Vote for U2 on RS' 'Artist of the Decade' Poll

[ozeeko]

Maybe i'm just sick of it, but OK Computer has always been extremely overrated in my eyes. Same with The Bends. For me, Kid A is where Radiohead really started to get interesting. Don't get me wrong, love a lot of songs off OK Computer, but when it comes to the albums i play most, it's the post-OKComputer era. And to those who think In Rainbows is some tossed-off mediocre album...are you all tone-deaf? Melodically it's Radiohead's strongest album! You tellin' me you don't like melodies? YOU WANNA FUCKING GO?!?!?!?! (takes breath) It's cool dawgs. Opinions are the shit. (and some really are)

My vote would go to Radiohead. But do these kinds of polls even matter anymore? Especially coming from Rolling Stone. How long has it been since they've been the Last Word On What's Cool? So, doesn't really matter to me. Give to The Killers, give it to Kings Of Leon, basically give it to any of the bands i hate. Will it even make a difference? Probably not. I think U2 losing would be more of a compliment.

But in all sincerity, I think Radiohead is the best and most original band this decade.

 

[phillyfan26]

U2 as the best artist of the 2000s? Really?

Just ... no.

 

[the tourist]

Maybe if we were in the 80s U2 would be the artist of the decade. Maybe proof that the 80s have come back!

http://www.u2interference.com/forums/f221/20-year-nostalgia-trend-didnt-happen-this-time-203349.html

 

[Lancemc]

Woah, yeah. That's kind of a shitty poll. But I'd have to go with Radiohead, personally. Kid A is a landmark record for better or worse, and likely to still be in hot discussion 20-40 years from now. And as indifferent as I am towards In Lameblows, that too is in undeniable landmark in terms of distribution from a major artist.

 

[allbecauseofu2]

I felt emiemn was the best at what he did, and when he released a album it felt like a big event.

 

[mobvok]

I think that bottom-line, the biggest consideration should be "which artist has most defined their genre or era with their music and cultural impact." That's a little too wordy, but I don't know how else to phrase that, I think you get the gist anyway. Does "Beautiful Day" define the decade, or "No Line," or "City of Blinding Lights?" I'd say the closest thing they have is "Walk On," but even then, the most resonant song at their Super Bowl performance was "Streets," so what does that tell you?

And yes, they have released some amazing tracks this decade, I'm sure you could make one killer album out of it, but stretch it out over three and you've got 3 good ones with moments of brilliance. Not that I don't think at they're in the running, I just wouldn't put them as The singular artist of the decade.

As far as rock music is concerned...Coldplay might have been one of the more relevant bands of the 00s, but I see them as the most popular distillation of an existing sound that cropped up with Death Cab and KOL elsewhere, so I don't think they've quite earned the title.

U2 is sort of the opposite: while U2's sound definitely influenced the 00s, their material *during* that stretch didn't do a lot of influencing. The bands that made it big were already humming down the path they'd end up on by the time ATYLCB rolled around, (although maybe the album gets some credit as a template for synthesizing 80s U2 with a poppier structure) and the sort of garagier production of HDTAAB was part of an existing trend.

I might have to settle on Jack White as the compromise candidate of both '00 output and influence on others. ...But now that I think about it, this criteria sort of punishes influential records from late in the decade, and it'd be hard to think that OK Computer didn't have some effect on the next 10 years. So, Radiohead maybe, and on account of their continued quality of output since then?

 

[mikal]

i meant coldplay dominated the '00s. not u2.

did they though? was there success or hype ever bigger than U2's in 2001 or even 04/05?

 

[popacrobat]

did they though? was there success or hype ever bigger than U2's in 2001 or even 04/05?

even 360. the album may not have sold as well as bomb or whatever, but in my opinion NLOTH is a better album, got pretty good critic reviews for the most part and 360 sold out every show so far in 2009.

i dont think Coldplay's success has surpassed U2's.

 

[mikal]

even 360. the album may not have sold as well as bomb or whatever, but in my opinion NLOTH is a better album, got pretty good critic reviews for the most part and 360 sold out every show so far in 2009.

i dont think Coldplay's success has surpassed U2's.

yeah, i mean, i'll be the first to admit that i don't follow the mainstream very much, but i don't think any band or musician has "dominated" this decade like Nirvana did the 90's or U2 in the 80's.

when it comes to Coldplay, i'm probably in the minority that thinks that Parachutes is their best album.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Taylor, obviously.

