JediKermit's Full Review: Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses [Maxi Single] by...
...Or something like that. This single came from the "Achtung Baby" album, which is probably my favorite U2 album. Then again, sometimes I think whichever U2 album I'm listening to at the time is my fave, so if I've said that on other reviews, EXCUSE ME!!!
Now that I'm done with the snottiness, here's what's up with this single:
1. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses --Temple Bar Edit....this is a solid rendition of the song, not as many layers as the Achtung Baby album edit, more of an accoustic feel than electronic. And the tambourine shaking really comes through on it. You can hear the harmonies of the vocals more clearly, and it's really a good version of the song.
2. Paint It Black--I'm a fan of the Classic Rolling Stones (pre-1975 or so), so I was skeptical of any covering of one of their classics, even by my favorite band. And I'm still not completely won over by Bono's version of it. The instrumental part is fine, and they get the right notes and rhytyms and everthing, but then they run Bono's voice through a distorter that makes it.....funkier, I suppose, but doesn't enhance the song at all. I still LIKE it, but I'm not in LOVE with it like you'd think I would be.
3. Fortunate Song --this is a John Fogerty song, and I uh, honestly hadn't heard the original song (before my time, sorry) then again, I guess the Stones were before my time, too. This suffers from the same voice-distorting electronica that U2 was experimenting with at the time, and I think it would have been a more solid track without it. I really like the music, almost enough to go hunt down the original. Good lyrics, and they fit in with Bono's usual directions, it just doesn't take off like it should.
4. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses--remix. Not a fan of electronica or remixes (obviously), probably because I'm not a dancer. More of a flailer, which is why I gave up on dancing a looooong time ago. I think the last time was in some bar to "Greased Lightning". That was a night to forget, and sealed the doom of my dancing fever. That said, this is a pretty tame remix, and it turns out well. It helps that I like the original material; but I like the first track and the album edit better than this version. Not offensive, just not as good.
On the whole, if you're a hardcore U2 fan, and don't mind the distortions on the covers, and you REALLY like "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses", you'll like this album. If you're anything else, you'd buy it, listen to it once, and then let it molder on the shelf, never pulling it out for road trips or good times. Which is what happened to mine. How sad. But that's the fate of Schmoo in my world.
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