Anyone notice the guitar riff to NLOTH (the song)...

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nloth is my fav song on the album and i picked up on the fly vibe immediately which is great because i love the fly. maybe the similarity is intentional as maybe a transition from ab to nloth? as for ripping off and repeating can you believe they repeated themselves on fez with goyb's "let me in the sound"? the nerve from those unoriginal bastards!
 
^ PS is right. I mean, look at Monet.

All the nympheas paintings are rip-off's of his own work!!! Same with the foot-bridge series!!!

You know what else... That one painting that's called Footbridge over a pond of nympheas... HOLY FUCK, HE DID IT TWICE IN ONE PAINTING!!!!!!
 
Look, the point of many people in noting this stuff is that the one thing U2 was excellent for was bringing new stuff to the table every time. Unfortunately, almost anyone with an objective opinion will note that they've repeated themselves in some areas recently. I personally think "Magnificent" and "Breathe" are two of the most outstanding songs I've heard from anybody in a very long time. Note also, though, these songs are entirely original and have a vibe to them.

However, how I personally, and note I say personally, feel about almost the rest of the album is as follows:

1. I do not get NLOTH. The riff ruins the legitimacy of the song for me, sorry. It's like they had no idea for a guitar part so they dialed up The Fly/Ultraviolet/Lady with the Spinning head sessions and decided to recycle the same guitar. It's seems lazy and unoriginal to me. If you disagree with me fine, but that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

2. Unknown Caller - Again, pull the old "Walk On" guitar rabbit out of the hat. It's a good song, but the lack of uniqueness with that guitar is something U2 never really was guilty of until now. It's like the Edge goes to it now instead of trying new stuff.

3. Crazy - If you cannot here "Faithfully" by Journey or Tina Turner, you're just in denial. It's there and many people and writers have noticed it, we're not crazy (no pun intended).

4. White as Snow - this song was lifted from "Oh come oh come Emmanuel" for those of you who are Catholic you should be familiar with it. It's actually pretty annoying and again shows laziness.

5. GOYB - This song is totally ripped from Escape Club and Costello. Again, you're in denial if you cannot hear the rip.

The oddest thing is, U2 can still write good songs, but most of the time they leave them off of albums or warp them until they don't sound right, or throw in the same old bells and whistles.

Ultimately, this album has about 3 or 4 legit songs, the rest is borderline rubbish to me.
 
walkon274 said:
Look, the point of many people in noting this stuff is that the one thing U2 was excellent for was bringing new stuff to the table every time. Unfortunately, almost anyone with an objective opinion will note that they've repeated themselves in some areas recently. I personally think "Magnificent" and "Breathe" are two of the most outstanding songs I've heard from anybody in a very long time. Note also, though, these songs are entirely original and have a vibe to them.

However, how I personally, and note I say personally, feel about almost the rest of the album is as follows:

1. I do not get NLOTH. The riff ruins the legitimacy of the song for me, sorry. It's like they had no idea for a guitar part so they dialed up The Fly/Ultraviolet/Lady with the Spinning head sessions and decided to recycle the same guitar. It's seems lazy and unoriginal to me. If you disagree with me fine, but that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

2. Unknown Caller - Again, pull the old "Walk On" guitar rabbit out of the hat. It's a good song, but the lack of uniqueness with that guitar is something U2 never really was guilty of until now. It's like the Edge goes to it now instead of trying new stuff.

3. Crazy - If you cannot here "Faithfully" by Journey or Tina Turner, you're just in denial. It's there and many people and writers have noticed it, we're not crazy (no pun intended).

4. White as Snow - this song was lifted from "Oh come oh come Emmanuel" for those of you who are Catholic you should be familiar with it. It's actually pretty annoying and again shows laziness.

5. GOYB - This song is totally ripped from Escape Club and Costello. Again, you're in denial if you cannot hear the rip.

The oddest thing is, U2 can still write good songs, but most of the time they leave them off of albums or warp them until they don't sound right, or throw in the same old bells and whistles.

Ultimately, this album has about 3 or 4 legit songs, the rest is borderline rubbish to me.
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These are my OPINIONS of your OPINIONS.

