Just Curious: Did Anyone Here Become A Fan Because Of ATYCLB?

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Michael Griffiths

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Just wondering if you could tell us your stories of how you became a fan with their latest album, and what you think of their "old stuff" as compared to it. Has it been interesting getting to know their old stuff? Has the old stuff blown you away, or are you disappointed that it doesn't sound like ATYCLB? Or does it? Spill everything onto the table!

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The Tempest
 
I have always known about U2, but I really didn't become a fanatic of theirs until one morning (it was a horrible morning) I turned on the TV and saw this outstanding video of an awesome song called "Beautiful Day" and I began to cry. It was so different from everything else on and also so encouraging. I resolved to buy the album as soon as it came out...and I bought it the morning it was released.

I proceeded to listen to it day and night (about 5 times a day) for approximately 4 months straight. And everytime I listened I discovered something new. It's the most incredible experience.

As soon as I purchased a computer with CD burning capabilities, I downloaded all the records and made my very own collection of all of the albums. As for "getting to know the old stuff" it has been as incredible as discovering ATYCLB. I love it all. And each song holds something special. I think that all the albums have their high and low points so they are all equal on that footing. And I'm glad that they don't all sound like the last one. It's the mark of a truly gifted/talented/blessed band that they have been able to touch people for 20 years!

I LOVE U2!

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One love, one life...
Give peace a chance!
Don't let the bastards grind you down!

Create Light
Create Unity
Create Joy
CREATE PEACE!
 
Originally posted by hippyactress:
I have always known about U2, but I really didn't become a fanatic of theirs until one morning (it was a horrible morning) I turned on the TV and saw this outstanding video of an awesome song called "Beautiful Day" and I began to cry. It was so different from everything else on and also so encouraging. I resolved to buy the album as soon as it came out...and I bought it the morning it was released.

I proceeded to listen to it day and night (about 5 times a day) for approximately 4 months straight. And everytime I listened I discovered something new. It's the most incredible experience.

As soon as I purchased a computer with CD burning capabilities, I downloaded all the records and made my very own collection of all of the albums. As for "getting to know the old stuff" it has been as incredible as discovering ATYCLB. I love it all. And each song holds something special. I think that all the albums have their high and low points so they are all equal on that footing. And I'm glad that they don't all sound like the last one. It's the mark of a truly gifted/talented/blessed band that they have been able to touch people for 20 years!

I LOVE U2!



Cool story. I'll drop you an e-mail one of these days!!lol(Didn't forget about ya!!!)


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N A T E


We Need New Dreams Tonight...
 
this album is thier worst work after Rattle&Hum , it was one of the biggest dissapointments in 2000 for me . POP was much higher ( not in charts ) .
 
I really liked u2 when i first heard the joshua tree but i didnt start buying albums until 1996 when i was nearly 12 because before that I didnt really have much appreciation for music but I have grown up listening to music all my life, I prefer their older stuff especially from October, I really like older music anyway like Stiff little fingers and the Sex Pistols, i love punk and Queen. I didnt like ATYCLB and when i got it i was really disappointed but the more i listened to it i started to REALLY like some of the songs, I like the unreleased songs best, I LOVE new york and ground beneath her feet
smile.gif


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And if you look, you look through me.

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L'amore
E non so pi pregare
E nell'amore non so pi sperare
E quell'amore non so pi aspettare
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The perpetually handsome Mullen appears to have stopped ageing around the time of The Joshua Tree.
"It doesn't matter what songs we sing.
I'm a drummer. Chicks dig me." -Larry
Larry likes to play drums." - Bono
"Larry's always been noticed cos he's the pretty one." - Adam
"Bono, if you still haven't found what you're looking for, look behind the drumkit." - Boy George
A man so handsome, he will never be let sing in this group!"
-Bono, introducing Larry at Irving Plaza, NYC 2000
 
Originally posted by IvanClaytonJnr:
this album is thier worst work after Rattle&Hum , it was one of the biggest dissapointments in 2000 for me . POP was much higher ( not in charts ) .

