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  1. Glad to see there are others willing to admit they like/love this album. Aside from the songs themselves I just love the concept and themes of this album. It's Boy recorded through the eyes of men with 50+ years of experience and the first half of a fabulous double album.

    Admittedly, it's not as great as it could have been, with some of the better material being on the deluxe version. I like to replace California with Crystal Ballroom and substitute the acoustic version of Every Breaking Wave.
  2. I'd say a lot of older bands from the 70s and 80s were envious of the way U2 released SOI because most of those bands don't even bother with new music as it basically gets ignored by the general public Radio,TV etc and sells poorly, they may have suffered the outrage of some self absorbed millennials but in the greater scheme of things it worked as it got people talking about and interested in their music.
  3. Originally posted by Sydney_MIke:Glad to see there are others willing to admit they like/love this album. Aside from the songs themselves I just love the concept and themes of this album. It's Boy recorded through the eyes of men with 50+ years of experience and the first half of a fabulous double album.

    Admittedly, it's not as great as it could have been, with some of the better material being on the deluxe version. I like to replace California with Crystal Ballroom and substitute the acoustic version of Every Breaking Wave.
    I think this is the trouble with this album. A great concept not brilliantly executed. It will forever be another what could have been.
  4. Originally posted by germcevoy:[..]
    I think this is the trouble with this album. A great concept not brilliantly executed. It will forever be another what could have been.
    Agreed. IMO someone should've been there to tell the band to NOT do the two-album thing and just put one album out of their best songs, because while I don't consider either of them to be among U2's masterpieces, I do think if they had done one album of the best of the best - it really could've got there. Maybe something like:

    Love Is All We Have Left
    The Blackout
    Raised by Wolves
    Lights of Home (St. Peter's Version)
    Every Breaking Wave
    Invisible
    The Crystal Ballroom
    Iris (Hold Me Close)
    Book Of Your Heart
    Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
    The Little Things That Give You Away
  5. I love this album, I’ve said before it’ll hold a special place in my heart forever but I put it up there with Boy, The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby!, and All That You Can’t Leave Behind.
  6. Definitely one of my favorite U2 albums. I still remember the first time I listened to it. I had a big smile throughout the whole listening experience, I thought every song was brilliant. I appreciated the songwriting process of the album, the whole 'growing up in Dublin in the 70s, our first experiences...' thing. I believe it contains some of the band's best all time work. I still enjoy it more than SOE and I find it just as personal as SOE. And I do like the cover; now that I think about it, it seems an un-Larry thing to do, so I appreciate it and it certainly feels appropriate for the album.
  7. Only improvement would have been let Danger Mouse mix the whole thing. It would of been a little darker. And Bono even said he wishes the mix was a little louder and dirtier to fit the themes.
    But I loved the stuff DM did and the way it sounded.
    The Troubles is up there with one of the best closing songs on any u2 album. Love is Blindness being the best
  8. Originally posted by jasvan:Only improvement would have been let Danger Mouse mix the whole thing. It would of been a little darker. And Bono even said he wishes the mix was a little louder and dirtier to fit the themes.
    But I loved the stuff DM did and the way it sounded.
    The Troubles is up there with one of the best closing songs on any u2 album. Love is Blindness being the best
    The last third was the most interesting set of songs they’ve produced since pop.
  9. Originally posted by RattleandHum1988:[..]
    Agreed. IMO someone should've been there to tell the band to NOT do the two-album thing and just put one album out of their best songs, because while I don't consider either of them to be among U2's masterpieces, I do think if they had done one album of the best of the best - it really could've got there. Maybe something like:

    Love Is All We Have Left
    The Blackout
    Raised by Wolves
    Lights of Home (St. Peter's Version)
    Every Breaking Wave
    Invisible
    The Crystal Ballroom
    Iris (Hold Me Close)
    Book Of Your Heart
    Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
    The Little Things That Give You Away
    But then we would have had to wait until 2017 to get an album! No thanks. I think both Songs Of albums are very solid efforts.
  10. Originally posted by RattleandHum1988:[..]
    Agreed. IMO someone should've been there to tell the band to NOT do the two-album thing and just put one album out of their best songs, because while I don't consider either of them to be among U2's masterpieces, I do think if they had done one album of the best of the best - it really could've got there. Maybe something like:

    Love Is All We Have Left
    The Blackout
    Raised by Wolves
    Lights of Home (St. Peter's Version)
    Every Breaking Wave
    Invisible
    The Crystal Ballroom
    Iris (Hold Me Close)
    Book Of Your Heart
    Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
    The Little Things That Give You Away
    I agree and disagree with this idea. On the one hand yes if I was to pick 12 songs between the two albums I could come up with something I love even more than SOI however I could say that with any combination of albums. If stay was on Achtung baby instead of so cruel I’d like it more, if Heartland was on TJT instead of Trip I’d like it more. (I still really like Trip and So cruel). U2 released 29 songs in the last 5 years between the album and bonus tracks and I would only say 2 of them weren’t really good enough to be on a u2 album (the showman and American soul, and I wish they had put an acoustic version of best thing on the album similar to the E&I version). I’m not saying every other song was exceptional but I would say they ranged from good - great and there was a good few in that great category imo.
  11. hard to believe it's been 5 years now, time goes so fast..

    still remember the uproar from friends over the itunes thing
  12. Originally posted by RattleandHum1988:[..]
    Agreed. IMO someone should've been there to tell the band to NOT do the two-album thing and just put one album out of their best songs, because while I don't consider either of them to be among U2's masterpieces, I do think if they had done one album of the best of the best - it really could've got there. Maybe something like:

    Love Is All We Have Left
    The Blackout
    Raised by Wolves
    Lights of Home (St. Peter's Version)
    Every Breaking Wave
    Invisible
    The Crystal Ballroom
    Iris (Hold Me Close)
    Book Of Your Heart
    Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
    The Little Things That Give You Away
    This would've been killer.