1. The riffs are not identical. I actually tabbed the riffs a few pages ago to show the differences. Refer to that post.

2. Again, the riffs are not identical. They are SIMILAR, but not IDENTICAL. My opinion is that you have trouble differentiating between these two words.

3. There is NO Tina Turner in CT. None. I don;t know the journey song, but if you can honestly hear Tina Turner in that song, you may need a few cotton swaps.

4. They have acknowledged they used the melody. It would show liziness if they didn't have other songs that could replace it. They used it to actually enhance the meaning of the song. There is a difference between pilfering and homage. Again though, I would hate to get into ANOTHER arguement with you regarding your interpretations of different words.

5. I will use my aforementioned points. There are similarities, hey Don't look Back in Anger has the same intro as Imagine, but it's still a great song. Because pieces of songs creep into other ones as INSPIRATION does not imply lack of CARE, CONSIDERATION, or ORIGINAL THOUGHT.

If you genuinely want to use these arguements, you are supporting the wrong band. They have always recycled their own sounds, themes and sometimes, yes, riffs (although not in NLOTH).

Oh, helpful link for you too... Dictionary.com :up:
 
fair enough............the nice thing for me not having any musical likings other than radiohead, u2, rem, is that i will never hear the similaritites that these people speak of.
 
dan_smee said:
These are my OPINIONS of your OPINIONS.

1. The riffs are not identical. I actually tabbed the riffs a few pages ago to show the differences. Refer to that post.

2. Again, the riffs are not identical. They are SIMILAR, but not IDENTICAL. My opinion is that you have trouble differentiating between these two words.

3. There is NO Tina Turner in CT. None. I don;t know the journey song, but if you can honestly hear Tina Turner in that song, you may need a few cotton swaps.

4. They have acknowledged they used the melody. It would show liziness if they didn't have other songs that could replace it. They used it to actually enhance the meaning of the song. There is a difference between pilfering and homage. Again though, I would hate to get into ANOTHER arguement with you regarding your interpretations of different words.

5. I will use my aforementioned points. There are similarities, hey Don't look Back in Anger has the same intro as Imagine, but it's still a great song. Because pieces of songs creep into other ones as INSPIRATION does not imply lack of CARE, CONSIDERATION, or ORIGINAL THOUGHT.

If you genuinely want to use these arguements, you are supporting the wrong band. They have always recycled their own sounds, themes and sometimes, yes, riffs (although not in NLOTH).

Oh, helpful link for you too... Dictionary.com :up:
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Funny you should direct me to the dictionary because your spelling is absolutely atrocious. There is a difference between similarities and downright lifting. I thought U2 was a little better than that.
 
cseggleton said:
fair enough............the nice thing for me not having any musical likings other than radiohead, u2, rem, is that i will never hear the similaritites that these people speak of.
Click to expand...

Crazy tonight: youtube "Faithfully" by Journey.
 
walkon274 said:
Funny you should direct me to the dictionary because your spelling is absolutely atrocious. There is a difference between similarities and downright lifting. I thought U2 was a little better than that.
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Hmm, explains a lot if that's what you think the primary function of a dictionary is.

I made some typos, solid argument in the 'U2 stole a riff' discussion. Congrats, you have made the most defunct point ever.

There is a difference between similarities and stealing, you are right. Unfortunately, what you fail to recognise is that a) they are not STEALING. I have explained to you that the riffs that sound similar to their own songs are different, no matter that they SOUND the same.
b) Any comparisons to other artists is totally subjective and dependant on what your brain wants to interpret it as. Jay-Z may remind me of janis Joplin for all anyone knows or cares, doesn't mean they are the same
c) When something is borrowed to convey meaning or enhance quality, it is not stealing, it is homage. Especially when it is recognised as in WAS
 
dan_smee said:
Hmm, explains a lot if that's what you think the primary function of a dictionary is.

I made some typos, solid argument in the 'U2 stole a riff' discussion. Congrats, you have made the most defunct point ever.

