Is anyone having doubt after hearing "Boots"

[zoopop]

I listened to "Boots" this morning and I enjoy it immensely, thus creating more excitement for NLOTH. It is a grower & will sit well in the middle of the album.

And like all U2 songs, "GOYB" will destroy live. Really looking to forward to Larry playing this live.

 

[BVS]

It's comments like this that make me want to take some people to a recording studio and pull up all the tracks from this decade and prove you wrong.

Get some ears dude.

I would love to take you up on that...

That way Lanois and I can sit in the corner and watch you eat crow.

 

[MooMoo!]

GOYB is alright. Its not my favourite U2 song by a LONG shot, but Im more enthused after watching the video.


However, I AM exited about the attitude they seem to have around this album. They're learning to smile and laugh and not b srious u2 band.

 

[JOFO]

I would love to take you up on that...

That way Lanois and I can sit in the corner and watch you eat crow.

Man, seriously, you're telling me there are more tracks on Boots than COBL, MD, OOTS, LAPOE, etc?

 

[BVS]

Man, seriously, you're telling me there are more tracks on Boots than COBL, MD, OOTS, LAPOE, etc?

It's not so much that there are more tracks, it's that there are richer textures.

A song like COBL may have a lot more going on besides the basic guitar, bass, drums, vocal, but it's all compressed to sound like one track. So the song sounds like guitar, bass, drums, vocal, backing loop.

 

[JOFO]

Textures was not the original point.

The op said "Boots is more LAYERED than anything this decade".

Which is simply not true. Layering is defined as the amount of parts, or tracks, going on.

Lastly, COBL is no more compressed than Boots. In fact, I'd say Boots is WAY more compressed than COBL.

This is not a matter of taste, this is musical reality, and I'd suggest you look into it before making comments that make you look foolish.

BTW, I'd welcome that Lanois hang anytime.

 

[LemonMelon]

Lastly, COBL is no more compressed than Boots. In fact, I'd say Boots is WAY more compressed than COBL.

Here's a solution: compare waveforms.

 

[the tourist]

I'm hoping the only parts of GOYB that are indicative of the rest of the album are the production and the "Let me in the sound" part.

 

[doctorwho]

I've never been more torn about a song. On one level, I agree with you about the complexity. On another, I think it's perhaps the most juvenile thing they've ever done.

Live will be interesting...

I've long since felt tht "Discotheque" was and remains U2's most juvenile song. Lines about "bubble gum" and "songs in your head" scream of weak lyrics and just silly fun.

I'm not saying GOYB is brilliant, but it has more levels to it and the multiple interpretations of the lyrics adds depth to the song, that I've sometimes found lacking in U2's other output.

As for live performances, perhaps the Grammies will give a good indication. I never felt that "Pride" or "Vertigo" quite lived up to how good they sounded on the album. I know people may be stunned by that comment, but this is my taste. So I'm cautiously optimistic about GOYB in a live setting.

Well, considering what we know about the album so far I think it's pretty save to say that GOYB may not be the strongest song on the album, but it's probably the best choice for a single.

Not wanting to repeat myself too much, but in another thread I stated one weakness of focusing on creating a cohesive album is that there isn't always a great lead single. Radiohead's songs rarely make good singles. And I would argue this is true for a few other bands too. Sometimes a song catches on anyway, but that's just a "right band at the right place at the right time" aspect.

As a result, if U2 focused on the album again, NLOTH might not have the singles that ATYCLB or HTDAAB had. It may be more JT like in that one could see songs being a single, but they may or may not catch on with the public.

If the purpose of GOYB was to be similar to "The Fly" and introduce a new U2 direction and sound, then I think it's working brilliantly, even if it is not the best track on NLOTH. Of course, is that so bad? I would contend that with the possible exception of "Pride", none of U2's lead singles were the best song on their respective albums. So GOYB follows this pattern.

