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)

[Dr. Octopus]

As discussed a little earlier, covers are a tough sell and not everyone likes them. In general, do you generally dislike covers? I’m probably 50/50 on liking U2’s versions of songs. But I pretty much like them or hate them with little middle ground. Not sure why they recorded so many. 

In general? No. These cover versions are juts bad (imo).

 

[Alex P Keaton]

Agreed 100%.   Here's a list of the Songs U2 has Covered:  https://www.u2songs.com/songs/u2_lyrics_cover
The only exception to the rule IMO is        "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"        [I wonder if this song will even show up or was considered] 

I enjoy at least a handful of these covers, and I’m guessing all of them will come up in this set of rankings eventually.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Agreed 100%.   Here's a list of the Songs U2 has Covered:  https://www.u2songs.com/songs/u2_lyrics_cover
The only exception to the rule IMO is        "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"        [I wonder if this song will even show up or was considered] 

It will show up. The list the rankers worked from is here: https://forums.footballguys.com/topic/799927-u2-counting-from-228-to-1-183-walk-to-the-water-182-scarlet-181-crumbs-from-your-table-180-summer-rain-179-night-and-day-178-boomerang-ii/?do=findComment&comment=23580825

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Disagree, I think it's brilliant. Blends the atmospherics they're good at with a late-period Roxy Music vibe. And it foreshadows the vocal stylings Bono would bring to Achtung Baby. May be my second-favorite cover of theirs (#1 hasn't come up yet and hopefully won't for a while.) 

Interesting take. I love late period Roxy and I don’t hear it. 

Seems strange to have seen nothing so far from All That You Can't Leave Behind which is kinda top-heavy with some big duds, but such is the life.  

I like Crumbs from Your Table more than you guys seem to, I guess.  That guitar lick is classic Edge, and there is a warmness to the song that is quite nice. 

I think we will get a bunch from ATYCLB soon,. but i found it a very consistent album. I don’t see the lows that you do. Only one or two highs, but the other rankers, really liked some songs here. 

Seems like now is a great time to add this.

Some early U2 tidbits

• They were originally called Feedback, after the awful noise they made in early rehearsals.
  Their next name was The Hype, followed by U2. The band's 1st two names...both suggested by Bono. He says that he doesn't like the name U2; sees it as a bad pun. You too? 
   
  
• The band members met in high school in Ireland when Mullen posted a note looking to start a group. They have been together ever since.
   
  
• Members had various nicknames in the early days. "The Edge" came about because of his chin. "Bono Vox" was the name of a hearing aid company Paul Hewson saw advertised on TV. Because U2 were a "loud" band, he thought it was an appropriate enough stage name.
   
  
• Bono's first concert that he attended was The Clash's "White Riot" tour at Trinity College in Dublin.
   
  
• They formed the band before they knew how to play. They wrote their own songs because they weren't good enough to play other people's.
   
  
• They almost broke up in early '80s when the born-again Christian group that Bono, Edge, & Mullen belonged to tried to convince them to break up the band as a sacrifice to God.
   
  
• Rolling Stone magazine named them "Band of the '80s."
  

Thanks for your input. You should pop by more often. Your info and take complements this thing very well. 

I've come to the conclusion the U2 should never cover anyone else's songs. Every cover song was brutal.

I have heard some of their live covers and enjoy them - but these cover songs so far (which are admittedly low in the rankings) are not good at all.

We still have 12-13 covers to go. Only 2 of them make the top 100. The top rated one may surprise at #61

Agreed 100%.   Here's a list of the Songs U2 has Covered:  https://www.u2songs.com/songs/u2_lyrics_cover
The only exception to the rule IMO is        "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"        [I wonder if this song will even show up or was considered] 

This was considered, as it was on a b-side. Two of the rankers had it bottom 5, two of the rankers had it top 75. It will show up soon. 

