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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
simey
Footballguy
krista4
Footballguy
I think this is a good guess. I was going to name it, but then looked at my own list and saw I had it much higher than I'd thought.
simey
Footballguy
Grace Under Pressure
Footballguy
I have rankings on all of the recently revealed songs. “Hey, Please and MLK, how nice!” I’ll get to that. But first, I’m here to defend Mofo.
I have a 51 ranking on Mofo. Not the highest ranking by far. But someone mentioned that Mofo mostly gets disrespected. That’s true, and that’s bull#### right there.
Here’s what’s up. Mofo is dope. Thus endeth the lesson. Rock and roll.
I have a 51 ranking on Mofo. Not the highest ranking by far. But someone mentioned that Mofo mostly gets disrespected. That’s true, and that’s bull#### right there.
Here’s what’s up. Mofo is dope. Thus endeth the lesson. Rock and roll.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
(72) - > 60- Seconds
Vulture.com ranking and comment -139/218 - Lead vocals and excellent guitar work from the Edge are the highlights here. There’s a lot to like about this one; tight, compact, evocative, it almost unintentionally contextualizes the record by coming in after “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” in that it’s another current commentary. If anything, it almost foreshadows what the band would do later on the Zoo TV tour, with the sample from a documentary about female soldiers in the middle.
Original Comment - Great album track
Total Points - 515.30
Rankers - 18
Average Points per rank - 28.63 (Approximately a 46th rank).
Ranks - 71st on average points per ranker
Highest Rank - 22
Lowest Rank - 145
Previous Rank - 72 > 60
Special Version Requested - None
Ranking Comments - Does make a small jump from last time, but when the highest ranks are 22 and 25, it is going to miss a higher ranking. 10 other rankings between 28 and 54 put it here though. It does make a big jump in ranking points from our 61st ranked song.
Vulture.com ranking and comment -139/218 - Lead vocals and excellent guitar work from the Edge are the highlights here. There’s a lot to like about this one; tight, compact, evocative, it almost unintentionally contextualizes the record by coming in after “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” in that it’s another current commentary. If anything, it almost foreshadows what the band would do later on the Zoo TV tour, with the sample from a documentary about female soldiers in the middle.
Original Comment - Great album track
Total Points - 515.30
Rankers - 18
Average Points per rank - 28.63 (Approximately a 46th rank).
Ranks - 71st on average points per ranker
Highest Rank - 22
Lowest Rank - 145
Previous Rank - 72 > 60
Special Version Requested - None
Ranking Comments - Does make a small jump from last time, but when the highest ranks are 22 and 25, it is going to miss a higher ranking. 10 other rankings between 28 and 54 put it here though. It does make a big jump in ranking points from our 61st ranked song.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
(28) - > 59 - Gone
(28) - > 59 - Gone Mike Hedges Mix
Vulture.com ranking and comment -59/218 - It’s hard to be a rock band and write a song about what it’s like to be in a rock band without sounding either ungrateful or oblivious. “Gone” comes really close to the mark, and although the band are hard on this particular number, it’s presented with enough honesty and lack of coyness to make it worthwhile. “Then you discover what you thought was freedom is just greed,” Bono sings at the end, as the band are about to go off on a tour they’re not ready for to support an album they all believe is not finished, with one of the most elaborate stage sets of all time. Maybe someone should have paid attention to the lyrics. The song came back during the Elevation tour, usually dedicated to the late Michael Hutchence, and in an arena, the song has an intimacy it couldn’t possibly achieve in the colossus of PopMart.
Original Comment - This is better than some of the singles. There were at least 5 singles released off Pop. This outlasted every single one of the. IMHO it Drones on too long, but at least it is interesting and captures a moment.
Total Points - 520
Rankers - 15
Average Points per rank - 34.67 (Approximately a 40th rank).
Ranks - 54th on average points per ranker
Highest Rank - 3
Lowest Rank - 95
Previous Rank - 28 > 59
Special Version Requested - (28) - > 59 - Gone Mike Hedges Mix
Ranking Comments - This one falls over 30 spots, but its ranking last time was quite surprising. Interestingly all 15 rankings were inside the top 100. The most interesting is the 3 ranking which requested the Mike Hedges Mix. There is also a 12 and 13 ranking, 5 others in the top 50 and 7 others down to 95
(28) - > 59 - Gone Mike Hedges Mix
Vulture.com ranking and comment -59/218 - It’s hard to be a rock band and write a song about what it’s like to be in a rock band without sounding either ungrateful or oblivious. “Gone” comes really close to the mark, and although the band are hard on this particular number, it’s presented with enough honesty and lack of coyness to make it worthwhile. “Then you discover what you thought was freedom is just greed,” Bono sings at the end, as the band are about to go off on a tour they’re not ready for to support an album they all believe is not finished, with one of the most elaborate stage sets of all time. Maybe someone should have paid attention to the lyrics. The song came back during the Elevation tour, usually dedicated to the late Michael Hutchence, and in an arena, the song has an intimacy it couldn’t possibly achieve in the colossus of PopMart.
