SOE
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U2 - Songs Of Experience (2017)
 Tracks: 14
  1. No harm in the guy putting his view across, if it’s better than Achtung baby in his eyes then it’s better. It’s not close for me though, I really like SOE but Achtung baby is on another level.
  3. Lol. I expected these kinds of reactions. Agreed that Achtung is on another level and will never be topped (for me).

    Just thought it was an interesting argument from the author, mostly centered on SOE being a more coherent album and one with a hopeful resolution based on experience...whereas Achtung is the sound of four men in their early 30s caught in uncertainty and not knowing how to resolve things, ending of course with "Love is Blindness."

  4. For me AB is their finest album
  5. Originally posted by bpt3:Lol. I expected these kinds of reactions. Agreed that Achtung is on another level and will never be topped (for me).

    Just thought it was an interesting argument from the author, mostly centered on SOE being a more coherent album and one with a hopeful resolution based on experience...whereas Achtung is the sound of four men in their early 30s caught in uncertainty and not knowing how to resolve things, ending of course with "Love is Blindness."

    Well SOE cleary rips off elements of AB anyway... Blackout & YTBTAM can both thank EBTTRT for starters
  6. I'm sorry, but you cannot make that sort of claim. I know music is interpretive, but I can't imagine anyone even remotely preferring SOE to Achtung Baby. That's just a headline made of sensationalism. That's Sherry for you, actually.
  7. I like SOE better.

    That doesn't mean it's an objectively better album. I kind of don't care if it is or it isn't or if there's even any way to tell. I just... like it more. It just caught me at the precise right time for the songs to really sink into my heart in a way that Achtung Baby - as fucking good an album as it is - hasn't ever quite done. Believe me, I can remember a time when someone so much as suggesting any album was better than Achtung Baby would've got me cross. But... whatever, I've changed, things are different now, I like SOE better than AB now, and maybe I won't forever but maybe I will. I guess, you know, it's all up to what the songs do for you. Maybe they don't have to be great songs to feel like great songs to the right person.

    Having said all that though... yeah, Kieran's right in saying 'that's Sherry for you'. The way that article was framed did really seem like 'I have an edgy opinion on something that will make a lot of you disagree very strongly, which makes my opinion better!' That's kind of why I stopped listening to the @U2 podcast - stuff like that seemed to happen a lot, from the same few contributors especially. I think there could have been a somewhat less flame-baiting way to make that article, even if there are some opinions in it that I rather like.
  8. Originally posted by CMIPalaeo:I like SOE better.

    That doesn't mean it's an objectively better album. I kind of don't care if it is or it isn't or if there's even any way to tell. I just... like it more. It just caught me at the precise right time for the songs to really sink into my heart in a way that Achtung Baby - as fucking good an album as it is - hasn't ever quite done. Believe me, I can remember a time when someone so much as suggesting any album was better than Achtung Baby would've got me cross. But... whatever, I've changed, things are different now, I like SOE better than AB now, and maybe I won't forever but maybe I will. I guess, you know, it's all up to what the songs do for you. Maybe they don't have to be great songs to feel like great songs to the right person.

    Having said all that though... yeah, Kieran's right in saying 'that's Sherry for you'. The way that article was framed did really seem like 'I have an edgy opinion on something that will make a lot of you disagree very strongly, which makes my opinion better!' That's kind of why I stopped listening to the @U2 podcast - stuff like that seemed to happen a lot, from the same few contributors especially. I think there could have been a somewhat less flame-baiting way to make that article, even if there are some opinions in it that I rather like.
    I have applied to work for them and got turned down and then after that I saw some terrible articles and that made me very mad. Haha
  10. Originally posted by Bart20:Spotify listening statistics

    2 months ago:

    Love Is All We Have Left: 3.922.204
    Lights Of Home: 3.213.320
    YTBTAM: 18.094.686
    GOOYOW: 8.867.040
    American Soul: 5.032.554
    Summer Of Love: 3.770.573
    Red Flag Day: 2.892.903
    The Showman: 2.445.405
    TLTTGYA: 2.567.525
    Landlady: 2.362.443
    The Blackout: 4.038.447
    LIBTAIIW: 3.136.923
    13 (There Is A Light): 2.040.871
    Ordinary Love (E-mix): 2.176.922
    Book Of Your Heart: 1.780.011
    LOH String Version: 1.590.684
    YTBTAM Kygo: 12.140.011

    To give you an impression Song For Someone has the most listenings of Song Of Innocence with: 32.509.910
    This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now has 5.800.681 listenings


    After a half year:

    Love Is All We Have Left: 4.945.624
    Lights Of Home: 4.117.202
    YTBTAM: 21.252.129
    GOOYOW: 11.871.889
    American Soul: 5.923.571
    Summer Of Love: 4.950.807
    Red Flag Day: 3.630.383
    The Showman: 3.058.946
    TLTTGYA: 3.185.334
    Landlady: 2.974.438
    The Blackout: 4.752.860
    LIBTAIIW: 3.870.856
    13 : 2.587.743
    Ordinary Love: 2.796.684
    BOYH: 2.276.684
    LOH Strings: 2.000.767
    YTBTAM Kygo: 14.286.207
  11. My plan is to review all U2 albums for my own personal pleasure (and we are all a little crazy at this point, aren’t we?). This is what I came up with today, and I started with SOE.