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

177 - Daddy’s Gonna pay for your crashed car (1993)

Highest Rank - 69

Lowest Rank - 219

Where to find it - Zooropa LP

Vulture.com ranking and comment - 106/218 - Another song that liberally borrowed elements or influences from the Zoo TV production: the fanfare sample in the intro and the images of Berlin after reunification, when Germans from the East were heading to Berlin in their Trabants — some of which barely made it into the city before breaking down on the side of the road. It’s impressionistic, futuristic, fun.

Comment - This song is like a crashed car. A mess. One of us really liked it. The rest, not so much. 

Next up another trip to Songs of Experience

 

[Anarchy99]

Now that I think about it, I am not sure why the "official" U2 song catalog has the number of songs that we ranked (228 songs). There are a few other songs missing . . . and there are live covers that were on albums / concerts that were officially released (ie, a record label put them on the market and they were available for purchase). I don't think they would rank exceedingly high, but IMO if we were going to rank some flotsam and jetsam, why not rank all of the flotsam and jetsam? Oh well, c'est la vie. I will save the leftovers for once we are done.

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

176 - Red Flag Day (2017)

Highest Rank - 69

Lowest Rank - 210

Where to find it - Songs of Experience LP

Vulture.com ranking and comment - Not ranked

Comment - Another interesting throw back musically. The production on the last two albums is so much better than what Lillywhite does. Lillywhites work on Simple Minds, Ultravox!, XTC and others is great. With U2 its very patchy. I am the highest ranker by far on this one. This is a throwback that works for me. Two of the rankers had it in the 200s

Next up, another B Side

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

175 - Holy Joe (1997)

Highest Rank - 79

Lowest Rank - 211

Where to find it - B Side to Discoteque

Vulture.com ranking and comment - 51/218 - In the oddest, most perverse product placement, this was the song chosen to debut Pop to the media at a press event held inside a Kmart in New York City. It would end up as the B-side to “Discothèque,” but otherwise never show its face again, for reasons only known to the band. This sly, incisive scorcher should’ve found its place on Pop.

Comment - U2 influenced by madchester. 5 years too late lol. I agree with the vulture comment that it beats several tracks on Pop and has a good vibe. Highest ranking is not mine, but I have the second highest by far, despite being around 50 behind the highest

Next Up another B side to a classic song

 

[Anarchy99]

177 - Daddy’s Gonna pay for your crashed car (1993)

Highest Rank - 69

Lowest Rank - 219

Where to find it - Zooropa LP

Vulture.com ranking and comment - 106/218 - Another song that liberally borrowed elements or influences from the Zoo TV production: the fanfare sample in the intro and the images of Berlin after reunification, when Germans from the East were heading to Berlin in their Trabants — some of which barely made it into the city before breaking down on the side of the road. It’s impressionistic, futuristic, fun.

Comment - This song is like a crashed car. A mess. One of us really liked it. The rest, not so much. 

Next up another trip to Songs of Experience

I don't love the studio version of this one. I ranked it 175. IMO, the live version is much better. They only played it 10 time over a one month period in 1993.

LINK

I think the live version is more of a rock song than the techno / synth version of Zooropa. I ranked the songs based on what was generally available (i.e., no live versions considered unless the song was released as a live version). I would probably have bumped it up 40-50 spots using the live version . . . provided I didn't have to watch the video with the hideous outfits and Bono dressed as Mephisto.

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Now that I think about it, I am not sure why the "official" U2 song catalog has the number of songs that we ranked (228 songs). There are a few other songs missing . . . and there are live covers that were on albums / concerts that were officially released (ie, a record label put them on the market and they were available for purchase). I don't think they would rank exceedingly high, but IMO if we were going to rank some flotsam and jetsam, why not rank all of the flotsam and jetsam? Oh well, c'est la vie. I will save the leftovers for once we are done.

I was initially hesitant to include B Sides, as most of them are ####. I was persuaded to include them. Anniversary editions or deluxe editions would have increased this list even more. Will be curious how many songs, or leftovers, we have.