Original Comment - This is better than some of the singles. There were at least 5 singles released off Pop. This outlasted every single one of the. IMHO it Drones on too long, but at least it is interesting and captures a moment.
Total Points - 520
Rankers - 15
Average Points per rank - 34.67 (Approximately a 40th rank).
Ranks - 54th on average points per ranker
Highest Rank - 3
Lowest Rank - 95
Previous Rank - 28 > 59
Special Version Requested - (28) - > 59 - Gone Mike Hedges Mix
Ranking Comments - This one falls over 30 spots, but its ranking last time was quite surprising. Interestingly all 15 rankings were inside the top 100. The most interesting is the 3 ranking which requested the Mike Hedges Mix. There is also a 12 and 13 ranking, 5 others in the top 50 and 7 others down to 95
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
(39) - > 58- Trip Through Your Wires
Vulture.com ranking and comment -68/218 - “‘Trip Through Your Wires’ has that lovely loose, sloppy, throwaway side of the band that we can sometimes capture,” Adam Clayton said, and he speaks the truth. It has a groove; it genuinely swings; it feels organic and fun. The lyrics pull from that drowsy, lustful space that many of the B-sides (“Spanish Eyes,” “Luminous Times”) come from, and on the original Joshua Tree tour, it often found that rhythm. It ended up being one of the disappointments of the 2017 tour, feeling a tad plodding, and you can’t even blame the theory that an album track list (thank you, Kirsty MacColl) does not have the same concerns as a live one.
Comment - Probably the weakest track on Joshua Tree and its still a very good song. May be more suited to Rattle and Hum and I think if you were listening back to back Joshua Tree to Rattle and Hum, stick this track last on TJT and Open up with Angel of Harlem on Rattle and Hum. Still Trip beat out 4 other tracks from Joshua Tree so it must have its fans.
Total Points - 520.1
Rankers - 18
Average Points per rank - 28.89 (Approximately a 46th rank).
Ranks - 69th on average points per ranker
Highest Rank - 7
Lowest Rank - 136
Previous Rank - 39 > 58
Special Version Requested - None
Ranking Comments - After beating 4 tracks from Joshua Tree was time, Trip Through Your Wires is the first to fall this time. No one picked it either. Funny my comment last time said it was the weakest track. We do have a 7 ranking and 2 others in the top 20. 7 others in the top 50 and 6 others are top 100.
Vulture.com ranking and comment -68/218 - “‘Trip Through Your Wires’ has that lovely loose, sloppy, throwaway side of the band that we can sometimes capture,” Adam Clayton said, and he speaks the truth. It has a groove; it genuinely swings; it feels organic and fun. The lyrics pull from that drowsy, lustful space that many of the B-sides (“Spanish Eyes,” “Luminous Times”) come from, and on the original Joshua Tree tour, it often found that rhythm. It ended up being one of the disappointments of the 2017 tour, feeling a tad plodding, and you can’t even blame the theory that an album track list (thank you, Kirsty MacColl) does not have the same concerns as a live one.
Comment - Probably the weakest track on Joshua Tree and its still a very good song. May be more suited to Rattle and Hum and I think if you were listening back to back Joshua Tree to Rattle and Hum, stick this track last on TJT and Open up with Angel of Harlem on Rattle and Hum. Still Trip beat out 4 other tracks from Joshua Tree so it must have its fans.
Total Points - 520.1
Rankers - 18
Average Points per rank - 28.89 (Approximately a 46th rank).
