“20” – U2 TRACKS POLL (voting closes midday, Thursday 4 August)

Johnny Cash version is where it's at with that song.

As much as I loathe U2 I gotta admit that their "Dancing Barefoot" cover is pretty fetching, and -- yes -- I prefer it to Patti Smith's. Because Bono doesn't change the gender but does change the stress falls, the song has a mild transgressive kick ("Could it be he's taking over me?").

"One" has grown on me over the years; it's a love song & these things take time.

"One" barely has a melody, seems like the song the most points to the bland tunes of the last couple records.

Mind you, it's not a candidate for my ballot. My sappiness is far-reaching & I'll throw a vote to "All I Want Is You", but "One" is one too far.

how is "One" sappy?

but then I listened to their version of 'Unchained Melody' and it's a whole new world of horrible.

I ridiculously overpaid for that 12" at a record swap back in the early 90s because there was no other way to get it at the time. I may just love it because I invested so much in owning it, but even now I think it's quite nice.

The strings (or string synths) push it into that category for me.

I like its conflation of erotic love of the flesh & of the divine, but Bono is too much on his knees; Prince knew better that such worship isn't supine.

Angel of Harlem's nice, what's with all the disapproval of that one?

― Ismael Klata, Sunday, July 31, 2011 6:36 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

It's overplayed and I hate those horns.

if "Angels" is overplayed there are literally 30 U2 songs in that line ahead of it

AOH's problem isn't overplaying -- it's that once was enough.

Did they do any cover versions that are worth hearing?

Their cover of "Neon Lights" is pretty great and I may be the only person who likes their take on "Night And Day"

AOH's problem isn't overplaying -- it's that once was enough.

Whenever "Where The Streets Have No Name" starts up it's like "I understand why people like this song enough to listen to it every day even if I personally feel otherwise", see also "Bad", "One", "Pride", others.

Not even dissing those songs, just that I don't resent their inescapability, you know?

I love the part in Rattle & Hum where they switch from b&w to color for the Sun Devil Stadium concert and play almost the whole first side of The Joshua Tree...especially "Where the Streets...", as it eases in with the red lighting and the band walks out on stage and takes their places as the synth bit plays.

Fuck, I'm gonna watch it right now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-zqIS7vWbY

^ What we talk about when we talk about U2

"Joshua Tree" tour was my first concert ever. Wish I could remember more about, though I do remember buying "The Joshua Tree" on the day of the show, maybe.

Hope I can get around to a list here, if only to include "Loves Come Tumbling."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBuHvmQtfms&feature=related

I hope so too. I was saying to pinefox that you, he and bimble seem like the three most consistent ILM well-wishers, where mostly it's been 'lol bono'. Would be lovely to have two of you voting.

I like 'angel of Harlem' and wish I'd voted for it, but think the surprise vote for 'new york' was maybe more worthwhile.

I loved the film RATTLE AND HUM very much including 'streets'.

I like U2's 'unchained melody' a lot, love the dip and swoop of the lead guitar into the void near the end. Even their 'everlasting love' strikes me as quite good - the way the 60s-soul guitar chinks enter from nowhere for the second verse.

I was always very impressed by 'dancing barefoot' which I bought on the 'when love comes to town' 12" B-side way back.

As I've said there are a lot of songs on the wiki list that I don't know - 'neon lights' is one.

'night and day' was a good thing, in 1990 or so. I don't think they exactly played all the chords, though they played more than usual.

I liked their 'xmas baby please come home' but haven't heard it in many years.

I was always mystified that 'one''s chorus used the same words and melody as 'one love' - this seemed too much. I don't think I ever warmed to the song as much as others did. I quite like the guitar textures but religious language means very little to me. But maybe there is still some good material in the lyric.

I think they made more videos for 'one' than for anything else -- I have an old Achtung VHS tape which was absolutely magnificent but won't seem to play on my machine now, and I recall it having about 5 'one' videos, including one where they're all in drag.

I wish I had voted for 'stay', a good 90s U2 song.

iirc there were 3 "One" videos and the drag one was the first -- each one got a lot of play on MTV until the next one premiered

I thought for most people that the Pet Shop Boys cover made the original "Where The Streets..." redundant.

for most people

Nice bubble, Alfred.

The foyer is di-vine.

I thought it was a nice gesture at Glastonbury when Bono sang a bit of Andy Williams over Streets. I'd rather he hadn't but nice gesture nonetheless.

I dunno whether anyone else rates this one but I'm gonna throw a decently high vote to "Heartland". It was originally written during The Unforgettable Fire sessions, & it sounds like it, but the lyric is less clumsy than say "Elvis Presley and America", & Bono's singing is more forthright (this can be a plus & a minus but here it's a big plus). I don't really know if it ~says~ anything, but it's been a favorite for years.

Yeah, Heartland was one of my last cuts before I sent in my ballot.

Yeah, I love it and gave it a few. I guess finding an earnest Bono vocal is no big surprise, but when he hits the spot, y'know, what's better?

I love that song!

BTW, I would like to submit a ballot and all that, but I don't really have the time to do this before the deadline. I don't even really understand what I'm supposed to do. I was an ardent preteen U2 fan, sorta liked them on and off (mostly off) post Achtung Baby, but when I loved U2, I LOVED U2. So I guess I have opinions, but no energy to assign numerical value to them. Also my media is all spread out -- I have most U2 albums on cassette or vinyl, but some on CD...making an educated list would be more complicated than anything I have time for atm.

aw, just write down the first songs that come to your mind, don't think that much about it if you don't have time, and put, say, "Heartland" at the top of your list !

Educated, comprehensive - forget all that stuff. Just jot down your favourite twenty RIGHT NOW and send to ismaelklata at gmail dot com. It'll make me happy.

oh ok

i'll do it. don't expect any surprises though. i was a pretty garden variety no nukes preteen U2 fan.

C'mon, knock out a 20-minute ballot. That's how I did my Prince ballot, and I haven't been chased by a pitchfork-wielding mob (yet).
xp

"Heartland" is a good one.

haha you could multiply amanda's vote by two and then it would be like i'd voted, too.

type and email it yourself and you're on

C'mon, knock out a 20-minute ballot. That's how I did my Prince ballot, and I haven't been chased by a pitchfork-wielding mob (yet).
xp

― time to put it in hi geir (WmC), Monday, August 1, 2011 5:23 PM (14 minutes ago) Bookmark

if you voted for "Alphabet St." and not "Adore" i'lkl let the mob know where to find you

Ok, I did it.

uh oh

it took me almost exactly 20 min!

Heartland will totally be in my top 10 tbh

Still working on my ballot. This U2 poll is messing me up in all sorts of ways ~ in a forcing you to face your past way. No other band I have loved and loathed so completely in my life. First band I completely loved, visited fanclub meetings of, traded cassette boots etc ... around 'Pop' both U2 and I, in my life, went completely separate ways. Fortunately, in the end, the verdict meter didn't swing to just one side. I still hate all U2 from Pop on, but still love what I loved from before that.

I must have hated pop so much that I forgot that it existed. I'm in the same boat, just voted w/ my <3

^^ Only way to go! :)

I loved Zooropa from the start, but Pop felt like it was released too late, like, were they still doing the ironic thing four years later (& six years after Achtung Baby)? So I never bought it & only barely knew the singles even. I can listen to it now that the time has passed & hear it more clearly now: "Mofo" is a beast, for instance.

Hah! Zooropa is their best, most coherent, most exciting, on the edge album for me.

U2 and I just took separate turns after that. But boy do I love Zooropa.

^^^^ otm

Yeah, it's their best album.

I can't separate it from my discovering Low in the summer of '93.