Board 8 > Rank the Tracks Week 9: U2's Achtung Baby (+Abbey Road results)

(+) Yeah! (+)

Previous results can be seen here:
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks

The rules:
1. Listen to the album in full
2. Rank every track on the album
3. For the results, there will be a curve at the top of each list; two additional points between #1 and #2, and one additional point for the next two ranks. This way, the songs that really stick out to someone get an edge that is not immediately negated by someone else putting it lower. In the case of Demon Days, someone's 15th track will get 1 point, 14th 2 points, 4th 12 points, 3rd 14 points, 2nd 16 points, and 1st 19 points
4. If you want to include comments for individual songs, I will compile them in the results
5. The results will be posted at the beginning of the next topic
6. The deadline to vote is Sunday, May 9 at 8:00 AM EST - though if you are for whatever reason listening to the album around that time, just say so in the topic and I can delay a bit
7. You can sign up to be added to a user cycle for after we finish the queue; once we get through the last planned album, the next person on the list will choose 3 albums which the other users will vote on for the next topic.
7a. To ensure people are being given an actual choice, the three nominated albums must be by different artists. You can otherwise stick to a similar sound or era.
7b. The tiebreaker for these polls will be whichever is listed first in the poll options - make sure to deliver the results in order of your own preference (which will hopefully have the added benefit of influencing people toward your first choice if they can't decide).
7c. The order of the user cycle will be randomly determined, but users will first be sorted into tiers by how many of their nominations have been covered during the early nominations period.

U2's Achtung Baby track list:
1. Zoo Station
2. Even Better Than the Real Thing
3. One
4. Until the End of the World
5. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
6. So Cruel
7. The Fly
8. Mysterious Ways
9. Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World
10. Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
11. Acrobat
12. Love is Blindness

Schedule:
5/9: Radiohead - OK Computer (Jesse_Custer)
5/16: Alice in Chains - Dirt (ZeroSignal620)
5/23: LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (CasanovaZelos)
5/30: Pink Floyd - The Wall (Johnbobb)
6/6: Pixies - Doolittle (VeryInsane)
6/13: Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (Johnbobb)
6/20: Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City (Start the Machine)
6/27: Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell (Seanchan)
7/4: Lin-Manuel Miranda - Hamilton (TomNook)
7/11: Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid (TheArkOfTurus)
7/18: The Strokes - Is This It (MoogleKupo141)
7/25: Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters (CasanovaZelos)
8/1: Massive Attack - Mezzanine (Giggsalot)
8/8: The Killers - Hot Fuss (Seanchan)
8/15: Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five (jcgamer107)
8/22: Air - Moon Safari (ZaziGuado)
8/29: The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced (Johnbobb)
9/5: Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine (Steiner)
9/12: The Knife - Silent Shout (CasanovaZelos)
9/19: Billy Joel - The Stranger (Seanchan)
9/26: Spice Girls - Spice (SpikeSetsFire)
10/3: Iron Maiden - Powerslave (TheArkOfTurus)
10/10: Rancid - ...And Out Come the Wolves (Snake5555555555)
10/17: OutKast - Aquemini (Giggsalot)
10/24: Of Monsters and Men - Beneath the Skin (Jesse_Custer)
10/31: Taylor Swift - Speak Now (Snake5555555555)
11/7: The Avalanches - Since I Left You (SpikeSetsFire)
11/14: Moby - Play (SpikeSetsFire)
11/21: Steely Dan - Can't Buy a Thrill (Seginustemple)

User Cycle sign-ups:
11/28: MetalmindStats
12/5: TheArkOfTurus
12/12: Snake5555555555
12/19: Jesse_Custer
12/26: ZaziGuado
1/2: SpikeSetsFire
1/9: Johnbobb
1/16: VeryInsane
1/23: CasanovaZelos
1/30: Seanchan
2/6: Giggsalot

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The Beatles - Abbey Road results