Ranks - 69th on average points per ranker
Highest Rank - 7
Lowest Rank - 136
Previous Rank - 39 > 58
Special Version Requested - None
Ranking Comments - After beating 4 tracks from Joshua Tree was time, Trip Through Your Wires is the first to fall this time. No one picked it either. Funny my comment last time said it was the weakest track. We do have a 7 ranking and 2 others in the top 20. 7 others in the top 50 and 6 others are top 100.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
Next up. The first track from Achtung Baby falls. It was guessed correctly, but i will leave the reveal until later. The other two tracks are from the 00s and its quite fitting they are next to each other.
scorchy
Footballguy
I'm the highest ranker, but likely because I only ranked 35-or-so songs. Always loved (1) the really simple but prominent bassline and (2) the moment around the 2 minute when you think the song is over and Larry comes back in again.
simey
Footballguy
My second guess is Angel of Harlem.
simey
Footballguy
I ranked the song #28. I think the bass and drums highlight the song. Lyrically it fits well on an album called War. Say Goodbye.
simey
Footballguy
I ranked this song #49. I like the harmonica in it, and the overall vibe of the song. I think it sounds like they had a good time recording it.
bigbottom
Footballguy
#35. I also think the bass line and drums make this song. Has a great vibe all around. As we go through these songs, I’m beginning to realize that Adam Clayton may be the special sauce for me with respect to the songs I like.
bigbottom
Footballguy
No. 46 for me. The lowest ranked track from TJT of the ten that made my list (Mothers went unranked). Not surprisingly, TJT is the album with the most tracks on my list of 72 at 10. Interestingly, however, it ranks only fourth for me in terms of average song ranking for songs ranked from an album, with TUF way out in front (7 songs) followed by War (8 songs) and Boy (7 songs).
Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
Mrs APK was 7 on this, I’m at 27. She and I have a long-standing argument about this song vs One Tree Hill (easy choice IMO), but she’s always loved this song. Of course she has no comment right now (
) but I’ll get her to share thoughts unintentionally later today.I’ve mentioned this multiple times, but I’ll continue to unapologetically state that songs 5-9 on TJT are better (on average) imo than songs 1-4. Possibly because tracks 1-3 were overplayed. Possibly just my own personal preference.
Love JML’s comment about putting this song last on TJT and then opening up R&H with Angel of Harlem. Man. That would have been sweet.
Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
I probably should have ranked this. If my list expanded, this would be solidly in the 80-100 range. Not special, but I like the sound. It reminds me of something else……can’t put a finger on it…..
krista4
Footballguy
I had this typed in last night but realized I had already suggested two and co-signed one, so its being my fourth guess didn't seem very fair.
Not really a surprise. I have this at #37 so enjoy it a lot, but it's just the feel of it that I love. It's not really special and sounds more like other bands than having a distinct U2 sound.
The Dreaded Marco
Footballguy
krista4
Footballguy
#76 and #71 for me, in the like a lot but don't love category. With those two gone, I now have my #83 left and then nothing lower than the 60s.
krista4
Footballguy
Seems to have been unanimous!
Edit: Nevermind, I see bigbottom went with Love Is Blindness.
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Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
Yeah, very good point. It doesn’t feel distinct, but at least it’s not a U2 song that could be mistaken for The Band That Shall Not Be Named in this thread.I had this typed in last night but realized I had already suggested two and co-signed one, so its being my fourth guess didn't seem very fair.
The Dreaded Marco
Footballguy
A little surprised that Trip was the first from TJT. I would've guessed Mothers of the Disappeared.
Alex P Keaton
Footballguy
I like bands with a purpose, with a message, with a desire to make political statements. This was the perfect song for an album called War. It wouldn’t have belonged on any other U2 album, but it belonged on this one. I deliberately over-ranked this at 35……to me it’s a good in the moment pairing for Sting’s song Russians.
The Dreaded Marco
Footballguy
foxco
Footballguy
#19 for me, love this song. I may skip With or Without You because I've just heard it so many times, but I'm pumped when I hear the opening for this. Great tune on a 5 star album.
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
As we dont have a TJT track now until at least #42, I can say that Mothers is the only track left from both albums, except the straggler from AB, with less than 20 rankers. That said it has 6 rankings out of its 18 in the top 10 with rankings of 5, 7, 7, 9, 9 and 10. Its second third of rankers are at 17, 20, 29, 33, 42 and 43, it it is very popular among people like me who absolutely adore this track. Especially some live versions where its heartfelt lyrics have new life. The sadness is palpable
Do all those high rankings lift Mothers higher than #42?
Nemesis
Footballguy
The Dreaded Marco
Footballguy
Don’t get me wrong. I love that song. Just thought it would be the lowest ranked from an all time great album. Obviously, based on those numbers, it will be much higher.
krista4
Footballguy
John Maddens Lunchbox
Footballguy
As a point of reference Red Hill ranked 45 last time, so even #42 would be a jump. Exit was at #71 last time so already rises significantly if its the #42. Bullet the Blue Sky was #56 last time, so #42 would be a jump as well.
