Honest Question - Are U2's best days behind them?

[daisybean]

I guess we will have to wait and see what the new album brings. As much as I love ATYCLB, it wasn't as mind blowing as JT or AB. It doesn't make me any less of a fan to say that their current creative ventures are not as revolutionary as they used to be. I agree that U2 will not have the same JT type sucess again, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The next album could be pure genius, yet largely ignored by masses, does that make it a bad album? No, of course not.

If they start making albums to please the public, they are cheating themselves and their fans. If they make music to please themselves, everyone may not like it, but at least they have their integrity.

I personally do not find the intent this thread to be negative or bashing anything. Yes, there have been similar threads like it....but I think that those threads have degraded into pissing matches rather than actual discussions.

 

[RickFly]

i had this same question going in my mind during and after the popmart tour. then they came out with atyclb and then i was proven wrong. so no, i dont think that they are.

 

[AdamsMango]

yes i think the best days are behind them ..but they are still by far the best band in the world and ATYCLB is a kick ass album

 

[U2girl]

But now if they will do (what i think, is mostly possible to happen) another ATYCLB style album, it will not be as interesting as ATYCLB was-we've heard ATYCLB, ok, we clapped you and said, that it was great, however geting stuck to 1 style is .
When people say that they want rock, that means they want something new:no ATYCLB, no POP-they want something, u2 HASN'T done before!

Who says they're making another ATYCLB album?

They never repeat themselves...as for "new" - what else can they possilby do? The earliest stuff has a punkish sound, they tried going towards blues and rock'n'roll, they tried "industrial" sound, they tried electronica, they tried going towards dance - there's only so much you can do.

I like the organic approach they used with the last album. However, it's likely the overall sound might be harder.
(that's what Edge said, but then again, the band also said their albums start out one way and end up another)

 

[sharry_lt]

Who says they're making another ATYCLB album?

wELL, THEIR NEW SONGS (es & thtba) SOUN VERY atyclb STYLE.

 

[sharry_lt]

bonofire, do not even begin opening that route. this thread is not about that, but if you want it to be, ill jump in like a pig in shit and there will be lots of reckoning. noone wants reckoning. or gnashing of teeth. heed these words of wisdom and we can keep this civil.

"are u2's best days behind them?"

absolutely. it seems they only feel obliged to make records to make money nowadays. bono, it would appear (he'd say otherwise, but thats just bono, hes always talking shit) has interests that are not within the music community, and the rest of the band is being hung out to dry.

larry mullen only cares about money, he even says so, so what does that tell you. if you only make music and then tour it for the sole purpose of making money, thats horseshit.

i like edge though. bono used to be really cool, i dont know anymore. he really pisses me off sometimes.

it'll be interesting to see what their next album is like. im not holding my breath on it, but whatever.

its funny how most of the people who have been at this board the longest have found other bands to pretty much replace u2 as their favorite.

*applause*

 

[sharry_lt]

Yes, but this person has already posted AT LEAST 2 threads conveying basically the same *cough*NEGATIVE*cough* message. If somebody REALLY feels that the band should hang it up or whatever, why on earth are they wasting their time here? That is something I will never understand.

let her/him talk if he/she wants to!tell me-does that hurt you so much that one tree still has posted this thread?there's always a rule, that if u don't like it, u don't read it.
it's just a VERY worried person.

 

[sharry_lt]

Stop being so negative!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!









And another thing...If U2 thought that their best days were behind them, do you think they'd still be trying at it? I mean, if you think you can't possibly top what you've done in the past, why bother trying? Have a little faith!

If u2 wouldn't liked POP, do you think they would have released it?however , the critics were cruel to it...

 

[sharry_lt]

we are soooo positive!

 

[DiscoJokeX]

If u2 wouldn't liked POP, do you think they would have released it?however , the critics were cruel to it...

I reckon reading somwhere that U2 never became happy with POP, and that they released it earlier because that PopMart drawed to close....

Am i right?

 

[Salome]

its funny how most of the people who have been at this board the longest have found other bands to pretty much replace u2 as their favorite.

it's even funnier that when you ask them why this is it never ends with them not liking ATYCLB
there always seems to be the need to add that according to them U2 sold out, lost their artistic intergrity and that Bono isn't able to write a decent lyric even if Thom York (I thought about writing God, but his replacement on earth also works) would ask him to


I finally start to understand how 80's U2 fans reacted to Achtung Baby (by far U2's most commercial album upto that point)

 

[Laura M]

No you never know what they might do and everyone likes different U2 "eras"

 

[flaming june]

Wow, we have so many fortune tellers here!