Participants sorted by deviation from final results:
Jesse_Custer (14)
VeryInsane (14)
CasanovaZelos (18)
ChainLTTP (20)
Solioxrz362 (24)
Giggsalot (24)
illuminatusbubu (24)
Evillordexdeath (28)
Raetsel_Lapin (28)
StifledSilence (30)
MetalmindStats (34)
Snake5555555555 (38)
SpikeSetsFire (38)
Seanchan (40)
Johnbobb (48)

General Album Comments:

CasanovaZelos: Abbey Road is my #44 album of all time and my favorite from 1969. Most of the Beatles albums from Rubber Soul on are undeniable classics, but Abbey Road is the only one that doesn't strike me as having a weak moment. It kicks off with two of their best singles, has a Ringo vocal track that I actually enjoy, and ends with a wonderful medley. This is The Beatles at their most refined. Even my lowest track, Maxwell's Silver Hammer, is a lot of fun. Their other albums may have higher highs, but the consistency here makes a true masterpiece.

Snake5555555555: A stone cold classic through and through. It opens with the amazing rock staple Come Together, with funky grooves and nonsensical lyrics that tends to define the Beatles' influence more and more over the years. I absolutely love the bluesy doom/stoner cut I Want You (She's So Heavy), a slow-burner that becomes more and more rewarding with each listen, as you feel Lennon's pure raw emotion slicing through each lyric, simplistic but oh so powerful. Oh! Darling and Maxwell's Silver Hammer are two of the catchiest songs in the Beatles' catalog, playing gleefully with both hard rock and pop sensibilities for two unique songs, especially how Maxwell juxtaposes its violent horror-inspired lyrics with bouncy melodies as if under a certain psychosis. As for the medleys, they're inconsistent; I hardly remember Golden Slumbers but Carry That Weight is instantly memorable with larger outside pop culture influence and The End is simply a tour de force of guitar passages and underrated drumming. I actually thought You Never Give Me Your Money was part of the Sun King medley, but either way it's an even more inconsistent mess that I don't feel flows very well, but still has some groovy highlights and interesting lyricism. To give one negative critique on the album, I would say Because is a total dud and arguably one of the worst in the Beatles' repertoire, it just has done nothing interesting to catch my ear over the years.

StifledSilence: I love the roller coaster of emotions in You Never Give Me Your Money. It starts slow and somber, and builds to the energetic section of escaping. And that reprise in Carry That Weight? Perfection. Here Comes the Sun should be the official anthem of Spring. It just feels so warm and evocative of life. George really knocked that one out of the park. The first half of the medley is a mixed bag for me. Sun King has an outstanding guitar hook, but the chanting is a bit cringey for my tastes. Mustard and Pam are fun enough, but Bathroom Window kicks so much ass in that group. What made for a middling group of songs was boosted heavily by Paul's exciting vocal in Bathroom. Octopus is a fun little jam that always puts me in a good mood. Oh Darling harkens back to some of Paul's bluesy tracks from early Beatles, such as She's a Woman, which is a favorite of mine. Something is a pretty love song that even caught the attention of Frank Sinatra. She's So Heavy would have benefitted from a shorter length, but it's still a pretty slick track, particularly with John's signature rasp. Come Together might be one of the most overrated Beatles songs. I'm not all that keen on songs with jibberish lyrics, but at least it's got a catchy tune. Maxwell is kind of a dumb song, and apparently caused a lot of friction between Paul and George since Paul was being a hyper perfectionist while recording it. And Because is super weird. I'd hate to call it a dud but...I could do without it. But yeah, Abbey Road is a pretty killer album overall. Certainly one of their best.

