What is the stupidest decision U2 has ever made?

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The craft replaced the "magic" as they've gotten more experience in songwriting. They just weren't making albums after/since Zooropa (nothing wrong with well-crafted song collections though), and SOI is a great step in the right direction. Once the guitar player stops resting on his laurels we might be getting a real reinvention but that's another story...

The only time they were consistently great was 1983-1987. It's hit or miss other times as far as the outside world is concerned. (or indifference in the case of last two albums). Also, do not think the internet fan forums speak for the whole U2 fanbase.

In terms of album sales, didn't rattle and Hum(88) sell 15 or 18 mil plus? and if you think Achtung baby(91) isn)t at least the the 2nd best selling and 2nd most popular u2 album of all time then you truly are deluded.
 
Edge's guitar playing has gotten really boring though. The argument that Edge only had one guitar tone was total bullshit for a long time (Out of Control, Promenade, Zoo Station, Numb, Playboy Mansion, none of these tracks sounded like the same guy), but now it's basically true.


I don't know how anyone could hear Reach Around and say he's resting on his laurels. He hasn't played anything like the Stones-type intro or the punky staccato stuff on the verses in a long, long time, or maybe ever.

And while the sounds on Raised By Wolves/Volcano aren't completely new to him, they're from like 30 years ago and played with a lot of energy.

This is coming from someone who did think he was on autopilot for the most part from 2000 onward.
 
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I won't respond to your Edge criticisms, because, well, you're you...

But what, exactly, would you like them to reinvent themselves as, at this point in their career, that

A ) they haven't already done?

or

B ) wouldn't be incredibly lame and pathetic for a band of their age?


Polka? Pan flute?
This :up:

And as for polka/pan flute I have one thing to say..... That's gold Jerry... Gold"
 
I don't know how anyone could hear Reach Around and say he's resting on his laurels. He hasn't played anything like the Stones-type intro or the punky staccato stuff on the verses in a long, long time, or maybe ever.

And while the sounds on Raised By Wolves/Volcano aren't completely new to him, they're from like 30 years ago and played with a lot of energy.

This is coming from someone who did think he was on autopilot for the most part from 2000 onward.

Definitely, exactly.
 
Edge's guitar playing has gotten really boring though. The argument that Edge only had one guitar tone was total bullshit for a long time (Out of Control, Promenade, Zoo Station, Numb, Playboy Mansion, none of these tracks sounded like the same guy), but now it's basically true. Except he also occasionally picks up a slide and does something whatever with it. Did he give away all of pedals but one to Music Rising?

You haven´t heard the new album, have you? :)
 
I don't know how anyone could hear Reach Around and say he's resting on his laurels. He hasn't played anything like the Stones-type intro or the punky staccato stuff on the verses in a long, long time, or maybe ever.

Whatever the hell he's doing, evidently I forget it completely the moment that song finishes and The Troubles begins.
 
Not consistently embracing technology. Twitter, Facebook etc. They seem to jump on and last a week.

Not following their own advice and continuing to F up the mainstream. Bring back the art band.

Their biggest mistake? Second guessing themselves.

Also, the last 3 album covers and the touring ad where they are in bed together. They need an art director.
 
Also, the last 3 album covers and the touring ad where they are in bed together. They need an art director.

This goes for many of their videos as well. They truly suck at making artistic choices (either bland or horrendous). The impression I get is they are like four giddy schoolboys who get really excited when talking about concepts, and when they turn out to be pretty meh they just shrug their shoulders and say "Well that didn't turn out exactly how we hoped, but anyway..."
 
Not so much songs, tours, albums or any musical right and left turns really, just their inabilty to fill the quiet times better so -

The predictable 'we will do nothing at all for 3 years' post tour break.
Not gigging for fun between touring phases. (say, regular Christmassy Dublin gigs?)
That only a new album = any touring phase.
Spidermess probably chewing into the potential of new music in 2011.
Not releasing any longform original music between tours (ala R.E.M. Out Of Time & Automatic For The People)
 
^ Agreed. Why can't they spend a summer hitting up the Euro festival circuit? Or maybe randomly take a month to tour some US cities that aren't Chicago, Boston or New York. Or do an arena tour of southeast asia, places like Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, etc. Lots of bands are doing that now. Just short little legs that don't necessarily have anything to do with the next major album/tour campaign.
 
I had forgotten. Spider-Man is a big mistake. Big. Huge. Colossal.


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I was going to say Spiderman, too, even though it's technically not a U2 thing, just Bono and Edge. They should never have wasted so much time on that.

I wouldn't call this a stupid decision, but the way U2 go into total shutdown mode between albums is an ongoing annoyance. If they're not going to focus and make albums faster, then they at least need to get with the times and get involved with social media more to stay connected with their fans during downtime. We all know how frustrating it is to have no idea what's going on with them for years on end.

