Unpopular Music Opinions III: Friggin Cobbler Vs. The World

[cobl04]

I love both those songs.

 

[lazarus]

Me too.

Playbird Clubhouse has always been one of my favs off the album, especially because of that beat.

I also feel Poppycock has a stronger side two overall. Also, I'll take the second half of Atomic Serve over the first.

But you know, most albums PERIOD are top-heavy. For all bands.

 

[iron yuppie]

Not liking the 2nd half of that album makes no sense.

I'm not saying that I don't like it, I just feel that it doesn't really stand up to their finest work. I see In God's Country and Wires as more of genre exercises than earnest songs, as though they realized that the Americana theme needed to be explored more thoroughly and tossed those two onto the album in response. And, while I can understand and appreciate the sentiments in One Tree Hill and Mothers, both of them come across to me as heavy-handed (as does Bullet, although Edge's guitar work compensates for that). I suppose I would summarize as follows: side two feels extremely forced in relation to the effortlessness of side one. Again, that's just me. All I know for sure is that I never feel the urge to listen to a song from side two.

Edit: Maybe this will explain it: over the past few years, I have increasingly moved away from the songs and albums that have Bono in the emotional/spiritual balm mode and toward the harder-edged, darker work. Albums like JT and ATYCLB have fallen in my estimation, while the likes of War and Pop have risen considerably. Maybe I'm just becoming a curmudgeonly bastard, who knows.

 

[nielsgov]

What's your opinion on Exit then?

 

[iron yuppie]

What's your opinion on Exit then?

I do like Exit. I just wish that they had improved the mix substantially on the remaster.

 

[Salome]

2nd half of War has 2 Hearts, Surrender and 40
which means it's a very good 2nd half
of course it was never gonna be as good as side 1

while Zooropa is in my top 5 U2 albums
The Wanderer is the only song on its second half I think is wonderful

POP's second half is better than the first half because all the album's highlights except for MOFO are on the second side

October is in the top 3 best first halfs

 

[nielsgov]

For me the second half of War is terrible. Only 40 is decent. It's been ages since I've listened to the other songs of side two. I even rank Boy and October ahead of War. They don't reach the heights that War does but at least they are consistent. In fact, War is by far my least favourite U2 album.

 

[cobl04]

SBS & NYD are probably their two best songs of the first three years but War ranks easily third in that time if you ask me.

 

[nielsgov]

Drowning Man is equally as good as those two if you ask me.

 

[Reggo]

I do like Exit. I just wish that they had improved the mix substantially on the remaster.

I thought it was supposed to sound like that.

 

[cobl04]

I love Bat Out of Hell. I know Ashley does as well but is that unpopular?

 

[If you shout...]

Depends on the company you keep.

 

[lazarus]

Second song I played on my brand new car stereo with iPod hook-up?

One Cock Hill. Suck it, haters.

Spoiler

The first one was "Spin", thought it made a nice intro.

 

[cobl04]

I thought it might have been Tubin' Down the River.

 

[bono_212]

I love Bat Out of Hell. I know Ashley does as well but is that unpopular?

Depends on the company you keep.

Not unpopular in this camp!

 

[cobl04]

Not unpopular in this camp!

Do you know it's the second highest selling album in Australian history?

 

[bono_212]

Do you know it's the second highest selling album in Australian history?

My God. You people have got it right. I'll be right over.

 

[cobl04]

Behind Whispering Jack by John Farnham, which is home to "You're the Voice" which I'm sure you know.

 

[bono_212]

, I'd have to listen to it to know for sure.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

Behind Whispering Jack by John Farnham, which is home to "You're the Voice" which I'm sure you know.

all i know about that song is the "ohhhhhhhh whoaaaaaaaaaaa" bits.

 

[Caleb8844]

Kid A is completely overrated.

 

[nielsgov]

Care to explain why?

 

[u2popmofo]

Also, in what way is it's overrated-ness complete?

 

[IWasBored]

i think that was just a hypothetical example for the thread.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

I like Red Light

Wait... What?

 

[bono_212]

One of my favorites. The hate for it is beyond me.

 

[u2popmofo]

I like everything on War.

 

[cobl04]

What's not to love? If you leave the da da das aside, it's got a great riff, awesome horns, cool vocals from the B-man... I have never even remotely been able to fathom why so many people seem to think this is so bad. Fair enough if you don't like it, but there's not much to hate, in my opinion.

The Refugee is like a kajillion times worse.

 

[cobl04]

Just listening to Drowning Man for the first time in years... holy shit it would have been transcendent if they played it.

 

[Popmartijn]

Kid A is completely overrated.

All these overrated discussions are often completely meaningless. Because the phrase overrated suggests a higher rating than it deserves. But almost no-one mentions what they perceive how it is being rated and how they think it should being rated.

Having said that, I do agree with the poster.





Oh, OK then...
I often think that Kid A is being rated at the best album evah!/of the 2000s/of Radiohead. And I think that it is far less interesting as its reputation suggests, being more self-indulgent. OK, so Radiohead decides to do a Zooropa/Original Soundtracks 1 and even skip the tunes for some abstract noodling. And suddenly it is being heralded as the most awesome thing ever done.
I think Kid A is falling far short from, say, The Bends, OK Computer or In Rainbows. There are some interesting sounds on it and it's certainly not a bad record. Just not the masterpiece so many are claiming it is.