New Album to Rival Joshua Tree...so say's recording star

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Layton said:
Edge is a helluava alot better on HTDAAB than he is on JT. "One Tree Hill", "Red Hill Town": I have a hard time listening to his work on those songs, nowadays. All he had in his arsenal at the time was that ringing/chiming sound. He didn't know how to bring any choice licks, like say the ones from "In A Little While" or "Original Of The Species" to any of those songs. I swear he phoned in the guitar part to "Red Hill Town". When he falls out of bed in the morning, RHT's guitar is what the thump sounds like. It's the most predictable he's ever sounded.

I have to agree with this...Edge is better, as are the rest of the boys. JT is great, it's got that epic feel at the start, which the likes of Coldplay are salivating over and trying to duplicate on a regular basis. But really, HTDAAB is much tighter and direct.
 
Michael W. Smith co-wrote a song with Bono that didn't make HTDAAB, btw.... So it could be him.
 
starvinmarvin said:


I don't deny that Edge's guitar playing is better than it was during JT, but don't forget that the ringing, chiming sound was still new and innovative in 1987. And to diss his playing on Red Hill is just plain ignorant - when he does the D-to-G slide on the Bottom string in the verses :drool:

No way that sound was innovative in 1987. 1977 if you're lucky. It sounds to me like Edge didn't know what to bring to RHT. So he resorts to his predctable splashes of reverb for most of the song. One of his weaker creative efforts. As for OTH, he's mostly just bringing the chime again. Albeit, it's not as blatant a part of the song as his part on RHT. Of course, Bono rips off Springsteen at the end of OTH, but that's another strory. I can't help but think that OTH would've been better had Edge brought some of the tasty, bluesy licks he brings to OOTS. I'm not saying that chiming is all bad, I'm just saying that Edge doesn't need to rely on it so heavily these days. Since U2 are masters at emotional definition using whatever sound they choose, it gives their current music a deeper fullness than they've ever had before without losing any of the trademark U2 emotional intensity.
 
Layton said:


No way that sound was innovative in 1987. 1977 if you're lucky. It sounds to me like Edge didn't know what to bring to RHT. So he resorts to his predctable splashes of reverb for most of the song. One of his weaker creative efforts. As for OTH, he's mostly just bringing the chime again. Albeit, it's not as blatant a part of the song as his part on RHT. Of course, Bono rips off Springsteen at the end of OTH, but that's another strory. I can't help but think that OTH would've been better had Edge brought some of the tasty, bluesy licks he brings to OOTS. I'm not saying that chiming is all bad, I'm just saying that Edge doesn't need to rely on it so heavily these days. Since U2 are masters at emotional definition using whatever sound they choose, it gives their current music a deeper fullness than they've ever had before without losing any of the trademark U2 emotional intensity.

OK, to each his own, but I would hardly call RHMT one of Edge's "weaker efforts." The chiming guitar part fits the song to a tee. Would you prefer that he play barre chords instead, just like everyone else? I'd be surprised if many other people feel the way you do about RHMT.

Getting on Edge's case about playing his trademark chiming guitar style is a tad disengenious, if you ask me. That's like getting on Clapton's case for playing blues licks, or dissing Townshend for using power chords. It's the way he plays guitar, it's the unique style that he invented. Sometimes his playing didn't sound quite the same in the 90's, but that's because he was experimenting with his effects unit, and coming up with new sounds. But if you strip away the superficial effects his playing was pretty much the same as it was in the 80's.
 
starvinmarvin said:


OK, to each his own, but I would hardly call RHMT one of Edge's "weaker efforts." The chiming guitar part fits the song to a tee. Would you prefer that he play barre chords instead, just like everyone else? I'd be surprised if many other people feel the way you do about RHMT.

Getting on Edge's case about playing his trademark chiming guitar style is a tad disengenious, if you ask me. That's like getting on Clapton's case for playing blues licks, or dissing Townshend for using power chords. It's the way he plays guitar, it's the unique style that he invented. Sometimes his playing didn't sound quite the same in the 90's, but that's because he was experimenting with his effects unit, and coming up with new sounds. But if you strip away the superficial effects his playing was pretty much the same as it was in the 80's.