Is it possible In Gods Country drops from 26 to 42?
It is safe to say OTH, RTSS, WTSHNN, WOW and ISHFWILF will not be at #42
Nemesis
Footballguy
Here’s a Songfact for you:
Most people don’t know this…..but Trip thru Your Wires was actually written by the Dalton Brothers
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krista4
Footballguy
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Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Seconds = 39
Gone = 62
Trip Through Your Wires = 80
TTYW was the last song I ranked and obviously, like BB, the last song from TJT I ranked. It's a nice enough roots rocker, but it could just as well be a John Hiatt or Bonnie Raitt song. Every TJT song except Mothers made my top 80. And to me Mothers sounded better on the TJT30 tour than it does on the album.
Gone is one of my favorite tracks from Pop. It's one of the few songs from that album where the instrumentation and effects fit the structure of the song well.
Seconds is one of the best and most important songs on War, for reasons others have stated. As I said in the GP4 thread, it was years before I realized it was Edge singing, not Bono. Not until I saw the UTBRS video, probably.
Gone = 62
Trip Through Your Wires = 80
TTYW was the last song I ranked and obviously, like BB, the last song from TJT I ranked. It's a nice enough roots rocker, but it could just as well be a John Hiatt or Bonnie Raitt song. Every TJT song except Mothers made my top 80. And to me Mothers sounded better on the TJT30 tour than it does on the album.
Gone is one of my favorite tracks from Pop. It's one of the few songs from that album where the instrumentation and effects fit the structure of the song well.
Seconds is one of the best and most important songs on War, for reasons others have stated. As I said in the GP4 thread, it was years before I realized it was Edge singing, not Bono. Not until I saw the UTBRS video, probably.
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Mr. Landry
Footballguy
Zoo Station is my guess.
Only because it's my lowest ranked Achtung song (not because it's bad).
Anarchy99
Footballguy
I made it back home. I have tons of U2 related stuff to post. A little I knew about beforehand, but most I found out after the fact. I wouldn't say that every other establishment in downtown Dublin is a bar or pub. That would be an exaggeration. But 1 out of every 3 might not be that far off. There were 170 of them within 0.5 km of our hotel.
Unfortunately, I did not have much time to pursue much on the U2 front while in Dublin. The trip was geared around my wife learning more about her heritage (her family is Irish and dates back to when the Vikings were in Ireland). We were out early each day and didn't get back until most places were already closed.
For starters . . . right next to our hotel was The Savoy, your regular old multiplex cinema. Little did I know that on 1988-10-27, The Savoy was the host of the world premiere of the Rattle and Hum movie. The band members were all in attendance and a stage was set up outside next to the theater. The band is said to have played short acoustic sets before and after the showing of the film. HERE is the first one (When Loves Come To Town, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Angel Of Harlem, and Stand By Me). Adam and Edge returned for a 30th anniversary screening of the film in 2018.
We went to a gift shop called Carrolls' across the street from the theater. In that building, there used to be a bar called Slack Alice's . . . which was the site of an early U2 performance (when they were called The Hype).
One day I went to fetch us coffee from Starbucks around the corner from the hotel. Right next to Starbucks was a hearing aid shop called Bonovox . . . which is where Bono took his stage name from. In the same neighborhood, we walked by Rotunda Hospital . . . where Bono was born in 1960. We ended up passing by any number of places that were included in the Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way.
We took several walking tours, one of which took us to the end of Cedarwood Road (where Bono lived from 1960 - 1982). Cedarwood Road inspired Shadows And Tall Trees, which was taken from the book The Lord of the Flies. The song is about Bono's relationship with his father. Scenes from the video for Sometimes We Can't Make It On Your Own were shot at and around the house. Another video has Bono walking around the city, including Cedarwood Road. The song Cedarwood Road is about Bono's time growing up there and clashes with local gangs.
One of the places we went by multiple times was the Clarence Hotel. I never did get a chance to go in. Bono and Edge bought the hotel in 1992. On 2000-09-27, the band "performed" on the rooftop for Top of the Pops, playing Beautiful Day and Elevation live for the first time. (The music was playback of the album version with Bono's vocals the only part that was actually live.)