Quiet you... you've been complaining about this album since the start.

I personally love it. It ranks much higher than "POP," which was an album I enjoyed at first, but for the most part, has not stood the test of time for me.

However, I did not become a fan because of ATYCLB, so I'll stop here.
 
Originally posted by IvanClaytonJnr:
this album is thier worst work after Rattle&Hum , it was one of the biggest dissapointments in 2000 for me . POP was much higher ( not in charts ) .

Quiet you... you've been complaining about this album since the start.

I personally love it. It ranks much higher than "POP," which was an album I enjoyed at first, but for the most part, has not stood the test of time for me.

However, I did not become a fan because of ATYCLB, so I'll stop here.
 
Ooopsy...double post...

Well, I'll correct that.

I disagree that "Ground" was VERY different from the rest of ATYCLB. Actually, of all songs on that soundtrack, I feel "Ground" fits in perfectly with ATYCLB. It's a ballad, yet still more experimental. It has Bono wailing - something that was a welcome return on ATYCLB (and something I missed on "POP" and other 90's U2 releases).

So while I concur that "Ground" technically wasn't part of ATYCLB, I do feel it flows with the album overall (perhaps just not as the last song).
 
The Ground Beneath Her Feet , has absolutely nothing in common with ATYCLB , it's very experimental , it was great , i expected after beautiful Day , that the whole album will be like that : great and magic combination , i was wrong - some mild shitty poppy singles for MTV asses - that's what we got , most of all ;;; U2 decided to make money , success ( rolling stone masses , and fans who like everything that has U2 sticker on it ) ! Music ?? !! No , it's one step forward , and two steps behind
 
I was thinking the other day how cool it is for the band to gain new fans with each new album. How much money they make each time they do. Because when someone becomes a U2 fan they probably become a hard core fan and go out and purchase a majority of U2's older cd's. I know when I became a hard core fan in the summer of 93 after a year of listening to Achtung Baby alone, I went out and got every thing made by them.

$$$Cha-Ching.

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The more of these I drink the more Bono makes sense.. - Bean from the KROQ Breakfast with U2.
 
The day I bought my first CD player, I bought The Wallflowers' Bringing Down the Horse, Savage Garden, and U2's Pop. I loved the Wallflowers and Savage Garden CD's, but I was befuddled by the U2 one, and when I didn't hear Pride or With or Without You on there (keep in mind I was 13), it was shelved for about two years.

By the time the greatest hits came out, I was much more musically savvy, and was impressed to say the least. Soon after I bought the Joshua Tree, and at that point I considered myself a casual U2 fan.

In September of 2000 I bought Achtung Baby, and was thoroughly blown away. U2 was then officially my favorite band.

A month later I bought All That You Can't Leave Behind, and I rocketed into fanatacism. I've never been impacted by an album that hardly the first listen through. I knew it was something special within minutes of that now-classic Walk On guitar riff. As soon as Elevation tickets went on sale I bought a pair for Washington DC, and my friends started calling me "the U2 guy."

I soon learned to appreciate the criminally underrated Pop, the earlier albums, and the side projects. So here I am today.

So I guess you could say The Greatest Hits had my hand on the door, but All That You Can't Leave Behind busted the thing wide open.
 
I've been a fan since I heard I Still Haven't Found...when I was about 10 or so. But back then, U2 wasn't 'cool' for kids my age...my older cousin used to be a HUGE fan. He was into all the 80's rock...Bon Jovi, Zepplin, Van Halen, etc. So automatically, liking U2 meant being like him. I avoided it as much as possible.

Over the next few years I heard a lot about the band. I listened to a lot of their songs. But I never bought any of their albums (I was young). I downloaded SBS, ISHFWILF, WOWY, and The Sweetest Thing off Napster...always a 'semi-fan'.' Finally, I heard Beautiful Day for the first time. I remember stopping what I had been doing at that moment and just listened...amazed that a band could put forth such an amazing song. I asked for ATYCLB for Christmas that year. I listened to it the minute I got it...and for the next 3 months after that. I was initially attracted to their lyrics (Walk On, Peace on Earth), and eventually gained a true appreciation for the whole package--music, lyrics, etc.
 