I agree.
it's like saying "oh, miles davis used a mute on this song TOO."
 
cmb737 said:
I am posting this information to try and pass on what to me was some very exciting news. Here goes:

I happen to be in a line of work where I come into contact with artists, producers, engineers that have access to and friendships with people who are very high up (if not all the way up) with U2. I have been told, first hand, by a very reliable source that is as close to one of the biggest recording artists in Nashville some information about some new tracks for the new album. This person told me that this recording artist heard 6 new tracks in the personal presence of Bono himself (who was dancing around singing along) and that in the opinion of this VERY well respected and famous artist...this new album will rival the Joshua Tree in every aspect. There is a possibility that U2 may very well pull out the best album of their career.

Again, I do not mean to be so vague...I just need to protect myself and the person that told me this. I really cannot elaborate more, so take it as you will...but as an 11 year U2 fan...I believe every word of what I was told.

Just thought we could all use a little pick me up...what with the winter email.

are you the edge :shifty:
 
starvinmarvin said:

Getting on Edge's case about playing his trademark chiming guitar style is a tad disengenious, if you ask me. That's like getting on Clapton's case for playing blues licks, or dissing Townshend for using power chords. It's the way he plays guitar, it's the unique style that he invented. Sometimes his playing didn't sound quite the same in the 90's, but that's because he was experimenting with his effects unit, and coming up with new sounds. But if you strip away the superficial effects his playing was pretty much the same as it was in the 80's.

I'm not really getting on Edge regarding the chiming. I'm just saying that I'm glad that he does so much more than chiming on HTDAAB. His arsenal has improved and it gives him more emotional options regarding how to approach a song. I suppose it also gives him more room to make mistakes, but this guy rarely makes mistakes of this kind. I think RHT and OTH could've benefited from Edge having more stylistic/emotional options at his disposal back then. As I've gotten older, some of U2's musical limitations in the '80's have become a little more bothersome to me.
 
Layton said:


I'm not really getting on Edge regarding the chiming. I'm just saying that I'm glad that he does so much more than chiming on HTDAAB. His arsenal has improved and it gives him more emotional options regarding how to approach a song. I suppose it also gives him more room to make mistakes, but this guy rarely makes mistakes of this kind. I think RHT and OTH could've benefited from Edge having more stylistic/emotional options at his disposal back then. As I've gotten older, some of U2's musical limitations in the '80's have become a little more bothersome to me.

I don't know, I don't think Edge's style has really changed very much since the 80's. Like I said before, the main difference between then and now is that he tends to use a lot of different effects, often more distorted and heavily processed sounds, whereas before he usually just stuck to the echoey reverb. But if you were to strip those effects away and simply handed him an electric guitar and a classic Fender amp his playing would sound virtually the same as it did on JT. I think the main difference between the u2 of the 80's and U2 today is the improvement in Larry and Adam's playing, which has allowed the band to try and succeed at experimenting with different styles of music.
 
starvinmarvin said:


I don't know, I don't think Edge's style has really changed very much since the 80's. Like I said before, the main difference between then and now is that he tends to use a lot of different effects, often more distorted and heavily processed sounds, whereas before he usually just stuck to the echoey reverb. But if you were to strip those effects away and simply handed him an electric guitar and a classic Fender amp his playing would sound virtually the same as it did on JT. I think the main difference between the u2 of the 80's and U2 today is the improvement in Larry and Adam's playing, which has allowed the band to try and succeed at experimenting with different styles of music.

Yeah, I see your point. I guess what I mean by his bigger arsenal is his bigger textural repertoir. I do think Edge is much more comfortable and better at using traditional rock (ABOY), blues (OOTS), and soul (SIAMYCGO) styles than he ever used to, these days. I think that's been a good development by and large. His feel for these styles is much better than before even though you're probably right in pointing out that his playing technique hasn't vastly changed over the years.
 
Layton said:


Yeah, I see your point. I guess what I mean by his bigger arsenal is his bigger textural repertoir. I do think Edge is much more comfortable and better at using traditional rock (ABOY), blues (OOTS), and soul (SIAMYCGO) styles than he ever used to, these days. I think that's been a good development by and large. His feel for these styles is much better than before even though you're probably right in pointing out that his playing technique hasn't vastly changed over the years.

Although I still believe that Edge's style has remained pretty much the same over the past 20 years, I agree with your point about Edge being more comfortable in a variety of styles. He always sounds like the Edge, but he sounds a little bit more willing to play things that he may have turned his nose up at earlier in his career - i.e. arena rock. I mean, the fact that straight ahead riff-rockers like Vertigo or All Because of You even EXIST says alot about his change in attitude.
 
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