LP15 - We're due for a break from the norm

[The_acrobat]

The vitriol directed at U2 is based on their refusal to get off the stage. It's hurting their legacy with younger generations.

Olds still love the shit out of U2

Precisely! If Led Zep had continued to regularly tour and release music until this very day (in a parallel universe where John Bonham hadn’t died), you wouldn’t see Led Zeppelin posters in every college dorm room across America (even though those kids don’t know more than 10 LZ songs at best). U2 are in a league of their own at this point, no band has ever done this. Even The Rolling Stones have only released 1 album of original music in the past 20 years.

The closest thing to U2 is Bruce, but he seems to have accepted his place in the universe more than U2 have. He knows his new albums aren’t going to have hits.

 

[Irvine511]

He didn’t know that about Wrecking Ball. My memory is that he was quite disappointed it was ignored.

 

[mikal]

I just need to say this. The whole "GOOYOW" hate is one of the worst Interference opinions of all time.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

He didn’t know that about Wrecking Ball. My memory is that he was quite disappointed it was ignored.

He was, and his disappointment is often cited as why he hasn't written since.

 

[AndrewCowley]

He was, and his disappointment is often cited as why he hasn't written since.

Huh? He released High Hopes not that long after Wrecking Ball.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Huh? He released High Hopes not that long after Wrecking Ball.

Which was all songs he'd already written and didn't release, with a few covers mixed in.

 

[brooklynmike]

I got about 10 minutes in, hopping around. I turned it off when he called "Lemon" U2's worst song "like...ever. About a stupid car." Is this supposed to be comedy? Installation art? Because the fact these guys think they have the nous to review commercial jingles, let alone recorded music, is hilarious to me.



I'd complain but something tells me no one is paying them to do this.

Yeah the whole thing is pretty bad. I skipped through for about 15 seconds of each song and it was just a bash session.

 

[brooklynmike]

Goddamn they were brutal lol

"U2 are the 'Two and a Half Men' of music."


...yeesh :X

U2 certainly hasn't won any fans over with this record... which is kind of a shame, because I genuinely enjoy the album (I'd rate it about on par w/ Springsteen's, "Wrecking Ball").
Happy (and a bit surprised) to hear they "enjoyed" (i.e. tolerated) The Showman, tho. Quality lil' ditty the band cooked up there

It’s a good album. The shit thrown at it is based out of the usual U2 hate. Supposedly it’s their first time hearing the album, and then they listen for 10 seconds and tell you how it sucks as they talk over it.

One guy says they’ve been overrated since Achtung Baby.

Looks like WGN is running out of content ideas.

 

[The_acrobat]

He was, and his disappointment is often cited as why he hasn't written since.

Wow, I didn’t realize that. I guess I forgot High Hopes was a bunch of songs that were leftovers.

There’s the famous conversation between Elton John and Billy Joel...
Elton: how come you don’t write any new material?
Billy: how come you do?

Billy knows that nobody gives a shit about new material, people come to his shows to hear the hits. The same is mostly true for Elton. However, Elton feels compelled to record and release new material despite the fact that only his truest fans care anymore.

Bruce no longer needs to release new music in order to tour. Neither do U2. At this point, U2 would sell more tickets if they didn’t play any new material, just the hits. But that’s not what drives them.

 

[Mac_Fly]

Anybody hear this shit? 2 guys 1 Album https://wgnradio.com/2018/07/19/u2-songs-of-experience-vs-2-guys-1-album-review-podcast/

They make me want to do a show where I talk over them while they talk over the SOE album.

Mostly rambling incoherence while they try to remember what they think they know about U2.

The stretch over Landlady is both horrid and embarrassing.

Why does this show exist? Who is the audience? They aren't comedians, but they try to be.

And I do mean try. Really really really really really really try.

Really.

It's painful.

Though I do agree with their assessment of GOOYOW. I think many fans of U2 would.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Wow, I didn’t realize that. I guess I forgot High Hopes was a bunch of songs that were leftovers.

