylady" either)
Nemesis
Footballguy
Songfact:
The Unforgettable Fire album was released in 1984 in a time when the world was worrying itself sick about the arms race between the US & the Russians. Bono was inspired by a collection of paintings collectively known as The Unforgettable Fire the band saw at the Chicago Peace Museum while on tour in 1983. The exhibit featured artwork from Japanese victims of the Hiroshima & Ngagasaki bombings. The Chicago Peace Museum also had a Martin Luther King exhibit, which would inspire U2's song "Pride (In The Name Of Love)." (It is perhaps ironic that the lyrics to song The Unforgettable Fire do not reference anything nuclear or atomic)
“The Unforgettable Fire” (the song) was the 2nd & final single released from the album of the same name. (apparently, "Bad" was NOT a single) The single was released worldwide by Island Records or associated labels, such as Festival in Australia. However, it was not released commercially in the USA, but the live version of “A Sort of Homecoming,” along with “Love Comes Tumbling” & “The Three Sunrises,” would be released there on the “Wide Awake in America” EP the following month. In Ireland, it was issued by CBS Records under the contact the label had signed with U2 in 1979. TUF was the final single released under the terms of this agreement, with Island Records taking over distribution in Ireland beginning with the singles associated with TJT.
TUF was the 1st single U2 released that reached #1 in the Irish Charts. The previous 3 singles, “NYD,” “2 Hearts" & “Pride” had all peaked at #2.
TUF the song was written after U2 decided to use "The Unforgettable Fire" as the title to the album.
The strings were arranged by Noel Kelehan, who conducted the RTE Light Orchestra in 2 Eurovision Song Contests.
Powerfully atmospheric, multilayered song, which weaves together multiple verse & chorus melodies – “It’s classical, almost.”
Edge: “It was a soundtrack piece I’d been messing around w on the piano at home”
Bono: "The song was a favorite of my father, & is very evocative of a city, in this case Tokyo, coming like a phoenix out of the ash."
Lyrics
In the beginning of the song, from :04 to :07 seconds, you can hear Larry Mullen Jr. start to hit his drumsticks early. Immediately after, he mutters out "S-it." Then, at :22 seconds, he starts to drum at the correct time. The small glitch has never been removed from the album nor its inclusions on 'Best of' CDs.
Oh sh&#
Ice, your only rivers run cold
These city lights, they shine as silver and gold
Took from the night, your eyes as black as coal ........may refer to Bono’s wife, Ali
Walk on by, walk on through
Walk till you run and don't look back for here I am
Carnival, the wheels fly and the colors spin
Through alcohol, red wine that punctures the skin .......it's funny as I always heard this as "Through-OUT the Hall" instead of the words "Through alcohol"
Face to face in a dry and waterless place
Walk on by, walk on through
So sad to beseach your love so head on
Stay in this night, stay tonight in a lie
I'm only asking but I think you know
Come on and take me away
Come on and take me away
Come on, take me home
Home again
Ever, ever, ever high
And here she comes
Yet she's so far
And if the mountains should crumble
Or disappear into the sea (a reference to the song Stand By Me...see below)
Not a tear, no not I
Stay in this time
Stay tonight in a lie
Ever after this loving time
And if you save your love
Save your love, save it all
Don't push me too far
Don't push me too far tonight
Tonight, tonight
STAND BY ME LYRICS
If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
Or the mountain should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry
No, I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
Charts: UK at #6 US -n/a- Canada: -n/a- Ireland #1 Netherlands #4 Australia #59
Video: U2 returned to director Meiert Avis after being less-than-happy w the results of the various videos filmed for “Pride”. The band traveled to Sweden w Avis in Jan 1985, as they had for the NYD video 2 yrs earlier, knowing they would be guaranteed snow. The clip, uses photographic techniques to film light trails of objects in motion, including traffic & amusement park rides. This footage is intercut w images of the band walking through the snow, Larry & Adam walking in an industrial building in front of a wall of blue lights, & Bono & Larry performing in a darkened room.
Live Versions:
July 4, 1987 - Paris was released on the Live from Paris digital album.
Nov 11, 1987 - Denver, CO Outtake footage that didn't make it into the R&H movie
In 2011, members of U2’s fan club were allowed to vote on 46 songs from The U2360° tour, w the 22 songs receiving the most votes to be included on a double live album called U22. “The Unforgettable Fire” proved popular enough to make the final track list, & a recording from July 31, 2009 - Gothenburg, Sweden appeared on the eventual CD release.