Getting people to rank 250, 270, 300, whatever the number is would have been harder. 228 is hard enough. Taking out the B Sides and Soundtracks would have put us nicely under 200, but I think we include the best songs possible, which is why I ultimately thought including the B Sides was a good decision. Not for 30 that are ranking terrible, but for the 10 that aren’t.

How many of the Flotsam and Jetsam left would make your top 100?

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

I don't love the studio version of this one. I ranked it 175. IMO, the live version is much better. They only played it 10 time over a one month period in 1993.

LINK

I think the live version is more of a rock song than the techno / synth version of Zooropa. I ranked the songs based on what was generally available (i.e., no live versions considered unless the song was released as a live version). I would probably have bumped it up 40-50 spots using the live version . . . provided I didn't have to watch the video with the hideous outfits and Bono dressed as Mephisto.

Yeah I was happy to rank the best version possible. I don’t know how anyone can rank Sunday Bloody Sunday high based off the version on War. Same with Bad on UF. These songs came to life, live. There are enough bootlegs of U2 live songs, thankfully, that we can get pretty every song with a live version to compare. 

 

[Anarchy99]

I was initially hesitant to include B Sides, as most of them are ####. I was persuaded to include them. Anniversary editions or deluxe editions would have increased this list even more. Will be curious how many songs, or leftovers, we have.

Getting people to rank 250, 270, 300, whatever the number is would have been harder. 228 is hard enough. Taking out the B Sides and Soundtracks would have put us nicely under 200, but I think we include the best songs possible, which is why I ultimately thought including the B Sides was a good decision. Not for 30 that are ranking terrible, but for the 10 that aren’t.

How many of the Flotsam and Jetsam left would make your top 100?

Some? Probably not many. I can't tell you because I didn't include them in the list of songs to rank. Also, I am sure there will be some debate and discussion as to whether they should or shouldn't have been included. I agree that trying to rank all their songs was time consuming enough and fewer songs would probably have been preferable than more songs. 

I am probably going to try to rank songs for a different band once we are done, but I think I will ask people to rank their favorite Top 25 songs and then report back on how the songs shaped up from there. That way more people will be apt to participate and people won't be scrambling to rank some songs they probably never heard before. That way, we might end up with a Top 50 or Top 100 or however many songs without everyone trying to listen to an entire catalog of songs.

 

[Anarchy99]

Yeah I was happy to rank the best version possible. I don’t know how anyone can rank Sunday Bloody Sunday high based off the version on War. Same with Bad on UF. These songs came to life, live. There are enough bootlegs of U2 live songs, thankfully, that we can get pretty every song with a live version to compare. 

It's not like we are going to release an official report on song rankings and it's all for fun. But when you said you wanted to consider songs that you could purchase and not have to spend extra money on to add to your collection and to expand the list, I assumed that all other material was off the table. I probably have a few hundred U2 shows tucked away in various places . . . given that at that point we would be ranking performances that we didn't all have access to, I figured that wasn't what you were going for to determine the rankings. It will be interesting to see who comes up with "the best" live version of some songs.

 

[Anarchy99]

175 - Holy Joe (1997)

Highest Rank - 79

Lowest Rank - 211

Where to find it - B Side to Discoteque

Vulture.com ranking and comment - 51/218 - In the oddest, most perverse product placement, this was the song chosen to debut Pop to the media at a press event held inside a Kmart in New York City. It would end up as the B-side to “Discothèque,” but otherwise never show its face again, for reasons only known to the band. This sly, incisive scorcher should’ve found its place on Pop.

Comment - U2 influenced by madchester. 5 years too late lol. I agree with the vulture comment that it beats several tracks on Pop and has a good vibe. Highest ranking is not mine, but I have the second highest by far, despite being around 50 behind the highest

Next Up another B side to a classic song

I was the liker. Yes, I do like it more than the songs that made the Pop album. They only played it once live, and it's a pretty funny story. They made a surprise appearance at a K-Mart in NYC in 1997 . . . and played it in the lingerie department. That was the only song they performed. They had nothing going on then (they hadn't started touring for Pop yet).  Three months later they kicked off the Pop tour. Once of the quirkier things they have done. IMO, the live version is even better than the studio version.

