1. Originally posted by LikeASong:[..]
    I've wondered the same many times. I think they wanted to have 13 songs no matter what, and that ended up causing some fillers to be included. American Soul and The Showman aren't worthy of being included in U2 albums and the album would actually be better without them. But that would bring the album down to "only" 11 songs so it didn't fit their "agenda"

    Love Is All We Have Left
    The Blackout
    Lights of Home
    Get Out Of Your Own Way
    You're The Best Thing About Me
    Summer Of Love
    Red Flag Day
    Landlady
    The Little Things That Give You Away
    Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
    Book Of Your Heart
    13 12 (There Is A Light)

    That's a much better album than the SOE we got.
    I agree with putting The Blackout right after LIAWHL and dropping American Soul. I'd also be fine dropping GOOYOW although thematically it works where it is. However...

    -I like The Showman better than Book Of Your Heart. Showman is fun and energetic, light-hearted but clever. Book Of Your Heart is...boring.

    -I still think "13" could be their way of alluding to Psalm 13, a lot less obviously than "40" mirroring Psalm 40, but still...
  2. Originally posted by LikeASong:[..]
    I've wondered the same many times. I think they wanted to have 13 songs no matter what, and that ended up causing some fillers to be included. American Soul and The Showman aren't worthy of being included in U2 albums and the album would actually be better without them. But that would bring the album down to "only" 11 songs so it didn't fit their "agenda"

    Love Is All We Have Left
    The Blackout
    Lights of Home
    Get Out Of Your Own Way
    You're The Best Thing About Me
    Summer Of Love
    Red Flag Day
    Landlady
    The Little Things That Give You Away
    Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
    Book Of Your Heart
    13 12 (There Is A Light)

    That's a much better album than the SOE we got.

    That’s pretty much what I’d do to make the album better, although I think Love is all we have left would bring the average score down so I’d remove that too and change best thing to acoustic which for me gives the song a lot more feeling than the poppy sounding album version. The annoying thing is I think American should and showman might have been late additions. Showman I think bono mentioned quite late on as if they were only working on it and American soul I assume was one of the additions because of the whole US election results back then . I don’t think they would have added that has there not been there whole stance against Trump plus it was a recycled part from volcano/Glastonbury. I think 13 might have been a late addition too. Again recycled lyrics although to much better effect this time and I remember bono saying little things was going to be the last song on the album on TJT2017 tour. I like 13 though.
  3. I agree this running order would be much better. Though I can't tolerate SOL anymore since finding out that it's a One Republic song and not a U2 song, so that one had to go in my playlist as well.
  4. 3 years since and i'm still think that this album is much better than ATYCLB & SOI, from the 00's-10's era, is the one that I'm more interested to listen nowadays.

    LIAWHL, lights of home, american soul, red flag day and the blackout plays constantly on my playlists
  5. 3 years on and I don’t think I’ve played majority of the songs or the album in full since mid 2018. Maybe I am to young and haven’t understood the album yet, it may warm up to me down the track. One shame about the tour was that we never I never got to live up to the hype of the little things after their sneak peak of the song in 2017.
  6. At the time Love is Bigger was the standout for me and 3 years later it still is. In my opinion it's a U2 classic.

    I was just looking at the tracklist and never realised how strong the end of the album is. Little Things > Landlady > Blackout > Love is bigger > 13.

    That's probably the strongest part of the album.
  7. Little things is by far the best song 🎵 on the album, the fact that they never played it on the E&I tour is bizzare, It would have been a great closing song instead of that boring 13 which was song for someone part 2.
  8. Originally posted by SJKamal:At the time Love is Bigger was the standout for me and 3 years later it still is. In my opinion it's a U2 classic.

    I was just looking at the tracklist and never realised how strong the end of the album is. Little Things > Landlady > Blackout > Love is bigger > 13.

    That's probably the strongest part of the album.
    Funny that everyone has another taste. I agree that Little Things and Blackout are strong. Love is bigger is ok. I can't stand 13 and Landlady is even worse in my opinion
  9. Originally posted by CrashCaderz:3 years on and I don’t think I’ve played majority of the songs or the album in full since mid 2018. Maybe I am to young and haven’t understood the album yet, it may warm up to me down the track. One shame about the tour was that we never I never got to live up to the hype of the little things after their sneak peak of the song in 2017.
    Same here. I am a fan since 1991 but I never play this album in full. Only 3 too 4 songs. Really the worst U2 album ever. Even worse than October. Hopefully the next sounds we hear are more exciting.
  10. My thoughts after 3 years. I'm not a fan of the studio version of The Blackout, sounds overproduced. Should have kept like how they performed it in Amsterdam and should've been placed after Love Is All We Have Left in the running order. Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way became my favourite after hearing it live and is now one of my all time favourites. I personally like 13 and am glad it closed the show, wrapping up the two tours. Also, Little Things is amazing.
  11. Originally posted by CrashCaderz:3 years on and I don’t think I’ve played majority of the songs or the album in full since mid 2018. Maybe I am to young and haven’t understood the album yet, it may warm up to me down the track. One shame about the tour was that we never I never got to live up to the hype of the little things after their sneak peak of the song in 2017.
    I'm pretty much in the same boat. I don't think I have consciously played any SOE song other than 13, Book Of Your Heart, Love Is Bigger and Summer Of Love in over a year, which is disgraceful.
  12. Their worst album.