TUF Landed at #27 when Rolling Stone ranked their Top50 U2 songs <-------very close to the FBG rankings
Been played live 256 times..........almost entirely on the 84 TUF tour & 87 JT tour....and then on the 1989 Lovetown Tour
was NOT played at all during the 1990s or the Vertigo/Elevation
played on most 2009 360 tour setlists..........& then vanished (except once on Sep 30, 2018 - Copenhagen, Denmark's E+I tourstop)
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Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
Disappearing Act…..the music reminds me of Love Comes Tumbling. Thanks Nemesis for continuing to share all this cool info.THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE ALBUM (the 4th studio album released by U2)
After completing the War Tour in Japan late in 1983, U2 rehearsed some material at Bono's seaside home in a Martello tower in Bray, County Wicklow in anticipation of the next record. During this time, early versions of the songs "Pride (In the Name of Love)", "The Unforgettable Fire", & "A Sort of Homecoming" were composed.
U2 had recorded their 1st 3 albums at Windmill Lane Studios but decided to find a new location for their next studio album. Clayton lamented the lack of a live room in which the band could play together at Windmill Lane, while the band's manager Paul McGuinness said the studio had barely enough space for people to work. He set to finding a new location & initially came up w Church Hall in Ranelagh, but it was overpriced & instead, they settled on Slane Castle. The building's owner, Lord Henry Mountcharles, offered to lease it to the group for less than half the cost of Church Hall, & also offered lodging & dining for the band & crew on-premises. The castle's Gothic ballroom, which was originally built for music had a 30-foot high domed ceiling. This was what they were looking for....to capture the natural acoustics of a room in their recordings.
After doing 3 albums w U2, Lillywhite was adamant that he was not producing a 4th U2 album. Conny Plank, who had produced Kraftwerk, was in consideration but was ruled out. The band also considered Jimmy Iovine, who had produced their live album UABRS the year prior, but they found their early musical ideas for the new album to be too "European" for an American producer. Iovine thought that he was in line for the job & went so far as to hold a meeting about recording logistics at Slane Castle. However, at the last minute, McGuinness informed him that they would be proceeding with different producers.
In April of 1984, U2 announced that Brian Eno would be producing the album instead. Eno had been approached in 1983 about working w the band, when they were seeking a producer for the “War” album, but he turned down the invitation as he was considering retiring from music production to become a video artist. The band continued to request his services, & he finally said yes, revealing later that he planned to have his partner, Danny Lanois do most of the work on the release. Island Records thought the band were "mad" & initially tried to talk U2 out of hiring Eno, believing that just when they were about to achieve the highest levels of success, Eno would "bury them under a layer of avant-garde nonsense". Ultimately, Island were convinced by Bono's persuasiveness & the band's enthusiasm for the collaboration. In hindsight, the group's decision to stretch themselves & find an extra dimension became the "turning point in their career".
The title of the album, “The Unforgettable Fire” is a reference to an art exhibit about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima Japan during World War II, that the band had seen while on the War tour.
On May 5, 1984 the band started to record at Slane Castle, which is located in the town of Slane & has been the family home for the Conyngham family since the 18th Century. The band & crew, & producers all stayed in the castle, & recording took place around the clock when inspiration hit, which ultimately produced 15 pieces of music. The recording sessions at the Castle were filmed by Barry Devlin for an eventual documentary that aired on RTÉ-TV about the recording sessions.
U2 - The Making of The Unforgettable Fire - documentary (1984) (25 mins long, but shows recording in the castle & studio)
The “Making of” documentary was previously available on “TUF Collection” VHS & the “U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle” DVD.
Lanois was initially viewed as an "interloper", which caused tension at the start of the sessions. Once the band realized his musical talents, they embraced him as a fellow collaborator. As a songwriter & multi-instrumentalist, Lanois understood musical notation & was able to simplify the songwriting process for them. Drummer Larry Mullen Jr. in particular enjoyed working w Lanois, as the producer took an interest in the band's rhythm section, which Mullen felt had been neglected on their past recordings. Mullen called himself "not technically proficient" & appreciated Lanois spending time to develop his skills & encourage different approaches to playing drums. The producer convinced Mullen to utilize timbales & 2 types of snare drums in his drum kit, & he explained how to use brushes & tom-toms on various drum parts. The crew also experimented with distant miking of his drum kit, placing microphones up to 60 feet away.
Slane also provided some recording challenges: 1st, the ballroom had too much natural reverberation, necessitating sound absorption materials such as drapes to be added to the walls. 2nd, some of the recording took place in the library, which was smaller, rectangular, filled w books, & provided improved sound quality. 3rd, was the water wheel generator on River Boyne that powered the building. During low tide or periods of no rain, there was not sufficient power to keep their recording equipment operational. "When that stupid river started to run low, the voltage would go down & it would beat the crap out of the equipment." As a backup, the team were forced to make use of an old diesel generator which, at times, broke down or caught fire. Meanwhile, Edge experimented w the placement & miking of his guitar amplifier. At times, it was situated outside on the balcony encircling the castle, using a plastic cover when it rained. This placement was originally done for sound isolation purposes, but ended up producing a good sound. Other times, his amplifier was placed at the bottom of a staircase.
