Rob33 said:
tourist, maybe you didn't see the beginning of my post when I said I had never heard that before
As far as direction goes, I think "Mercy" and "All My Life" would go well on the same album, no?
but how this will tie into the new direction they are speaking of is the real question here....surely there must be some way to tweak those songs to fit whatever kinda feeling they are looking for on the next album....
U2 have never completely abandoned one sound in favor of another on any album. I would say the biggest sound change ever is from "War" to UF, and even then, there are overlaps. Songs like "October" and "New Year's Day" blend well with many songs on TUF. "Pride" almost seems out of place on UF, and may have fit a bit better on "War".
Looking further ahead, U2 continued this pattern. R&H has many elements of JT, but also leads us to AB, with songs like "God Part II". AB didn't abandon the JT sound completely, with beauties like "One", "Love Is Blindness" and "Acrobat", but it does push forward with songs like "Mysterious Ways" and "Even Better Than...". "Zooropa" connected some of the newer concepts on AB, with songs like the title track and "Dirty Day", but also blended in well with past work with songs like "Stay".
"Pop" changed beats with songs like "Mofo", but also had songs like "If God Will Send His Angels" , which connected to the past, and "Staring at the Sun", the latter of which could have easily fit on ATYCLB or HTDAAB - albums of the future.
And speaking of HTDAAB, while there are clear tie-ins to the sound of ATYCLB, there are also songs, like "Love & Peace" and "Fast Cars", that may lead to future sounds and styles (note the style of "Fast Cars" seems to be a sound U2 is further exploring, per recent reports).
In other words, while it's obvious U2 have had sound and style changes, they always have had elements of their past on their albums. Billy Corgan once stated that "Pop" sounded like a Greatest Hits album from U2, as it combined almost all of U2's past sounds, with a bit of something new thrown in. And indeed, one could see "The Fly" blending right into "Discotheque", "Miami" flowing from "God Part II", and "Please" a segueway from "Sunday Bloody Sunday".
With that in mind, I can easily envision some elements of HTDAAB, with songs like "Mercy", fitting in on the new album along with songs that have a different sound and style.
I'm not focused on U2 completely abandoning their past, as they have never done this before. They will have a transition - a new sound, but with elements of their past. This is, after all, who they are. U2 have a certain way of writing, which is unique to them. It's tough to completely dismiss something that is not only innate, but very effective and successful.