VeryInsane: You know for a while I always thought this was overrated, but on this listenthrough it was pretty compact and rather pleasant. Theres the pretty cheesy songs and the fat of the Medley separated from the rest of the lot, but every song from Because on is great. I think this is still probably my fourth or fifth favorite Beatles album, (Rubber Soul > Revolver > Sgt Peppers > Either this or Tour, would probably go with this now). Also in case you couldnt tell from my ranking Harrison is far and away my favorite Beatle

Evillordexdeath: One of my less-liked Beatles albums, although I do still hold it in high regard. I used to sort of think of the back-half of the album as the reward for getting through She's So Heavy, but nowadays I usually just skip that one, mainly because it feels so overly long. I do genuinely really like all the songs from Maxwell's Silver Hammer upward. Here Comes the Sun is just a lot of fun and feels uplifting while Something, Come Together, and Oh Darling are all solid, unique tracks. I've always thought the medley was the most interesting part of the album, and I rank the ending highest in part because it brings home that feeling of satisfaction that comes with listening to a long, good song.

Giggsalot: What a brilliant, lush, diverse album. The best Beatles album by quite a distance, and their only full record which stands alongside the absolute best of that era. I think I'd still take Forever Changes over it, but that's perhaps a discussion for another topic.

MetalmindStats: I came at this from the quite-unusual perspective of never having heard most of these songs before this week, a testament to how my music tastes gravitate towards what I know. It took returning to Come Together for me to recall its status as the main exception, and even then, I hadn't attributed it to the Beatles in my head. While I still wouldn't consider myself a Beatles fan per se, and I found it particularly difficult to gauge the medleys as split, Abbey Road certainly exceeded my unfairly low expectations.

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General Album Comments (continued):
Seanchan: Story time...
So, back in high school, I didn't like The Beatles. I had a co-worker who would play 1 (their #1 hits compliation) and I couldn't stand it.

Fast forward to college, and in the waning days of file sharing, I found someone with all The Beatles albums. On a whim, I decided to download it because, what the hell, it was a lot of music!** And so I started listening; might have even started with Abbey Road for all I remember.

I'm sure you can guess where this is going, considering this album was my nomination...

I very quickly realized how wrong I was. And the more I dug in and listened, the better it got. Every album, without fail, had at least a few songs that I liked. And then I did some research and found out that literally their entire discography came out in a less than 10 year span! THE. FUCK?!? They went from Please Please Me to Let It Be in a decade?!? I probably spent a good month listening to nothing else as I tried to make up for lost time.

Even today, it's somewhat incomprehensible to think that they went from simple "boy band" to "rock legends" just in the 60s. All the hits, the drugs, the mania, the experimentation and evolution of their sound, all in just a few short years. There are bands where you're lucky to get 3 albums in that time span. The Beatles had enough hits that just their #1s literally overflow a compilation album. Truly incredible.

I nominated Abbey Road because it's got to be my favorite Beatles album. And, at this point, one of my favorite albums period. Trying to rank these songs felt terrible because I feel bad that something (but not Something...) has got to be at the bottom of the list. For me though, it's always the medley that's been the most memorable. There's just something about it's eclectic weirdness and beauty that stands out in my mind. I really, really wanted to put Sun King/Mean Mr. Mustard/Polythene Pam/She Came In Through the Bathroom Window as #1 but objectively the final piece, Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End, is the best part.

Maybe a few years ago, I finally found out that despite being released before Let It Be, that Abbey Road was actually the last thing The Beatles recorded as a group. For me, it brings an extra bit of emotional weight to Abbey Road; the medley is the end of that story, it's the best thing they ever did, and finishes it off so poetically. (Discounting Her Majesty...) The final lyric is "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make". An awe inspiringly fitting coda for The Beatles that will echo across the music landscape forever.

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Abbey Road Track Ranking

11. Octopus's Garden (Track #5)
Score: 63 (Average Rank: 7.8/11)
Biggest Fan(s): SpikeSetsFire (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): ChainLTTP, Solioxrz362 (#11)

Giggsalot: Okay, this is where I alienate everyone. This is one of the most wholesome and beautiful kid's songs ever, and I love every second of it. The best of the Beatles' "silly songs" by a country mile.