There is a difference between similarities and stealing, you are right. Unfortunately, what you fail to recognise is that a) they are not STEALING. I have explained to you that the riffs that sound similar to their own songs are different, no matter that they SOUND the same.
b) Any comparisons to other artists is totally subjective and dependant on what your brain wants to interpret it as. Jay-Z may remind me of janis Joplin for all anyone knows or cares, doesn't mean they are the same
c) When something is borrowed to convey meaning or enhance quality, it is not stealing, it is homage. Especially when it is recognised as in WAS
Click to expand...

Look bro, you can rationalize it however you want to. I'm giving you my honest opinion, opinions are like assholes, everyone got one. "Magnificent", "Breathe", "Fez being born", and "Moment of Surrender" are the only songs on this album worth a lick. Fez is a notch down b/c again, they recycle the same guitar, but I can get by it on that song b/c there's enough creativity going on.

The rest of the songs have WAAAAAAAAAY too much recycling and samples to legitimately respect I'm sorry. If Crazy sounds different live on Letterman and the fecking Journey sample I keep hearing isn't so pronounced, maybe I'll let it slide on that song.
 
walkon274 said:
Look bro, you can rationalize it however you want to. I'm giving you my honest opinion, opinions are like assholes, everyone got one. "Magnificent", "Breathe", "Fez being born", and "Moment of Surrender" are the only songs on this album worth a lick. Fez is a notch down b/c again, they recycle the same guitar, but I can get by it on that song b/c there's enough creativity going on.

The rest of the songs have WAAAAAAAAAY too much recycling and samples to legitimately respect I'm sorry. If Crazy sounds different live on Letterman and the fecking Journey sample I keep hearing isn't so pronounced, maybe I'll let it slide on that song.
Click to expand...

If you hear recycled sounds and other songs, thats your own issue. Noone else hears them (or very few do) and it seems the ones that do are the ones with a history for being whingers about modern U2. If you can't accept that you have an inherent bias in your posts you are seriously deluding yourself.

I have an inherent bias in my posts. That bias is I like U2. On a U2 fan forum, I believe that is acceptible.
 
dan_smee said:
Hmm, explains a lot if that's what you think the primary function of a dictionary is.

I made some typos, solid argument in the 'U2 stole a riff' discussion. Congrats, you have made the most defunct point ever.

There is a difference between similarities and stealing, you are right. Unfortunately, what you fail to recognise is that a) they are not STEALING. I have explained to you that the riffs that sound similar to their own songs are different, no matter that they SOUND the same.
b) Any comparisons to other artists is totally subjective and dependant on what your brain wants to interpret it as. Jay-Z may remind me of janis Joplin for all anyone knows or cares, doesn't mean they are the same
c) When something is borrowed to convey meaning or enhance quality, it is not stealing, it is homage. Especially when it is recognised as in WAS
Click to expand...

If you want to fight back why not show people who steal from U2?

Stuff that sounds like The Edge:

YouTube - Angels & Airwaves -- The Adventure

Vidéo "Prince: Guitar" de zflo (Musique > Rock / Pop) - wat.tv

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzZQJZdcCU4

How about this jewel?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieu6zu0pcJs
 
dan_smee said:
If you hear recycled sounds and other songs, thats your own issue. Noone else hears them (or very few do) and it seems the ones that do are the ones with a history for being whingers about modern U2. If you can't accept that you have an inherent bias in your posts you are seriously deluding yourself.

I have an inherent bias in my posts. That bias is I like U2. On a U2 fan forum, I believe that is acceptible.
Click to expand...

You can be a U2 fan and still call a spade a spade brother. Most people I know have told me they've never met someone so engrossed in a band like I am with U2. However, I don't just accept anything they put out as religious and cannot objectively dislike. Taking melodies that have already been written on such a widescale is something I have never seen U2 do like they have with GOYB, WAS, and to a lesser extent Crazy. It's just downright laziness. It's like the whole CD cover, how could they not have known someone else used the same damn picture? All they had to do was ask the artist if he ever gave a license to someone else. I dunno man, others feel the way I do.