Behind the hotel is the Project Arts Centre, which played a major role in early U2 history. They played there at least 7 times from 1978 - 1980. Their second performance there occurred on 1978-05-25 . . . with future manager Paul McGuiness in attendance. McGuiness would say in 2006, "They were doing then, badly, what they now do well. Bono was very unusual in that he was at the front of the stage trying to engage with the audience. Most other singers at that time were looking anywhere but at the audience. After their performance that night, McGuiness invited the band next store to Bad Bobs Temple Bar for drinks . . . and left that night as their new manager. That was one of the places we unknowingly stopped in for a pint on our pub crawl.
The next block over in the Temple Bar section of town is a place called Claddagh Records, which I stopped by, but they are temporarily closed. Little did I know that there is / was a recording studio above the store. In late 1985 / 1986, the genesis of Bullet The Blue Sky and With Or Without You came from jams and recordings in that studio. Everlasting Love, Unchained Melody, Dancing Barfoot, Fortunate Son, and Paint It Black were all recorded there.
In 1988, the band recorded demos of Desire and Even Better Than The Real Thing there. In 1990, U2 developed Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, Until The End Of The World, Even Better Than The Real Thing, and Mysterious Ways there. That's the spot Bono recorded his vocals for I've Got You Under My Skin (and also In The Name Of The Father, Billy Boola, and You Made Me Thief of Your Heart). Bono would later say, "It was a very small place, over a record store for traditional Irish music, full of dusty carpets and bright minds. A lot of our best songs have been demoed there."
Who's Gonna Wear Your Wild Horses (Temple Bar Mix) was released as a single and was a Top 20 hit in 15+ countries (and hit #35 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1992). There is also a Temple Bar Mix for Vertigo with Edge playing banjo, but I can't tell if that was recorded there or mixed there. IIRC, this version of Desire was filmed and recorded at STS Studios above the record store (from Rattle and Hum).
Down the street from Claddagh Records is a bar called The Oldstorehouse Bar. On St. Patrick's Day 2000, Bono and Edge performed an acoustic version of The Ground Beneath Her Feet, which aired on the show TGI Friday. We walked by this place, but I don't think that was one of the places we went in.
Unfortunately, I did not have much time to pursue much on the U2 front while in Dublin. The trip was geared around my wife learning more about her heritage (her family is Irish and dates back to when the Vikings were in Ireland). We were out early each day and didn't get back until most places were already closed.
For starters . . . right next to our hotel was The Savoy, your regular old multiplex cinema. Little did I know that on 1988-10-27, The Savoy was the host of the world premiere of the Rattle and Hum movie. The band members were all in attendance and a stage was set up outside next to the theater. The band is said to have played short acoustic sets before and after the showing of the film. HERE is the first one (When Loves Come To Town, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Angel Of Harlem, and Stand By Me). Adam and Edge returned for a 30th anniversary screening of the film in 2018.
We went to a gift shop called Carrolls' across the street from the theater. In that building, there used to be a bar called Slack Alice's . . . which was the site of an early U2 performance (when they were called The Hype).
One day I went to fetch us coffee from Starbucks around the corner from the hotel. Right next to Starbucks was a hearing aid shop called Bonovox . . . which is where Bono took his stage name from. In the same neighborhood, we walked by Rotunda Hospital . . . where Bono was born in 1960. We ended up passing by any number of places that were included in the Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way.
We took several walking tours, one of which took us to the end of Cedarwood Road (where Bono lived from 1960 - 1982). Cedarwood Road inspired Shadows And Tall Trees, which was taken from the book The Lord of the Flies. The song is about Bono's relationship with his father. Scenes from the video for Sometimes We Can't Make It On Your Own were shot at and around the house. Another video has Bono walking around the city, including Cedarwood Road. The song Cedarwood Road is about Bono's time growing up there and clashes with local gangs.
One of the places we went by multiple times was the Clarence Hotel. I never did get a chance to go in. Bono and Edge bought the hotel in 1992. On 2000-09-27, the band "performed" on the rooftop for Top of the Pops, playing Beautiful Day and Elevation live for the first time. (The music was playback of the album version with Bono's vocals the only part that was actually live.)
Behind the hotel is the Project Arts Centre, which played a major role in early U2 history. They played there at least 7 times from 1978 - 1980. Their second performance there occurred on 1978-05-25 . . . with future manager Paul McGuiness in attendance. McGuiness would say in 2006, "They were doing then, badly, what they now do well. Bono was very unusual in that he was at the front of the stage trying to engage with the audience. Most other singers at that time were looking anywhere but at the audience. After their performance that night, McGuiness invited the band next store to Bad Bobs Temple Bar for drinks . . . and left that night as their new manager. That was one of the places we unknowingly stopped in for a pint on our pub crawl.
