Rediscovering the U2 Magic

I went on a business trip this week. 4.5 hr flight and I didn’t really feel like watching a movie, so I decided to listen to music. I used to have my phone loaded with music but took most off once I went to Spotify, but what I left on was the stuff that Spotify doesn’t have, and hadn’t listened to it in ages.

35,000 feet above the 49th parallel I rediscovered the magic of U2.


Kindergarten Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses - love this version, better then the album version which is more rigid. This one flows, cool as the breeze.

Kindergarten So Cruel - cool to see the different lyrics. Outstanding.

Down All The Days - 80’s meets 90’s. To me this blows away Numb, with Edge rambling on about nothing. Bono singing gospel over the music of Numb. Brings emotion to the emotionless music.

Wave of Sorrow - this is one of the JT outtakes redone years ago. One of my favourite things they’ve done this century.

North and South of the River - live on Irish TV - wow, this is one of those lost U2 performances that really is one of their finer moments.

One and With or Without You - live Vancouver April 1992 - my first U2 show, Zoo TV arena. This is pure magic. Only a handful of artists get to this plateau. Bono goes off at the end of both of these. Taking the songs to places they haven’t been able to go in decades. Not bound to the in ear tracks or his diminished vocals, Bono flys here, and it’s what sets U2 apart from their contemporaries.

Running to Stand Still - Point Depot 89 -one of my favourite live U2 recordings. Really beautiful and there’s chills when the crowd joins Bono singing the Dirty Old Town coda.

^^^

Post Of The Week^TM

Excellent work.

I notice, with interest, you don’t mention pride.

Guys, I'm starting to think Lovebucket doesn't like Pride very much.

I notice, with interest, you don’t mention pride.

I didn’t mention Duran Duran either my good man

Guys, I'm starting to think Lovebucket doesn't like Pride very much.

Doesn’t mean he dislikes you. 

My eyes are blind
They have seen the glory
My ears are shut
They have heard the sound
My legs are weak
From so much stumbling

Down all the days
Down all the days

My lips are dry
They have tasted water
My spirit high
I hardly touch the ground
My heart is heavy
It hears a distant firing

Down all the days

So much better than Numb, which I’ve never really liked. Numb is completely soulless.

My eyes are blind
They have seen the glory
My ears are shut
They have heard the sound
My legs are weak
From so much stumbling

Down all the days
Down all the days

My lips are dry
They have tasted water
My spirit high
I hardly touch the ground
My heart is heavy
It hears a distant firing

Down all the days

So much better than Numb, which I’ve never really liked. Numb is completely soulless.

Yeah I replaced Numb on my Zooropa playlist with DATD the second I heard it on the AB re-issue. Contemporary Bono vocal, but still good.

I've always loved Numb so I'm biased, but Down All The Days kind of grates on me. I will say the first ~2:20 is pretty good, but the last half of the song doesn't really go anywhere. To me Numb stays interesting the whole time.

Quote from: So Cruel on April 18, 2024, 03:27:49 PM

My eyes are blind
They have seen the glory
My ears are shut
They have heard the sound
My legs are weak
From so much stumbling

Down all the days
Down all the days

My lips are dry
They have tasted water
My spirit high
I hardly touch the ground
My heart is heavy
It hears a distant firing

Down all the days

So much better than Numb, which I’ve never really liked. Numb is completely soulless.

Yeah I replaced Numb on my Zooropa playlist with DATD the second I heard it on the AB re-issue. Contemporary Bono vocal, but still good.

I wouldn’t bet on that (vocals being contemporary). To me the lower register sounds a lot like what we hear on the Salomé tapes. Same with the ad libs at the end.

I've always loved Numb so I'm biased, but Down All The Days kind of grates on me. I will say the first ~2:20 is pretty good, but the last half of the song doesn't really go anywhere. To me Numb stays interesting the whole time.

IMO Numb has character. It’s a one of a kind song. Down all the days is a bit pedestrian. I don’t hear anything special in those vocals, to be frank. You might not like Numb but it stood out then and it stands out now.

Guys, I'm starting to think Lovebucket doesn't like Pride very much.

Well, at least he’s proud of that.

Quote from: Pride on April 18, 2024, 05:44:47 PM

I've always loved Numb so I'm biased, but Down All The Days kind of grates on me. I will say the first ~2:20 is pretty good, but the last half of the song doesn't really go anywhere. To me Numb stays interesting the whole time.

IMO Numb has character. It’s a one of a kind song. Down all the days is a bit pedestrian. I don’t hear anything special in those vocals, to be frank. You might not like Numb but it stood out then and it stands out now.

I fully agree.

Quote from: The Exile on April 18, 2024, 04:42:59 PM

Yeah I replaced Numb on my Zooropa playlist with DATD the second I heard it on the AB re-issue. Contemporary Bono vocal, but still good.

I wouldn’t bet on that (vocals being contemporary). To me the lower register sounds a lot like what we hear on the Salomé tapes. Same with the ad libs at the end.

U2Songs agrees

"'Down All the Days' is one of the tracks that dates back to the Achtung Baby album in 1991. This is one of the tracks that has been released in its original form, with no additional recording."

The AB demos are a mixed bag. Some are neat, but many are incessant 'jamming' on a boring groove with Bongolese on top. Which is fair enough, of course they were works in progress, and the final album is excellent. Not shockingly, most of the better demos were the ones actually released on the various deluxe editions of AB.

Quote from: So Cruel on April 18, 2024, 03:27:49 PM

My eyes are blind
They have seen the glory
My ears are shut
They have heard the sound
My legs are weak
From so much stumbling

Down all the days
Down all the days

My lips are dry
They have tasted water
My spirit high
I hardly touch the ground
My heart is heavy
It hears a distant firing

Down all the days

So much better than Numb, which I’ve never really liked. Numb is completely soulless.

Yeah I replaced Numb on my Zooropa playlist with DATD the second I heard it on the AB re-issue. Contemporary Bono vocal, but still good.

This has given an idea for a new thread.