Screw experimental - I just want a "dark" album...

[Zoocoustic]

I like the experimental side of U2 but to me I can live without it.

What I REALLY like and feel they do best is their more "dark" songs. Sometimes these dark songs are experimental too, but sometimes not.

Songs like Exit, Acrobat, Dirty Day, Please, etc. I think U2 do these songs very very well. They also just flat-out rock live.

With that said I realize that a darker tone doesn't fare too well with mainstream/radio crowds, which U2 are very conscious of (and have been since 2000).

So after two albums with very little "dark" feel to them (if any at all) that is what I am hoping for on the next album.

Thoughts?

 

[Zoots]

I like the experimental side of U2 but to me I can live without it.

What I REALLY like and feel they do best is their more "dark" songs. Sometimes these dark songs are experimental too, but sometimes not.

Songs like Exit, Acrobat, Dirty Day, Please, etc. I think U2 do these songs very very well. They also just flat-out rock live.

With that said I realize that a darker tone doesn't fare too well with mainstream/radio crowds, which U2 are very conscious of (and have been since 2000).

So after two albums with very little "dark" feel to them (if any at all) that is what I am hoping for on the next album.

Thoughts?

I feel exactly the same way as you but I doubt it's gonna happen for the exact same reasons you mentioned.

 

[Dr. Lemonseed]

They will release dark music if that's what they're going through. But unfortunately, being in their 40s, I think they have gotten over a lot of the darkness...

 

[thelaj]

I doubt there will be any dark songs on the next album, if WITS is anything to go by. It is one of their "lightest" songs ever I think.

 

[pentax]

I wouldn't be surprised if we do see some dark songs on the new record. If they stick with Rubin he will do his best to bring out what they are. "When I look at the world" was a very dark song, so was "Crumbs from your table". From your post i guess it's all about the subject matter of the song. I don't think we will hear a experimental record untill they have hung up there touring shoes.

Thinking about it the songs you mentioned, to me anyway, are very experimental

 

[guill]

Oh yeah, more songs about suicide, murder, aids, cancer, starvation, anorexia, war, etc.

 

[WinnieThePoo]

theyt should make a concept album with blues & rick rubin

 

[shart1780]

Of course they won't make another dark album. Will they play darker songs on the radio? Will a dark album win a grammy?

No. As much as I love U2, they won't release anything that doesn't do these things. They LOVE the public eye to be on them and they won't do anything that they think the mainstream will be uninterested in.

 

[U2girl]

I just want an album and less so a collection of songs, something that's been missing since Zooropa.
One producer, one mixer would be nice too.

 

[BVS]

Of course they won't make another dark album. Will they play darker songs on the radio? Will a dark album win a grammy?

Yeah because Green Day, Deftones, Damien Rice, Pearl Jam, all the new "goth" bands, and all of the 90's was so light...

 

[gherman]

I would love to hear a dark, heart-wrenching album from them

 

[PopFly]

Maybe they should be like Spinal Tap and release a black album.

 

[Swan269]

I like the experimental side of U2 but to me I can live without it.

What I REALLY like and feel they do best is their more "dark" songs. Sometimes these dark songs are experimental too, but sometimes not.

Songs like Exit, Acrobat, Dirty Day, Please, etc. I think U2 do these songs very very well. They also just flat-out rock live.

With that said I realize that a darker tone doesn't fare too well with mainstream/radio crowds, which U2 are very conscious of (and have been since 2000).

So after two albums with very little "dark" feel to them (if any at all) that is what I am hoping for on the next album.

Thoughts?

The best thing you can hope for is a couple of dark songs as opposed to a whole album of darkness. the band has only made one dark album and to me that was "achtung". While this album was critically acclaimed and sold well, U2 would not go out of their way to repeat themselves. They claim that they don't do that and they have kept to their word. Bono has said he has a hard time performing some of these songs that show a real dark side, (I know Bullet withstanding), I have read that it would take him a long time to come down after performing "exit". You can see the intensity during his performance in Rattle and Hum. I have also read that he has a hard time recovering after "please". I just think that the song takes too much out of him to be performed every night. I bring up these examples because I think that making an album of dark ideas would take too much out of Bono. He needs the breaks in the album like "in a little while", "trip through your wires', "wild honey", "some days are better than others" and "man and a woman"

 

[phillyfan26]

Re: Re: Screw experimental - I just want a "dark" album...

