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  1. This album has entered my top 5 U2 albums of all time. It's aged really well and there's some fantastic songs that are amongst my favorite by them ever. I think it's better and more complete than ATYCLB which doesn't sound anywhere near as interesting to me these days IMO (top 5 currently stands as: AB, TJT, Zooropa, War, SOI)
  2. To my ears, 'This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now' would segue nicely from 'Miami' in the live context.
  3. california (there is no end to love) aged well
  6. Originally posted by RememberEveryMoment:This one has really grown for me, an amazing LP. The mastering just sucks. It's way too flat if. Listening to it with good headphones does not do justice to the headphones.


    Glad to see someone else bring this up.

    This is something that really struck me about SOI.

    I tried listening a few times with high quality headphones & it didn't sound any better than with my old cheap pair.

    The vinyl is a much improved listen I think.
  7. Originally posted by Fly40:In my opinion U2 are at their best with “sentimental songs” which can give you more feelings,could they be happiness or a desperate cry....I explain: Songs of Innocence is more a “rock” album with a fast pace ...songs like Miracle...California...Volcano...Raised by...so it’s not my cup of tea.I’d rather play stuff like Iris or Wave which have a lot of pathos
    I prefer Experience ( it’s not the subject of this thread) because it’s more emotional.there is real life in most of the songs...like the intro or maybe Lights of Home ...Little Things.it’s a real personal trip and I find myself in it
    Btw....SOI and SOE are albums in which i skip songs everytime.that gives the albums the absence of a completeness


    I know what you mean and tend to agree. For an album supposedly so "personal" for U2, SOI still falls flat for me most of the time, and maybe it's partly because it comes off like more of a straightforward "rock" album that just plows ahead without a whole lot of time for introspection. It might be more cohesive and have a more intelligible tracklisting than SOE, but SOE's "pathos", as you put it, tops SOI for me every time yet ("brush with mortality" / 2016 election re-writing excuses or not).

    That said, both of these albums have fallen in ranking for me over time, despite still appreciating the concept of the two. Hoping whatever the band eventually comes up with next sounds fresh, new, experimental, and unafraid to sound their age.
  8. Originally posted by bpt3:[..]


    I know what you mean and tend to agree. For an album supposedly so "personal" for U2, SOI still falls flat for me most of the time, and maybe it's partly because it comes off like more of a straightforward "rock" album that just plows ahead without a whole lot of time for introspection. It might be more cohesive and have a more intelligible tracklisting than SOE, but SOE's "pathos", as you put it, tops SOI for me every time yet ("brush with mortality" / 2016 election re-writing excuses or not).

    That said, both of these albums have fallen in ranking for me over time, despite still appreciating the concept of the two. Hoping whatever the band eventually comes up with next sounds fresh, new, experimental, and unafraid to sound their age.
    How would U2 go about sounding their age?
  9. Good question. Not having 9+ producers on the same album would be a start. I've always appreciated both U2's quest for "relevance" as well as their restlessness with experimenting musically. But I feel like these last two albums they've appeared more anxious about sounding young and modern with their sound and less about truly innovating.
  10. Originally posted by bpt3:[..] they've appeared more anxious about sounding young and modern with their sound and less about truly innovating.
    That's something that's been happening since 1999 sadly, with the sole (and partial) exception of NLOTH.
  11. SOI wasnt great but so much better than SOE. I agree with bpt3 stick with the one producer, get in the studio and bash out some good music and don’t put to much thought into it, let’s not forget some of their best stuff was done without even trying. One is an example, Exit was 4 guys jamming and seeing what the end result would be, I’m sure there are others but I can’t think right now