 

[Tyagu_Anaykus]

when it comes to Coldplay, i'm probably in the minority that thinks that Parachutes is their best album.

agree

 

[Irishteen]

U2 really don't deserve to win this, yes I like their 00s output a lot, at present both NLOTH and ATYCLB make my top 25 of the decade, Bomb is nowhere near. But are they really the best of the decade in any way?

Best quality overall? Radiohead have two albums in my top 10, and Arcade Fire have two in my top 5 so nope U2 don't win that
Most popular? Eh Coldplay stole that from and also have released three quite good albums, none better than NLOTH or ATYCLB but three better than the Bomb
Best songwriters? Amanda Palmer takes this with ease

U2 deserve to be on the shortlist but that's it

 

[lazarus]

No one on that RS list comes close to deserving it as much as Radiohead. Kanye, yeah, maybe the last half of the decade, but he wasn't really important before 2004. Arcade Fire has TWO albums, and we haven't heard from them in almost 3 years. I'm a relatively big defender of 00's Shuttlecock (Atomic Serve was my favorite album of that year), but to imply that they're the most important band of the last 10 years? No fucking way, folks.

Radiohead, whether you like them or not, put out FOUR albums that were all distinct and for the most part well-received. One of them is going to top a lot of Best of the Decade lists. They have the critical acclaim, the Grammy nominations, and the album sales.

But it's not just the albums themselves. The band has toured to rave reviews, any bootleg can attest to the power of those shows, and with the release of In Rainbows they opened up a new discussion about the value of music and put their trust (as well as power) in the hands of their fanbase. I don't think this last point can be undervalued when we're talking about an artist defining the decade.

They're a band that people are constantly looking to, anticipating and wondering what they're going to do next. They may have captured the zeitgeist with OK Computer, but they've had it staying in residence ever since; however abstract their lyrics may be, they sound completely modern, OF THE TIME, and excel at capturing a mood that many people feel, even if its subconscious, beneath the surface.

My runner-up would be Super Furry Animals, who have been just as adventurous with their music, even more prolific (5 albums this decade plus side projects!), but maybe aren't as "important" in terms of relevance.

 

[gvox]

The most important artist artist of this decade is Kanye West, hands down.

Without West there IS no Blueprint, which was 2001, not 2004.

Also, Thru The Wire was early '03 on most people's mixtapes.

Not to mention all the artists other than Jay who used his sound like: Talib Kweli, Common, Mobb Deep, Jermaine Dupri, The Game, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, John Legend etc etc etc and it still goes on as I type.

Sorry U2.

 

[trojanchick99]

yeah, i mean, i'll be the first to admit that i don't follow the mainstream very much, but i don't think any band or musician has "dominated" this decade like Nirvana did the 90's or U2 in the 80's.

when it comes to Coldplay, i'm probably in the minority that thinks that Parachutes is their best album.

I think you're right. There was no dominant force of this decade like the last 2. It will be really interesting to see the results of this poll.

 

[Yahweh]

It sucks when you get older and have to live up to peoples preconceptions. U2 made 3 solid albums in the decade, had the highest grossing tours ever at the time they were playing them and were at least in the top 3 popularity wise. Band of the decade would actually be selling U2 short....they are the band of this generation as far as consistancy goes.

 

[the tourist]

It sucks when you get older and have to live up to peoples preconceptions. U2 made 3 solid albums in the decade, had the highest grossing tours ever at the time they were playing them and were at least in the top 3 popularity wise. Band of the decade would actually be selling U2 short....they are the band of this generation as far as consistancy goes.

Totally agree. Just like in the 80s when the Rolling Stones were the band of the decade.

 

[lazarus]

The most important artist artist of this decade is Kanye West, hands down.

Without West there IS no Blueprint, which was 2001, not 2004.

Also, Thru The Wire was early '03 on most people's mixtapes.

Not to mention all the artists other than Jay who used his sound like: Talib Kweli, Common, Mobb Deep, Jermaine Dupri, The Game, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, John Legend etc etc etc and it still goes on as I type.

Sorry U2.

Unfortunately, this only deals with the world of hip-hop. I think Radiohead's influence this decade transcended the rock and roll genre. You even had hip hop artists like Jay-Z and Kanye talking about them as an influence, and of course Gnarls Barkley covering them in conert.

And I still maintain that selling In Rainbows exclusively online (at least for a few months), is a MAJOR, major defining moment.

Totally agree. Just like in the 80s when the Rolling Stones were the band of the decade.

Heh.

Though to be fair, 2000's Shuttlecock is nowhere near as bad as what the Stones were doing in that decade.