The best thing you can hope for is a couple of dark songs as opposed to a whole album of darkness. the band has only made one dark album and to me that was "achtung". While this album was critically acclaimed and sold well, U2 would not go out of their way to repeat themselves.

So if one is dark and there are multiple light ones, wouldn't doing light over and over again be repeating themselves too?

 

[Swan269]

Re: Re: Re: Screw experimental - I just want a "dark" album...

So if one is dark and there are multiple light ones, wouldn't doing light over and over again be repeating themselves too?

Every album they have has dark and light songs (except achtung) so they could make an album of all lights songs to be really different, but Bono or Eno said that it is hard to come up with 'Joy' for songs.

 

[Canadiens1131]

They're all married and gluttonous and living in the south of France - no darkness left.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Light or dark, experimental or straight forward, balls out rock or more considered soundscapes - I care not, just bring back the fuckin' depth to the music, lyrics and ideas. Give me something that doesn't wash off in under a week. Thank you.

 

[U2girl]

Re: Re: Re: Screw experimental - I just want a "dark" album...

So if one is dark and there are multiple light ones, wouldn't doing light over and over again be repeating themselves too?

Why would repeating dark albums be any better than repeating light ones?

*remembers Mercy and Fast cars worship

Never mind.

 

[Axver]

Light or dark, experimental or straight forward, balls out rock or more considered soundscapes - I care not, just bring back the fuckin' depth to the music, lyrics and ideas. Give me something that doesn't wash off in under a week. Thank you.

My thoughts exactly.

Whatever happened to the poet who wrote A Sort Of Homecoming, One Tree Hill, and Heartland? Or, for that matter, the last three songs on Pop? It's my opinion that a lot of songs from the last two albums could be markedly improved simply through better lyrics. I can think of a number that are musically solid but let down by weak, shallow lyrics that seem to have been more of an afterthought than anything.

 

[pentax]

For me Bomb was an afterthought, but a good one at that, just look at its history. The mind boggles at what it could have been

 

[Zoots]

My thoughts exactly.

Whatever happened to the poet who wrote A Sort Of Homecoming, One Tree Hill, and Heartland? Or, for that matter, the last three songs on Pop? It's my opinion that a lot of songs from the last two albums could be markedly improved simply through better lyrics. I can think of a number that are musically solid but let down by weak, shallow lyrics that seem to have been more of an afterthought than anything.

Wow that is pretty much exactly how I feel. But Axver, don't be afraid to add the poetic gems from Achtung and the 90s to that typical 80s list of yours.

A Sort Of Homecoming
Promenade
The Unforgettable Fire
Running To Stand Still
In God's Country
One Tree Hill
Heartland
All I Want Is You
The Fly
Until The End Of The World
So Cruel
Love Is Blindness
Dirty Day
The First Time
If God Will Send His Angels
Staring At The Sun
Gone
If You Wear That Velvet Dress
Please
Wake Up Dead Man



The 00s have had some good lyrics too but they seem to be few and far between.

Beautiful Day
Walk On
The Ground Beneath Her Feet
Stateless
Peace On Earth (I love the lyrics despite the cliched theme)
When I Look At The World
Crumbs From Your Table

That's pretty much it IMO.

 

[Axver]

But Axver, don't be afraid to add the poetic gems from Achtung and the 90s to that typical 80s list of yours.

Hey, I named three from the eighties and three from the nineties! I thought I was doing pretty well. I was initially going to name The Fly and Zooropa, but then I thought the last three from Pop was just as good for my purposes, and saying "the last three from Pop" avoided just reeling off six song names blandly.

I'm surprised Zooropa didn't make your list. That song has some of my favourite lyrics, especially the "and I have no compass" verse.

