onyourkneesboy
The Fly
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2004
- Messages
- 244
U2 now: Dare to read! And respond! (part 1)
Ok, first of: I LOVE this band, and have been loving this been for 20 years now and follow almost every step they make. That why I may sound rough and harsh on a lot of points. But that just because I care so much !!!
I’m aware that with this (after)review I may annoy a few people, but it’s the way how I hear this album after several months sinking in.
Well, here we go: One can hear U2 are now arrived stars. But they should beware of not becoming a huge “listen-how-much-big-hits-we-had-over-the-years”-act like the Rolling Stones and wanting to become everybody’s friend. The music tends to be thrown in the back-seat in favor of becoming the biggest band in the world. Let’s face it: IF they would do a GREATEST-HITS-tour now, it would be the SAME setlist as the Vertigo-tour!!! Look at all the singles played. It’s more likely that God would show up in the sky at a U2 show, than that U2 would play: In God’s Country, Acrobat, Please, Love Is Blindness, When I look At The World, The Unforgettable Fire, God II, Lemon, etc...The real fans would go bezerk and die on the spot from amazement!! But don’t worry, this will never happen... They just play the crowd-pleasers for 90%. There was always something special about U2 and they should guard that more. I’m sorry, but those are the facts.
Like the tour there’s not much guts on this album, they play it safe... And although Bono said they want to write and compose as a band again: they did not ! No wonder, Bono was hardly around in the studio. Did his parts afterwards. Edge was doing a lot of composing and mixing etc. on his own. One can really hear: once we have some spare time (apart from saving Africa, shaking hands with politicians, buying large houses, showing up at celeb-friends parties) we’ll write some songs for an album again. So they did not 100 % succeed to write an album remotely close to the quality like Achtung Baby.
They succeeded on 100% on Achtung Baby! Here on this album there was no clear goal, so all options were open. They hung around as a band. They fought with each other as a band. They talked as a band. And they were struggling as a band to find unknown territory. And they got there! Not to talk about Zooropa! Fantastic! Even POP! U2 very daring and pushing themselves. New ground, new styles. Even if you don’t like this period one must admit it was new. The listener had no clue what they would come up with, while waiting for this albums to be released. Afterwards these songs have the lasting power!
Nowadays with the ATYCLB/HTDAAB-album (era) you already know what to expect. Matured glossy familymen who have everything figured out in life and musically. Obviously they have no more goals and fantasy and are relying on the old U2 sound by lack of inspiration.
U2’s problem always has been: We want to ROCK! Come on guys, you are (thank God!) no Guns and Roses or Bon Jovi
(excuse me for swearing!)
I always thought U2 is at it’s best on, for them, unknown territory. Like the dance-influences, techno, funk and soul on Achtung Baby, Zooropa and POP! Listen how much percussion is used on AB compared to HTDAAB! AB swings, has hips and feet and sounds multi-dimensional!
HTDAAB therefore sounds one-dimensional and a lot of times flat. But that’s because they want to rock so much! Leave it be boys!! Boy, War, Unforgettable Fire, Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, Zooropa is not even close to rock but are your best albums/songs ever! Melodic Punk/New Wave/Outtaspace maybe, but not rock! It’s a sound better than rock!!! Bring some experimenting back in! Explore!
I’m not saying HTDAAB is crap but the amount of really great songs is to little. (Except for A Man And A Woman, Yahweh) Anyway, here’s how I hear the songs. It’s divided in + and – sections:
Vertigo
+: This seems to be THE rock-song U2 have been searching for all their career. And they found it! Great riff, simple, basic, uplifting, old-(Boy)U2 meets new (2004) U2!
-: ehm….
Conclusion: great rock-song!
Miracle Drug
+: The guitar-sound Edge uses in the chorus (“The songs are in…”) is nice, also the guitar-solo after “God I need you help tonight..” is great, very driving.
-: The song is to obvious, to flat and it’s mainly Larry and Edge’s fault. Especially in the choruses (“the songs are in…”) their style of playing is to straight-on and predictable: Edge hits his chords just straight-on! And Larry hits his more and more occurring break beats (Last Night On Earth, Gone, Beautiful Day, Walk On (live)) with cymbals to it.
It just doesn’t lift of, it’s stays down. Adam is not to inventive here either. And Bono’ s singing is not really adventurous. Also the “whoa’s, yeah’s..” in the midsection with Edge’s (bit cheesy) slide guitar makes this part sound lazy! Compare this to the midsection of Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses (..”the deeper I spin…the hunter will rise” etc..) Here they take you on a trip like if they’re painting a picture right on the spot for you. Beautiful! At the end of Miracle Drug the band is searching for an end and the song just “ends”! Not a lot happened…
Conclusion: Nice song but nothing more than that, it’s a to obvious sweet U2 song, so therefore to flat.
Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own
+: An early highlight on the album. The song is both sensitive and huge. I was positively surprised when on first listen I expected a huge chorus (“…and it’s you when I look in the mirror”) but instead they kept it very subtle and fragile with this falsetto-singing. Very original. Also it builds with a very nice bridge to a fantastic climax.
-: Maybe Edge’s guitar “hopping” between mainly 2 notes during the chorus (“…and it’s you when I look in the mirror”) is a little annoying. He could have thought of something a little more melodic.