I'd say a better comparison is Prince in the 90's. Guy was still on MTV a lot, had some popular singles, some very good albums which sold well, but no one would say Prince owned the decade.

You know, except for the delusional sycophant section of his fanbase.

 

[the tourist]

Heh.

Though to be fair, 2000's Shuttlecock is nowhere near as bad as what the Stones were doing in that decade.

I'd say a better comparison is Prince in the 90's. Guy was still on MTV a lot, had some popular singles, some very good albums which sold well, but no one would say Prince owned the decade.

You know, except for the delusional sycophant section of his fanbase.

True. Perhaps I went too far. Shame on me for that.

Anyway, yeah, the Prince comparison's probably a better one.

 

[allbecauseofu2]

i thought it just felt weird to vote for u2 in this poll. Or bob dylan. I mean i know he had great critical acclaim and all.

 

[Canadiens1131]

I voted Funeral for album of the decade. It was down to that or Kid A for the two records that really repsesent a magnificent cohesive effort and focus.

And I like In Rainbows more than Kid A, to be honest. It's like how there are many better songs on Rubber Soul, but as a whole you can't touch Abbey Road.

 

[gvox]

Unfortunately, this only deals with the world of hip-hop. I think Radiohead's influence this decade transcended the rock and roll genre. You even had hip hop artists like Jay-Z and Kanye talking about them as an influence, and of course Gnarls Barkley covering them in conert.

Uh, there are rock artists that cite hip hop veterans as influences also, so what?

Just because some hip hop guys have heard a Radiohead song or two, that hardly qualifies a statement that Radiohead has transcended their genre. They haven't. And they have a tendency to further insulate themselves deeper into it's core.

Kanye transcended "hip hop" with his first album, he blew it wide open. The notion that Kanye's influence and ensuing success is limited to the world of hip hop is frankly ridiculous.

 

[65980]

I'm not sure of all this talk of Radiohead. I think Radiohead is a brilliant group and all, but to me they're the ultimate 90s band. I think their two most universally acclaimed LPs are The Bends and OK Computer, both very 90s. Besides which, the group formed in 1989, which is twenty years ago. (Even the oft-repeated Kid-A is from 2000, isn't it, which means they probably wrote it in the 90s? Well, technically, year 2000 actually is the 90s.)

I realize there's no reason why an established artist can't be "artist of the decade", but it just seems like it should be (and I'm sure corporate publications would prefer it to be) an artist who (a) emerged publicly, and (b) hit a creative and commerical peak during that decade, like U2 in the 80s or Radiohead/Oasis/Pearl Jam/Nirvana in the 90s.

Radiohead this decade is kind of like R.E.M. in the 90s -- very big and important, but past their zeitgeist moment (or maybe they passed it in 2000, which is a long time ago).

But, having said this, I haven't a clue who I would nominate as artist of the decade.

Kanye is perhaps jackass of the decade.

 

[UberBeaver]

I mainly chuckle when people call it innovative just because its electronic, somewhat ambient, and computer-blip-y, when it's no different than what Radiohead have put out for years.

The difference between In Rainbows and Kid A / Amnesiac is that In Rainbows is a "beautiful" album. It's almost like a lullaby at times, albeit somewhat somber or dreary maybe - and that doesn't happen in pop music too often. most of their stuff before that was in many ways almost ugly or harsh, almost cacophonous (thanks spellcheck, I would have been here til 2012 trying to figrure that one out) at times. Granted, they had moments of beauty, but nothing like In Rainbows.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

2012

 

[doctorwho]

Unfortunately, this only deals with the world of hip-hop. I think Radiohead's influence this decade transcended the rock and roll genre. You even had hip hop artists like Jay-Z and Kanye talking about them as an influence, and of course Gnarls Barkley covering them in conert.

I'm joining this late, but...

If you are using influence as criteria for who is the "biggest artist" then I say U2 wins "hands down".

First, U2 is wildly respected in the hip-hop world (Jay-Z, Kanye and others are all over U2). While their sounds obviously differ from U2's, there is that respect and ambition to make music that is more than just fluff.

Then you have artists like The Killers, Coldplay, BRMC, Franz Ferdinand, Snow Patrol, Fall Out Boy, Kings of Leon, etc., some of the biggest names in young rock music today, clearly heavily influenced by U2 (sometimes, so much so that I swear I'm hearing a new U2 song).

Then there's the world of dance, and U2 has scored big with Perfecto and other artists in the world of remixes. U2's dance remixes have reached the top of the charts. Clearly U2 has had an influence there and audiences respond to the rock song revamped to a dance or groove track.