LINK

 

[Brony]

177 - Daddy’s Gonna pay for your crashed car (1993)

Highest Rank - 69

Lowest Rank - 219

Where to find it - Zooropa LP

Vulture.com ranking and comment - 106/218 - Another song that liberally borrowed elements or influences from the Zoo TV production: the fanfare sample in the intro and the images of Berlin after reunification, when Germans from the East were heading to Berlin in their Trabants — some of which barely made it into the city before breaking down on the side of the road. It’s impressionistic, futuristic, fun.

Comment - This song is like a crashed car. A mess. One of us really liked it. The rest, not so much. 

Next up another trip to Songs of Experience

I had this at 219.  I generally like Zooropa album, but this one just didn't click for me at all. 

 

[Anarchy99]

I had this at 219.  I generally like Zooropa album, but this one just didn't click for me at all. 

Please watch the live version I posted and let us know if you like that one any better.

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Some? Probably not many. I can't tell you because I didn't include them in the list of songs to rank. Also, I am sure there will be some debate and discussion as to whether they should or shouldn't have been included. I agree that trying to rank all their songs was time consuming enough and fewer songs would probably have been preferable than more songs. 

I am probably going to try to rank songs for a different band once we are done, but I think I will ask people to rank their favorite Top 25 songs and then report back on how the songs shaped up from there. That way more people will be apt to participate and people won't be scrambling to rank some songs they probably never heard before. That way, we might end up with a Top 50 or Top 100 or however many songs without everyone trying to listen to an entire catalog of songs.

The Vulture.com person has 3 songs we aren’t including in their top 100 and several more close by. I couldn’t think of a fair way to include “good” ones and exclude the bad ones. As we have seen from the disparity in the rankings, ones mans trash is anothers trampoline. 

Good luck with your other artist. I’m a sort of all or nothing person. I can imagine if you have a top 25 or 5 there could be only theoretically 10 songs that match. Then the ranking the whole process gets messy. Eg we only have 6 U2 songs that are in everyones top 25 and 16 in everyones top 50. 

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

It's not like we are going to release an official report on song rankings and it's all for fun. But when you said you wanted to consider songs that you could purchase and not have to spend extra money on to add to your collection and to expand the list, I assumed that all other material was off the table. I probably have a few hundred U2 shows tucked away in various places . . . given that at that point we would be ranking performances that we didn't all have access to, I figured that wasn't what you were going for to determine the rankings. It will be interesting to see who comes up with "the best" live version of some songs.

I only have about 40 live shows lol. 

The intent was for people to rank the best version of the song that they have heard from u2. There is no way we have heard all versions, but i wanted people to rank the song with the best version in the drafters opinion in mind. Maybe i didnt communicate that originally. 

The only songs to be considered were the easily available material, but the versions of those songs were open ended. 

 

[Alex P Keaton]

176 - Red Flag Day (2017)

Highest Rank - 69

Lowest Rank - 210

Where to find it - Songs of Experience LP

Vulture.com ranking and comment - Not ranked

Comment - Another interesting throw back musically. The production on the last two albums is so much better than what Lillywhite does. Lillywhites work on Simple Minds, Ultravox!, XTC and others is great. With U2 its very patchy. I am the highest ranker by far on this one. This is a throwback that works for me. Two of the rankers had it in the 200s

Next up, another B Side

I really like the music on this one.  The lyrics are idiotic though.   Almost Duran Duran level of empty.

edit to add:  Mrs APK listened and said “is that U2 or Coldplay?  It could be either.”

 

[Alex P Keaton]

I don't love the studio version of this one. I ranked it 175. IMO, the live version is much better. They only played it 10 time over a one month period in 1993.

LINK

I think the live version is more of a rock song than the techno / synth version of Zooropa. I ranked the songs based on what was generally available (i.e., no live versions considered unless the song was released as a live version). I would probably have bumped it up 40-50 spots using the live version . . . provided I didn't have to watch the video with the hideous outfits and Bono dressed as Mephisto.

