Songs Of Experience - General album discussions

Originally posted by RattleandHum1988:Anyway to get back on topic....

Someone yesterday said that if SoI and SoE are together, if they’re considered sort of one double album/companion piece, they’d put them up there with U2’s best work. On my third listen today of SoE, I wouldn’t be surprised if eventually we all feel this way.

Not only is this album fantastic and probably U2’s best in years, dealing with mortality, aging, being a parent, a partner, etc, it also does for SoI what something like Star Wars: Rogue One did for A New Hope (stay with me). By alluding back to certain points on that album, it by nature gives THAT album even more context and meaning now. This album doesn’t feel like a “sequel”, it feels like a brother or sister to SoI, intertwining itself with it, and both albums gain even more as a result. It’s quite something.

I used to always say that from an artistic standpoint and what U2’s “legacy” means, they’d should’ve stopped after Window in the Skies. For me that would mean never being able to see them live, never getting 360, the songs on NLOTH I like, etc. I was still beating that drum after SoI because I still felt as though it would’ve been a good moment for them to walk away.

How wrong I’ve been. I hope this isn’t U2’s final chapter, but what a finale it is if it is to be the finale. This album, the companion albums of SoI and SoE, just..wow. Thank you, U2.

Originally posted by RattleandHum1988:Anyway to get back on topic....

Someone yesterday said that if SoI and SoE are together, if they’re considered sort of one double album/companion piece, they’d put them up there with U2’s best work. On my third listen today of SoE, I wouldn’t be surprised if eventually we all feel this way.

Not only is this album fantastic and probably U2’s best in years, dealing with mortality, aging, being a parent, a partner, etc, it also does for SoI what something like Star Wars: Rogue One did for A New Hope (stay with me). By alluding back to certain points on that album, it by nature gives THAT album even more context and meaning now. This album doesn’t feel like a “sequel”, it feels like a brother or sister to SoI, intertwining itself with it, and both albums gain even more as a result. It’s quite something.

I used to always say that from an artistic standpoint and what U2’s “legacy” means, they’d should’ve stopped after Window in the Skies. For me that would mean never being able to see them live, never getting 360, the songs on NLOTH I like, etc. I was still beating that drum after SoI because I still felt as though it would’ve been a good moment for them to walk away.

How wrong I’ve been. I hope this isn’t U2’s final chapter, but what a finale it is if it is to be the finale. This album, the companion albums of SoI and SoE, just..wow. Thank you, U2.

Originally posted by RattleandHum1988:Anyway to get back on topic....

Someone yesterday said that if SoI and SoE are together, if they’re considered sort of one double album/companion piece, they’d put them up there with U2’s best work. On my third listen today of SoE, I wouldn’t be surprised if eventually we all feel this way.

Not only is this album fantastic and probably U2’s best in years, dealing with mortality, aging, being a parent, a partner, etc, it also does for SoI what something like Star Wars: Rogue One did for A New Hope (stay with me). By alluding back to certain points on that album, it by nature gives THAT album even more context and meaning now. This album doesn’t feel like a “sequel”, it feels like a brother or sister to SoI, intertwining itself with it, and both albums gain even more as a result. It’s quite something.

I used to always say that from an artistic standpoint and what U2’s “legacy” means, they’d should’ve stopped after Window in the Skies. For me that would mean never being able to see them live, never getting 360, the songs on NLOTH I like, etc. I was still beating that drum after SoI because I still felt as though it would’ve been a good moment for them to walk away.

How wrong I’ve been. I hope this isn’t U2’s final chapter, but what a finale it is if it is to be the finale. This album, the companion albums of SoI and SoE, just..wow. Thank you, U2.

Originally posted by tampapete:I want two more albums.

Songs of ascent (if that’s still a thing)

And the end with

Man

Originally posted by tampapete:And then let them do guest spots occasionally in later life but continuously releasing live material on their site of old live concerts

Originally posted by Bloodraven:[..]
I've been listening since yesterday my SoIE double album and I absolutely love it.
I'm not going back to separate albums anytime soon.

The only drawback is that it runs for more than hour and a half, but I'd totally worth it. I'm not even skipping the "old" SOEs, because the whole thing blends old and new tunes.

Really you should give it a try when you can...

Originally posted by andypow:[..]
Perhaps "Songs of Innocence" is kindergarten "Songs of Experience"???

Originally posted by RattleandHum1988:[..]
I plan to!

And yes, I fully agree that their final album should be called "Man". I think there are a few reasons U2 wouldn't do it (nostalgia not being in their vocabulary for one, and the other being that they won't know what their final album is, it'll just happen and they'll probably realize after the fact), but yeah - it'd be too perfect and poetic.

Originally posted by u2_michaelc:[..]
If someone here meets them anytime they need to say this Man idea to them

Originally posted by RattleandHum1988:[..]
I wonder how hard it would be to try and organize something like a reddit AMA with the guys...

Sidenote: I started reading U2byU2 again (just the pre-War stuff - it's my favourite since everything else is pretty well documented and known elsewhere) and U2 need to come out with a revised version that covers post Bomb until now