 

[MadForIt]

Somedays i like boots and somedays i dont
If U2 wanted to get people talking about them then they have achieved their aim with this song

I still have not seen the video

I'm sure the album will be fine

A below par U2 album would still be 100 million times better than 99% of things out there

and if you are lucky to catch them live sometimes you fall in love with the songs later

I still think they can do the business!

 

[BVS]

Lastly, COBL is no more compressed than Boots. In fact, I'd say Boots is WAY more compressed than COBL.

This is not a matter of taste, this is musical reality, and I'd suggest you look into it before making comments that make you look foolish.

Actually I would definately argue the "WAY more compressed" point. We already had one poster who make a quick comparison(I forgot who) of waveforms between Boots and Vertigo, and I think a few other songs, and Boots was less. Not by a huge amount, but less...

 

[JOFO]

Actually I would definately argue the "WAY more compressed" point. We already had one poster who make a quick comparison(I forgot who) of waveforms between Boots and Vertigo, and I think a few other songs, and Boots was less. Not by a huge amount, but less...

That is absolute bullshit.
Waveforms have nothing to do with it; I can squash a track with compression and still make it show up loud as hell on a waveform, or make it much quieter. Compression limits the dynamics of the music, meaning the loud parts won't be as loud, and the softer parts won't be as soft. In other words, the opposite of JT.

If Boots had smaller "fingerprint" on some audio program's waveform, that means the overall track (at least the mp3 we have) is slightly quieter overall than Vertigo. That doesn't mean it's less compressed; i.e. the dynamics are still squashed.

 

[major_panic]

Textures was not the original point.

The op said "Boots is more LAYERED than anything this decade".

Which is simply not true. Layering is defined as the amount of parts, or tracks, going on.

Lastly, COBL is no more compressed than Boots. In fact, I'd say Boots is WAY more compressed than COBL.

This is not a matter of taste, this is musical reality, and I'd suggest you look into it before making comments that make you look foolish.

BTW, I'd welcome that Lanois hang anytime.

I know nothing about compression and so on, but this is what I hear, and the basis for what I said:

Boots has, to my ears, two drum tracks, one (possibly two) guitar track, one clapping track, one bass track which is quite distorted, two vocal tracks, plus God-knows what else. That makes, at my count, 7+ layers for Boots. Let me in the sound, indeed.

COBL, on the other hand, sounds like it has one guitar track, one keyboard track (replaced by a bass track), one drum track, two vocal tracks, one bass track. It just sounds busy cause the drum track is reasonably more complex than, say, ABOY. And that makes 6 layers, with a maximum of 5 happening at any time.

Course, I'm not a professional or anything like that, only a drummer who listens to lots of music, and makes comments based on that listening...

Also, there's no need to be quite that abrasive. You have a problem with what I said, fine, no need to tell me to "get some ears" and so on. We're all reasonable adults here, or at least I assume so.

 

[kingofsorrow]

what video? where?

 

[cobl04]

I like Boots a little less these days..

 

[cobl04]

what video? where?

Back there.

 

[elevation]

Well, a tiny bit.
I kind of liked it to begin with - but now I don't really listen to it anymore.
So yeah, I guess.

 

[u2mikie]

It may get nasty...or, it could be heavenly. So much is riding on this album.

Hi guys!

Just my opinion....Why is so much riding on this album????

As i said in a previous post, these guys have every right to do something a little different, that not everyone may like!
To me they have already achieved everything imaginable in the music industry, and even if they never have another mega hit single or album for that matter, they already have a vast library of songs that are and will go down as classics!!
It`s not as if Boots is a disaster, it`s just a rock song, neither brilliant or terrible! And as i said earlier, a little different to what we`re used to!
It doesn`t matter who it is, every band has some songs that not evryone likes....including their fans!

Sorry....just had to get that off my chest....he he!

No offence to anyone!

Cheers, Mikie!