On June 6th, after a month of work in the castle the band & Eno & Lanois would return to the Dublin studio at Windmill Lane to continue work on the album. The band struggled to finish up songs in the studio, as throughout the recording sessions, Bono had been ad-libbing his vocals, without completing lyrics. Larry: "we seemed to do our best work when we were in the room together. We depended on Bono to be there, every step of the way. He had to be singing something, anything, to get the song finished." 12 days before the deadline to complete the record, Bono told his bandmates he did not think he would be able to finish the lyrics in time, creating a panic internally. McGuinness reminded the group of their commitment to tour Australia & New Zealand in less than a month, & that producers & studio would not be available afterwards. To complete the album, the band worked 20-hour days for the final 2 weeks. Recording finished at Windmill on August 5th, 1984. On that final morning, Lanois was preparing to depart for London w the album tapes for mastering, & Bono expressed interest in recording another take of his vocals for "A Sort of Homecoming". With his taxi to the airport waiting outside, Lanois cued up the tapes for Bono to record 1 final vocal take & Lanois told the band he would mix it in London.
After the album recording was finished, the band travelled through Ireland w photographer Anton Corbijn over a couple of days looking for photo opportunities. The front cover shows Moydrum Castle, just outside of Athlone. The castle shown on the back cover was Carrigogunnell Castle, located near the village of Clarina. <---Remember this photo? Back cover Liner notes photo What it looks like today
Most U2 fans have probably heard the name Slane Castle.........but as I posted yesterday I don't think they knew that Moydrum Castle WAS ON THE FRONT COVER..............But I had forgotten THE PHOTO ON THE BACK WAS slightly different. Couple of yrs ago, I wanted a vintage U2 concert shirt.......I chose THIS shirt....with the TUF Australia / NZ leg on the back.
The album cover was designed by Steve Averill, who had worked on all of the previous album covers. The band met w an art director at Island Records contemplating using their services for the design of the cover. After seeing Island's suggestions, Paul McGuinness immediately reached out to Averill to design the cover using the photographs by Corbijn as a starting point.
The album was released on October 1, 1984 in Europe, & the following day in North America in a variety of formats. Initial releases included cassette & 12-inch vinyl formats. Also among the earliest formats was an 8-track cassette release through Columbia House & RCA Record Club in North America.
3 commercial singles were released from TUF:
1-“Pride (In the Name of Love)” which was issued worldwide.
2-“The Unforgettable Fire” was released worldwide, but not in the US. In the US & Canada the EP “Wide Awake in America” was released . (Later on, WAIA would be issued worldwide)
3-"Bad"........but only in South Africa, with a 7-inch vinyl pressing.
TUF tour started on August 29, 1984 in Christchurch NZ, prior to the release of the album. The tour would conclude w a series of festivals, ending in Werchter Belgium on July 7, 1985.
The album was released to good reviews, & strong sales. The album peaked at #1 in the UK & Ireland...... The US #12.
In 2009, U2 re-released TUF for it’s 25th anniversary (its 2nd remastering, which was overseen by Edge). Plans for the re-release were announced very low key through advertising on merchandise bags when fans bought merch at the U2360° shows in Barcelona. The release contained a number of previously unreleased items, including new remixes, & a couple of previously unreleased songs.
“Disappearing Act”, 1 of these unreleased songs, was finished in 2009 w added vocals added to the track 25 yrs later. It was originally called "White City" & recorded during the Slane Castle sessions. (JML asked in 1 of the 1st posts if we should include a list of songs that were never released. Disappearing Act was on this list so we never reviewed it in our FBG rankings but I just listened to it for the 1st time. Take a listen....it's not "Bad".......but it's not "Ladylady" either)
zoonation
Footballguy
So Cruel. No idea how that ranks higher that UTEOTW.
Having said that, and given that these songs have all been played to death, what a powerhouse list of songs spanning 4 decades. What a band.
Nemesis
Footballguy
I’m really surprised to see these 2 made the Top25:
Boy: Out of Ctrl ……I thought something like Electric Co or 11 o’clock from the early albums would sneak in
TUF: Homecoming <<<< The Unforgettable Fire
…IMHOTJT: 1THill + Running: i figured there would be love of TJT flip side of the record but just didn’t know which songs.
AB: & others already posted about the AB songs above making the Top25
it will be interesting to hear others chime in when these songs hit our ranks (it’s like the meme of the guy in the park behind a table drinking coffee with a sign “Change My Mind”)
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John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
True. Your home wrecking isn’t as drastic as others, but you are saving it for the quality. It’s odd how it switches from our usual home wrecker to you for the final 17. Your 40, 48, 49, 55 and 82 are still out there then....ready to wreck homes. Only one of these songs end up in the top 10
There are only 9 rankings of 40 or higher left....when we get to our top 17, 5 are yours. The others are from the other 3 of us, 42, 43, 44 and 49. One of the rankers has none. I only have 1.
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