Again, Magnificent is better than anything Coldplay has done save for Clocks. I'll fight anyone in a bar on that point. However, I honestly think they're running out of melodies and ideas, it happens to every band sooner or later.
 
you guys should listen to the ramones. they used some simillar riffs on certain songs. and ac/dc did it bit too. lol.
 
allbecauseofu2 said:
you guys should listen to the ramones. they used some simillar riffs on certain songs. and ac/dc did it bit too. lol.
Click to expand...

AC/DC has written the same song over and over for 30 years. That's why to most people they are a "bar band" or band you listen to when you lift weights. Good power riffs but there is no depth or beautiful creativity. LOL
 
walkon274 said:
You can be a U2 fan and still call a spade a spade brother. Most people I know have told me they've never met someone so engrossed in a band like I am with U2. However, I don't just accept anything they put out as religious and cannot objectively dislike. Taking melodies that have already been written on such a widescale is something I have never seen U2 do like they have with GOYB, WAS, and to a lesser extent Crazy. It's just downright laziness. It's like the whole CD cover, who could they not have known someone else used the same damn picture? All they had to do was ask the artist if he ever gave a license to someone else. I dunno man, other feel the way I do.

Again, Magnificent is better than anything Coldplay has done save for Clocks. I'll fight anyone in a bar on that point. However, I honestly think they're running out of melodies and ideas, it happens to every band sooner or later.
Click to expand...

I can;t begin to say how premature that statement is. Run out of melodies and ideas? apart from the fact they have another album finished and being released later this year or early next year? That's just silly.

You don't like similarities between other artists, cool, I get that. But launching an all out assault on a band you claim to love by branding them unimaginative and lazy is in itself a lazy observation. You need to look past the superficial exterior of a simple similarity and notice that there is bucketloads more going on. The percussion in GOYB is something noone has ever heard before. The riff, and silken melding between edge and adam is peerless in u2's catalogue, WAS's meaning is enhanced enourmously by the fact that it uses that melody when you look at the story contained within it.

Superficially it may seem lazy, but it is our job as fans of U2 to give them the opportunity to explain these things to us, to look further into why it has happened, or how it really is different.

I think it is also a very bitter pill to swallow to see so many people claiming to be avid fans complaining about them at this stage in their career/lives. Their longevity and relevance is peerless. They have untold riches from their music. They are nearly 50. They owe you, me or anybody nothing. Anything we hear from them now is a bonus to me, and I for one am immeasureably grateful for that. I don't feel that it is my right to hear their music anymore. It is most definately a priveledge, and an honour. The impetuous nature of fans in the fast-food generation astounds me.
 
walkon274 said:
The big difference is that none of these songs took an EXACT key set of notes, chords, riffs, or melodies from U2.
Click to expand...

No they just copied the approach and delay that sounds like Edge. Also it's not the exact notes because Journey goes in other directions than the U2 song.
 
dan_smee said:
I can;t begin to say how premature that statement is. Run out of melodies and ideas? apart from the fact they have another album finished and being released later this year or early next year? That's just silly.

You don't like similarities between other artists, cool, I get that. But launching an all out assault on a band you claim to love by branding them unimaginative and lazy is in itself a lazy observation. You need to look past the superficial exterior of a simple similarity and notice that there is bucketloads more going on. The percussion in GOYB is something noone has ever heard before. The riff, and silken melding between edge and adam is peerless in u2's catalogue, WAS's meaning is enhanced enourmously by the fact that it uses that melody when you look at the story contained within it.

Superficially it may seem lazy, but it is our job as fans of U2 to give them the opportunity to explain these things to us, to look further into why it has happened, or how it really is different.

I think it is also a very bitter pill to swallow to see so many people claiming to be avid fans complaining about them at this stage in their career/lives. Their longevity and relevance is peerless. They have untold riches from their music. They are nearly 50. They owe you, me or anybody nothing. Anything we hear from them now is a bonus to me, and I for one am immeasureably grateful for that. I don't feel that it is my right to hear their music anymore. It is most definately a priveledge, and an honour. The impetuous nature of fans in the fast-food generation astounds me.
Click to expand...

I'll call it down the line, you actually just had a half-way decent post. I don't necessarily agree with everything you just stated, but at least it wasn't the normal throwing eggs thing.