There’s the famous conversation between Elton John and Billy Joel...
Elton: how come you don’t write any new material?
Billy: how come you do?

Billy knows that nobody gives a shit about new material, people come to his shows to hear the hits. The same is mostly true for Elton. However, Elton feels compelled to record and release new material despite the fact that only his truest fans care anymore.

Bruce no longer needs to release new music in order to tour. Neither do U2. At this point, U2 would sell more tickets if they didn’t play any new material, just the hits. But that’s not what drives them.

I'm upset that Bruce seems to feel that the world doesn't need his voice anymore in regards to new music. Wrecking Ball was a great album (and U2 should take hints from that Album on how to write a fresh, relevant sounding album as an aging performer without trying to pander to "the kids"

Billy Joel is an interesting case. His last album did very well. River Of Dreams was a smash hit. And then he just stopped cold and hasn't even thought of writing another album of pop songs since. I hope at some point he changes his mind. He would be an excellent candidate for the Rick Rubin stripped down elder statesman album, in the vein of Johnny Cash and Neil Diamond.

 

[superchuk5]

Ok so that's not what I said.

I said their refusal to get off the stage.

Meaning how they still try to push themselves I to the mainstream spotlight with every album release rather than step aside and let someone else have it.

Not trying to be the biggest band in the world anymore doesn't mean they have to stop creating

I see your point. I love the ambition of being the biggest, but would ideally like to see them try that without chasing radio hits.

 

[superchuk5]

I just need to say this. The whole "GOOYOW" hate is one of the worst Interference opinions of all time.

But the AS hate is fine (even if it shockingly rocks live)

 

[The_acrobat]

Me and AS are cool now. Some of the lyrics are corny as fuck, it's true. But after witnessing it in person in Chicago, it was one of the highlights of the show.

GOOYOW just feels FORCED AS FUCK to me. Even more than Best Thing by a long shot.

 

[CosmoKramer]

(even if it shockingly rocks live)

It was one of the highlights of the show for me. Of all SOI/SOE era songs (invisible and Ordinary Love too) performed on tour, it is the best performance!

 

[CosmoKramer]

.



GOOYOW just feels FORCED AS FUCK to me. Even more than Best Thing by a long shot.

Both are forgettable live(l like GOOYOW on the album too) but Best Thing is embarrassingly bad.

How the hell are you going to write and record a pure bumble gum pop song, whose only positives are some of cool layers of sound(God knows the lyrics are "a" dodgy) and the energy ....then remove all those layers of sound so that the lyrics are front and center and take all the energy from the song.

 

[david]

U2 will cease making new music but will continue to release remixes of Love Is Bigger.. every two months.

 

[MattD]

I'm not so sure Eno would be interested either at this point. He knows as well as we do that the band is likely to leave great stuff on the cutting room floor and replace it with some late-hour pop crap produced by someone else.

Pretty much this. Tired of their ‘too many cooks’ approach to albums now.

If they get in some bonafide artistic and creative genius, they’ll water it down with some teeny bop crap fodder. I mean, case in points, the decision to hire Will.I.Am for the atrocious I’ll Go Crazy looks like the most pathetic decision ever made by the band. Not only was it utter shite on release, it looks even worse now considering that Will.I.Am is only famous for selling coffee and pizza.

Get one or two proven top class producers who could really push their artistic instincts once more and we’ll be all good. Hell, the idea of doing a Beatles or Bowie and making a top class album of sonic brilliance with no intention of touring it would be my dream - I know all the money is in touring but they don’t need the money thankfully and they should just use that security to once again become the artistic force like they were yesteryear.

 

[MattD]

That breakdown with the overly-processed guitar and cheesy drum sound right before Edge’s falsetto middle 8 is one of the low points of the band’s career. Pandering pop garbage.

The rest of the song doesn’t bother me.

Yeah I hate that bit too. I remember when U2 would pushed sonic boundaries, nowadays all they do is incorporate cheap chart song gimmicks. Bet Brian Eno is breaking down by furiously grappling his bald dome and laughing hysterically when hearing U2 massacre themselves in the studio like this.