The 00s have had some good lyrics too but they seem to be few and far between.

I honestly can't think of any. All the ones you named are just dim shadows of songs such as One Tree Hill and Wake Up Dead Man. Well, Stateless isn't so bad, but otherwise?

"And I know it aches and your heart, it breaks, and you can only take so much, walk on, walk on" versus "And when it's raining, raining hard, that's when the rain will break my heart"? No competition.

 

[LemonMelon]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Screw experimental - I just want a "dark" album...

Every album they have has dark and light songs (except achtung) so they could make an album of all lights songs to be really different, but Bono or Eno said that it is hard to come up with 'Joy' for songs.

Achtung isn't even completely dark.

Zoo Station
EBTTRT
Mysterious Ways
TTTYAATW
Ultraviolet

All of those sound like light (in subject) rock songs to me. I'm tired of Achtung getting pegged as some dark (*cough* emo *cough*) masterpiece. It's one of their best singles albums, end of story.

As for the next record, just make it good. That's it. If it's dark/scary/"experimental"/whatever pleases the fans, I really couldn't care less.

 

[Zoots]

Hey, I named three from the eighties and three from the nineties! I thought I was doing pretty well. I was initially going to name The Fly and Zooropa, but then I thought the last three from Pop was just as good for my purposes, and saying "the last three from Pop" avoided just reeling off six song names blandly.

Fair enough.

I'm surprised Zooropa didn't make your list. That song has some of my favourite lyrics, especially the "and I have no compass" verse.

Yeah I agree. It was a hastily put together list so I was thinking more in terms of just musical genius for Zooropa. But yeah, the lyrics are great no question.

I honestly can't think of any. All the ones you named are just dim shadows of songs such as One Tree Hill and Wake Up Dead Man. Well, Stateless isn't so bad, but otherwise?

Yeah... Stateless is pretty much the only real poetic one from that list. Ground Beneath is just a gorgeous song throughout. BD has nice enough lyrics esp. the "see the world.." part but nothing earth shattering. And the rest are good but nothing exceptional like ASOH, One Tree Hill, LIB, Please etc.

"And I know it aches and your heart, it breaks, and you can only take so much, walk on, walk on" versus "And when it's raining, raining hard, that's when the rain will break my heart"? No competition.

I originally didn't like Walk On because of that verse. It's a little too direct like much of the recent fare has been. Nothing that can be analyzed to find meaning. The meaning is all mostly right there.

 

[thelaj]

I thought Zoo Station & Ultraviolet were dark...

 

[Zoots]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Screw experimental - I just want a "dark" album...

Achtung isn't even completely dark.

Zoo Station
EBTTRT
Mysterious Ways
TTTYAATW
Ultraviolet

All of those sound like light (in subject) rock songs to me. I'm tired of Achtung getting pegged as some dark (*cough* emo *cough*) masterpiece. It's one of their best singles albums, end of story.

As for the next record, just make it good. That's it. If it's dark/scary/"experimental"/whatever pleases the fans, I really couldn't care less.

Haha... the darkest thing about Achtung is the liner notes. There's a lot of black in it.

Seriously, there are a lot of thematically dark songs on Achtung but it also has the nightlife romp of EBTTRT, Zoo Station, Mysterious Ways etc.

 

[LemonMelon]

I thought Zoo Station & Ultraviolet were dark...

Nah. Zoo Station is just strange and Ultraviolet is a pop song, plain and simple. No more or less so than WITS.

 

[Lancemc]

I'd say Kite is one of Bono's best lyrics. It's definitely more direct than earlier lyrics, but equally poetic and powerful.

I'm also a big fan of Grace.

 

[BVS]

The Ground Beneath Her Feet

Since most of your analysis was lyrical, just remember Bono didn't write that lyric.

 

[BVS]

I'd say Kite is one of Bono's best lyrics. It's definitely more direct than earlier lyrics, but equally poetic and powerful.

I'm also a big fan of Grace.

Yes, minus the outro...