The next block over in the Temple Bar section of town is a place called Claddagh Records, which I stopped by, but they are temporarily closed. Little did I know that there is / was a recording studio above the store. In late 1985 / 1986, the genesis of Bullet The Blue Sky and With Or Without You came from jams and recordings in that studio. Everlasting Love, Unchained Melody, Dancing Barfoot, Fortunate Son, and Paint It Black were all recorded there.
In 1988, the band recorded demos of Desire and Even Better Than The Real Thing there. In 1990, U2 developed Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, Until The End Of The World, Even Better Than The Real Thing, and Mysterious Ways there. That's the spot Bono recorded his vocals for I've Got You Under My Skin (and also In The Name Of The Father, Billy Boola, and You Made Me Thief of Your Heart). Bono would later say, "It was a very small place, over a record store for traditional Irish music, full of dusty carpets and bright minds. A lot of our best songs have been demoed there."
Who's Gonna Wear Your Wild Horses (Temple Bar Mix) was released as a single and was a Top 20 hit in 15+ countries (and hit #35 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1992). There is also a Temple Bar Mix for Vertigo with Edge playing banjo, but I can't tell if that was recorded there or mixed there. IIRC, this version of Desire was filmed and recorded at STS Studios above the record store (from Rattle and Hum).
Down the street from Claddagh Records is a bar called The Oldstorehouse Bar. On St. Patrick's Day 2000, Bono and Edge performed an acoustic version of The Ground Beneath Her Feet, which aired on the show TGI Friday. We walked by this place, but I don't think that was one of the places we went in.
Grace Under Pressure
Footballguy
Wow, did I get embarrassingly far behind on comments. It is a somewhat cathartic exercise for me to catch up though, which is one of the many, many things I enjoy about this thread.
- Seconds: 54
- Gone: 33
- Trip Through Your Wires: 78
- Moment of Surrender: 86
- Like a Song: 70
- Please: 42
- MLK: 82
- October: N/R
I'm pretty high on Please and Gone. I'm largely a big Pop supporter, those are probably my 2 favorites on there, although I think Mofo is dope (as you may have heard upthread).
I don't think I'm the high or low ranker on any of these. This is a pretty good group of songs, IMO.
Grace Under Pressure
Footballguy
Anarchy99
Footballguy
I've got tons more. Just need the time to post it all. When we first got into town, Walk On was playing in the hotel lobby. Our first stop was the Guiness complex, where we downed pints on the top of the building. Just in that one location, I saw people wearing U2 shirts from 6 or 7 different tours. I can't even remember the last time I saw someone wearing a U2 shirt in the States. It may have been me (when mine still fit me years ago).
One day we went down Grafton Street, which is a big, crowded shopping area. There were multiple street performers playing with plenty of onlookers taking in their music. On multiple occasions, Bono and Edge have gone down Grafton Street on Christmas Eve singing Christmas carols (there are multiple links in the rest of U2 thread I started several months ago). There used to be a record store on Grafton Street called HMV, which was the first store to release RAH with a midnight release party attended by Bono, Edge, and Adam.
Sadly, a lot of the historical places for U2 aren't marked or specified, and most of the sites have been torn down and replaced. Case in point, we were on Anne Street, and I remember looking in the window of a place called Monaghan's Cashmere. Again, little did I know that building once was home to a bar called McGonagles, where U2 played at least 27 times in 1978 - 1979 when they were called The Hype. They used to open for bands like The Vipers (toured with The Clash and The Jam), Advertising, Revolver, and Zebra (yes, the Who's Behind The Door band). McGonagles used to be known under a different name . . . The Crystal Ballroom (sound familiar?).
Right down the street, we went to a shopping center called St. Stephen's Green, which used to be the site of a place called Dandelion Market. U2 played there, in an underground carpark, 8+ times in 1979. On their 7/18 show, Edge was sick and local guitarists Denis Rush and Joe Savino filled in for him. That's the only U2 show Edge has ever missed (out of 1,800+ performances). Tickets to all the shows were half a pound. The oldest known recorded U2 live performance is from the 1979-08-11 show at the Dandelion.
Larry would later say, "The Dandelion was where we really hit our stride, this was the start of Bono running around like a caged animal. Bono would later say, "You could feel the energy, you knew something was going on. This was our Beatles-in-the-Cavern moment."
To give people an idea of where U2 was at musically back in 1979, here were the songs they were performing then . . .