 

[SpaceBoy]

Not really. The lyrics aren't the best Bono's ever penned (though they do sound better than most of what was on the last album) but musically it feels adventurous for U2 these days. I believe this time out they didn't deliberately choose what they perceived to be the biggest sounding song on the album as the first single, i.e. Beautiful Day and Vertigo, so I consider it a good teaser rather than a spoiler like those singles were...if that makes sense.

 

[An Cat Gav]

Not really. The lyrics aren't the best Bono's ever penned (though they do sound better than most of what was on the last album) but musically it feels adventurous for U2 these days. I believe this time out they didn't deliberately choose what they perceived to be the biggest sounding song on the album as the first single, i.e. Beautiful Day and Vertigo, so I consider it a good teaser rather than a spoiler like those singles were...if that makes sense.

That makes a lot of sense.

 

[Leebonoman96]

it makes sense, All be it a little risky for a band almost in their 50s. I am certain the album will be a killer, but I do think Boots is a poor choice for a first single considering it is reported to be one of the weakest tracks on the album and add to that the the lack of promotion and all the delays around the world. I havent heard it on radio since it pretty much came out. I really like Boots, but it doesnt seem to be catching on. Who really organises this shit, It is so simple. Release the track to radio, the following week bring it out on cd and digital download. Oh and yeah, have the bloody video ready. Seriously, for the biggest band on Earth its bullshit.

 

[JOFO]

I know nothing about compression and so on, but this is what I hear, and the basis for what I said:

Boots has, to my ears, two drum tracks, one (possibly two) guitar track, one clapping track, one bass track which is quite distorted, two vocal tracks, plus God-knows what else. That makes, at my count, 7+ layers for Boots. Let me in the sound, indeed.

COBL, on the other hand, sounds like it has one guitar track, one keyboard track (replaced by a bass track), one drum track, two vocal tracks, one bass track. It just sounds busy cause the drum track is reasonably more complex than, say, ABOY. And that makes 6 layers, with a maximum of 5 happening at any time.

Course, I'm not a professional or anything like that, only a drummer who listens to lots of music, and makes comments based on that listening...

Also, there's no need to be quite that abrasive. You have a problem with what I said, fine, no need to tell me to "get some ears" and so on. We're all reasonable adults here, or at least I assume so.

Sorry for being abrasive.

Here's my run down on COBL:

-the first sound until :12 is one guitar note treated with effects
-at :12, 2 guitars from Edge come in, panned left and right, each playing a slightly different part. When Edge does it live, he does only one part
-at :23 the piano comes in with the cymbal roll, which has a keyboard bed underneath, as well as the bass. There is also another overdubbed guitar doing slides down low.
-:43 drum loop enters (fade in)
-:50-main theme enters played on guitar and keys. There is also a looping piano part that sounds more like a marimba that was probably sequenced and not hand played.
-1:19 vocals enter accompanied by sequenced tamborine and Larry's real drums
during the verse, Edge plays a similar part as the intro, but there is another guitar overdubbed playing the high 2 note fill.
-1:37 a backing vocal is heard doubing Bono an octave higher
-1:43 a third seperate guitar overdubs a low echo swell
-1:46 Edge's backing vocal enters
-2:00 Chorus "ooh" vocals from Bono; a seperate track (tracks?) than the lead vocal

and so on...
so far I've got:
-at least 3 seperate vocal tracks (doubtless they're doubled, but let's leave that alone for now)
-at least 5-6 guitar parts
-one bass part
-at least 3-4 keyboards/piano
-one drum loop
-one tamborine loop
-drums

that's as many as 17 tracks (parts). Of course the drums take up 8 tracks themselves, but let's leave that alone. 17 parts to COBL.

here's Boots:

