Audio CD review:
U2 - Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses

U2 - Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses

Band: U2 Title: Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses Rating: Release Date: 1992-11-10 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses 2: Paint It Black - U2, Jagger, Mick 3: Fortunate Son - U2, Fogerty, John 4: Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses

Painting it black The remix was really good but the cover of the Rolling Stones Paint it Black was worth the price in and of itself. I did not expect to enjoy this CD as much as I did. They did not try pretend to be the Stones, and fans of the original may not enjoy it, but I thought it was a great cover. I highly recommend it. An over-rated single. Four stars overall? Yes, the different versions of Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses are pretty good, arguably better than the original, but the cover of Fortunate Son is without a doubt U2's worst cover ever. It would appear that this single is being grossly over-rated here. U2 have done some fantastic covers, most notably Dancing Barefoot, but Fortunate Son is a disaster. It sounds promising initially but Bono's vocals are terrible. Personally, I find Paint It Black to be enjoyable to listen to, but objectively, it's not a quality cover either. Only for the collectors. one of their best single releases The guitar tracks are far more clear and the intro is much more accessible. This has the definitive version of Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses--far better than the album version. Paint It Black and Fortunate Son are also great, and even though they are only covers they still sound fresh like you've never heard them before. If you are a U2 single collector, you know this is one of their best. This is a great supplement for fans of Achtung Baby. A loss of emotion... It's very honest, and offset from what the band usually would sound like. 'Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses' is and always will be one of my favorite tracks on the Auchtung Baby album. With the ambience given off by the edge's guitar, the song builds and builds. . . until releasing at the emotional peak, as Bono cries the words ". . . don't you look back!" However, in this single version (The Temple Bar Edit), that emotion is lost. There is no real peak to the song. . . the song is just lost in a wave of acoustic guitar and lighter drums. The original mood the album version had given off, is hopelessly lost - no more twisted pain, or agonizing guitar riffs, to make this song complete. I can't stand either of the single versions. 'Paint It Black': Great cover. . . rocking just as much now, as when the Stones played it. 'Fortunate Son': A soulful rendition of John Fogerty's song. "Well, you lied to me, 'cause I asked U2." Instead, we are treated to two edits/remixes and two covers. The single released for U2's "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" doesn't actually contain the original version found on the ACHTUNG BABY album. Here are some short comments on each of the tracks: "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses (The Temple Bar Edit)" -- Structurally, this edit is similar to the original, album version. However, it forgoes a lot of the electronic noises in favor of a more straightforward guitar/piano sound. The album version works better alongside its ACHTUNG BABY companions, but this interpretation sounds better as a standalone song. This song isn't one that's overly powerful, but I find myself humming it for days afterwards. A nicely understated work. "Paint It Black" -- A cover of the well-known Rolling Stones song. Comparisons to the original are unavoidable, and while this doesn't come close to achieving that power, it's an interesting version all the same. But Bono's vocals just don't have the same gravity as Mick Jagger's, and Edge isn't as forceful in his guitar playing as Keith Richards is. There's a reason why U2 isn't recognized as a cover band, although some of the stuff they do on this track isn't bad. "Fortunate Son" -- A cover of the well-known Creedence Clearwater Revival song. Much more rhythmic than the original, and, again, not nearly as good. While CCR put a lot of passion and emotion into their song, this version just seems a bit limp and weightless. The female backing vocals are a nice touch, but just not enough to save this one. It's a pity, because I like some of the stuff they do on here. The guitar playing is pretty good, the rythmn section is putting out good beats, and I like the vocal track that Bono lays down. It ends up being far less than the sum of its parts, almost certainly because the original is just so familiar. "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses (The Temple Bar Remix)" -- Virtually the same as the Temple Bar Edit version albeit slightly longer and with a few added synthesizers. Not one of U2's strongest singles, this is primarily a curiosity for hardcore U2 fans. The different versions of the title track are interesting and worth a listen, while the other two covers are fairly forgettable. You can see a complete list of all U2 discography, or go back to the U2 tabs