- The Dream Is Over
- Out Of Control
- Boy-Girl
- Stories For Boys
- Another Day
- Concentration Cramp
- The Speed Of Life
- Shadows And Tall Trees
- Inside Out
- In Your Hand
- Twilight
- The King's New Clothes
- Cartoon World
- Life On A Distant Planet
- The Fool
- Another Time, Another Place
- Alone In The Light
- Street Mission
- Glad To See You Go (Ramones Cover)
- 11 O'clock Tick Tock
- Pretty Vacant (Sex Pistols Cover)
- Trevor (AKA Touch)
- Jack In The Box
We went to these places on our way to see Riverdance at the Gaiety Theatre (my wife's favorite stage production of all time). The Riverdance tour had just returned from an international tour, and since we went to a matinee, the understudy filled in for the female lead. That woman is a born and bred Dubliner, and half the audience were her friends and family. The place went nuts every time she took the stage for a dance. Anyway, one of the Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own videos was filmed in the theatre.
Anarchy99
Footballguy
One day we went for a hike all through a fishing town called Howth. Again, if I only knew the back story . . . I took pictures of the Howth Parish Church (lots of distinctive churches in Ireland). Turns out it was the site of the funeral for Bono's father on 2001-08-24. Bono and Edge performed Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own. Then they travelled to Slane Castle and performed the concert available on DVD. Bono's had it tough on the family front. In 1974, Bono's mother Iris died at 48 after having an aneurysm at her father's funeral.
Back in 1985, Larry owned a house in Howth that I literally went right by where the band started work on TJT on. Demos for Trip Through Your Wires, With Or Without You, and Red Hill Mining Town were cut there.
Also in Howth, the band played their last gig as The Hype on 1977-03-20. It was the last show to include Edge's brother Dik Evans. The band played a full set of covers as The Hype, followed by a full set later on of originals as U2. In between, a band called Virgin Prunes and another called The Modern Heirs performed. The Edge played guitar for all the acts on the bill that night.
Two days earlier, the U2 version of the band (without Dik) had won the Pop Group '78 competition in Limerick. They were awarded 500 pounds for winning the competition, which they invested a large chunk of to buy clothes (at the aforementioned Dandelion Market) for their first ever photoshoot.
Back in 1985, Larry owned a house in Howth that I literally went right by where the band started work on TJT on. Demos for Trip Through Your Wires, With Or Without You, and Red Hill Mining Town were cut there.
Also in Howth, the band played their last gig as The Hype on 1977-03-20. It was the last show to include Edge's brother Dik Evans. The band played a full set of covers as The Hype, followed by a full set later on of originals as U2. In between, a band called Virgin Prunes and another called The Modern Heirs performed. The Edge played guitar for all the acts on the bill that night.
Two days earlier, the U2 version of the band (without Dik) had won the Pop Group '78 competition in Limerick. They were awarded 500 pounds for winning the competition, which they invested a large chunk of to buy clothes (at the aforementioned Dandelion Market) for their first ever photoshoot.
Nemesis
Footballguy
I would love to go back to Ireland now that I know so much more.
more Early band info:
https://forums.footballguys.com/topic/799927-u2-community-rankings-here-comes-the-top-60-63-mofo-62-mlk-61-october-now-with-spotify-links-thanks-to-krista4/?do=findComment&comment=23792295
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Great stuff.
I believe Dik was in The Virgin Prunes.
When I was in Dublin many years ago, I found a record store and bought a bunch of CDs, including Never Mind the Bollocks... and Sandinista. I wonder if that was HMV.
The other thing I remember about Dublin was that, in the many bars I visited, the second-most-commonly ordered beer after Guiness was Budweiser. After a while I felt compelled to ask someone about this. The answer was that the young people saw Guiness as their parents' beer and had latched onto something they perceived to be the complete opposite of that.
(The Irish versions of both beers are much stronger than their American counterparts.)
I believe Dik was in The Virgin Prunes.
When I was in Dublin many years ago, I found a record store and bought a bunch of CDs, including Never Mind the Bollocks... and Sandinista. I wonder if that was HMV.
The other thing I remember about Dublin was that, in the many bars I visited, the second-most-commonly ordered beer after Guiness was Budweiser. After a while I felt compelled to ask someone about this. The answer was that the young people saw Guiness as their parents' beer and had latched onto something they perceived to be the complete opposite of that.
(The Irish versions of both beers are much stronger than their American counterparts.)