Johnbobb: why did The Beatles suddenly become Ween

10. Because (Track #8)
Score: 64 (Average Rank: 7.73/11)
Biggest Fan(s): MetalmindStats (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): Snake5555555555, StifledSilence (#11)

Giggsalot: This is some spooky shit. I can't say I'd ever choose to listen to it outside of the album, but it does what it wants to do pretty flawlessly. Cool callback to I Want You too.

Johnbobb: People are kinda hating on this (two people already called it a "dud"), but I think it deserves more credit, because this is the bridge between the singles and the medley, connecting two very distinct sections of album together into a cohesive whole. It doesn't stand on its own too well, sure, but it's necessary to prepare you for what's to come.

9. I Want You (She's So Heavy) (Track #6)
Score: 71 (Average Rank: 7.67/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Snake5555555555 (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Evillordexdeath, Giggsalot, Seanchan, Raetsel_Lapin, MetalmindStats, illuminatusbubu (#11)

Giggsalot: Okay, maybe this is where I alienate everyone. I've inherited my Beatles-mad father's dislike of this song, and was baffled to learn later in life that people love it. Blues rock is just so boring, guys. Admittedly the feel of the solo here is fun and the second half gets impressively dark, but man, this did not need to be nearly eight minutes long. Give me over Helter Skelter over this any day.

Johnbobb: This grungy type of Beatles sound is just such a surprisingly good fit. The upbeat, poppy stuff is always hit-or-miss for me, but this more experimental style works so well.

8. Maxwell's Silver Hammer (Track #3)
Score: 72 (Average Rank: 7.67/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): CasanovaZelos, Jesse_Custer (#11)

Giggsalot: One of the Beatles songs that I remember best from childhood, which surely says something for it. Besides that, this is some upper tier McCartney nonsense and the giggle in the second verse is great.

Johnbobb: this has always been one of my favorite Beatles songs, in no small part because it's so instantly memorable. It's probably the best example of a song's tone not matching its themes, which are dark and violent. I just really love the tune.

7. Sun King/Mean Mr. Mustard/Polythene Pam/She Came In Through the Bathroom Window (Tracks #10/11/12/13)
Score: 87 (Average Rank: 6.53/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Evillordexdeath, Seanchan (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): VeryInsane, SpikeSetsFire (#11)

Giggsalot: Bathroom Window does the heavy lifting here in songwriting terms (what a brilliant, overlooked song that is), but the way these otherwise unremarkable snippets are arranged to gradually build in energy is actually brilliant. By Polythene Pam they're basically playing proto-punk and Ringo's throwing his sticks out the window.

Johnbobb: Can't believe I've never heard the Abbey Road medley before, given that I knew almost every other song on the record. This feels like the group just throwing idea after idea into a cluster, and it's great.

6. Oh! Darling (Track #4)
Score: 102 (Average Rank: 5.87/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin, illuminatusbubu (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): MetalmindStats (#10)

Giggsalot: I'd overlooked this until recently, and it's definitely not a standout here overall. But bloody hell, that Lennon vocal is pretty great.

Johnbobb: I like this song in doses. It's aged a lot differently than the rest of the album; much of it is fairly timeless, but Oh! Darling distinctly sounds like it came out of the 60s, maybe even earlier. That's not a bad thing, but it's definitely noticeable.

5. You Never Give Me Your Money (Track #9)
Score: 102 (Average Rank: 5.73/11)
Biggest Fan(s): StifledSilence (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb (#11)

Giggsalot: This is my shit right here. The encapsulation of why McCartney is probably secretly the best Beatle, none of the others could pull this off. Hot take zone: this is way better than A Day in the Life.

Johnbobb: This is probably the one song on the album I couldn't name if asked.

