U2 has released alternate takes of its songs on collections before, but they’ve always been either as bonus material on re-releases (Kindergarten Achtung Baby) or as fan-club-only releases (Medium, Rare & Remastered, Artificial Horizon). Their latest, Songs of Surrender, is their first attempt at mass-market redos. And it’s a lot to take in!

These 40 songs often offer just a wisp of the rock and roll energy of the originals.

So, what’s the point? If you’re a long-time U2 listener, you’d better be looking for sides of the band’s music you had never considered before. If you’re set in your ways that the Edge’s ’80s guitar riffing should be all about the 400-millisecond delay, you might be put off hearing it replaced with the busy sound of his fingers sliding up and down the strings instead.

But a treat awaits those who don’t have favorite version of U2 songs, or those hearing some of these songs for the first time in any incarnation. Some of these songs are new versions of more recent material, and it’s very possible that casual listeners never heard the originals. Or—and hear me out here—you’re a folk music lover, or liked Bob Dylan better before he went electric.

Nonetheless, the album is a mixed bag. Many of these songs are in five-minute territory, meaning they don’t work well as singles. They’re broken up into four 10-track discs, each represented by a band member, but it’s unclear whether there’s a reason behind the specificity of their location in these playlists. All 40 songs were recorded over the past couple of years, but it doesn’t appear all four members were always involved. Numerous tracks don’t have perceptible bass or percussion. The Edge produced the album and has said that the goal was to replace post-punk urgency with intimacy. Practically, this means some of the songs are performed in different keys, at slower paces and with new chord progressions, and some include updated lyrics.

Many of these songs sound coffee-shop-ready. Others sound very similar to U2’s concert acoustic sets. At its best, Songs of Surrender shows alternate universe versions of U2’s classic catalog.

Imagine U2 with the Edge as lead vocalist. He sings lead on “Peace On Earth,” which was already a campfire-type song but is even more so now with an acoustic guitar handling the heavy lifting. He has more prominent vocals on other songs, too. “Stories For Boys” is one such early highlight with twinkling piano chords, a la “MLK,” with Bono and Edge harmonizing. The realization here is that this rocker of a song, one of U2’s first statements, is now a funereal dirge.

The album kicks off with one of its strongest songs, “One.” This version has drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. playing piano. It’s not a complicated part, but it’s beautifully done. At the same time, Abe Laboriel Jr., best known as Paul McCartney’s drummer, sings backup vocals.

Other songs take steps sideways, such as another early era rocker, “11 O’Clock Tick Tock,” now a jazzy mid-tempo tune fit for a lounge or even a ballroom, recalling Duran Duran’s “Save a Prayer.” Even more unusual, “Out Of Control” is presented in a folky Americana arrangement! Despite the sparse instrumentation (Bono, Edge, two acoustic guitar parts), it still feels energized. Who knew? “Pride (In The Name Of Love),” the last song on the first disc, finally introduces Edge’s electric guitar, though without delay. It sounds like 2000s U2 playing 1980s U2 without the latter’s signature delays. It also features an orchestra arrangement by Indian American tabla player Karsh Kale, and a choir consisting of Mumbai children, led by Delhi singer-songwriter Kamakshi Khanna.

Eighties fan favorite “Red Hill Mining Town” sounds almost retro-futuristic with spacey, chorus synths or guitar. Mullen’s signature militaristic snare drumming is present here, as well as a brass section of four musicians led by Trombone Shorty. “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own,” from 2004’s How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, has a new chord progression, played on piano, which makes it sound like “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” It’s another tune that prominently features the Edge’s singing. A harp or harpsichord enters two-thirds of the way through, as well as Mullen’s drumming, which still sounds like he’s playing a march song.

“Dirty Day,” from 1993’s Zooropa, has a cello intro by Croatian musician HAUSER (who’s all over this album) before adding cellos (also HAUSER) and Edge’s ’90s-era guitar playing. The production also plays with the vocals. Sometimes Bono sounds like he’s right next to you. Other times, he’s far away.

The new take of hit “Vertigo” throws the kitchen sink at the song. Middle-Eastern strings open this arrangement, quickly joined by a cello or bowed bass, guitar and rattlesnake-like vibraslap played by Bono himself. The strings sound more Irish by the end. It’s different and will likely start some conversations, but does it achieve the goal of sounding more intimate? It sounds like it needs at least seven or eight people on stage to perform without backing tracks.

