A question! So I downloaded this off of iTunes and I am making a CDR of the 8 new tracks. Should I keep them in 87 sequence or in 2017 sequence. BTW, the 87 sequence of JT is the best running order ever. Thoughts, opinions?
I'd keep the new tracks in 2017 sequence!
Speaking of which, what are everyone's thoughts on the remixes? Here are my impressions after a couple listens:
One Tree Hill (St. Francis Hotel)-I like this one. It sounds "churchy."
Bullet the Blue Sky (Jacknife Lee)-It's ok. I think some of the raw power of the original is lost here.
Running to Stand Still (Lanois)-I hope this one will grow on me. At this point I think it sounds like an outtake from the MDH soundtrack. Rather than tragic it just sounds kind of sleepy.
RHMT (Lillywhite)-We're all familiar with this one by now. And when all is said and done, I think it's far and away the best of the new mixes.
WOWY (Lanois)-I expected Lanois' mixes to have lots of swampy guitar, but they are surprisingly heavy on electronics. To me this sounds like a Bono solo track over a bed of synths. I don't really feel like you hear much from Adam, Larry, and Edge, aside from the signature bass line buried far in the back.
Streets (Flood)-This is the biggest letdown for me. I love the fact that there are so many alternate vocal takes. And the last two minutes are gorgeous. But as I said on FB, it sounds like there are maybe three or four alternate versions of Streets here, and Flood couldn't decide which one he liked, so rather than exploring one version to the fullest he just mashed them all together in snippets. Plus the references to Bullet and WOWY seem really gimmicky to me.
ISHFWILF (Lillywhite alt. mix)--LOVE this one! Probably because it's not a modern attempt to reinvent anything. It's just an earlier mix from the original sessions, like the alt mix of I Will Follow. This song always had a great groove but it's really amped up here.
One Tree Hill (Eno)-Love this one as well. Kind of surprised it's not the actual "Oh great ocean" coda, but rather the first part of the song. I wish it went on longer.
Overall, I think Lillywhite is the winner here, with both his new mix of RHMT and the vintage ISHFWILF mix. Good stuff.
I'm glad that the law of the land ("each to his own") reigns king
I'm not a Lillywhite fan. Never have been. I find his contributions to be flat, uninteresting and uninspired. I am, hands-down, an unabashed Eno/Lanois proponent, such that any one of the Eno/Lanois' albums (
TUF,
TJT,
AB,
ATYCLB and
NLOTH), if it were the only U2 album to have ever seen the light of day, I would be a fan. Conversely, if every album outside those 5 existed, and none of the 5 above were extant, I would not be a U2 fan. Oh, but for Passengers,
Original Soundtracks 1, and even the
MDH Soundtrack - I would be a fan if only those ever existed
On that note, regarding the new remixes, I'm finding great satisfaction in the Lanois mixes. Admittedly, Lanois is eccentric (dare I say, an "eclectic genius") and he can, perhaps, overcommit to a particular flavor, at times. In both of his remixes here, they are unambiguously "dated." Dated to the current era of Lanois, that is. That ambient, slightly halting pedal steel guitar, infused with his "using the studio as an instrument" utilization of synth to accompany... But, since in my book Daniel Lanois can do no wrong, I wholeheartedly submit to his remixes!
Eno hardly got a fair shot, but I do at least like his "honorable mention" that is the "reprise." I am actually enjoying Flood's "Streets." It is a bit avant-garde, but I think that's the only thing you would dare do with "Streets."
As for Lillywhite? Meh... Most importantly, perhaps, is that he messed with the wrong song (ISHFWILF) -
Greatest. Song.
Ever. Recorded! Well, that is..., in it's original album format - not the post
TJT "gospelization" of the track that stripped it of it's production gold and turned it into some offbeat chanting, field-hollering session
So, for Lillywhite to alter the original studio version, in the slightest iota, is blasphemy to this crotchety old b@$|@^!
Lillywhite's impact on U2:
- Too safe
- Lacks complexity
- Lacks character
- Lacks depth
- Lacks innovation
- Lacks mystery
- Lacks adding anything to the music
Okay. I'm sorry for the rant. Sorry, Steve (if you're reading this [and, I'm sure you're are])
Oh, and Don... you know I love you, which is the only reason I feel as free and so compelled to vent my true feelings
...okay, perhaps I've mildly embellished them
