AB / BEST: Best, Worst, Underrated

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Acrobat. As much as I prefer Zooropa over AB, that is their best song of the ‘90s to me.

One is the best song ever

I decided to go with Ultraviolet this time. Have voted End of the World in the past.

It had to be… One.

One certainly get overplayed. I also believe it was never as good live as it is on record. Except for that strings version at the Pavarotti concert, thanks to Michael Kamen.

Anyway, I think One encapsulates U2’s genius, that 4 guys in a room quality.

That said, it also encapsulates U2’s « ambition bites the nails of success » syndrome. There’s this interview where Bono complains about the lack of chorus in the song and says « we should have called it 14 because that’s how high it went in the charts ». The Edge corrects him and says it was 4.
I also remember a version U2 recorded for television while on rehearsal for Zoo TV and at the end of the song, Bono screams « I want to be number one ! », which is kind of pathetic.

I know both examples are tongue in cheek but I can’t help thinking that, while they accept One as a fan favorite, it also fueled Bono & Edge’s ambition to be recognized as songwriters in the traditional sense. Something more elegant than 4 guys in a room. Now we get to the point where I’m not sure they are still able to jam as 4 people in a room. Very sad.

I decided to go with Ultraviolet this time. Have voted End of the World in the past.

Sticking with UTEOTW

UTEOTW.

It had to be… One.

One certainly get overplayed. I also believe it was never as good live as it is on record. Except for that strings version at the Pavarotti concert, thanks to Michael Kamen.

Anyway, I think One encapsulates U2’s genius, that 4 guys in a room quality.

That said, it also encapsulates U2’s « ambition bites the nails of success » syndrome. There’s this interview where Bono complains about the lack of chorus in the song and says « we should have called it 14 because that’s how high it went in the charts ». The Edge corrects him and says it was 4.
I also remember a version U2 recorded for television while on rehearsal for Zoo TV and at the end of the song, Bono screams « I want to be number one ! », which is kind of pathetic.

I know both examples are tongue in cheek but I can’t help thinking that, while they accept One as a fan favorite, it also fueled Bono & Edge’s ambition to be recognized as songwriters in the traditional sense. Something more elegant than 4 guys in a room. Now we get to the point where I’m not sure they are still able to jam as 4 people in a room. Very sad.

What the hell is wrong with him??

He’s eating filet mignon and eyeing the trash in the gutter.

Quote from: Soloyan on May 11, 2024, 02:52:07 AM

It had to be… One.

One certainly get overplayed. I also believe it was never as good live as it is on record. Except for that strings version at the Pavarotti concert, thanks to Michael Kamen.

Anyway, I think One encapsulates U2’s genius, that 4 guys in a room quality.

That said, it also encapsulates U2’s « ambition bites the nails of success » syndrome. There’s this interview where Bono complains about the lack of chorus in the song and says « we should have called it 14 because that’s how high it went in the charts ». The Edge corrects him and says it was 4.
I also remember a version U2 recorded for television while on rehearsal for Zoo TV and at the end of the song, Bono screams « I want to be number one ! », which is kind of pathetic.

I know both examples are tongue in cheek but I can’t help thinking that, while they accept One as a fan favorite, it also fueled Bono & Edge’s ambition to be recognized as songwriters in the traditional sense. Something more elegant than 4 guys in a room. Now we get to the point where I’m not sure they are still able to jam as 4 people in a room. Very sad.

What the hell is wrong with him??

He’s eating filet mignon and eyeing the trash in the gutter.

The thing with 4 people in a room is that it’s a very long process. It requires time and trust from the people you’re in with.
Traditional songwriting is more efficient. My guess is that the band got tired of the process, their historical producers got tired of the process, resulting in what we have now : Bono & Edge working on their side. Adam & Larry barely involved.

Sure, it’s a tiring process, I get that.

But he looks at a masterpiece like One and says “needs more CHORUS!!11!! Woulda got to NUMBAH ONE that way!!”

Seperately, I voted Ultravoilet but I think One may be the best song they ever wrote, and I think it deserved to have been remembered. Everybody our age remembers it, but the whole world remembers Bohemian Rhapsody but not One.

This is the hardest choice of all the albums. Too many great songs to choose from. Could probably argue that 10 out of the 12 songs would be acceptable as the best.

I voted for Until the End of the World because the only way I could make a decision was to take the live version of the songs into account, and I would rank this as a top 3 live song for them.

I agree that UTEOTW is pretty much a perfect song, but I had to vote Acrobat. It just speaks to that '90s grittiness that was so formative for me at the time.

waves of regret
waves of joy
i reach out for the one
i tried to destroy

Even Better is my personal fave

Horses- criminally underrated