TIME Takes a shot at U2

[GibsonExplorer]

I have just commented in another thread that I sometimes feel that we, U2 fans, try too hard to be intellectuals, we find we have to say very important, interesting things, and a fan saying he loves u2 is not that interesting, so we criticise and overcriticise the band, and sometimes we know what we are talking about and sometimes we don't, and worst of all, we are not completely sincere, because after all the whinning and moaning, etc... we stay here and buy the music, I think some of us are just carried away in an attempt to get to be more interesting.

This is a very fair analysis.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

And that album sounded exactly like "Dookie", which was released over a decade earlier. Wonder if Green Day fans complained about Green Day sounding the same.

yes, dookie was filled with 8 minute rock operas.

are you nuts?

yes... it was the sound of a pop-punk guitar, bass and drums. that's about the only similarity between american idiot and dookie.

just like one can find similar sounds on boy, achtung baby, pop and how to dismantle an atomic bomb... why, because it's the same band. but all of those albums are obviously vastly different from each other.

american idiot, the album, is in no way anything like dookie. in fact the song american idiot is about the only song on the entire album that sounds even remotely like it could have come from dookie.

i'm not saying you have to like the band and/or the album... but to say american idiot, the album, sounds exactly like dookie is a rather short sided, uninformed thing to say.

 

[rihannsu]

This is PLEBA-scary, I'm sorry.

Maybe but the last time the press made a big deal about the possibility that Bono had had plastic surgury because of a simple bandaid the PLEBANs came up with enough photos to show that he was out of the camera's eye for maybe two or three days in a row, definitely not long enough for plastic surgery and as for botox and all I would find that hard to believe given the eco position that they take. If anything maybe he was doing sample testing for the nude products. The mainstream press are idiots when it comes to Bono's look. Most of them still say he's wearing fly shades when the actual fly shades haven't been seen since Zoo. Also they seem to think the glasses have been welded to his face for the last 20 years even though the styles change constantly and there are butt loads of fan pics on the net of Bono with no glasses.


Dana

 

[ramblin rose]

It's the usual cycle with U2 in the States...maybe we're due for another "US dislikes U2" phase.

1987 U2 is loved. Fast foward to Rattle and Hum and everyone rips into them.

1992 U2 is loved again.

1997 backlash.

2001 and 2004 still positive reaction.

2009 ?

Let me guess..... backlash and everyone rips into them?

 

[Earnie Shavers]

It's the usual cycle with U2 in the States...maybe we're due for another "US dislikes U2" phase.

1987 U2 is loved. Fast foward to Rattle and Hum and everyone rips into them.

1992 U2 is loved again.

1997 backlash.

2001 and 2004 still positive reaction.

2009 ?

Yep – I’ve said a few times that this album cycle will be another one where they’re standing on the edge of the cliff. Two things do it: U2 at one extreme end of their career (too weird or too commercial) and Bono.

They’ve hit the extreme commercial end again with Atomic Bomb and all associated with it, as they did with Rattle & Hum, and Bono on his own is larger than U2 now. I’d wager that more people can recognize him now than can name a U2 song. That might seem like it’s always been the case, but it hasn’t, not like this, he’s never stretched so far and wide out of U2’s world and audience before.

So, NLOTH needs to land in the middle – highly creative, but commercially viable. It can’t be brilliant but left field and therefore be easily torn apart as a commercial failure, and it can’t be Atomic Bomb II with a special edition iPod and movie and clothing brand and soft drink and on and on or they’ll get pummeled for just being a corporate dinosaur act.

And Bono needs to calm the fuck down. It doesn’t mean that he should drop his cause or anything, absolutely not, but a few years ago he was starting to talk up getting someone else to take the PR podium off him. He should do that. Still be working as hard behind the scenes and getting respect for it, but just not be the guy banging on about it on Oprah every other week. Send Bono to the office and find a new sales rep for the road. It’s time.

 

[rihannsu]

Yep – I’ve said a few times that this album cycle will be another one where they’re standing on the edge of the cliff. Two things do it: U2 at one extreme end of their career (too weird or too commercial) and Bono.

They’ve hit the extreme commercial end again with Atomic Bomb and all associated with it, as they did with Rattle & Hum, and Bono on his own is larger than U2 now. I’d wager that more people can recognize him now than can name a U2 song. That might seem like it’s always been the case, but it hasn’t, not like this, he’s never stretched so far and wide out of U2’s world and audience before.

So, NLOTH needs to land in the middle – highly creative, but commercially viable. It can’t be brilliant but left field and therefore be easily torn apart as a commercial failure, and it can’t be Atomic Bomb II with a special edition iPod and movie and clothing brand and soft drink and on and on or they’ll get pummeled for just being a corporate dinosaur act.

And Bono needs to calm the fuck down. It doesn’t mean that he should drop his cause or anything, absolutely not, but a few years ago he was starting to talk up getting someone else to take the PR podium off him. He should do that. Still be working as hard behind the scenes and getting respect for it, but just not be the guy banging on about it on Oprah every other week. Send Bono to the office and find a new sales rep for the road. It’s time.

In case you haven't noticed Bono has been relatively out of the public eye for a while now. He didn't go to Davos, he canceled an appearance in Qatar earlier this past year. He really hasn't been that visible since last spring really except for a brief appearance at the Clinton Global Initiative. But in comparison to years past he's practically been a hermit. Unfortunately he can't disappear completely yet because there just isn't anyone who can draw the attention he does. And I know you're probably exaggerating to make a point but Oprah appearances = 2 spaced about 4 years apart, or 3 if you count that video tape apperance as part of America's song.

