U2's Songs of Innocence....Five Year Later

"Iris" is a great song. Beautiful without being mawkish or overly sentimental.

 

That's cool, man. Let me know what you think. A friend of mine ruined another song on the album (that I love) by pointing out that it's a "tracing" of a popular indie song from a few years ago. It's not a perfect tracing, but I can definitely hear what the guy means, so I won't ruin that one for you!

 

I never implied that you did think that. There are several issues intertwined in the image and in your criticism of it.

 

I was actually just being silly. Don't take it too seriously. I admire that U2 had the gumption to put out that kind of image on their record. But I don't think it did them any career favors.

 

These things come up every so often in many contexts but I think people make more of them than is necessary. It's kind of a "gotcha" thing, but there's always been pop songs that are very similar to other pop songs.

 

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U2's Songs of Innocence....Five Year Later

Are they still touring for it?

 

Yeah, it's more of a "chasing hits" thing with U2 that makes it more glaring to me. I know what you mean, though. When Radiohead's Amnesiac came out, EW wrote that Radiohead was copying Coldplay copying Radiohead on "Knives Out." This is maybe more accurate to say regarding the "California" song (U2 doing Arcade Fire doing U2), even though I still think it was clearly an Arcade Fire lift this time. They probably started recording "California" the year after Neon Bible came out and it just took freaking years to come out, like when U2 works with an "it" producer who isn't even considered hip by the time the albums finally come out.

 

A mediocre album for U2 which means that it's far better than the best album of most bands. I think they did a much better job with Songs of Experience, but I still listen to some tracks from SOI once in a while.

 

I've never understood this. Why was the Boy cover, which looks great, replaced with a crappy sleeve in the US?

 

Similar issue, the American record company thought that the image of the boy on the UK cover looked sexual.

 

That's ridiculous! I've liked that album since I was a boy and have never thought or known of anyone to think of it in that way. I only saw the US sleeve quite recently.

 

I rarely listen to either album these days and rank them way down at the bottom of their catalog. The trendy "modern" production on SOI puts me off, I vastly prefer the alternate/acoustic versions on the 2nd disc. I think my favorite track from that album is actually the b-side Chrystal Ballroom. As for SOE, there's a few more songs I like off that album but I can still only count them on one hand and it's a bit telling one of them is the sparse Love Is All We Have Left which is musically a throwback to MLK. With the glaring exception of "You're The Best Thing About Me," all the songs came out vastly better live then on album.

 

As it happens, that's the only song I like. The rest are not "bad" per se (as in not listenable) but they're largely forgettable.

 

Again, more your issue. I've met a few people who were outraged at the idea of their friends seeing topless men in their album collection but hey it's their problem.

Draw a shirt on them both or find the RSD version with white promo style sleeve

 

I was a big fan of this when it was released, although The Miracle was always a skipper (too generic of a rocker). I won't go so far as to say it hasn't aged well, but I can't say I love it now like I would have at first. The Troubles, Iris, Song for Someone, Every Breaking Wave (both the studio version and the more subdued live version) and the bonus track The Crystal Ballroom are all major keepers.

 

got it and played it, then the 2 CD edition and still listening to it.

 

I’ve no issues with the distribution model - more acts should do this, so long as they also make it easy to permanently remove the album - but overall it was also a limp piece of drab meh that made one wonder if U2 were even a guitar band anymore.

 

I've no problem with nude men. I liked Adam going nude on Achtung Baby. So, to be clear, nudity of men isn't an issue for me. Hell, I was born nude.

I think a photo like the SOI sleeve's would be interesting in the right context, like at a U2 photo exhibition for appreciators of art. But as a sleeve photo for a retro post-punk album, I personally don't think it really works. But no matter what I think you'll put it down to my "issues", so we can't discuss it rationally.

 

I loved the "test pressing" artwork for the digital release....disappointed they changed it.

 

I loved Songs Of Innocence when it came out, and I still love it. I rank it as their fifth or sixth best album. Remember that it was released almost 34 years after their debut album. That's rare late-career quality.

Oddly, while its follow-up has several decent songs, it just doesn't have that je ne sais quoi.

 

For me it’s their 2nd best of the century so far. I’m in a minority in that I love No Line..as it was relief to find that they hadn’t totally abandoned their 90s aesthetic after two so-so “commercial” albums with tons of filler on each. SoI isn’t perfect by any means but it had enough strong material to outweigh the chaff (‘Volcano’, ‘The Miracle’ and ‘California’).

I also admire them for not abandoning the idea of the Innocence/Experience tandem after dropping the ball with the unreleased Songs of Ascent. My only beef with them over these albums is that they never toured them down under!!! Grr!!!

 

Equally love SOI and SOE, and I’ll even include No Line and Bomb. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if I was forced to remove a group of four consecutive U2 albums, the first four albums are being cut way before the last four are. All four of the last albums get a heavy rotation on n this household, and they get played loud.

 

Regardless of its intent, it's a crappy cover. They really needn't have changed the original "test pressing LP" artwork in the first place, which actually worked better to speak to the album's intent.

As to the album itself, I listened to it a lot when it came out, but rarely think of it these days.

Songs of Experience is a dud, and was doomed as soon as Bono felt the need to "re-write it" due to the 2016 elections. Ugh.

 

I've always thought that the cover looks weird. Sorry.

By the way, my favorite song from the album is "Song for Someone."

 

Indeed.