The rock song is……better……but it’s still just a really dumb song.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

The Vulture.com person has 3 songs we aren’t including in their top 100 and several more close by. I couldn’t think of a fair way to include “good” ones and exclude the bad ones. As we have seen from the disparity in the rankings, ones mans trash is anothers trampoline. 

Good luck with your other artist. I’m a sort of all or nothing person. I can imagine if you have a top 25 or 5 there could be only theoretically 10 songs that match. Then the ranking the whole process gets messy. Eg we only have 6 U2 songs that are in everyones top 25 and 16 in everyones top 50. 

Wow!!   See, this is going to be even more fun once we get into the top 100.   It’s crazy and awesome that only 6 songs are in every ranker’s top 25.  16 in the top 50 surprised me even more for some reason.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

Yeah I was happy to rank the best version possible. I don’t know how anyone can rank Sunday Bloody Sunday high based off the version on War. Same with Bad on UF. These songs came to life, live. There are enough bootlegs of U2 live songs, thankfully, that we can get pretty every song with a live version to compare. 

Huh.  I would rank SBS and Bad high…..live or studio.  Do I like the live versions better?  Sure.   By 30-50 slots?   Not really.  10 slots?  15?  Maybe.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

177 - Daddy’s Gonna pay for your crashed car (1993)

Comment - This song is like a crashed car. A mess. One of us really liked it. The rest, not so much. 

This was a little tough to take at first. It's not "rock and roll" in the slightest, and I wasn't prepared for a pseudo-techno outing from U2 in 1993 -- but I do think this song helped prepare the fanbase for what happened on Pop. I don't think it's horrible but I don't think it's great even by Zooropa standards. 

 

[Ghost Rider]

176 - Red Flag Day (2017)

Highest Rank - 69

Lowest Rank - 210

Where to find it - Songs of Experience LP

Vulture.com ranking and comment - Not ranked

Comment - Another interesting throw back musically. The production on the last two albums is so much better than what Lillywhite does. Lillywhites work on Simple Minds, Ultravox!, XTC and others is great. With U2 its very patchy. I am the highest ranker by far on this one. This is a throwback that works for me. Two of the rankers had it in the 200s

Next up, another B Side

Yowza. Red Flag Day was wildly popular with the U2 diehards on all of the sites when Songs of Experience came it. Seemed like it was a consensus top 3 pick from the album, and I was in that camp.  I guess the "old U2 great, newer U2 bad" trend continues.       

Also, it is notable that the guitar riff that kicks off the song is nearly identical to the one from Taylor Swift's song I Knew You Were Trouble (that came out in 2012). 

 

[Brony]

176 - Red Flag Day (2017)

Highest Rank - 69

Lowest Rank - 210

Where to find it - Songs of Experience LP

Vulture.com ranking and comment - Not ranked

Comment - Another interesting throw back musically. The production on the last two albums is so much better than what Lillywhite does. Lillywhites work on Simple Minds, Ultravox!, XTC and others is great. With U2 its very patchy. I am the highest ranker by far on this one. This is a throwback that works for me. Two of the rankers had it in the 200s

Next up, another B Side

I had this one in the 200+s.  This one just sounds so safe and bland to me, it's almost annoying how predictable it is.  It's not Joey Ramone or Helter Skelter grating, just un-interesting.  This is all subjective and I have no issue if people feel the same about Scarlet, for example. 

I've liked the recent albums and seeing them live even bumped them up a notch.  On re-listen with the whole catalog, Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience are both safer albums... nothing wrong with them, but not much really interesting or that will stand the test of time and re-listens.  Still way better than REM's later albums.  

 

[Ghost Rider]

What is shocking to me is that the only true you-know-what stain on Songs of Experience has yet to show itself on this countdown.   The fact that they played this late in the 2nd set on that tour is still one of the most baffling things ever. Seems like most fans did not care for it, and the live crowd was bored as hell until it mercifully ended.  One of the few truly awful songs the band has done. 