Hey, how come people who slag ATYCLB don't get into as much trouble as people who slag Pop?



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You say you want
Diamonds on a ring of gold
Your story to remain untold
Your love not to grow cold
 
Originally posted by scatteroflight:
Hey, how come people who slag ATYCLB don't get into as much trouble as people who slag Pop?


Those of us who love ATYCLB just ignore those who talk crap about it! POP people are more vocal...



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One love, one life...
Give peace a chance!
Don't let the bastards grind you down!

Create Light
Create Unity
Create Joy
CREATE PEACE!
 
yeah, i became a fan through ATYCLB.

i'm only 17, so i wasn't really listening to the radio or watching mtv when U2 hit it big. i didn't really become intrested in music until 1995, so the only U2 i could have seen was POP, and (let's face it) that didn't get much airplay. it wasn't until i saw the beautiful day video that i became intrested in them. but even that wasn't a first love. i liked the song and downloaded the mp3, but as before mentioned, i didn't know anything about them other then they were "that irish band that did with or without you." so, throughout the winter of 2001, i began discovering U2. i downloaded mp3s, watched them on the grammys (i was excited when they won, even though they beat my girl) but i still wasn't a fan. then, in early may (the week of my birthday, to be exact) U2 came to my hometown, pittsburgh, to play. i suddenly got an urge to go to the show, but the tickets were sold out.
frown.gif
so, i had to settle for reading the review in the paper. it was then that my intrest was sparked. i don't know exactly why, i DIDN'T even see the concert but i was really curious. so i started searching the internet to learn more about the band. lo and behold, i discovered interference, joined the forum, and became a fan. so i should really thank all of you for showing me what U2 is really about.

to make a long story short, ATYCLB made me a fan, and i'm so glad it did!
smile.gif


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Does love light up your Christmas tree?

Happy Holidays!

"And I wear gray underwear." -Bono

Love,
Emily


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...if God will send his angels...
 
As soon as I purchased a computer with CD burning capabilities, I downloaded all the records and made my very own collection of all of the albums. As for "getting to know the old stuff" it has been as incredible as discovering ATYCLB. I love it all. [/B]


Wow..hearing all of U2's body of work for the first time...all at once? Overload? Unable to process...talk about a religious experience..I can barely handle it the small doses they give me for the pain!


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Well the God I believe in isn't short of cash..Mister!
 
Originally posted by IvanClaytonJnr:
this album is thier worst work after Rattle&Hum , it was one of the biggest dissapointments in 2000 for me . POP was much higher ( not in charts ) .
Well, since Rattle and Hum is an extraordinary album -- with possibly the best lyrics on any U2 album EVER -- I will consider this a huge complement for ATYCLB. If Rattle and Hum had never come out, and someone said to me, "hey, I would like a U2 album with the most succesful British single in U2 history ('Desire'); the best soul tune of their career ('Angel of Harlem'); one of the most beautifully evocative songs on America they've ever written ('Heartland'); a gospel version of 'I Still Haven't Found'; their most politically charged song ever ('Silver and Gold'); one of the most kick ass rock tunes they've ever written ('God Part II'); let's see what else... a gorgeous and heartwrenching poem put to music ('Love Rescue Me'); a duet with B.B KING (or is that asking for too much? Well, let's see...); an amazing live version of 'Bullet' (never put out before on an album). And to close this album, I'd like the most beautifully epic love song U2 have ever written. Wait, I'm not done: to top it off, throw some live classics in, such as 'Pride'. Oh, one more thing, lyrically, I would like this album to have Bono at his most enchanting ('All I Want Is You'), at his most daring ('Love Rescue Me'; 'God II'), his most experimental ('Hawkmoon'), his most evocative ('Heartland'), his most direct, but still written poetically ('When Love Comes To Town'), and make sure this album has the most imagery this side of Joshua Tree (I want differnet images, not just the usual wind, water, rain and sun)...Oh, still not done, make sure this album also has Bono's strongest, most soulful vocals EVER. Okay, now I'm done...