-drum fill
-:01-:12...band is in: drums, bass, guitar (bass and guitar both distorted, but not doubled)
-:13 Bono's vocal enter, accompanied by percussion panned left, and a drum loop
-:27 high keyboard chiming sound (probably Eno)
-:30 backing vocals "sexy boots" probably Edge
-:40 Edge is scratching his guitar with muted notes, similar to vertigo. This is probably the same guitar as the riff guitar
-:49 chorus: acoustic guitar enters, meanwhile Bono sings the chorus with Edge and Eno on backing vocals, and the distorted guitar is still probably the same track as riff
-1:18 clean guitar fill dubbed in
all similar through the 2:00 mark. I was going to leave it there to be fair timewise with COBL, but since everyone is so pumped by the "let me in the sound" part I'll include that
-2:29 breakdown: drums (same), loop (same), vocals treated with lots of reverb, percussion (same)
-2:38 wah guitar dubbed in
etc.

that makes
-3-4 vocal tracks
-4 guitar tracks
-one bass
-drums
-percussion
-drum loop
-one keyboard

that's 13 tracks. Compared to 17 on COBL.
I actually thought COBL had some more than it does, but regardless, not only is Boots NOT more layered, COBL IS more layered.

 

[MrPryck2U]

No.

 

[BVS]

I know nothing about compression and so on, but this is what I hear, and the basis for what I said:

Boots has, to my ears, two drum tracks, one (possibly two) guitar track, one clapping track, one bass track which is quite distorted, two vocal tracks, plus God-knows what else. That makes, at my count, 7+ layers for Boots. Let me in the sound, indeed.

COBL, on the other hand, sounds like it has one guitar track, one keyboard track (replaced by a bass track), one drum track, two vocal tracks, one bass track. It just sounds busy cause the drum track is reasonably more complex than, say, ABOY. And that makes 6 layers, with a maximum of 5 happening at any time.

Course, I'm not a professional or anything like that, only a drummer who listens to lots of music, and makes comments based on that listening...

Also, there's no need to be quite that abrasive. You have a problem with what I said, fine, no need to tell me to "get some ears" and so on. We're all reasonable adults here, or at least I assume so.

I completely understand what you are saying. We can only guess how many tracks a song has, so that point is almost moot. But there's a difference between the "additional" sounds of the last two albums and the "additional" sounds of this track. Any keyboards, sequencers, studio sounds were all blended to sound like one backing loop, whereas on Boots there's some space there that creates a more textured feel rather than just one continuous backing track.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

I couldn't sleep last night because of my doubts

 

[MadForIt]

I couldn't sleep last night because of my doubts

A bit of High School Musical could help you fall asleep

 

[Galeongirl]

I know nothing about compression and so on, but this is what I hear, and the basis for what I said:

Boots has, to my ears, two drum tracks, one (possibly two) guitar track, one clapping track, one bass track which is quite distorted, two vocal tracks, plus God-knows what else. That makes, at my count, 7+ layers for Boots. Let me in the sound, indeed.

COBL, on the other hand, sounds like it has one guitar track, one keyboard track (replaced by a bass track), one drum track, two vocal tracks, one bass track. It just sounds busy cause the drum track is reasonably more complex than, say, ABOY. And that makes 6 layers, with a maximum of 5 happening at any time.

Course, I'm not a professional or anything like that, only a drummer who listens to lots of music, and makes comments based on that listening...

Also, there's no need to be quite that abrasive. You have a problem with what I said, fine, no need to tell me to "get some ears" and so on. We're all reasonable adults here, or at least I assume so.

I also found that during the You don't know.. parts there's an accoustic guitar hitting the chords. And there's indeed two guitar parts, one clean, one distorted. Also the bass seems distorted at some places, not sure if that's a pedal or a different track.

I'm not a pro at all so I'm pretty much in the same situ as you.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

No doubt at all, i'll be even happier if Boots really was the weakest on the album.

I am very confident.

 

[kassandra]

No doubts, but I am wondering why there is not much air play here.

 

[AchtungTiger]

song is too damn loud. Needs less compression and get it to sound like Achtung Baby, Zooropa. Metallica destroyed their last album I hope U2 doesnt also.