Hawkmoon 269 - underrated?

Is Hawkmoon 269 the most underrated U2 song?

One of my favourite songs, love the lyrics, such a powerful song.

Not sure if it has ever been performed live at one of the big tours. They really should play that song live.

Found this review of the song which is quite epic:

Hawkmoon 269,” Rattle and Hum
The previous track on the album might have been called “Desire,” but this is rapture. “Hawkmoon 269” is six minutes of a fiery inferno. Bono howls and Edge lights his guitar strings afire like a fuse leading to dynamite. Adam Clayton’s bass is so low you can feel it in the pit of your stomach; lower, probably. And this is likely one of Larry Mullen Jr.’s finest performances. He manages to guide the tension and the intensity with insane precision. The jazz drummer Larry Bunker is on the tympani, there’s a gospel trio at the end, and oh, THERE IS BOB DYLAN ON THE HAMMOND ORGAN — that crazy carnival melody at the start and then bubbling underneath and meandering through the song. U2 have rarely played “Hawkmoon 269” live. It is probably better that way — to leave it in its pure state, hidden in a record that sold millions of copies worldwide but was mercilessly ripped apart by the rock-critic Establishment for putting on airs, when it was just four kids from Dublin falling in love with American music history.

Thoughts?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMElTsuDhRM

its not underrated in my house...one of the best boom boom

It's an improvement on Love Rescue Me and When Love Comes to Town, I'll give it that. For me it's thunderingly dull and those sixth form rhyming lyrics really do leave a lot to be desired 

LoveBucket

It's an improvement on Love Rescue Me and When Love Comes to Town, I'll give it that. For me it's thunderingly dull and those sixth form rhyming lyrics really do leave a lot to be desired 

LoveBucket

Thanks for making my point of it being underrated

Quote from: Larry Lovebucket on January 07, 2021, 12:34:16 PM

It's an improvement on Love Rescue Me and When Love Comes to Town, I'll give it that. For me it's thunderingly dull and those sixth form rhyming lyrics really do leave a lot to be desired 

LoveBucket

Thanks for making my point of it being underrated

Touche! 

LoveBucket

An underrated song on an underrated album!  It's good enough to my ears to have been a setlist staple.  Unfortunately, the song received limited play on Lovetown and hasn't been performed since.  Sounds like it would be tough to replicate live.  Imagine it couldn't have been easy going through 269 mixes either!

i think it's fair to say it's underrated.  don't think it gets a lot of play outside of people who are fans to know the deep cuts.  don't think it's the most underrated song of theirs though.

U2 have shown no inclination to play it live since the LoveTown tour and the fact they haven't released a remastered CD of R&H adds to the neglect as it could sound better.

The time for performing this one live is in the past.

I rate the song highly, lyrics not as highly.

U2 have shown no inclination to play it live since the LoveTown tour and the fact they haven't released a remastered CD of R&H adds to the neglect as it could sound better.

isn't the reason there's never been a re-release or deluxe edition of the album down to the fact that a movie studio is involved with the rights?

Quote from: John Galt on January 07, 2021, 02:58:17 PM

U2 have shown no inclination to play it live since the LoveTown tour and the fact they haven't released a remastered CD of R&H adds to the neglect as it could sound better.

isn't the reason there's never been a re-release or deluxe edition of the album down to the fact that a movie studio is involved with the rights?

IDK.  They skipped Zooropa and Pop as well.  I think I ranked the song about #55 on my top 100 list of U2 songs a year ago, which ain't bad.

Enjoy it. Big song from a big band. Bit long but enough passion & things going on to stop it being too long.

Maybe the 5th single from R & H, if they had released one. It would have to be a shortened version as AIWIY was.

Can't argue with the singles from R & H.

Desire was a Vertigo esq in your face lead single  AOH was a good song. WLCTT had BB King & a blues feel. AIWIY was too good to be left as an album track, even if it meant shortening it for radio play.

Resulting in Hawkmoon being a good album track on an unfairly maligned album.

The time for performing this one live is in the past.

I rate the song highly, lyrics not as highly.

Agreed. I’m not sure the 269 mixes story is true, I seriously doubt that, but the 269th mix really, really works.
A lot has been said about U2’s producers but it would be wrong to underestimate Jimmy Iovine and what he did on Rattle & Hum.

The record screams for a remaster, though.

Yes, underrated for me. In my group of U2 crazy friends in high school it was one of our favourites when RH came out. Not least this live version which was so rare  before YouTube...

https://youtu.be/35h1BhD5DkI