1. played the album today for the first time.




    and that's pretty much all I can say about it.
    not interested in giving it another run.
  2. Originally posted by sparko:played the album today for the first time.




    and that's pretty much all I can say about it.
    not interested in giving it another run.
    Wow. Giving up after one listen
  3. Originally posted by Papo:I still think what I thought after the third listening: To me, it's a truly great record, a masterpiece, deep and personal. Love it, love it, love it. If on the next tour they would only play songs from SOI and SOE I'd be perfectly happy. Of course they won't and the concerts will be much better with a few hits and some deep cuts thrown in, but it shows how much i dig those songs.
    Truly agree
  4. Yes. Every album I liked at first - still like it today.
    Every album I didn't like, I still don't like them today.

    I gave SOI a second chance yesterday. Nothing changed.


  5. I doubt it.

    I'd love to see what happened if U2 tried to be more structured again.
    Remember deadlines?
  6. Originally posted by Papo:I still think what I thought after the third listening: To me, it's a truly great record, a masterpiece, deep and personal. Love it, love it, love it. If on the next tour they would only play songs from SOI and SOE I'd be perfectly happy. Of course they won't and the concerts will be much better with a few hits and some deep cuts thrown in, but it shows how much i dig those songs.

    +1 (x100)
  7. Get rid of Lights Of Home, Best Thing, Blackout and American Soul. Get rid of the Kendrick bit on GOOYOW too and of course bump Book Of Your Heart into the actual album.

    Then it would be really, really good as an album imho.
  8. Lights of home strings should start the album.
  9. Summer of Love is my current favorite--I appreciate the melancholy twang of the guitars and the switch in the lyrics...rich in ambiguity....
  10. Soon two months in, I must say it´s a great album. Thematically, a bit like Automatic For The People, with the apocalypse of both politics and life. To me it’s way better than Songs Of Innocence: the lyrics touches me, the sound is more interesting and the songmaking is of a higher quality. It’s not without weaknesses songwise, and I truly miss The Edge’s solos. Adam and Larry are really great on both SOI and SOE, but Bono’s voice is way better on SOE. And I find the original running order a bit odd. Almost since the first week, I have listened to it this way – and I can still not find a better running order:

    The Blackout. Zoo Station goes Pop – a perfect opener.

    You’re The Best Thing About Me. Contemporary pop music isn’t my cup of tea, but as this album’s Even Better Than The Real Thing it defends its place as the important second track. Should have been the second single as well: has worked quite well on radio.

    Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way. The album’s larger-than-life-song. Should have been the first single.

    The Book Of Your Heart. What a song! If it only had lasted a minute longer. Or two. Or…

    Get Out Of Your Own Way. A forgettable song, can’t understand why they released it as a single. But it mends perfectly into…

    American Soul. With another chorus it could have been a new Bullet The Blue Sky – here’s real anger, great sounds and noises and a groovy beat. A promise of a song that almost got there.

    Summer Of Love. The political theme turns personal as this song ends the first half of the album and introduces the sequel of four semi-acoustic tracks.

    Red Flag Day. These four tracks have light music with heavy lyrical themes, and this is maybe the heaviest of them.

    The Showman. Poppy music, honest lyrics.

    Landlady. Who cannot love this one? Starts the “Home” section on the album.

    Lights Of Home. Old men play slow rock, like Crumbs From Your Table and Cedarwood road. Boring. But great noises and lyrics.

    13 (There Is A Light). Should have been called 12… As with American Soul, the verses are stronger than the chorus.

    The Little Things That Give You Away. A perfect song. A perfect closer.

    Love Is All We Have Left. An even better closer. The Little Things leaves me in shock: this is the end. But this song turns the tears into joy: when everything is played, said and done, when the lights are out and the end is here – there is still love. I must listen to the album once again!
  11. Awesum running order Hole

    It never occured to me that LIAWHL would work as a closer. I had Blackout at the #2 but it still felt out of place after LIAWHL. Brilliant solution

    NB: To have Ordinary Love (Extraordinary Mix) at #12 (after LOH (SPSv & before 13) works quite well
  12. Or be n. 2. I like the string version so much more than the album version!