Fuck sake, I mean I expect this type of tawdriness from Coldplay but not U2.

 

[RoKKeR]

My take, and it really remains the same since the album came out, is that it's all about mindset.

I'm generally a glass half full kind of guy, and really, post NLOTH, I'm just so fucking grateful that my all time favorite band is still making music. On the flip side, I know that they'll never reach the heights of '84 - '97, which IMO is their peak. They haven't been there for a while, and that's fine. They're old.

SOI and SOE both have tracks that would poke its way into my top 25, and that's impressive considering their back catalog. "Little Things" is easily top 20. For a band pushing 60, bravo to them.

I understand why some are more critical. That's fine. I just choose to enjoy their music in its current shape and form because the alternative (band breaking up, members dying, etc) is much worse.

A million times this.

As a younger fan, I can't believe how lucky I've been to have seen them live so much since the IE tour fired up. And on top of that we've been treated to two solid albums that have produced some truly fantastic tracks, Little Things being an all time favorite of mine already.

I'll look back on this era extremely fondly.

 

[trevgreg]

I remember when U2 would pushed sonic boundaries, nowadays all they do is incorporate cheap chart song gimmicks.

One of the things I keep in mind is that this band has already explored a lot of territory sound-wise by this point. Whatever they write in the future, I'm pretty sure they'd still be accused of repeating themselves at some point.

Then of course, some would still flip out over an ambient release thinking that's somehow the "real music" a band with a guitar, bass and drums would naturally make... but I guess that would happen in any case.

In terms of song gimmicks, they haven't went the hip-hop or rap route yet, so that's not a biggie on my end. Kendrick's spoken part isn't really too much of one, imo, and it's even edited out of the radio edit. They do rely a tad too much on the I–V–vi–IV chord progressions on these last two albums, but that's not exactly new for them either (WOWY, Streets, Ultraviolet, Magnificent, etc.).

 

[lazarus]

As a younger fan, I can't believe how lucky I've been to have seen them live so much since the IE tour fired up. And on top of that we've been treated to two solid albums that have produced some truly fantastic tracks, Little Things being an all time favorite of mine already.

I'll look back on this era extremely fondly.

Despite all the fantastic tracks, which there are undoubtedly a fair amount of, I'll look back on this era with frustration at what could have been. They could have stuck with Danger Mouse for SOI instead of unnecessary late-hour producers like Tedder and Epworth, and we still would have the great songs from that album, and likely even more. They could have refrained from all the additional musicians and producers on SOE and again, we'd probably have just as many if not more standouts.

Not to mention the What If? of them not releasing SOI via surprise iTunes dump and retaining the original track order, which would have meant Reach Around getting to open the album and being assured a spot on the tour, instead of being completely ignored.

 

[Mac_Fly]

One of the things I keep in mind is that this band has already explored a lot of territory sound-wise by this point. Whatever they write in the future, I'm pretty sure they'd still be accused of repeating themselves at some point.

Then of course, some would still flip out over an ambient release thinking that's somehow the "real music" a band with a guitar, bass and drums would naturally make... but I guess that would happen in any case.

They need to focus on the music, not the hits, and they'll be alright at this stage in their career.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Despite all the fantastic tracks, which there are undoubtedly a fair amount of, I'll look back on this era with frustration at what could have been. They could have stuck with Danger Mouse for SOI instead of unnecessary late-hour producers like Tedder and Epworth, and we still would have the great songs from that album, and likely even more. They could have refrained from all the additional musicians and producers on SOE and again, we'd probably have just as many if not more standouts.

Not to mention the What If? of them not releasing SOI via surprise iTunes dump and retaining the original track order, which would have meant Reach Around getting to open the album and being assured a spot on the tour, instead of being completely ignored.

Add to that What If? the stop-start around the Super Bowl and Invisible... where they release a song that's relatively well received during the biggest TV event of the year and then completely ignore it, don't promote it shy of one Late Night performance, and then completely disappear for 9 months.


