LP15 - We're due for a break from the norm
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If they do keep going, can we at least petition Bono to let the whole "America is an idea" thing finally die the miserable firey death it deserves?
Bono will be on Kimmel on Monday... sooooooooo that wasn't a very long break.
prbiker15
Blue Crack Addict
I’m sure the first thing on Kimmel’s agenda is to ask him about the “going away/wait it out” remarks.
I think the real break will begin once they wrap up those rumored 2019 shows.
I think the real break will begin once they wrap up those rumored 2019 shows.
Bono on Kimmel to announce 2019 Australia tour, visiting well-known Australian cities Los Angeles, Seattle, Dallas, Miami, Chicago, Boston, New York, and concluding with a special show in the national capital, Jefferson City, Missouri.
There will also be a New Zealand show in Toronto.
There will also be a New Zealand show in Toronto.
That's much more better
Idea for a swansong. The band reunite with Eno/Lanois to finish Songs of Ascent and produce their first masterpiece in years with a mature, meditative and ethereal send off.
The tour is a smash hit success - the antithesis to the heady materialism of Zoo TV, focusing on death and spiritualism with a heavenly ambiance. 'An out of body experience' is how it is defined in a Neil McCormick review.
The final show arrives in Dublin and the band promises a 'big finale and thank you to all our fans'. Bono's encore appearance for the last song has him attached subtly to a stage rigging harness. The final song reaches an Edge arpeggio crescendo when wings suddenly appear from behind Bono as he is lifted from his feet and ascends towards dazzling bright lights. He starts improvising opera as The Edge's guitar rings out celestial overtones.
But the crowd start booing at what they perceive as self indulgence. Larry sheepishly looks on while Adam casually turns his back without trying to be noticed - effortless as always from our Adam. The Edge - ever the professional - continues to the end though is noticeably self-conscious as he stops the trademark foot stomp and merely stares at his feet while continuing to play. Meanwhile, Bono fails to take notice as he is so emotionally immersed in his operatic warblings as sweat and tears fall like rain onto the stage below.
Discontent continues to grow however and the boos finally start to ring out louder than the music. Finally the music stops, and Bono's shoulders drop as he realises the reaction. Some angrily throw their drinks in an attempt to hit Bono, while a few unsold copies of No Line On The Horizon are pelted onto the stage. The camera pans out leaving a limp looking Bono staring dead eyed at the crowd as the echoes of foul mouthed punters ring out into the Dublin night and reverberate down the River Liffey and onto Ireland's small towns and villages. They've ruined it.
Fade to black.
The tour is a smash hit success - the antithesis to the heady materialism of Zoo TV, focusing on death and spiritualism with a heavenly ambiance. 'An out of body experience' is how it is defined in a Neil McCormick review.
The final show arrives in Dublin and the band promises a 'big finale and thank you to all our fans'. Bono's encore appearance for the last song has him attached subtly to a stage rigging harness. The final song reaches an Edge arpeggio crescendo when wings suddenly appear from behind Bono as he is lifted from his feet and ascends towards dazzling bright lights. He starts improvising opera as The Edge's guitar rings out celestial overtones.
But the crowd start booing at what they perceive as self indulgence. Larry sheepishly looks on while Adam casually turns his back without trying to be noticed - effortless as always from our Adam. The Edge - ever the professional - continues to the end though is noticeably self-conscious as he stops the trademark foot stomp and merely stares at his feet while continuing to play. Meanwhile, Bono fails to take notice as he is so emotionally immersed in his operatic warblings as sweat and tears fall like rain onto the stage below.
Discontent continues to grow however and the boos finally start to ring out louder than the music. Finally the music stops, and Bono's shoulders drop as he realises the reaction. Some angrily throw their drinks in an attempt to hit Bono, while a few unsold copies of No Line On The Horizon are pelted onto the stage. The camera pans out leaving a limp looking Bono staring dead eyed at the crowd as the echoes of foul mouthed punters ring out into the Dublin night and reverberate down the River Liffey and onto Ireland's small towns and villages. They've ruined it.
Fade to black.
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LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
Yes.
I wouldn't mind them spending 5 years on the album if it meant I was getting this at the end.
Kieran McConville
ONE love, blood, life
During their final show ever bono will be literally ascended to heaven, but a secular heaven so as not to piss off their casual fans. He will live out his days on the international space station, while larry will take to drink and edge will take up model trains and adam will get in on mcguinness's international arms dealing racket.
Rachel D.
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
No, they really need to stop making songs and albums that revolve around American politics. That would be so lame. Please no. Make it stop. Surely they have other things to talk about?
Mack_Again
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
oh why not Columbus, OH?
Kieran McConville
ONE love, blood, life
oh me oh my oh
look at miss ohio
she's running around with her rag top down
she say I wanna do right but not right now
look at miss ohio
she's running around with her rag top down
she say I wanna do right but not right now
Hewson
Blue Crack Supplier
Red benefit show, probably just doing the lounge devil act or similar.
Well sure... but it's like "omg Bono is dead he needs 30 hours of physical therapy just to lip sync to Love is all we have left and couldn't go past 2.5 hours for a show or he will spontaneously combust... But dude gets on a plane immediately following Berlin to fly 10 hours to LA for a benefit gig.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
While I’d love to hear another album with Eno/Lanois, there’s a part of me that sees this as some kind of regressive move. Like “well we tried all these flavor of the month people but I guess we’ll just return to the comfort of old friends”. It’s not exactly a fresh idea. I don’t know what the preferable alternative would be, other than fully trusting a younger, creative producer to get something different out of them, without compromise. SOI could have been that.