4. Come Together (Track #1)
Score: 117 (Average Rank: 4.87/11)
Biggest Fan(s): MetalmindStats (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Solioxrz362, StifledSilence (#9)

Giggsalot: Stone cold classic and deserving rock canon staple obviously, but that makes it easy to overlook just how straight up weird this is. Great opener.

Johnbobb: even among Beatles songs, this one sticks out as unforgettable.

3. Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End(/Her Majesty) (Tracks #14/15/16/17)
Score: 126 (Average Rank: 4.53/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Evillordexdeath, Giggsalot, Seanchan (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Solioxrz362, MetalmindStats (#8)

Giggsalot: They never got better than this. Honestly, the slightly generic victory lap of The End sdoesn't hold up as well as the perfection of the preceding two sections, but they've really earned it by that point. Golden Slumbers is just heartbreaking, and the way the pub choir and the horns break in is absolutely magical. Another McCartney multi-part masterpiece. No band has ever gone out better than this in the fifty years since. (And screw the haters, Her Majesty is a part of that too! That dangling last note is hilarious.)

Johnbobb: a pleasant winding down medley after the craziness of the last handful of songs, and one that settles the album on a solid note

2. Here Comes the Sun (Track #7)
Score: 137 (Average Rank: 4.13/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Jesse_Custer (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Snake5555555555, Johnbobb (#10)

Giggsalot: The perfect antidote after the previous dirge. Absolutely perfect pop song, what can you even say here? If anyone doesn't like this I don't want to be their friend.

Johnbobb: Part of the low ranking here comes from how overplayed this is among Beatles songs, given that, compared to much of their works, it's just fine. What lowered the score was hearing it in the context of the rest of the album, where it appears smack between what would otherwise be an incredible transitition from I Want You to Because. It doesn't fit at all, and interrupts the flow that connects the two halves, almost like an afterthought.

1. Something (Track #2)
Score: 154 (Average Rank: 3.47/11)
Biggest Fan(s): ChainLTTP, CasanovaZelos, Solioxrz362, VeryInsane, SpikeSetsFire (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Snake5555555555, StifledSilence, Johnbobb (#7)

Giggsalot: Just stunning, one of the best love songs ever. That bridge is unbelievable, and the way that the rhythm section is low key going off here, even on a ballad, shows how tight and creative these guys were by this point.

Johnbobb: Maybe not the standout of the album, but it could be for a lesser band. Sweet and lovely.

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Achtung Baby is my #567 album of all time and #11 for 1991. This is one of those all-time classics that never fully clicked with me, though I'm happy to give it another listen after Zoo Station and The Fly grew on me over the last couple years. While I vastly prefer The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby is where U2 became the coolest band on the planet. At the same time, this change set them up to become the most easily hateable. Are U2 trying too hard to appeal to everyone? Their sound is almost unclassifiable; this is 'rock' at its purest level, not quite classic nor alternative. There are few if any other artists I classify as 'rock' and nothing more specific. In that sense, U2 is fascinating. On another, they teeter on the edge of the generic. In fact, this album might represent the finest tip before falling over; U2 really hits it out of the ballpark with these tracks, a quality they never again achieved. At the same time, there's a noticeable gulf in quality between the big hits and the other tracks here; they could have dropped a couple and had a much tighter record. "One" is easily the highlight, an all-time great questioning the concept of unity in a fractured world. Bono's vocals there blow me away every time.

1. One (#434 all-time)
2. Even Better Than the Real Thing (#2004)
3. Mysterious Ways (#2197)
4. The Fly (#2691)
5. Zoo Station
6. Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
7. Until the End of the World
8. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
9. Acrobat
10. Love is Blindness
11. So Cruel
12. Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World

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didn't listen to all of abbey road but surprised at octopus's garden being so low :(
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In my view, Achtung Baby is U2 at their best, breaking away from the idealistic sound that made them famous in the 80s for a more experimental and darker style, without losing the earnest soul-searching of The Joshua Tree. Id also say its U2s most consistent album to date, on which almost every track is great.

1. Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
2. One
3. Until the End of the World
4. The Fly
5. Mysterious Ways
6. Acrobat
7. Zoo Station
8. Even Better Than the Real Thing
9. Love is Blindness
10. So Cruel
11. Whos Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
12. Tryin to Throw Your Arms Around the World

I Want You and Here Comes the Sun should honestly swap places

both in the ranking and on the album

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Bump

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wowwwww octopus's garden last place smgh

I did a first listen of Achtung Baby and it mimiced my feelings on U2; it's fine but ultimately unremarkable. It felt like the type of album I'd stick on at low volume in the background of a party just to have some noise.

I've just never been a U2 guy; I checked my mp3 folder from the late 90s thru 00s and not a single U2 song despite having crap from all sorts of shit bands I never want to hear again. Obviously U2 have got a ton of hits but they were never a band I was excited to hear come up on the radio. So this is actually the first time I listened to a full album.

After my general ambivalence, I went to go listen to their my popular songs on Spotify and it's like "yeah, there's some decent stuff here". Didn't remember they did "The Sweetest Thing"! Looking after the fact...I had to wonder if The Joshua Tree might have been a better choice? It appears to have more hit songs than Achtung Baby. But then again, what do I know as don't have the history with this band.

Nonetheless, I will give it a few more listens this week and see if my feelings evolve at all.

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Poor Octopus's Garden. =(


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LiquidOshawott posted...

Remember, just because its low ranked doesnt mean we think the song is bad. Just less good than other songs on the album

Posting this again

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CasanovaZelos,

I was wondering if there is some way we can do like a trade kinda system?
I have 2 nominations in November.
Both back to back.
And both barely made the cut.

I wanna drop both albums off the list, and replace them with my own nominated album of the week.
I've got a beauty in mind and I want to do it as quickly as possible because Board 8 needs this in their lives.
It's not obscure. It's a #1 selling album and has had songs from it nominated in Johnbobb's topics too.
I wish I thought of it earlier.

It would also mean 1 less week for everyone else to wait. Swapping 2 albums for 1.
And I'm willing in this deal to drop down to the bottom of the user cycle too, for my 2nd nominated album.


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I mean, Since I Left You and Play are two of the albums I'm most excited to cover...especially after the two weeks before them. And with how late they are, I don't think removing them would change much.

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Oh really? Awesome. I happy to hear that.
There wasn't much hype surrounding them...
but you're right... there's not much time difference.

Alright. Cool. Happy to roll with it as it is. Thanks, mate!


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My local classic rock radio station shuttered some years ago. In the last hour of operation, they played AC/DC - Highway to Hell (they were being replaced by a Christian station) and Abbey Road's side-B. First time I'd heard it all the way through, and surely not the last. Can't think of a better way to go out.

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Place posted...

In the last hour of operation, they played AC/DC - Highway to Hell (they were being replaced by a Christian station)

That's fucking amazing

Hmm...we had seven votes on the first day last week and only two this week. Is Achtung Baby going to be a new listen for a lot of people? Like, I know it's not as big as Abbey Road, but it still sold a ton and is listed at #82 all-time on the critic consensus site I've been using as a reference for my own musical exploration. I expected it to be a bigger deal (though also would not be surprised at U2 backlash leading to a lower turnout).

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It's not a first time listen for me but I'm still not as familiar with some of the lesser known tracks on here.

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CasanovaZelos posted...

U2 backlash leading to a lower turnout

This makes me sad

It will be a first time listen for me, beyond One and Mysterious Ways

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I listened to it a few years ago? I think when I was prepping to see them live. Got tickets as a gift.

Will relisten though.

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1: Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
2: Until The End Of The World
3: One
4: Ultra Violet
5: Mysterious Ways
6: Love Is Blindness
7: The Fly
8: Even Better Than The Real Thing
10: So Cruel
11: Zoo Station
12: Acrobat
13: Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around The World

I had a radically different order the last time I ranked this album, but this is how I'm feeling tonight.
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So far the one consistent ranking is Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around The World in last place. I always thought that track was the one dud on the album.