[sarcasm]Let's all write a letter to Principle Management telling them to stop working on the new album. We all know it won't be as good as what they've done in the past and we want to live the rest of our life with the memories...[/sarcasm]

C'mon people, if U2 fans don't have faith in them, who will?!? How inspired would the guys feel if they read threads like these, from their so called "fans"???

Wertsie, I luv ya!

And you, Cow of the Seas. DO dig out that article, if you can find it.

P.S. Let's see how many of those who have said that the best days of the guys are behind them dare to praise the new album when it comes out and KICKS ASS.

Remember, as our wise president has said... the future will be better tomorrow.

 

[Zoomerang96]

this will get me flamed, but i truly believe u2 is only making music to:

a) make money

b) make music to support bono's causes. not the worst idea, for sure, but if you arent making music for the sake of making music, the end result will suffer.

after i hear the next album, ill have a better idea as to what i chose to believe.

 

[wertsie]

Re: Wow, we have so many fortune tellers here!

[sarcasm]Let's all write a letter to Principle Management telling them to stop working on the new album. We all know it won't be as good as what they've done in the past and we want to live the rest of our life with the memories...[/sarcasm]

C'mon people, if U2 fans don't have faith in them, who will?!? How inspired would the guys feel if they read threads like these, from their so called "fans"???

Wertsie, I luv ya!

And you, Cow of the Seas. DO dig out that article, if you can find it.

P.S. Let's see how many of those who have said that the best days of the guys are behind them dare to praise the new album when it comes out and KICKS ASS.

Remember, as our wise president has said... the future will be better tomorrow.

fj!!!

Couldn't have said it better myself!

I love Boy
I love October
I love War
I love The Unforgettable Fire
I love The Joshua Tree
I love Rattle and Hum
I love Achtung Baby
I love Zooropa
I love POP
I love All That You Can't Leave Behind

and, above all...I love U2!!!

So sue me!

 

[flaming june]

Re: Re: Wow, we have so many fortune tellers here!

fj!!!

Couldn't have said it better myself!

I love Boy
I love October
I love War
I love The Unforgettable Fire
I love The Joshua Tree
I love Rattle and Hum
I love Achtung Baby
I love Zooropa
I love POP
I love All That You Can't Leave Behind

and, above all...I love U2!!!

So sue me!

Thanks!

If I didn't love this band, and if I didn't think they still have a lot to offer, I wouldn't come to this board at all. Some people here should consider that, otherwise, it seems to me like they're wasting their time.

They'll have to sue us both Wertsie.

 

[wertsie]

Re: Re: Re: Wow, we have so many fortune tellers here!

If I didn't love this band, and if I didn't think they still have a lot to offer, I wouldn't come to this board at all. Some people here should consider that, otherwise, it seems to me like they're wasting their time.

Amen! It seems rather ridiculous that I feel the need to defend my U2 fandom on a U2 FAN message board!


I love your new sigy, btw!

 

[flaming june]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Wow, we have so many fortune tellers here!

Amen! It seems rather ridiculous that I feel the need to defend my U2 fandom on a U2 FAN message board!

Exactly.

I love your new sigy, btw!

Thanks... so do I!

 

[wertsie]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Wow, we have so many fortune tellers here!

Thanks... so do I!

Psst...Bop on over to PLEBA!

 

[STING2]

I'm happy that people here are not "yes men", but it still is a U2 message board, and I find it odd that people who are not somewhat devoted to the band spend time here. Perhaps an internet socialogist could explain this event.

I have been a U2 fan since 1987 and I have heard every criticism leveled on this particular thread since 1988. Its actually very funny. Some people will never let go of a bands first mega popular album even if its not their best album.

ATYCLB may not have beat the Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby, but it did show the band still is definitely capable of producing albums of that level. Plus, more importantly, the band has never sounded better live! The Elevation shows were the greatest shows I have ever seen and I have been going to concerts for over 11 years.

Things have been going great for the band and its funny how time and again, they prove all the critics wrong.

 

[Blacksword]

I'll go with most people here and say I was let down by ATYCLB. I was a good album but it was lacking that usual spark and seemed falt and a tad uninspiring. The only song on that album that really has stuck with me is New York and more its live version than the album one. All of the songs got much better live especially Walk On but there's just something missing on the album. I can't say how people think of it as U2's third masterpiece. That title should go to Zooropa. I think they were trying too hard to get back the feel of the music they made in the eighties, that soaring joyus sound. I think it was in trying to replicate a particular feel was where they dropped the ball. They aren't that band anymore. ATYCLB wasn't a bad album, nor was it a sell out (though I found it a tad more commerailly oriented than their previous offerings) it was a good album but not a great album. As fans we (or atleast I) are used to greatness in U2 albums even flawed greatness as in POP (an album that continues to grow on me more and more with each listen). ATYCLB is missing that greatness, which is why it seems like such a let down to a lot of people. Though I will agree with critics and say their live show has never been better.