And also, Eno/Lanois could mean getting another ATYCLB, and that’s the last fucking thing I’d want to hear.
And also, Eno/Lanois could mean getting another ATYCLB, and that’s the last fucking thing I’d want to hear.
The last record eno and Lanois worked on is probably my least favourite u2 record. No line on the horizon. But U2’s best days have been with eno and lanois. Who knows what they could come up with now.
This is top notch though
https://youtu.be/_oKwnkYFsiE
This is top notch though
https://youtu.be/_oKwnkYFsiE
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I've never understood the animosity towards All That You Can't Leave Behind. It's not as heavy on the subject matters as previous albums, but it's enduring sense of optimism reigns supreme and I feel it's a very worthy album in the U2 canon. In fact, if they called it a day after that one, it would mark as a fitting end in my opinion. There's an overall feeling of peace and serenity (barring Elevation...) I get from it more than any other U2 without anything getting melodramatic of gimmicky ala the desperate attempts to appeal to younger listeners on the recent albums.
There is a cohesion to it also. And this is something Eno and Lanois are experts at.
While No Line is a mess, I don't think blame can be put at the feet of Eno and Lanois, more so due to the fact that the album the duo envisioned was compromised by utterly pathetic decisions by the band themselves (that middle three tunes, and in particular, the laughable attempt at trying to be contemporary by hiring Will.I.Am to work on Crazy Tonight - and where is he these days? Yep, that's right he's a coffee salesman, what a masterstroke that was U2....).
While I get the idea that it is somewhat regressive to go back to the tried and tested, it's never been Eno's model to rest on their laurels anyhow. Although he's 70, and the band nearing their 60s, it might seem old hat in todays industry... but then again Bowie worked with Tony Visconti on Blackstar to disprove the notion that you can only be rooted to the past.
Certainly, bringing Eno back on board in particular is far far preferable to any of the producers they worked on in the last two albums - barring one individual, that being Andy Barlow.
Barlow was by far the most effective producer from the last two albums, producing arguably their strongest work. Book Of Your Heart, Love Is All We Have Left and The Little Things That Give You Away. His productions seemed to acknowledge U2's qualities and pushed them to the fore, taking on board the band's more spiritual and mystical qualities. Contrast that to somebody like Ryan Tedder who got them to write rent-a-choruses and who didn't understand the ethos of U2 in any way, such was his amateurish boy band ways.
mikal
Blue Crack Addict
All That You Can't Leave Behind, in terms of the songs themselves, can die in a fire for all I care but in terms of production it holds up. The album has a consistent and cohesive feel. A song like Beautiful Day could come across like canned pop or rent-a-chorus but it's organic, and that of course is the key to its success.
None of the last three albums can lay claim to similar, while HTDAAB is victim to its loud mastering. It's the ALL CAPS !!!!!!! of U2's discography.
None of the last three albums can lay claim to similar, while HTDAAB is victim to its loud mastering. It's the ALL CAPS !!!!!!! of U2's discography.
AndrewCowley
Refugee
Both HTDAAB and NLOTH suffer due to the band wanting to make big shouty songs. Finally with SOE they seem to have canned this idea, thankfully. Sadly though Edge’s playing has been lost along the way. I hope they give it another crack. I want a non shouty album that has solos from Edge in it.
AndrewCowley
Refugee
Sorry I mean over the top vocals from Bono. Example being the song NLOTH. All those oh-ohs are unnecessary. Another is Breathe. Just too many rhyming lyrics crammed into those verses. Give the song itself some air time, Bono.
Contrast with a song like Landlady. Restrained brilliance.
Contrast with a song like Landlady. Restrained brilliance.
They need to abandon any idea of another album that begins with "Songs of..."
Songs of Youth
Songs of Religion
Songs of Violence
Songs of Abstraction
Songs of America
Songs of Very America
Songs of Europe
Songs of Very Europe
Songs of Party Drugs
Songs of Adult Contemporary
Songs of iPod
Songs of Indecision
Songs of Innocence
Songs of Experience
Songs of Not Dead Yet
Songs of Religion
Songs of Violence
Songs of Abstraction
Songs of America
Songs of Very America
Songs of Europe
Songs of Very Europe
Songs of Party Drugs
Songs of Adult Contemporary
Songs of iPod
Songs of Indecision
Songs of Innocence
Songs of Experience
Songs of Not Dead Yet
I get where he's coming from. Those lung bursting moments were great for Bono in the 1980s but a lot of it feels contrived these days, and it's become a cliche to the point that U2 are defined by that.
I so wish he'd go back to the moody restraint of the 1990s. Of course, that was a stylistic change in the songs and their lyrics which suited that darker vibe (in addition to Bono protecting his vocal chords after shredding them to bits on the Joshua Tree and Lovetown tours). The cut and paste choruses of today are boring ('You are...Rock n Roll!') and just seen more like an exercise in makings sure vocals reverberate around a live arena.
Singing in a lower register again would be less taxing for Bono at his age, and would maybe help bring in a more somber and introspective tone to the tunes again, as opppsed to this tiresome 'America is an idea' nonsense (a position that is great as I completely agree with them on it, but it's hardly original, poetic or inspirational in its ubiquity).
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
NLOTH is a shaky example for shouty songs when it's full of tracks like MOS, Cedars, Fez and White As Snow that do often dial things back. SOI, and Miracle of Joey Ramone in particular, is worse about that, with The Troubles and Sleep Like a Baby as two positive examples.
Totally agreed that Bono needs to work in his lower register more. Your Blue Room is the blueprint.
Totally agreed that Bono needs to work in his lower register more. Your Blue Room is the blueprint.
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Mack_Again
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
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