U2DMfan said:
I think with Crumbs, it needs the two guitars and the overdubbed vocals to work. That HQ studio version, well I think people like it because it shows them a hint of what this album could have been had U2 let loose of these songs when they had some vibrance instead of re-recording them to get absolutely everything right and even wrong sometimes. So I agree, it is raw.
I hate to quote myself but wanted to expand.
I play this song on my guitar and sing along, I think it's a pretty damn good song all by itself. I even downloaded Brau and his girl singing and playing this song and thought it was quite good as well. Translation=I think it's a pretty damn good song.
But for U2, the bar is higher, I guess is the best way to say it.
Bono really nails that low range on this song, and the mid range give such a great harmony on the overdub. The two guitars have a similar effect, a fuller sound.
I guess the idea is, I think U2 is better with a full sound. But manufacturing that sound really kills the whole experience.
An example, Stay, a simple guitar lick, simple bass riff, simple synth part and drums, they use the synth and the atmospeherics to fill in the spaces.
We talk about wanting more raw U2, but I don't think we would be more happy with more raw U2.
WE want WOMANFISH U2, raw loud ass guitar, fill all the spaces.
why does Edge use the delay effect on nearly every song?
To fill the spaces. Why did Bono use his voice so big in so many songs? Well, because he could, but also to fill the spaces.
The regular pop song that goes D-A-G is defeated by the song that plays with D and A as if it were a cat on a string, bouncing back and forth filling the spaces.
Then dropping in the G to surprise you, the momentum shift, the change. The spaces are filled, people feel the atmosphere in between the space, it's a constant rhythmatic pulse. A continuation of the moment,.
Streets takes you in a similar manner, the muted strings rhythmically push you, and the echo/delay fills the spaces.
On and on, in the 90's the synth backdrop of Zooropa or countless others filled the spaces, and then boom....
they decided to drop all that....well kinda and drop the effects on BOno's voice, and really it's not doing it for a lot of people.
But the direct approach, the gloss of the direct approach, fuck the spaces, there are no spaces in pop music, it's filled with direct hook.
Its all there, its a beautiful day, toss in a delay/echo so people know it's U2. blah blah
Whiskey rules.
And listening to The Downward Spiral.
I remember seeing this shit on PPV at Woodstock 94.,
In the mud, overground baby.