Also, they should have released SOI in the spring after their appearance on Jimmy Fallon instead of waiting so long. They say it wasn't ready yet, but they should have planned that out better instead of disappearing off the radar all summer.


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Spider-Man wasn't U2 though.


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It did create enough of a stench to sully the U2 "brand", however. It had the most visible half of U2 (Bono & Edge) promoting it for what seemed forever. For Joe Public, it was almost impossible not to think of it as a U2-related disaster.
 
I think you'd be crazy to say AB was hit or miss to the "outside world".



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Let's see :

Immediately after JT, they got burned by Rattle and Hum's critisism.
Then came AB, yes, obviously a hit.
Zooropa gets under the umbrella of Zoo TV, but I'd say the overall assesment now is not nearly on the level of AB.
Pop, they got burned again.
Then came a hit with ATYCLB, further aided by the healing US shows/All that... after 9/11.
While Bomb was a success commercially, the "comeback" aura was starting to wear off.

See the pattern yet ?

NLOTH and SOI, the people outside of U2 audience either didn't care or got angry at them with the whole Apple mega release.

Hence, It's hit or miss other times as far as the outside world is concerned. (or indifference in the case of last two albums).
 
It did create enough of a stench to sully the U2 "brand", however. It had the most visible half of U2 (Bono & Edge) promoting it for what seemed forever. For Joe Public, it was almost impossible not to think of it as a U2-related disaster.

..and Joe Public forgot all about it once NLOTH and 360 rolled around.

They got burned by the tax "scandal" far more.
 
Let's see :



Immediately after JT, they got burned by Rattle and Hum's critisism.

Then came AB, yes, obviously a hit.

Zooropa gets under the umbrella of Zoo TV, but I'd say the overall assesment now is not nearly on the level of AB.

Pop, they got burned again.

Then came a hit with ATYCLB, further aided by the healing US shows/All that... after 9/11.

While Bomb was a success commercially, the "comeback" aura was starting to wear off.



See the pattern yet ?



NLOTH and SOI, the people outside of U2 audience either didn't care or got angry at them with the whole Apple mega release.



Hence, It's hit or miss other times as far as the outside world is concerned. (or indifference in the case of last two albums).


Thanks for missing the point, thanks for being you.


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I won't respond to your Edge criticisms, because, well, you're you...

But what, exactly, would you like them to reinvent themselves as, at this point in their career, that

A ) they haven't already done?

or

B ) wouldn't be incredibly lame and pathetic for a band of their age?


Polka? Pan flute?

a) they need to figure it out, and they've managed to do that every time up to and including ATYCLB. It got sidetracked pretty much on HTDAAB, but that was the point. (mixing up various eras of U2 - see NLOTH - isn't exactly the same) On SOI, apparently Edge had issues coming up with guitar parts over DM's production.
This wouldn't be an issue with a band content on having one sound for 30+ years (AC / DC, Status Quo etc...). It is an issue with a band that used to sound different on every album, and certainly a guitar player who consistently tried new sounds in the past, yet can't seem to get out of the cliche rawk riff/80's self cloning 95% of the time in the last three albums.

b) Should they just lach to the team of Lillywhite, Eno and Lanois until the end of their career for fear of failure ?
 
Thanks for missing the point, thanks for being you.


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I think you'd be crazy to say AB was hit or miss to the "outside world".

Which never happened so there was no point at all...frequently happens to you.
 
Whatever the hell he's doing, evidently I forget it completely the moment that song finishes and The Troubles begins.

Yeah, exactly. I don't know what it is but nothing about that song sticks with me.

And there are some cool callbacks to War with Raised By Wolves and Volcano...and then some of the dullest guitar work of his career with EBW/California/SFS. It's a wash for me. Not his worst album, not anywhere near what I'm looking for.
 
a) they need to figure it out, and they've managed to do that every time up to and including ATYCLB. It got sidetracked pretty much on HTDAAB, but that was the point. (mixing up various eras of U2 - see NLOTH - isn't exactly the same) On SOI, apparently Edge had issues coming up with guitar parts over DM's production.
This wouldn't be an issue with a band content on having one sound for 30+ years (AC / DC, Status Quo etc...). It is an issue with a band that used to sound different on every album, and certainly a guitar player who consistently tried new sounds in the past, yet can't seem to get out of the cliche rawk riff/80's self cloning 95% of the time in the last three albums.

b) Should they just lach to the team of Lillywhite, Eno and Lanois until the end of their career for fear of failure ?

So your answer to your undying requirement for U2 to evolve is to say you don't know what they could do bit they should figure it out.

Thank you for your contribution, stellar as always.
 
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