After mentioning U2's rank on the Acclaimed Music list, I decided to see where everything else landed - and now I'm sharing because I'm sure certain placements will make people upset! Also because, if I had full control of this project instead of nominations, I would likely have been using this list as a reference (I think everything in the top 500 range tends to be consistent enough to work well for this kind of project). Metal is always underappreciated by critics, as are musicals.

I didn't start listening to popular music until GTA4/Rock Band hit me, and then I discovered Acclaimed Music a year later. I've listened to the full top 10,000 song list and am a bit over 2/3 of the way through the top 3,000 album list. Here's the full 3,000 for reference:
http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/year/alltime_albums.htm

2. Nirvana - Nevermind
8. Radiohead - OK Computer
14. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced
20. The Beatles - Abbey Road (this high up and still only #4 for The Beatles)
26. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
34. The Strokes - Is This It
51. Pixies - Doolittle
59. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
82. U2 - Achtung Baby
96. Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
119. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
128. Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d. city
151. Air - Moon Safari
166. Pink Floyd - The Wall
~200. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters (the site needs to be updated with 2020 but this was #1 for the year)
278. Weezer - Weezer (The Blue Album)
304. Massive Attack - Mezzanine
315. The Knife - Silent Shout
340. Moby - Play
367. OutKast - Aquemini
374. The Avalanches - Since I Left You
507. Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine
530. Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid
541. Billy Joel - The Stranger
557. Steely Dan - Can't Buy a Thrill
558. Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell
585. Alice in Chains - Dirt
636. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
794. Gorillaz - Demon Days
944. The Killers - Hot Fuss
1660. Rancid - ...And Out Come the Wolves
2038. Mastodon - Crack the Skye
2307. Spice Girls - Spice
2341. Iron Maiden - Powerslave
2560. Hamilton

Unranked:
Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five
Of Monsters and Men - Beneath the Skin
Taylor Swift - Speak Now

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bump

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up

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bump

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Up

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Oh no

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I know U2 isnt that popular on this board, but I didnt expect it to be like this.

1. The Fly
2. Mysterious Ways
3. Until the End of the World
4. One
5. Love is Blindness
6. Zoo Station
7. So Cruel
8. Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
9. Acrobat
10. Even Better Than the Real Thing
11. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
12. Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World

I ended up liking this album a lot more than I thought I would. The Fly crafts a wall-of-sound that feels industrial inspired, approaching almost Ministry-levels of vocal distortion with a superb guitar solo, the track exudes an eerie atmosphere while still being a scorching rocker. Mysterious Ways truly lives up its name with a dance-rock groove that lures you in with addictive percussion and Bono's entrancing vocals. My Preacher bias shines through on Until the End of the World, a truly heartfelt story that turns the tale of Jesus & Judas into a slow-burning rock song with biting lyricism. One is a classic for good reason, I love the song's message and it's well written musically of course but I probably wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it. Love is Blindness wowed me with sparse but impactful guitar work and a throbbing bass you can feel in your chest. The next few songs are just solid rock tracks, a tad forgettable but if they came on they would be a fun listen! Acrobat's time signature is at first uncomfortable to get in to but it ends up really working as further experimentation of U2's sound on this album. The last couple of songs are just bloated slogs, way too long while lacking any true distinct features for me even if I can appreciate some of the sentiment in the lyrics.

Overall there's some good songs on this album but it really suffers from bloated track lengths and some sameness in the vocals despite wild experimentation in the instrumental side. I like what this album represents in terms of its impact on the music landscape and for U2, but I'm not in a rush to listen to it again; I'll just stick to the cream of the crop on this one.

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Snake5555555555 posted...

My Preacher bias shines through on Until the End of the World

:)

Jesse_Custer posted...