I'll hold off judgement of wether they're past it until I hear their new album. Million Dollar Hotel showed they still have great potential, they just have to realize it. Here's to Bono finding his lyrical muse again. But as long as their live show maintains its stunning power they'll never be totally past it, they just will become another Stones, though with a much longer creative period. Either way i've got my fingers crossed for the next album and I'll always be a fan.

 

[Zoomerang96]

i could have sworn i wrote a scathing post about how much i hate flaming june's signature. i guess it was over the top and the mods saved my ass. i guess then, they did a good thing.

i think im going to start using very erotic u2 pictures as my signature. anyone know if theyre involved in porn or something?

 

[Courtney]

I haven't been to these boards in a while (darn law school!) but decided to pop in and add my two cents.

Do I think ATYCLB, Electrical Storm, and THTBA are on the genius level of Achtung Baby or Joshua Tree, or that they have the flawed brilliance of Pop and Zooropa? No. But what they do have are solid songwriting, musicianship, heart, and some sterling moments. On the Elevation tour, I saw a band that was still excited about performing after years in the business. I waited in line for hours with fans who were still excited to see them. I participated in shows where these two elements interacted to provide a transcendent experience, and I think as long as those two elements are in place, U2 won't ever have to worry about being "past it." I have faith that U2 can, and will, produce another album that can stand alongside AB and JT in the classic album pantheon, because I don't think that they would keep making music unless they felt that creatively they had something new to say. I don't see any reason to lose that faith just yet.

 

[elevation]

I'll go with most people here and say I was let down by ATYCLB. I was a good album but it was lacking that usual spark and seemed falt and a tad uninspiring. The only song on that album that really has stuck with me is New York and more its live version than the album one. All of the songs got much better live especially Walk On but there's just something missing on the album. I can't say how people think of it as U2's third masterpiece. That title should go to Zooropa. I think they were trying too hard to get back the feel of the music they made in the eighties, that soaring joyus sound. I think it was in trying to replicate a particular feel was where they dropped the ball. They aren't that band anymore. ATYCLB wasn't a bad album, nor was it a sell out (though I found it a tad more commerailly oriented than their previous offerings) it was a good album but not a great album. As fans we (or atleast I) are used to greatness in U2 albums even flawed greatness as in POP (an album that continues to grow on me more and more with each listen). ATYCLB is missing that greatness, which is why it seems like such a let down to a lot of people. Though I will agree with critics and say their live show has never been better.

I'll hold off judgement of wether they're past it until I hear their new album. Million Dollar Hotel showed they still have great potential, they just have to realize it. Here's to Bono finding his lyrical muse again. But as long as their live show maintains its stunning power they'll never be totally past it, they just will become another Stones, though with a much longer creative period. Either way i've got my fingers crossed for the next album and I'll always be a fan.

Amen!! Well said....My words exactly - though I think Pop is their third masterpiece

I love Boy
I love October
I love War
I love Unforgettable Fire
I love The Joshua Tree
I love Rattle and Hum
I love Achtung Baby
I love Zooropa
I love Pop
I don't like ATYCLB

That doesn't make me less of a fan.

 

[Saracene]

Personally I think that U2 had several peaks during their career and I wouldn't say that there is one or two albums that stand head and shoulders above the rest, even though the conventional wisdom says that JT and AB must be it. For me they all have their pluses and minuses, and I'll always be curious to see whether they'll pull off something I could call a "flawless" album.

 

[jick]

Honest Answer - Yes

Yes, U2's best days are behind them.

Cheers,

J
The King Of POP

 

[really]

yep, I really don't think they'll ever be able to create beauty as done on ATYCLB

a shame really

 

[flaming june]

i could have sworn i wrote a scathing post about how much i hate flaming june's signature. i guess it was over the top and the mods saved my ass. i guess then, they did a good thing.

i think im going to start using very erotic u2 pictures as my signature. anyone know if theyre involved in porn or something?

I think your avatar is very erotic, so you're on the right track!

 

[Zoomerang96]

you really think its erotic? ah, thats so sweet. ((((((*HUGS*))))))

really is really a complete idiot.

 

[Salome]

really is really a complete idiot.

that's not nice