Shuttlecock XVII - The Best Title That Ever Happened a Thread

[lazarus]

Like A Song is my second fav on War after New Year's Day, and I probably like it more than anything on Boy (only Electric Co. would compete). What a blistering rocker.

But yeah, I don't know how Bono would sing that now.

We shouldn't say never with these guys, though. We thought ASOH wouldn't see the light of day again, and yet some of us were #blessed enough to hear it this year. And the aforementioned Your Blue Room is another one that no one would have predicted. Or Zooropa for that matter.

You just never know.

 

[intedomine]

I always imagine it to be Larry the one who is most reluctant to revive songs from Pop. He seems very regretful of that whole era.

 

[Kieran McConville]

regrets, I've had a few
but then again
too few to mention

 

[Mack_Again]

I'd take Like a Megaphone over fucking Best Thing.

I totes agree with you

 

[Hewson]

So what we learned from the Edge interview is that any old song somebody mentions will be a favorite of his.

 

[iron yuppie]

Just listening to War tonight for the first time in a while. It may be moving up a little in my rankings. What an energetic, passionate, fiery record. There's a reason why the common idea of U2's golden era starts with War.

My favorite U2 album. Like you say, the energy is astounding, so much so that even the misses are interesting because they are swinging so hard for the fences. I would also contend they don't have a better run of music in their entire catalogue than side one of War.

 

[PhilsFan]

Asking about Lady with the Spinning Head is maybe the biggest waste of an interview question imaginable. Why would they play a demo that has parts of other, prominent songs in their catalog?

 

[Hewson]

Asking about Lady with the Spinning Head is maybe the biggest waste of an interview question imaginable. Why would they play a demo that has parts of other, prominent songs in their catalog?

The interviewer was obviously trying to score cool points with Edge and/or die hard U2 fans by showing his awareness of the song.
He didn't.

 

[BVS]

The interviewer was obviously trying to score cool points with Edge and/or die hard U2 fans by showing his awareness of the song.
He didn't.

He should have pulled a real rarity out like Stop(the Poverty) or asked a question about Leo.

 

[namkcuR]

The interviewer was obviously trying to score cool points with Edge and/or die hard U2 fans by showing his awareness of the song.
He didn't.

For me he did. I like it when somebody interview U2 actually shows that they know something about the band other than JT and Beautiful Day and Vertigo.

I was frankly more bothered by Edge just laughing it off as though the idea of digging out a b-side on the live stage is just the most preposterous thing.

 

[U2inUtah]

I'd be fine if they just played the songs that were born out of it. Haven't heard Zoo Station or The Fly live in awhile

 

[BVS]

I was frankly more bothered by Edge just laughing it off as though the idea of digging out a b-side on the live stage is just the most preposterous thing.

That's not what he's laughing at, he's laughing at the obvious attempt.

You have to understand this from his perspective, he doesn't consider that a proper song anymore. It spawned greater pieces of work for him, it's merely a sketch. I think a different b-side would have gotten a different response. I think something like Luminous Times would have gotten a much different response.

 

[Axver]

You have to understand this from his perspective, he doesn't consider that a proper song anymore. It spawned greater pieces of work for him, it's merely a sketch.

That was Take You Down.

 

[BVS]

That was Take You Down.

I get that there were rougher versions, but the idea still applies. It later turned into separate songs for him and the band.

 

[kabigon]

Is Pop just a rougher version of ATYCLB?

 

[Axver]

Is Pop just a rougher version of ATYCLB?

It's a rougher version of City of Blinding Lights.

 

[kabigon]

It's a rougher version of City of Blinding Lights.

Friggin Pop

 

[corianderstem]

That's kind of my reaction when someone says "I wish they would play Lady With the Spinning Head!" ... er .... they pretty much already play it with Ultraviolet.

 

[Axver]

That's kind of my reaction when someone says "I wish they would play Lady With the Spinning Head!" ... er .... they pretty much already play it with Ultraviolet.

I don't fully get this comparison. Sure there are a few similarities, but LWTSH is in my top 20 or 30 U2 songs and UV in the corresponding bottom section. UV is a plodding bore with a cringeworthy chorus while the Extended Dance Mix of LWTSH is one of the most fun, exhilarating tracks U2 have ever recorded. The closer comparison is most certainly The Fly.

 

[kabigon]

I hate that it's a self-fulfilling prophecy - the longer they don't play anything from Pop, the more unlikely they are to play anything from it in the future because any perceived support behind such a move would be seen merely as a way to shut up the hardcore fans, even though it was a reasonably successful album/tour. If they'd played a Pop song or two across some tours since Elevation, you wouldn't have to have an interviewer preface such a question with the word 'cult', as if they've given up on a positive answer before even asking the question.