And add to that the stop start on Experience, where they sign up to do a promotional event (iHeart radio festival) with zero new material to promote.

 

[CosmoKramer]

Add to that What If? the stop-start around the Super Bowl and Invisible... where they release a song that's relatively well received during the biggest TV event of the year and then completely ignore it, don't promote it shy of one Late Night performance, and then completely disappear for 9 months.


And add to that the stop start on Experience, where they sign up to do a promotional event (iHeart radio festival) with zero new material to promote.

To me, the wasted Super Bowl opportunity was the starting point that of the incredibly poor decisions. It was a great idea to use the Super Bowl but not to promote a song that would be a one off that Bono said was “just a taste” of what’s coming...FFS!

This band was very good at marketing and promoting their material from ATYCLB(I don’t remember POPs marketing too well other than KMART ) to NLOTH but then something happened....

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

To me, the wasted Super Bowl opportunity was the starting point that of the incredibly poor decisions. It was a great idea to use the Super Bowl but not to promote a song that would be a one off that Bono said was “just a taste” of what’s coming...FFS!

This band was very good at marketing and promoting their material from ATYCLB(I don’t remember POPs marketing too well other than KMART ) to NLOTH but then something happened....

They didn't exactly do a bang up job on No Line...

Get On Your Boots was an awful single choice, they had multiple stop starts with the video, and it have us "Guyliner"

All That You Can't Leave Behind and How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb were the exceptions in a 20 year stretch of bad marketing decisions.

 

[CosmoKramer]

They didn't exactly do a bang up job on No Line...

Get On Your Boots was an awful single choice, they had multiple stop starts with the video, and it have us "Guyliner"

All That You Can't Leave Behind and How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb were the exceptions in a 20 year stretch of bad marketing decisions.

Well, yes Guyliner was bad but I’m talking more about the marketing.

A week on Letterman
The live performance at the college that was on Good Morning America
The Grammy performance (save for Guyliner, it had energy and they looked good)

These were all solid choices but to your point, if you are marketing shit, it’s still shit(with regards to GOYB).

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Well, yes Guyliner was bad but I’m talking more about the marketing.

A week on Letterman
The live performance at the college that was on Good Morning America
The Grammy performance (save for Guyliner, it had energy and they looked good)

These were all solid choices but to your point, if you are marketing shit, it’s still shit(with regards to GOYB).

I'll disagree on the Grammy performance. It was just weird and out of place. They weren't nominated for anything and they open the show, and Bono's in Guyliner.

It was U2 forcing themselves into a place they didn't belong... and the first time that it was obvious.

The week on Letterman? Ok, fine... but they had a week scheduled on Fallon before Bono cracked his head open, so they had the same idea.

When the album wasn't hitting for No Line, they broke out the cellphone commercial... this time for blackberry. It was an embarrassing rehash with a tech that was going out of style by then.

The terrible marketing decisions were there during No Line... they just don't get noticed as much because of how successful 360 was (thanks to the overflow of new fans from the Bomb and Leave Behind days).

360 was U2 at their final peak, but it was also a sign or a band that didn't know how to age gracefully.

Jt360 was a good step, the album was not, but the e/I tour has been a success in my eyes, even though I think it was a mistake to leave out so many iconic songs. The shows still worked, bit it was missing that u2 magic.

So hopefully they're heading in the right direction. Only time will tell.

 

[Joey788]

Yep, I agree with all of this.

The band really, really needs to stop playing award shows where they aren’t nominated. Why did they make three appearance at this year’s Grammys? It’s just overkill all the time.

 

[Registered Dude]

Rumor has it they've another 10 year deal with Live Nation.. so it's probably safe to assume they'll be around into their late 60s.

https://www.atu2.com/news/column-off-the-record--vol-18-774.html

assuming there's a Achtung Baby 30th anniversary tour, and a farewell tour, that probably leaves room for one more album somewhere along the way