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

I really like the music on this one.  The lyrics are idiotic though.   Almost Duran Duran level of empty.

edit to add:  Mrs APK listened and said “is that U2 or Coldplay?  It could be either.”

Lol at Duran Duran. I cannot understand how they have been rehabilitated as a serious act. 

Ouch at the Coldplay comparison. 

Wow!!   See, this is going to be even more fun once we get into the top 100.   It’s crazy and awesome that only 6 songs are in every ranker’s top 25.  16 in the top 50 surprised me even more for some reason.

It doesn’t stop there. 11 of the top 25 have two who have ranked outside the top 25. 22 of the top 50 have two rankers outside the top 50. There are some crazy differences eg the number 50 song has rankings of 9, 11, 100 and 161. The number 35 song has rankings of 21, 22, 24 and 164. It’s not one ranker with a different outlook. All of us have some wild outliers.

All of number two choices are a magnet for weirdness

2, 24, 72, 182

2, 30,  84, 99

2, 3, 22, 48

2, 20, 64, 78

Yowza. Red Flag Day was wildly popular with the U2 diehards on all of the sites when Songs of Experience came it. Seemed like it was a consensus top 3 pick from the album, and I was in that camp.  I guess the "old U2 great, newer U2 bad" trend continues.       

Also, it is notable that the guitar riff that kicks off the song is nearly identical to the one from Taylor Swift's song I Knew You Were Trouble (that came out in 2012). 

I’m trying Ringo, I’m tryin real hard. Familiarity is a problem for the newer stuff. I may be the most friendly to it, but each of the rankers has a fave or two

What is shocking to me is that the only true you-know-what stain on Songs of Experience has yet to show itself on this countdown.   The fact that they played this late in the 2nd set on that tour is still one of the most baffling things ever. Seems like most fans did not care for it, and the live crowd was bored as hell until it mercifully ended.  One of the few truly awful songs the band has done. 

Now im curious lol. Pm me the song if you like and i will put you out of your misery for when it shows up

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

174 - Luminous Times (Hold on to Love) (1987)

Highest Rank - 92

Lowest Rank - 207

Where to find it - B side to With or Without You

Vulture.com ranking and comment - 41/218 - Dominated by piano and percussion, it’s another one of the ecstatic odes to one’s beloved that was the undercurrent during the Joshua Tree studio sessions. It feels improvisational, but that’s more due to the stream-of-consciousness vocal style Bono adopts in the service of mirroring the breathlessness of the lyrics. It’s a moment.

Comment - This would have comfortably fit on most u2 albums but not good enough for joshua tree. 

Next up, we return to Songs of Innocence with a song that cracks one of our top 50s and its my 36th ranked song

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

173 - Sleep like a baby tonight (2014)

Highest Rank - 36

Lowest Rank - 218

Where to find it - Songs of Innocence

Vulture.com ranking and comment - 161/218 - An oblique, yet direct condemnation of the various abuses committed by the Church in Ireland over the years. “Secrets can make you sick,” Bono writes in the liner notes. The melody here is controlled but unsettling, with a guitar solo that sounds like an SOS.

Comment - I absolutely Love the experimental approach here. Never thought i would see the day where U2 do synth pop lite. Starts like a Kraftwerk song or OMD doing Kraftwerk. Absolutely love the start. Tails off, but love the feel. Thats musically. I also love an angry Bono lyrically and he does it restrained. I just adore the musicality here. I seem to be alone on an island with it, but I can listen to this all day. 

The difference between the highest and lowest rank here seems extreme, but there are several even moreso. I think the biggest difference between highest rank and lowest ranked is 197 places. 

Next up, another B Side cover.
 

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

172 - Unchained Melody (1988)

Highest Rank - 115

Lowest Rank - 209

Where to Find it - All I Want is You B Side

Vulture.com ranking and comment - Not ranked

Comment - They try something different here, but it doesnt work. How can Bono even approach the vocal performance of the classic version?