Conclusion: Goose-bumps! A lot of things happening here. Very emotional. (in a good sense)
(more to come)
Ok, first of: I LOVE this band, and have been loving this been for 20 years now and follow almost every step they make. That why I may sound rough and harsh on a lot of points. But that just because I care so much !!!
I’m aware that with this (after)review I may annoy a few people, but it’s the way how I hear this album after several months sinking in.
Well, here we go: One can hear U2 are now arrived stars. But they should beware of not becoming a huge “listen-how-much-big-hits-we-had-over-the-years”-act like the Rolling Stones and wanting to become everybody’s friend. The music tends to be thrown in the back-seat in favor of becoming the biggest band in the world. Let’s face it: IF they would do a GREATEST-HITS-tour now, it would be the SAME setlist as the Vertigo-tour!!! Look at all the singles played. It’s more likely that God would show up in the sky at a U2 show, than that U2 would play: In God’s Country, Acrobat, Please, Love Is Blindness, When I look At The World, The Unforgettable Fire, God II, Lemon, etc...The real fans would go bezerk and die on the spot from amazement!! But don’t worry, this will never happen... They just play the crowd-pleasers for 90%. There was always something special about U2 and they should guard that more. I’m sorry, but those are the facts.
Like the tour there’s not much guts on this album, they play it safe... And although Bono said they want to write and compose as a band again: they did not ! No wonder, Bono was hardly around in the studio. Did his parts afterwards. Edge was doing a lot of composing and mixing etc. on his own. One can really hear: once we have some spare time (apart from saving Africa, shaking hands with politicians, buying large houses, showing up at celeb-friends parties) we’ll write some songs for an album again. So they did not 100 % succeed to write an album remotely close to the quality like Achtung Baby.
They succeeded on 100% on Achtung Baby! Here on this album there was no clear goal, so all options were open. They hung around as a band. They fought with each other as a band. They talked as a band. And they were struggling as a band to find unknown territory. And they got there! Not to talk about Zooropa! Fantastic! Even POP! U2 very daring and pushing themselves. New ground, new styles. Even if you don’t like this period one must admit it was new. The listener had no clue what they would come up with, while waiting for this albums to be released. Afterwards these songs have the lasting power!
Nowadays with the ATYCLB/HTDAAB-album (era) you already know what to expect. Matured glossy familymen who have everything figured out in life and musically. Obviously they have no more goals and fantasy and are relying on the old U2 sound by lack of inspiration.
U2’s problem always has been: We want to ROCK! Come on guys, you are (thank God!) no Guns and Roses or Bon Jovi
(excuse me for swearing!) I always thought U2 is at it’s best on, for them, unknown territory. Like the dance-influences, techno, funk and soul on Achtung Baby, Zooropa and POP! Listen how much percussion is used on AB compared to HTDAAB! AB swings, has hips and feet and sounds multi-dimensional!
HTDAAB therefore sounds one-dimensional and a lot of times flat. But that’s because they want to rock so much! Leave it be boys!! Boy, War, Unforgettable Fire, Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, Zooropa is not even close to rock but are your best albums/songs ever! Melodic Punk/New Wave/Outtaspace maybe, but not rock! It’s a sound better than rock!!! Bring some experimenting back in! Explore!
I’m not saying HTDAAB is crap but the amount of really great songs is to little. (Except for A Man And A Woman, Yahweh) Anyway, here’s how I hear the songs. It’s divided in + and – sections:
Vertigo
+: This seems to be THE rock-song U2 have been searching for all their career. And they found it! Great riff, simple, basic, uplifting, old-(Boy)U2 meets new (2004) U2!
-: ehm….
Conclusion: great rock-song!
Miracle Drug
+: The guitar-sound Edge uses in the chorus (“The songs are in…”) is nice, also the guitar-solo after “God I need you help tonight..” is great, very driving.
-: The song is to obvious, to flat and it’s mainly Larry and Edge’s fault. Especially in the choruses (“the songs are in…”) their style of playing is to straight-on and predictable: Edge hits his chords just straight-on! And Larry hits his more and more occurring break beats (Last Night On Earth, Gone, Beautiful Day, Walk On (live)) with cymbals to it.
It just doesn’t lift of, it’s stays down. Adam is not to inventive here either. And Bono’ s singing is not really adventurous. Also the “whoa’s, yeah’s..” in the midsection with Edge’s (bit cheesy) slide guitar makes this part sound lazy! Compare this to the midsection of Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses (..”the deeper I spin…the hunter will rise” etc..) Here they take you on a trip like if they’re painting a picture right on the spot for you. Beautiful! At the end of Miracle Drug the band is searching for an end and the song just “ends”! Not a lot happened…
Conclusion: Nice song but nothing more than that, it’s a to obvious sweet U2 song, so therefore to flat.
Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own
+: An early highlight on the album. The song is both sensitive and huge. I was positively surprised when on first listen I expected a huge chorus (“…and it’s you when I look in the mirror”) but instead they kept it very subtle and fragile with this falsetto-singing. Very original. Also it builds with a very nice bridge to a fantastic climax.
-: Maybe Edge’s guitar “hopping” between mainly 2 notes during the chorus (“…and it’s you when I look in the mirror”) is a little annoying. He could have thought of something a little more melodic.
Conclusion: Goose-bumps! A lot of things happening here. Very emotional. (in a good sense)
(more to come)
I'll just have to concentrate on the vocals instead!