Well, at this point, I would look at the guy and accuse him of pipe-dreaming, but, alas, I wouldn't have to, because U2 did in fact put such an album out!! Wow, how amazing is that? Only U2 could have pulled it off I guess...
wink.gif



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The Tempest
 
Originally posted by cmb737:

Wow..hearing all of U2's body of work for the first time...all at once? Overload? Unable to process...talk about a religious experience..I can barely handle it the small doses they give me for the pain!



Well, I don't listen to all the albums at one time, silly!
wink.gif


I just downloaded and burned them all! I'm slowly making my way through them all...It's not overload at all, IMO.

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"Adam, Larry Mullen Jr., and Edge. They're my drug." -Bono
"Bono, add yourself to that mix!" -hippy

One love, one life...
Give peace a chance!
Don't let the bastards grind you down!

Create Light, Create Unity, Create Joy, CREATE PEACE!
 
Originally posted by scatteroflight:
Hey, how come people who slag ATYCLB don't get into as much trouble as people who slag Pop?


[AutoReply] I love POP! Sure some people don't understand the album because it's kind of heavy and deep, but if you listen to it long enough, you'll get it![/AutoReply]
 
Originally posted by pub crawler:

[AutoReply] I love POP! Sure some people don't understand the album because it's kind of heavy and deep, but if you listen to it long enough, you'll get it![/AutoReply]

I must be lightening up...this really makes me laugh now!



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You say you want
Diamonds on a ring of gold
Your story to remain untold
Your love not to grow cold
 
I did become a serious fan because of ATYCLB, but I knew all of their classics way before that.

I like '80s U2 better.

Originally posted by Michael Griffiths:
Just wondering if you could tell us your stories of how you became a fan with their latest album, and what you think of their "old stuff" as compared to it. Has it been interesting getting to know their old stuff? Has the old stuff blown you away, or are you disappointed that it doesn't sound like ATYCLB? Or does it? Spill everything onto the table!

 
I was a casual U2 fan before ATYCLB- I knew all their big hits like Pride, Desire, AIWIY, HMTMKMKM, SBS, WOWY, Mysterious Ways, One, etc. I really liked those songs, but for some reason I never bothered to buy their albums or listen to the non-singles. I didn't even really pay attention when Beautiful Day came out, but then I saw their performance at the Grammy awards and I thought that I should really check out their other stuff. Then soon after I got the Rolling Stone issue about their upcoming tour, and it sounded so awesome that I decided that I had to go. Then I found interference, and the rest is history. I own all their CDs and went to 3 shows (2 in the heart!), and I love every minute of being a U2 fan.
smile.gif
 
I became a fan because BD. The first time I heard it, I was like "wow..." and played it over and over and over. I always thought of U2 as some U.K. band, nothing much. I am 16, just so you know. After BD, I started listening to older stuff and was BLOWN away. I am such a big U2 fan now, they've changed my life. Thank you so much BD. I would be more elaborate, but its 1230 am!
smile.gif
 
I became a fan because BD. The first U2 song I ever realy heard was "Sweetest Thing". But nothing else until Jan 2000...The first time I heard it, I was like "wow..." and played it over and over and over. I always thought of U2 as some U.K. band, nothing much. I am 16, just so you know. After BD, I started listening to older stuff and was BLOWN away. I am such a big U2 fan now, they've changed my life. Thank you so much BD. I would be more elaborate, but its 1230 am!
smile.gif
 
I just wanna say that I really enjoyed the stories above, and congrats to the new fans, you're now hooked by the best band ever.
wink.gif


Also is just damn good to have the opportunity of reading Michael's posts again, he's great. Although Rattle and Hum is not my fave album I must admit you defended it brilliantly Michael, as usual.
smile.gif
 
No but I became a fan just before it's release and bought it as soon as it came out so it was the right time period. First album was Achtung Baby, October, then Pop and ATYCLB at the same time. I don't believe I actually remember the order still because I have them all now
 
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