Next up, back to October

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

The admin to Date with 57 songs listed

B-Sides = 27 (10 covers)

Soundtracks - 6

Zooropa - 4

Songs of Experience = 4

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb - 3

October = 3

No Line On The Horizon = 3

War - 2

Songs of Innocence - 2

The Unforgettable Fire - 1

Boy - 1

Pop - 1

We have still yet to see anything from the The Joshua Tree, Rattle and Hum, All that you Can’t Leave Behind  and Achtung Baby

 

[Ghost Rider]

I was a huge fan of Sleep Like a Baby Tonight when Songs of Innocence first dropped.  I still like it quite a bit, but wouldn't put it as high I would have a few years ago.  Top 5 tune from that record. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

174 - Luminous Times (Hold on to Love) (1987)

Comment - This would have comfortably fit on most u2 albums but not good enough for joshua tree. 

Agreed. Have always liked it. Wonder why someone ranked it below the top 200. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

172 - Unchained Melody (1988)

Comment - They try something different here, but it doesnt work. How can Bono even approach the vocal performance of the classic version?

This is better than it has any right to be, but like the Fortunate Son cover, I have a hard time understanding why it exists. 

 

[Anarchy99]

Agreed. Have always liked it. Wonder why someone ranked it below the top 200. 

That was me. I never was a huge fan of it. The first half of the song is extremely repetitive. The second half is more interesting, but for some reason the instrumentation or adding in the orchestra parts doesn't work for me. On a different day I probably would have ranked it higher.

That's the other thing I forgot to mention. On any given day, my list would probably have shaken out differently. If I really waned to do things properly, I would have preferred to listen all the songs all the way through several times to get a better sense of the entire collection. But not having the time, I mostly listened to snippets of songs to refresh my memory and gave each song a numerical grade and then sorted the results at the end. I did everything in basically 24 hours. Not ideal . . . but it was that or not make a list at all.

 

[Nemesis]

On this day.....Oct 15, 2000:
U2 notch their 4th UK #1 hit when "Beautiful Day" beats out Robbie Williams & Kylie Minogue's "Kids" for the top spot.

.....and pls permit me to go back 1 wk & add this -->   October 10, 2001:
Embracing the Internet at a time when broadband is rare, U2 webcasts a concert from their Elevation tour in South Bend, Indiana, for free on U2.com.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

On this day.....Oct 15, 2000:
U2 notch their 4th UK #1 hit when "Beautiful Day" beats out Robbie Williams & Kylie Minogue's "Kids" for the top spot.

.....and pls permit me to go back 1 wk & add this -->   October 10, 2001:
Embracing the Internet at a time when broadband is rare, U2 webcasts a concert from their Elevation tour in South Bend, Indiana, for free on U2.com.

I wonder if kindergartner Mayor Pete was in the audience that day

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

171 - Is that All? (1981)

Highest rank - 80

Lowest rank - 211

Where to find it - October LP

Vulture.com ranking and comment - 202/218 - “Scarlet,” the track that precedes “Is That All?” on October was a light send-off that echoed the theme of the album and closed the door on that particular period of U2. For some reason, the band decided they needed to add one more song, and one that they wrote in the studio. The lyrics are so empty they’re not even worth discussing.

Comment - Bono wailing way too much. 

Next up - We are going to stay with October for back to back tracks

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

170 - With a Shout (Jerusalem) (1981)

Highest rank - 108

Lowest rank - 195

Where to find it - October LP

Vulture.com ranking and comment - 181/218 - “We don’t want to be the band that talks about God,” Bono said in 1980, before joining a Christian revivalist movement and writing an album with undertones of the New and Old Testaments threaded throughout the lyrics. “With a Shout” is a reasonably powerful song from an instrumental perspective, but starts to feel like Bono is yelling about glory and righteousness yet again, with really nothing new to add. “If we’d been with a different label I think they might very well have decided to drop us,” manager Paul McGuinness said at the time.