“Desire,” from 1988’s Rattle & Hum, is the most modern-sounding song on the entire album. It’s funky, with deep electronic bass. It wants to be a club anthem while holding onto its bluesy swagger. Results will vary. I liked it. The person sitting behind my shoulder audibly gagged.

If there are any songs with which U2 fans have yet to form long-lasting bonds, they’re the latest ones. So not surprisingly, “Lights of Home” (from 2017’s Songs of Experience), performed acoustically but as a full band, is as strong as the original even as it drops some of its rough alt-rock edge. It’s the most interesting song on the “Bono” disc.

Similarly, “Cedarwood Road,” from 2014’s Songs of Innocence, is an effective song that intensifies following a menacing bluesy rock riff in the second half.

The other interesting aspects to Songs of Surrender are the songs on which Bono tweaked the lyrics. Nowhere is this more significant than on the personal “I Will Follow,” from 1980’s Boy, which was influenced by the death of his mom. In this version, rather than his mother taking him by his hand, she lets go.

“The gift of grief will bring her voice to life,” he sings on a wholly reimagined verse, in a cacophony of guitar strumming and bass. But the important part is that it’s still a cacophony. This song remains full of confusion and anxiety.

The other big lyrical change comes on “Walk On,” which was notably originally written about Myanmar political prisoner, freedom fighter, then president—then deposed president—Aung San Suu Kyi. So this time, the song is about Ukraine.

“And if a dancer on the street wears a veil of tears/ It’s a dance no army can defeat/ Love turns her fears/ To a kind of rage that can’t be kept inside a cage/ You fight or fly/ You’re born or you die for freedom,” Bono sings, before adding, “Home is where the hurt is” (rather than “heart”). This rendition also offers a different fingerpicking pattern, lower on the guitar neck, and choir-like backing vocalizations.

Then on “If God Will Send His Angels,” from 1995’s Pop, Bono begs even harder for help with a new lyric: “If God can’t send his angels/ Can he come Himself right now?” This arrangement would have fit on U2 side project Passengers’ album Original Soundtracks 1. Stripped of the grinding synth, it sounds a lot more sincere.

“Viva viva la Ramone,” Bono sings on the new rendition of “The Miracle of Joey Ramone.” It’s his most famous catchphrase en Espanol since “Uno/Dos/Tres/ Catorce!” This song is moody but unsure whether it wants to be a slow song or a fast one. “Bad,” from 1984’s The Unforgettable Fire, offers new biblical imagery: “You could only have it all if you give it all away.”

Songs of Surrender stagnates on songs that offer a similar vibe as the original recordings, or on arrangements similar to what U2 has performed at concerts for years. These include the likes of “Beautiful Day,” “Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” (Mullen’s son Ezra Mullen plays the tambourine), “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday” (on which Edge plays ukulele). If U2 hadn’t already released a mix of “The Fly” (1991’s Achtung Baby) called “Lounge Fly” in the ’90s, this new take would be a serviceable stand-in. The older song is better, and this one one gets weirder with a bunch of interesting elements that don’t gel together.

Likewise, the new version of “Stay (Faraway, So Close!)” gives off a symphonic vibe, but there’s already a fully orchestral version floating around that can’t be beat. There’s a dance/funk mix of “Two Hearts Beat As One” (1983’s War). U2 has released a similar version of this song before, though that one was for dance clubs in the 2000s, and this one is more ’70s—meant to be played at Studio 54.

And on “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” Bono sounds like a tired old lion trying to avoid his destiny. Perhaps his animated acting career has rubbed off on this arrangement. There’s an upside, though: The song has backing vocals by both Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. They’re not marked as archival recordings, so this bodes well for future collaborations between these old friends. The bass duties are handled by Adam Clayton’s bass technician, Stuart Morgan.

And unfortunately, there are a couple of songs that strip U2 of what makes them U2. The original “Where The Streets Have No Name” and the version the band plays at concerts bring catharsis through a dopamine rush. But the version here is more about serotonin. Bono sings in hushed tones until the end over a piano and hazy synths. It never takes off. Likewise, “City Of Blinding Lights” and “Until The End Of The World” are gutted of their oomph. The former sounds like “Lullaby U2.”

Whether you view Songs of Surrender as a new U2 album, a mix of bonus material without a centerpiece or a companion to Bono’s theater production or his memoir, it should be enough to pique your interest. It’s just unlikely to replace the originals in your playlist.

Follow editor Roman Gokhman at Twitter.com/RomiTheWriter.