GEN
Active topics
  1. If you have to introduce U2 to a non-fan friend that wants to know better the band and asks your help to show songs that represents all the phases that the band went through to have a complete view of the band, which 10 songs would you choose?

    my list

    1) I Will Follow
    2) New Year's Day
    3) Pride (In the name of Love)
    4) With or Without You
    5) Mysterious Ways
    6) One
    7) Discothèque
    8) Beautiful Day
    9) Vertigo
    10) Every Breaking Wave
  2. I introduced a friend recently who asked what to listen to first, I gave them Achtung Baby. That was also my starting point when I was introduced to them.
  3. Best of 1980-1990 and Achtung Baby.
  4. Dublin 93 or Sydney, and 1 Dublin 89 show
  5. 18 singles
  6. Achtung Baby and the new years eve concert's from Dublin 1989
  8. Originally posted by hedyzera:If you have to introduce U2 to a non-fan friend that wants to know better the band and asks your help to show songs that represents all the phases that the band went through to have a complete view of the band, which 10 songs would you choose?

    my list

    1) I Will Follow
    2) New Year's Day
    3) Pride (In the name of Love)
    4) With or Without You
    5) Mysterious Ways
    6) One
    7) Discothèque
    8) Beautiful Day
    9) Vertigo
    10) Every Breaking Wave
    I've had this situation many times. An introduction doesn't need to shouldn't be a rigorous chronological revision of every era or style.

    And it will depend heavily on the target: introducing a millenial will be very different to introducing someone older. Someone young (born around 1990 or later) might have never heard U2 and probably has grown listening to hip hop, modern pop, maybe a bit of nu-metal or indie rock. Therefore their tastes and the songs they might appreciate or disregard will change heavily compared to someone born in the 70s or 80s, that probably grew up listening to classic rock, punk, grunge, etc. and most probably know (and maybe hate) some U2 songs already.

    Introducing someone born before 1990
    Where The Streets Have No Name
    I Will Follow
    Pride (In The Name Of Love)
    Until The End Of The World
    Angel Of Harlem
    New Year's Day
    With Or Without You
    All I Want Is You
    One
    Every Breaking Wave

    Introducing someone born after 1990
    Vertigo
    I Will Follow
    Walk On
    City Of Blinding Lights
    Elevation
    Mofo
    Even Better Than The Real Thing
    Breathe
    Sunday Bloody Sunday
    With Or Without You
  9. Some hits songs of course :
    I Will Follow
    Sunday Bloody Sunday
    New Year's Day
    Pride
    I Still haven't found what i'm looking for
    With or Without You
    One
    Beautiful Day
    Vertigo
    etc.

    But I have a different suggestion :
    Desire (Live from Boston or Rattle and Hum)
    Angel of Harlem (Live Slane or Sydney)
    Silver And Gold (Sun City Version)
    Ordinary Love (Live/jimmy fallon)
    maybe Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of (Acoustic Version)
    City Of Blinding Lights (Live from Rose Bowl)
    New Year's Day (live version)
    Winter
    maybe Love Come Tumbling
    maybe Heartland
  10. Originally posted by LikeASong:[..]
    And it will depend heavily on the target: introducing a millenial will be very different to introducing someone older. Someone young (born around 1990 or later) might have never heard U2 and probably has grown listening to hip hop, modern pop, maybe a bit of nu-metal or indie rock. Therefore their tastes and the songs they might appreciate or disregard will change heavily compared to someone born in the 70s or 80s, that probably grew up listening to classic rock, punk, grunge, etc. and most probably know (and maybe hate) some U2 songs already.


    nice point of view and makes sense.
  11. Originally posted by EridescoFly:I introduced a friend recently who asked what to listen to first, I gave them Achtung Baby. That was also my starting point when I was introduced to them.
    I would introduce Achtung Baby 2nd, with Joshua Tree first. How many of us were blown away by how different these two albums were, yet pleasantly surprised by how good Achtung Baby also is. The best gift I could give as an introduction to a friend would be to, as closely as possible, recreate this amazing metamorphosis of how the band re-invented themselves, and how they really give a damn about the music not only being good, but also fresh ideas.
  12. i understand the thing of showing the best two albums to a non-fan, but i think that both have some songs that only will catch the person after a few listens, not everyone is able to do this. my intention was to basically deliver everything ready to the person using my knowledge of the band.
    it would be very easy to ask him to hear the top 5 on spotify.