Comment - There is a better song here than what is produced. Its a production mess.

Next up - Another doodling b side. May be one of the least heard U2 songs ever

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

#169 - Things to make and do (1980)

Highest rank - 120

Lowest rank - 171

Where to find it - B Side A Day without Me

Vulture.com ranking and comment - 166/218 - It’s a sweet, little, surf-guitar-flavored instrumental which showed up as the B-side of the “A Day Without Me” single.

Comment - At least its not an irritating b side. Musically interesting.

Next up - A return to Songs of Experience

 

[Pip's Invitation]

171 - Is that All? (1981)

Highest rank - 80

Lowest rank - 211

Where to find it - October LP

Vulture.com ranking and comment - 202/218 - “Scarlet,” the track that precedes “Is That All?” on October was a light send-off that echoed the theme of the album and closed the door on that particular period of U2. For some reason, the band decided they needed to add one more song, and one that they wrote in the studio. The lyrics are so empty they’re not even worth discussing.

Comment - Bono wailing way too much. 

Next up - We are going to stay with October for back to back tracks

I'm surprised someone had this as high as 80. It's full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. 

 

[Pip's Invitation]

170 - With a Shout (Jerusalem) (1981)

Comment - There is a better song here than what is produced. Its a production mess.

As with Tomorrow, I am higher on this than most people. It holds my interest throughout and Bono's impassioned vocals serve the song well here. I've always ignored the lyrics, which is probably just as well. 

 

[Alex P Keaton]

As with Tomorrow, I am higher on this than most people. It holds my interest throughout and Bono's impassioned vocals serve the song well here. I've always ignored the lyrics, which is probably just as well. 

Mrs APK likes this song too.  She’s a bit disappointed by October getting slammed in these rankings.  I feel vindicated because I’ve never understood her infatuation with this album. 

 

[Ghost Rider]

About half of October is a bit of a blur for me, but it does have a few notable songs (none of which I do not believe we have seen yet here, so that is good).  It is one of the few U2 albums that never gets full listens outta me anymore. 

 

[Brony]

I'm surprised someone had this as high as 80. It's full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. 

Yeah. What an idiot. 

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Mrs APK likes this song too.  She’s a bit disappointed by October getting slammed in these rankings.  I feel vindicated because I’ve never understood her infatuation with this album. 

I’ve been back and forward with October. It works better as an album than a group of songs, but there are significant rough patches. 

About half of October is a bit of a blur for me, but it does have a few notable songs (none of which I do not believe we have seen yet here, so that is good).  It is one of the few U2 albums that never gets full listens outta me anymore. 

As a piece of work i would much rather listen to October than say Boy, Pop or Rattle and Hum, but the down bits are hard not to skip

Yeah. What an idiot. 

We are only just getting started lol. Right now these are songs only the devotees are interested in.

Just wait until we get to the following....each one of us 4 have a “classic” ranked as follows:

Sunday Bloody Sunday 44

I will Follow 29

City of Blinding Lights 82

One Tree Hill 86

When we get to the top 50 the outliers often stick out like a sore thumb. I will be much more interested in why someone thinks Eg I will Follow ranks at 29 than eg North and South of the River ranks at 155 as an outlier

 

[Pip's Invitation]

As a piece of work i would much rather listen to October than say Boy, Pop or Rattle and Hum, but the down bits are hard not to skip

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Haha.

Boy is rough in patches. Their inexperience is clearly evident. It’s just noisier and more energetic than the introspective October. I’ve been in withdrawn moods where October provides a lot of solace. Other times I can’t stand the whining lol

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

We have the first song from Rattle and Hum and All that you can’t leave behind in the next 4 picks. Any guesses?

 

[Pip's Invitation]

We have the first song from Rattle and Hum and All that you can’t leave behind in the next 4 picks. Any guesses?

I've totally forgotten the filler songs of All That... by this point.

Rattle and Hum -- I'd guess Van Diemen's Land, Hawkmoon 269 or Love Rescue Me.