    Love is All We Have Left - A great opener, very little music but powerful lyrics ****

    Lights of Home - Good song, chorus is the weakest part ***

    You’re the Best Thing About Me - Very Catchy, awesome hook *****

    Get Out of Your Own Way - The U2 sound, fell in love with this song the moment I heard it. Could be titled Beautiful Day II, and I’d be okay with it *****

    American Soul - Heavy Bass/Percussion line, song is okay but not as catchy as they want it to be. **

    Summer of Love - Love the guitar riff, “been thinking about the west coast” is a great lead in, into the chorus. ****

    Red Flag Day - Kinda “punky” guitar riff, great song, perfect hook, perfect chorus *****

    Showman (Little More Better) - Very nice acoustic riff, very “poppy”, you wanna sing the chorus at the top of your lungs. ****

    The Little Things That Give You Away - slower song, heavy bass and snare, chorus is the best part of the song, as is the bridge. The guitar in the background sounds like it belongs on Joshua Tree. Second half of the song gets strong. Should be called Sometimes. ***

    Landlady - Fairly pedestrian to start, and continues. Nothing really memorable. Not unlistenable but one of the weaker songs on the album. **

    The Blackout - Deepest bass line on the album, gets catchy at the chorus, but not a song I would ever put on repeat. ***

    Love is Bigger Than Anything in it’s Way - A U2 ballad, pretty good song but not worth putting on Album #2 just to get to listen to it. ***

    13 (There is a Light) - Slowest song on the album thus far, Verse #1 and #3 kinda boring, but two and four have a nice build up. Like this “is a songgggg, for someone” Ends fairly abruptly. **

    Ordinary Love (Extra Ordinary Mix) - Cute little almost dance song, are they trying to get played in the club? **

    Book of Your Heart - Beginning starts like a “Pop” beat, total filler *

    Lights of Home (St. Peter’s String Version) - Probably stronger than the regular version, but not enough to warrant it into four star territory. ***

    Overall Impression - Album #1 is vastly superior, to Abum #2. If you just played this 9 song Album, it would be one of the best U2 albums of all time. 35 stars divided by 9 songs would be 3.89 stars as an average but divided over 15 songs, you are looking at a 3.189 rating out of five stars.
  12. Originally posted by JimmyMac91:My plan is to review all U2 albums for my own personal pleasure (and we are all a little crazy at this point, aren’t we?). This is what I came up with today, and I started with SOE.

    Love is All We Have Left - A great opener, very little music but powerful lyrics ****

    Lights of Home - Good song, chorus is the weakest part ***

    You’re the Best Thing About Me - Very Catchy, awesome hook *****

    Get Out of Your Own Way - The U2 sound, fell in love with this song the moment I heard it. Could be titled Beautiful Day II, and I’d be okay with it *****

    American Soul - Heavy Bass/Percussion line, song is okay but not as catchy as they want it to be. **

    Summer of Love - Love the guitar riff, “been thinking about the west coast” is a great lead in, into the chorus. ****

    Red Flag Day - Kinda “punky” guitar riff, great song, perfect hook, perfect chorus *****

    Showman (Little More Better) - Very nice acoustic riff, very “poppy”, you wanna sing the chorus at the top of your lungs. ****

    The Little Things That Give You Away - slower song, heavy bass and snare, chorus is the best part of the song, as is the bridge. The guitar in the background sounds like it belongs on Joshua Tree. Second half of the song gets strong. Should be called Sometimes. ***

    Landlady - Fairly pedestrian to start, and continues. Nothing really memorable. Not unlistenable but one of the weaker songs on the album. **

    The Blackout - Deepest bass line on the album, gets catchy at the chorus, but not a song I would ever put on repeat. ***

    Love is Bigger Than Anything in it’s Way - A U2 ballad, pretty good song but not worth putting on Album #2 just to get to listen to it. ***

    13 (There is a Light) - Slowest song on the album thus far, Verse #1 and #3 kinda boring, but two and four have a nice build up. Like this “is a songgggg, for someone” Ends fairly abruptly. **

    Ordinary Love (Extra Ordinary Mix) - Cute little almost dance song, are they trying to get played in the club? **

    Book of Your Heart - Beginning starts like a “Pop” beat, total filler *

    Lights of Home (St. Peter’s String Version) - Probably stronger than the regular version, but not enough to warrant it into four star territory. ***

    Overall Impression - Album #1 is vastly superior, to Abum #2. If you just played this 9 song Album, it would be one of the best U2 albums of all time. 35 stars divided by 9 songs would be 3.89 stars as an average but divided over 15 songs, you are looking at a 3.189 rating out of five stars.
    Great review! What do you mean by album one and two?