Dana

 

[Aardvark747]

Apart from the stupid Robin Williams thing, they were spot on in my view.

 

[Varitek]

and, fair review. A slightly above mediocre performance of music that no one but us has heard or recognizes as u2 and furthermore that wasn't released last year.

 

[Aardvark747]

^Ok...I guess there's a little similarity...

 

[tommycharles]

I have a feeling we're headed for an "Accelerate" where U2 is concerned. The R.E.M. album came out last year and blew all of the fans away with the kind of music we'd been hoping they'd make since 1996, but the rest of the world...just wasn't interested. It wasn't panned...it just wasn't noticed.

Get ready for a year where you really like the new U2 album, and critics seem to like it, but the planet generally can't be arsed.

 

[Aardvark747]

Get ready for a year where you really like the new U2 album, and critics seem to like it, but the planet generally can't be arsed.

As long as I like it, and they still play London - I don't care!

 

[nirniva]

I have a feeling we're headed for an "Accelerate" where U2 is concerned. The R.E.M. album came out last year and blew all of the fans away with the kind of music we'd been hoping they'd make since 1996, but the rest of the world...just wasn't interested. It wasn't panned...it just wasn't noticed.

Get ready for a year where you really like the new U2 album, and critics seem to like it, but the planet generally can't be arsed.

If the planet can't be arsed, it deserves every bit of global warming it has coming to it.

 

[neatperson42]

Bono is looking good, I don't get the Robin Williams stuff.

 

[Niceman]

If the planet can't be arsed, it deserves every bit of global warming it has coming to it.

 

[AtomicBono]

it can’t be Atomic Bomb II with a special edition iPod and movie and clothing brand and soft drink and on and on or they’ll get pummeled for just being a corporate dinosaur act.

but I want all of those things

I know!! U2 can do a Mountain Dew commercial and come out with a special X-Treme U=2 Magnificent MtnDew™!!!!

someone please photoshop this ....

 

[JCOSTER]

that was nasty, just nasty.

 

[digitize]

I have a feeling we're headed for an "Accelerate" where U2 is concerned. The R.E.M. album came out last year and blew all of the fans away with the kind of music we'd been hoping they'd make since 1996, but the rest of the world...just wasn't interested. It wasn't panned...it just wasn't noticed.

Get ready for a year where you really like the new U2 album, and critics seem to like it, but the planet generally can't be arsed.

Except Accelerate was a crappy commercially-viable album coming off of a series of three somewhat-crappy commercially terrible albums, whereas NLOTH is coming off of a series of two highly-commercially-successful albums and is looking like it won't be as commercially successful because of a move in the opposite direction, regardless of quality.

 

[PowerSurge]

Not to mention the fact that comparing REM's relevance outside of the 90's to U2's relevance is like comparing apples to oranges.

 

[MMP]

Wow, I'm lucky... not only I read bash on my favorite band here (U2), but I read bash on my second favorite band (R.E.M.) Nice....

 

[ic170]

Wow, I'm lucky... not only I read bash on my favorite band here (U2), but I read bash on my second favorite band (R.E.M.) Nice....

Hey I like both.

But perhaps... Up = POP, Reveal = ATYCLB, Around the Sun = HTDaA Bomb [04 wasnt a great year for either band it seems]

and... Accelerate is far from guff but, tis all subjective innit...

 

[sue4u2]

Wow, I'm lucky... not only I read bash on my favorite band here (U2), but I read bash on my second favorite band (R.E.M.) Nice....

I know. I thought I'd read the most horrid bashings after ATYCLB and before/after Bomb. But this is the worst I've seen and the fucking album isn't even out. and now people being described as "pleban" because they defend the band. That's absurd and totally out of line. I go to Pleba to get the fuck out of the negativity around here.
It's truly hard to believe.
I don't even want to come here most days. Still do though.
please excuse the f-bombs. But I meant every word.

end of

 

[brianvox]

U2 has more Grammys than any other act in history. This year they were nominated for... what again? The band has a record coming out for the first time in five years in March, so the producers decided to get everyone excited for a night of celebrating last year's music by opening the host-less show with music no one has heard yet. Interesting. U2 sounded fine, and Bono's gradual transformation into Robin Williams appears to be coming along apace, but it was hardly the rocket-fueled kick-off to the show, or to U2's promotional tour, that either party was hoping for.
Grade: B-

Robin Williams - WTF?

 

[brianvox]

and, fair review. A slightly above mediocre performance of music that no one but us has heard or recognizes as u2 and furthermore that wasn't released last year.

Oh....................................now I do see it!!!!!! I got confused with robbie williams.....

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/04/29/article-1017485-011344A800000578-337_468x440_popup.jpg

 

[GibsonExplorer]

I know. I thought I'd read the most horrid bashings after ATYCLB and before/after Bomb. But this is the worst I've seen and the fucking album isn't even out. and now people being described as "pleban" because they defend the band. That's absurd and totally out of line. I go to Pleba to get the fuck out of the negativity around here.
It's truly hard to believe.
I don't even want to come here most days. Still do though.
please excuse the f-bombs. But I meant every word.

end of

"Pleban" should be in the dictionary. (That was a joke.)

 

[ponkine]

The performance was boring. Honestly. Don't hate, but Coldplay's performance had about 200% more energy that U2's. Admit it.

And Radiohead's

 

[GibsonExplorer]

And Radiohead's

The mods don't allow casual Radiohead mentions, just so you know.

 

[PowerSurge]

The mods don't allow casual Radiohead mentions, just so you know.

or trolling, in case you forgot.