Anarchy99
Footballguy
On the travel front, I am pretty much the polar opposite of you. This was my first time away from North America. We have a daughter that is big on travel. She's been to around 30 countries and is only 24 (mostly Europe and Asia Pacific).
Ireland was very pretty once the weather warmed up. Initially, I was going to post that the coldest winter I can remember was the summer I spent in Ireland. It was about 50 degrees, winds of up to 50 mph, and intermittent rain. Add in heavy fog, and you couldn't see 10 feet in front of you.
My wife tries to plan a vacation with twice as many activities than the time available, so we did a ton of walking tours and day trips nonstop. My typical thought process was "If I have to be couped up on one more bus and see another 50,000 sheep and cows crazing on a hill, I'm going to shoot myself." Then we'd get to wherever we were going, and the destination far trumped and exceeded the hours and hours trapped in a bus.
We ended up going to locations that were used in Braveheart, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Vikings, and probably other things as well. Even went to a live set for a new Netflix show that was shooting in a castle.
We went to a ton of historical sites. It was pretty funny when tour guides started talking about the "new construction" or "renovations," for buildings that had been around for hundreds of years. Many of the "new" construction elements took place before the American Revolution, so basically older than anything built in the U.S.
One of the more memorable moments was trying to converse with an Irish old timer that on a good day I would struggle to understand, but once you add in the influence of alcohol and being in a pub with loud music (one of the Hey Jude places), it was just not going to go far. I tried my best, and once in a while I would mention something that he understood, and he kept the conversation going. Maybe next time I will bring my Irish / Gaelic / English translator. But we shared a couple of pints regardless. Oddly enough, that place had a singer that played a pretty rousing rendition of ISHFWILF, along with several of their covers (Stand By Me, Everlasting Love, Fortunate Son, Paint It Black). I always thought it was odd that U2 recorded all those, but IMO it's odder still that someone would choose to cover those songs in their style IN DUBLIN.
One thing I found odd was the lack of a U2 museum in Dublin. Apparently, permits were submitted for one 5 years ago with full backing of the band, but that's as far as things got (at least as far as I could tell). There is an Irish Rock N Roll Museum, but their main display is on Thin Lizzy (and apparently not a ton of U2 stuff). There is a place called the Little Museum of Dublin that has a section devoted to U2 (couldn't go . . . was closed before I could get over there each day). Also of note is that there is a place called EPIC the Irish Emigration Museum that is very popular. They have sections on both Irish musicians, performers, and global activism. I did not see a single thing on U2 anywhere. I wonder if the band refused to give permission (or if they have an issue with the museum for some reason).
We ended up meeting people from all over (Germany, England, Spain, Sweden, Argentina, Japan), and we had some really interesting discussions on current life on planet earth (just from other parts of the world).
Anarchy99
Footballguy
Was the Guiness stuff several years ago? I had Guiness several times and found it to be the same. IIRC, they were acquired by a bigger conglomerate like 25 years ago, at which point the locals say the beer got weaker and they brewed it the same all over the world. I ended up switching to one of their lagers, as I find their main beer too dark for my liking.
Of all the places we went to, I did not see or overhear anyone order a Budweiser. I don't ever recall it being listed on any of the menus or beer lists. The only American beer I remember seeing was Coors.
As far as record stores go, I was surprised that there were 12 of them listed for downtown Dublin. As I mentioned, I was never available to get to one. But from what I saw of their websites, some (many?) had row after row of vinyl albums. That part surprised me. I haven't played a vinyl record since the early 90s.
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
I was there in 2004.
Most physical record stores these days, regardless of what country you're in, mainly feature vinyl, which has become collected by connoisseurs to the point of fetishization. Almost no one buys CDs anymore.
Anarchy99
Footballguy
I had several types of Guiness and tried one or two other Irish ones. None of them struck me as strong. Maybe things have leveled off? I ended up liking Guiness' Hop House 13 lager the most.
Where I live, there aren't many music stores to begin with, but I can't say that I've seen many CDs or vinyl in them. There are probably an equal number of new CDs to used vinyl . . . but likely more used CDs than either of those categories. I guess people mostly stream things, so not a big calling for physical media anymore. Now that I think about it, there's hardly any music in local music stores anymore.
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Brony
Footballguy
I've had a few trips to Dublin including one that was a boys trip and we did a day trip to Howth as a diversion to spending the entire trip in pubs. Must have said "Howth it going?" about a thousand times. Mildly amusing, then not funny for a long time, then eventually pretty funny.
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