I know U2 isnt that popular on this board, but I didnt expect it to be like this.

I think there's probably more people that haven't listened to this yet than most of the last few albums, myself included

Haven't had the chance yet but I'll put up a ranking when I do


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This week has just been tough for me

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Until The End of the World
The Fly
One
Mysterious Ways
Zoo Station
Ultra Violet
Acrobat
Whos Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
Even Better Than The Real Thing
So Cruel
Love is Blindness
Trying to Throw My Arms Around the World

Hey this was ranked on that big album ranking thing I never got to (Theyre the only albums saved on my spotify account) and Im assuming it was Jesse then

I think it was pretty good! I cant get into their newer stuff, and if I listen its generally to Unforgettable Fire or Joshua Tree, but I think this was actually better than both. Kinda underplayed, but I think seeing them l

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LiquidOshawott posted...

I think it was pretty good! I cant get into their newer stuff, and if I listen its generally to Unforgettable Fire or Joshua Tree, but I think this was actually better than both.

Although I like almost all their albums, I would absolutely agree their newer stuff is just not the same quality as their past work. In fact, Id say theyve been kind of coasting and not really challenging themselves ever since 2000.

If you preferred AB to The Joshua Tree (as I also do), you might like some of their other stuff from the 90s. Theyre not for everyone, but Zooropa was surprisingly experimental, and Pop is actually my second favorite album by the band, which at times barely even sounds like U2 (a few songs are electronic music). Thats not to say I dont love their more traditional stuff like Pride, but their 90s material really stands out to me.

Anyway, glad to hear you enjoyed the album!

Came in here to remind everyone of the single greatest live performance in music history:

https://youtu.be/pH5tHgXS-2M

bump

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Only two more days left

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up

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Did another listen tonight. Am planning on doing one more tomorrow.

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Jesse_Custer posted...

Although I like almost all their albums, I would absolutely agree their newer stuff is just not the same quality as their past work. In fact, Id say theyve been kind of coasting and not really challenging themselves ever since 2000.

If you preferred AB to The Joshua Tree (as I also do), you might like some of their other stuff from the 90s. Theyre not for everyone, but Zooropa was surprisingly experimental, and Pop is actually my second favorite album by the band, which at times barely even sounds like U2 (a few songs are electronic music). Thats not to say I dont love their more traditional stuff like Pride, but their 90s material really stands out to me.

Anyway, glad to hear you enjoyed the album!

I think Pop was actually the first album I listened to by them! Was in a flea market once when I was 12 or so and saw it and I was like "oh, guess I'll try it". Imagine Discotheque as the first song you listen to by them (Well, I still haven't found what I'm looking for was the first, but I actually didn't know it was them)

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This is the final day to submit

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Bump

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1. Even Better Than the Real Thing
2. Mysterious Ways
3. The Fly
4. One
5. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
6. Until the End of the World
7. Love is Blindness
8. So Cruel
9. Acrobat
10. Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
11. Zoo Station
12. Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World

So, I guess the album grew on me a little bit. I feel like it falls off a cliff after Mysterious Ways though.

I can understand a little more why U2 is popular. Their sound can be all over the place, sometimes in a very cool way. I enjoyed a lot of the instrumentality (if that's the right word) but I'm still maybe not always the biggest fan of Bono's vocals.

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One
Until The End of the World
The Fly
Ultra Violet
Mysterious Ways
Even Better Than the Real Thing
Zoo Station
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
Acrobat
So Cruel
Love is Blindness
Trying to Throw My Arms Around the World

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1. Mysterious Ways
2. Acrobat
3. One
4. The Fly
5. Zoo Station
6. Until The End of the World
7. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
8. Even Better Than the Real Thing
9. Love is Blindness
10. Ultra Violet
11. Trying to Throw My Arms Around the World
12. So Cruel

I normally like U2, but I really didn't care for this album much beyond Mysterious Ways, which is a classic.

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Final bump from me

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