I just don't think it's my "job" to have them explain anything to me, or to accept what they throw out. If I don't like it, I don't like it. I don't act like I have some privilege or right for U2 music. I did, however, rightfully pay them money to purchase their CD, and as a consumer, if I think it was not worth my money, I'm allowed to think that. My payments to them are one of the reasons they have the untold riches you so fondly speak of.

I do agree with you, anything we hear from them is a bonus now, no doubt. However, I just think there comes a time where you either put something original out or you HANG IT UP and quit trying to hype yourself up to make as much money as you can. Some of the comments coming out of the U2 camp leading up to this album are downright absurd after listening to the album. That's what I have a problem with when you couple it with songs that have melodies they either unconsciously or consciously lifted.

Evening.
 
Well the Emmanuel melody was purposely used, and acknowledged. This is something many writers have done.

As far as all the others, some I can see where you think they are the same and others I think you might be high.

But I have to wonder what else you listen to, because if you use these very loose defintions to define "ripping off" I can show you a thousand other instances that are even more legit...

I have to wonder if you listen to a lot of other music... For if we counted every time someone may have used the same two chords in a row and maybe even a similar guitar tone as ripping off then everyone would be sued. That's all your Journey theory is, two chords making a similar climb with a similar drumbeat behind it(I went and listened for it and I can see where an untrained ear can think what you are thinking) but the thing is there not even the same chords it's just the climb that sound similar.

It's great if you want to be really picky about music, that's cool, but being picking about things that you really don't know about seems odd...

Just my $.02
 
There are what, seven basic notes in music? How many different ways can they be used? It's inevitable that you'll find similarities, so what's the problem?

I think Walkon274, you are splitting hairs to split hairs. Or you're a troll, which ever comes first.

And if true originality is your standard, then you should go ahead and give up listening to music, because you won't find it. It's never existed and never will. Throw out Dylan (a famous music thief), The Beatles, The Stones, and just about every other band that's ever written a song.

Get over it and move on.
 
redhill said:
is just a slight variation of the Ultraviolet Rays riff?
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Ir reminds me of a dead fly on the wall.
Realy like the voals on this song bu the guitar is pretty underwhelming, it still rocks. funny song actually lol
 
If U2 are sampling from U2, why bother? After all.....

U2 is the best. There is nothing wrong sampling from the best.
 
walkon274 said:
I'll call it down the line, you actually just had a half-way decent post. I don't necessarily agree with everything you just stated, but at least it wasn't the normal throwing eggs thing.

I just don't think it's my "job" to have them explain anything to me, or to accept what they throw out. If I don't like it, I don't like it. I don't act like I have some privilege or right for U2 music. I did, however, rightfully pay them money to purchase their CD, and as a consumer, if I think it was not worth my money, I'm allowed to think that. My payments to them are one of the reasons they have the untold riches you so fondly speak of.

I do agree with you, anything we hear from them is a bonus now, no doubt. However, I just think there comes a time where you either put something original out or you HANG IT UP and quit trying to hype yourself up to make as much money as you can. Some of the comments coming out of the U2 camp leading up to this album are downright absurd after listening to the album. That's what I have a problem with when you couple it with songs that have melodies they either unconsciously or consciously lifted.

Evening.
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I have to be honest.

I find your argument annoyingly pretentious and forced

You're all over the place. First your talking about how they are repeating themselves, then you state why you don't like the songs, then you state over and over again that its your right to state an opinion about the band because every asshole has an opinion (or something like that)

Whats the real deal here?

Is it really about "blatantly ripping themselves off"????

or is it really the simple fact that you just don't like the new songs, and you are using a weak argument like "the band is ripping themselves off" to try to convince everyone to feel the same way you do but you realize that its not working because all of the solid evidence we provided totally refutes your claim so you're back peddling by saying its just "your opinion".

did I hit it on the head?

yeeeah. that's what I thought.

Again, opinions are great, but when you write posts as if they are facts then it becomes less about opinions. That's the problem here. I'm all for opinions, but not when they are trying to be passed as fact.
 
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