Therefore, if this feature is combined with over 10M in album sales and three #1 albums, along with three massive tours (just in the U.S.), clearly U2 has a very solid reason for being considered artist of the decade.

 

[SBU2]

Course there the best band of the decade

Superbowl = Best superbowl performance ever, and one of the most emotional performances of the decade

Slane = Best gig of the decade

Elevation tour = awesome
Vertigo Tour = awesome
360 tour = freaking out of this world awesome

The band is nearly 50 and there still out and about owning the music industry.

Simple as.

 

[lazarus]

Uh, there are rock artists that cite hip hop veterans as influences also, so what?

Just because some hip hop guys have heard a Radiohead song or two, that hardly qualifies a statement that Radiohead has transcended their genre. They haven't. And they have a tendency to further insulate themselves deeper into it's core.

Kanye transcended "hip hop" with his first album, he blew it wide open. The notion that Kanye's influence and ensuing success is limited to the world of hip hop is frankly ridiculous.

If by "transcending hip hop" you mean "having a lot of white people buy his albums", then fair point, I guess. I love Kanye's stuff, but I don't know that working with Jon Brion or Daft Punk, for example, is necessarily groundbreaking. There are other hip hop artists before him who have strayed into or fused with other types of music. He certainly defined a sound this decade, no doubt about that. But the reason he's been such a huge figure the last five years has just as much to do with his ridiculous public tantrums as it does with his music.

And I was simply listing examples of some people who you wouldn't expect to be into Radiohead talking about them. While Kanye is making his music MORE accessible, Radiohead began the decade straying about as far away as the rock sound, and the verse-chorus-verse format as any "rock" band has before. While they aren't the first band to utilize influences like Byrne/Eno, Can, Autechre, whatever, there certainly weren't artists of their stature doing anything like that at the turn of the century. And somehow, because of their already-present fanbase, and also because of the level of their talent, they got a lot of people listening to stuff that was probably well outside their comfort zone.

You say that Radiohead have insulated themselves deeper into the core of their genre. Exactly what genre is that? I don't hear other music that sounds like it, and on an album like Hail to the Thief, it's so stylistically all over the place, the notion that it could all be under some kind of blanket genre is ridiculous. Kid A and Amnesiac may both come from the same well, but the two follow-ups sound completely different, and different from each other. They took THREE separate approaches to making music this decade. ALL were well received, and all sold an impressive amount of albums considering how relatively inaccessible they were to the mainstream listener.

And on top of this, I will mention AGAIN their experiment with having people pay what they want for In Rainbows. This must be acknowledged as an important event in music, not just for the decade but for the entire history of the industry.

 

[believer75]

Course there the best band of the decade

Superbowl = Best superbowl performance ever, and one of the most emotional performances of the decade

Slane = Best gig of the decade

Elevation tour = awesome
Vertigo Tour = awesome
360 tour = freaking out of this world awesome

The band is nearly 50 and there still out and about owning the music industry.

Simple as.

Agreed. what else can you say? that's all that needs to be said.

 

[mikal]

I'm joining this late, but...

If you are using influence as criteria for who is the "biggest artist" then I say U2 wins "hands down".

First, U2 is wildly respected in the hip-hop world (Jay-Z, Kanye and others are all over U2). While their sounds obviously differ from U2's, there is that respect and ambition to make music that is more than just fluff.

Then you have artists like The Killers, Coldplay, BRMC, Franz Ferdinand, Snow Patrol, Fall Out Boy, Kings of Leon, etc., some of the biggest names in young rock music today, clearly heavily influenced by U2 (sometimes, so much so that I swear I'm hearing a new U2 song).

Then there's the world of dance, and U2 has scored big with Perfecto and other artists in the world of remixes. U2's dance remixes have reached the top of the charts. Clearly U2 has had an influence there and audiences respond to the rock song revamped to a dance or groove track.

Therefore, if this feature is combined with over 10M in album sales and three #1 albums, along with three massive tours (just in the U.S.), clearly U2 has a very solid reason for being considered artist of the decade.

great post, as usual doctorwho.

i think a lot of the Radiohead nuts fail to look at the big picture. with that said, i can personally say that Radiohead was probably my "band of the decade" because i feel that their experimentation has opened the door for a lot of the bands i listen to now. plus, they've had 4 great albums this decade. but if i'm looking at the big picture, including all genres and, gulp, pop music, there's no way that Radiohead owned this decade.