 

[BVS]

is pop just a rougher version of atyclb?

ffs

 

[BVS]

I don't fully get this comparison. Sure there are a few similarities, but LWTSH is in my top 20 or 30 U2 songs and UV in the corresponding bottom section. UV is a plodding bore with a cringeworthy chorus while the Extended Dance Mix of LWTSH is one of the most fun, exhilarating tracks U2 have ever recorded. The closer comparison is most certainly The Fly.

But you get that that song broke off and became these other songs, right?

 

[kabigon]

ffs

I was being a little facetious, but we probably wouldn't have got an album like ATYCLB without Pop and how the band perceived its (in some ways) lack of success. Maybe it's more than any individual song not being played, that they just don't want to revisit that era any more (but then it'd be a mystery why Pop got a fairly reasonable run on Elevation).

 

[cobl04]

For me he did. I like it when somebody interview U2 actually shows that they know something about the band other than JT and Beautiful Day and Vertigo.

I was frankly more bothered by Edge just laughing it off as though the idea of digging out a b-side on the live stage is just the most preposterous thing.

You're easily impressed

Extremely frustrating, I thought, and judging by the transcribed response, it was an awkward part of the interview. There's no reason for the band to play it, and it is kind of preposterous in this instance because it became three other songs.

Why waste time asking about that when you could ask about Gone or Please? I mean sure, I'd love it if they broke out Alex Descends Into Hell for a Bottle of Milk, but obviously there's a 0.000001% chance they play it and it's a waste of two or three minutes an in interview that was revealing some enlightening stuff.

 

[BVS]

I was being a little facetious, but we probably wouldn't have got an album like ATYCLB without Pop and how the band perceived its (in some ways) lack of success. Maybe it's more than any individual song not being played, that they just don't want to revisit that era any more (but then it'd be a mystery why Pop got a fairly reasonable run on Elevation).

I get that, but yes we wouldn't have gotten any album if it weren't for the reaction to the previous one.

 

[kabigon]

I get that, but yes we wouldn't have gotten any album if it weren't for the reaction to the previous one.

No album exists in a vacuum relative to the previous album, but some certainly have more of an influence on the next one than others.

 

[BVS]

No album exists in a vacuum relative to the previous album, but some certainly have more of an influence on the next one than others.

True that

I love Pop, but I think Pop fans that believe they're turning their back on a masterpiece have to come to a realization. Just like NLOTH, we're not going to get many of these songs in the future. These albums were similar in the sense that they both had no cohesion, both had gems and complete shit, and both were considered meh at the end of the day with the public.

Neither of these albums will be explored live during the remaining years of this band. If I'm proven wrong, it will be POP.

 

[iron yuppie]

There's no "complete shit" on Pop - not even close. And please don't come back with some quip about Miami - that's even more of a cliche at this point than "is Bono okay.'

 

[Mack_Again]

I don't fully get this comparison. Sure there are a few similarities, but LWTSH is in my top 20 or 30 U2 songs and UV in the corresponding bottom section. UV is a plodding bore with a cringeworthy chorus while the Extended Dance Mix of LWTSH is one of the most fun, exhilarating tracks U2 have ever recorded. The closer comparison is most certainly The Fly.

jeez Ax we should all know that Lady with Spinning Heads is basically a prototype for Ultraviolet, just like Sick Puppy served as a prototype of many songs.

 

[lazarus]

There's no "complete shit" on Pop - not even close. And please don't come back with some quip about Miami - that's even more of a cliche at this point than "is Bono okay.'

This.

At this point, I'll take ANY song on Pop over anything on ATYCLB and The Bomb, even if just for the musicianship and density of sound. There was a time where I would have said "except for Walk On and COBL" but I don't feel that way anymore because the production/instrumentation on both of those later tracks aren't very interesting, and the lyrics are a downgrade as well.

Mercy and Fast Cars are the only tracks from that era that compete for me, and the production on those songs aren't stellar, either.

I love parts of No Line, but to suggest that the notorious "middle 3" on that album has some kind of counterpart on Pop is disingenuous. Nothing on Pop seems like a desperate move for a hit single sandwiched incongruously with the rest of the material. It all fits together and seems all of a piece. You could have thrown Holy Joe, North and South of the River, and I'm Not Your Baby on there too (as my custom playlist does) and you'd STILL have a thematic and sonically coherent album.