Larry's drumming!

[ZOOTVTOURist]

Nope, he hasn't lost it at all. Take the shows from the 5th leg – Melbourne, Auckland, Saitama – and tell me again, the drummer has lost his ability. This is nonsense. Listen to "One Tree Hill", "Desire", "Angel Of Harlem", "Vertigo" or "The Saints Are Coming"and say, there is no Larry exploding ...

From earlier shows 2001-2005/06 you might have fun in dissing "11 O' Clock Tick Tock", "An Cat Dubh" or "Gloria" – but you miss the point. U2 decided to play these tunes slower than decades ago – but this has done very well to the tracks. Bono sings them more inspired, better than ever. The tunes have regained an intensity, they might never have had, It is not only speed, that matters. But "I Will Follow" or "The Electric Co." still show, that U2 including Larry still have the speed, too. Especially these tunes are played now even faster than, let's say during '87 ...

Now, what I do recognize is, that the drum sound has changed radically in the mix. When you listen to a Lovetown show for example, the drum thunder sound is very much up front, while now, the mix is less compact, but very much concentrating on integrating Larry in the band's sound ...

 

[Vlaco]

Yeah Won't Get Fooled Again...he's really quick during the song. Great performance. Like I mentioned before...I think he still has it. He just doesn't show it quite as often as he did.

 

[CrashedCarDriver]

apparently hes helping out with Underworld doing drums on a track on their forthcoming album

 

[RademR]

maybe it has to do with that wrist surgery he had, i don't know. but he's run through the motions the last couple albums, and it gets annoying sometimes.

He has his moments live, but I would consider him the weak link the band. Especially because Adam Clayton's bass playing has become improved over the years. I thought he shined the most on the bomb.

 

[toscano]

i could show you a performance from vertigo that is far superior to a performance on JT

I challenge you to find a better WOWY Post 80's Larry performance than the JT version

 

[Yahweh_OMG]

I challenge you to find a better WOWY Post 80's Larry performance than the JT version

16 days and still no example????

I'm wondering why....

 

[prideofzootv]

anyone forget with or without you from zootv washington? that was a brilliant version, i liked larrys improvison on the drums, from sticking to the basic WOWY beat he does a non stop base drum beat like with bad which i think makes the song unique, he even has sound effects on the drumming intro, he mixes it up abit i think so you have some basic WOWY (vertigo style), abit of JT (drum solo after the chorus) then you have zootv style which is the non stop baser drum beat! i believe that is just as good as JT/LT.

 

[U2girl]

maybe it has to do with that wrist surgery he had, i don't know. but he's run through the motions the last couple albums, and it gets annoying sometimes.

He has his moments live, but I would consider him the weak link the band. Especially because Adam Clayton's bass playing has become improved over the years. I thought he shined the most on the bomb.

Perhaps he isn't given challenging material from Bono and Edge.

 

[coolian2]

anyone forget with or without you from zootv washington? that was a brilliant version, i liked larrys improvison on the drums, from sticking to the basic WOWY beat he does a non stop base drum beat like with bad which i think makes the song unique, he even has sound effects on the drumming intro, he mixes it up abit i think so you have some basic WOWY (vertigo style), abit of JT (drum solo after the chorus) then you have zootv style which is the non stop baser drum beat! i believe that is just as good as JT/LT.

That particular performance is better than JT/LT imo.

 

[Rob33]

I challenge you to find a better WOWY Post 80's Larry performance than the JT version

hahaha...this is a joke

yes the JT/LT Performances of WOWY were great, but you're forgetting how about the studio version!!!!!!!!!!!

the studio version is much less complex (I'm not saying this is a bad thing, it's the perfect drumming...complexity doesn't equate to better drumming!!!!) than the JT/LT performances!!!! Just listen to WOWY on JT, then go to Christmas Eve Dublin 1989 WOWY/Shine Like Stars....the latter is far more complex!!!

Larry's drumming in recent years on that song resembles more closely the album version of WOWY, so to compare it to 80's live performances is just stupid...you want Larry to play the way he played WOWY live 20 years ago? No..it doesn't work like that..he probably approaches the song nowadays with a more improvisational style anyways...it really never stays the same...so i wouldn't be surprised if Larry broke out with something new next tour or even went back to earlier performances.

 

[asunder]

The man can still play no question... he is an extremely skilled and able drummer.

what disappoints me is that he seems to invest less creativity/dynamic into his playing now.

Look at the dynamic of playing in UF (ignore the 80's sounding snare), or the subtlety of One. - For that matter compare the modern and old versions of One, and the older one has much more expression in it. The new version is bland.

Some other examples of his previous creativity:

Please
A Sort of Homecoming
Heartland
In Gods Country (all toms, no cymbals - couldn't imagine him doing that now!)

..To name a few

 

[Rob33]

In Gods Country (all toms, no cymbals - couldn't imagine him doing that now!)

..To name a few

hahahahaha...listen, everything Larry does during a song is for a reason, it serves a specific purpose...he doesn't do that to impress people like you, he chooses not to hit a cymbal because it fits the song perfectly! He has always used this mentality, so what on earth makes you think he would never do that now? Whatever pattern he feels suits the song best is the pattern he will play...obviously In God's Country is one of the very few songs where he decides to do this..So to say you couldn't imagine him doing that now is kind of....illogical? idiotic? hmm...?

 

[asunder]

Hmm Rob, quick to pounce on people eh.. you like that in real life?

I meant that if they had written that song in the 2000's, then i doubt he would had approached it with the same creativity as he demonstrated back then.

 

[Rob33]

Hmm Rob, quick to pounce on people eh.. you like that in real life?

I meant that if they had written that song in the 2000's, then i doubt he would had approached it with the same creativity as he demonstrated back then.

ah, so you meant something a little more specific and coherent than what you originally said, and expected others to infer something that was unclear.....



and no, I'm not really "quick to pounce on people..." I was simply reading the thread at around the time you posted and replied...