Pop appreciation

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Cool thanks for this thread!! I just love pop so much! Especially Britney and Christina but Avril rocks so hard!! I'm so sad that N'Sync and Backstreet Boys and O Town seem to have broken up but at least we have Justin's solo career! Pop is the greatest!
 
I agree with jick except for that I don't think it was the best album of 1997 and that it shouldn't have won a grammy
still a good album though


(to say that "Mofo pisses on anything that was released during the apparent burst of "electronica" into the public conscience in 1997" is a bit weird IMO though since - even though that song is one of my favourite U2 songs - it's pretty much U2 trying to sound like Underworld)
 
Salome said:
I agree with jick except for that I don't think it was the best album of 1997 and that it shouldn't have won a grammy
still a good album though


(to say that "Mofo pisses on anything that was released during the apparent burst of "electronica" into the public conscience in 1997" is a bit weird IMO though since - even though that song is one of my favourite U2 songs - it's pretty much U2 trying to sound like Underworld)

What could have tipped the scales and made POP not the best album of 1997? I just want to remind you that the Best Of 1980-1990 was released in 1998, not 1997, while ATYCLB was also not released in 1997. I can't think of any 1997 album that is a better listen than Pop.

Cheers,

J
 
Moonlit_Angel said:


:yes:. I was listening to this album this morning, and the lyrics at the end of that song in particular just really hit me. Same with "Wake Up Dead Man". I can really relate to those two songs.

"If God Will Send His Angels" is one of my personal favorite U2 songs ever-like you said, the way Bono sings it is just incredible, and moving...

This album's definitely in my top 5 out of these guys' albums. Like Angela Harlem said, there's not a song off of there I don't like. "Miami" is one funky little tune, "Do You Feel Loved?" has some of the sexiest lyrics ever, "Staring At The Sun" is all-around great (love the guitar in it, the lyrics)...yeah, this whole album kicks butt.

Angela

Yes, yes, yes!
I must also profess my deep love of the Playboy Mansion too. While considered poor by many fans, I played it after a loooong drought a while ago and fell in love with it all over again.

But yes, the whole album. It's weird because I agree with the detractors completely that it probably is one of U2's worst albums, it lacks a lot in terms of what we have become accustomed to with them, but for some reason....I can't get enough of it.
 
Angela Harlem said:


Yes, yes, yes!
I must also profess my deep love of the Playboy Mansion too. While considered poor by many fans, I played it after a loooong drought a while ago and fell in love with it all over again.

But yes, the whole album. It's weird because I agree with the detractors completely that it probably is one of U2's worst albums, it lacks a lot in terms of what we have become accustomed to with them, but for some reason....I can't get enough of it.

I, too, love Playboy Mansion. It sure is one of the few bright spots in the POP album.

Cheers,

J
 
Angela Harlem said:
Yes, yes, yes!
I must also profess my deep love of the Playboy Mansion too. While considered poor by many fans, I played it after a loooong drought a while ago and fell in love with it all over again.

:yes:. "The Playboy Mansion" is a great song, too. I think one reason why I love this album so much is because I love the way these songs are sung-that's the main reason why I like "The Playboy Mansion". The way the latter part of the song in particular is sung in particular is cool.

Originally posted by Angela Harlem
But yes, the whole album. It's weird because I agree with the detractors completely that it probably is one of U2's worst albums, it lacks a lot in terms of what we have become accustomed to with them, but for some reason....I can't get enough of it.

I would agree with those who don't care for it on the "worst album" bit in the sense that sales-wise, yeah, it didn't do anywhere near as well as some of their other albums have.

But as far as the whole thing about what we've become accustomed to with them...I don't know if I'd agree. I mean, U2's done so many different things with their music...is there really any set thing that they'd normally done that wasn't apparent here?

Eh, anywho...yeah, this is just a really, really great album.

Angela
 
StlElevation said:
POP is my favorite album. Completeness in Incompleteness

:up:

the chronological order of my fandom...

7 years old... joshua tree made me take notice...
11 years old... achtung baby made me a fan...
13 years old... zooropa made me a big fan...
17 years old... pop made me the obsesive psychotic fanatic you see before you today...
20 years old... atyclb makes obsessive psychotic fanaticisim even worse :crazy:
23 years old... checking for updates re: new album every 5 minutes :coocoo:
 
Last edited:
Beli you're right! I have that DVD with that Mofo song it's better than the one on that album. Can you tell me which Mofo remix that is?
 
Last edited:
Mofo is actually U2 proving that they could do what Underworld/Prodigy/Chemical Bros. were up to around then - yet far far surpassing anything any of those bands produced for sheer intensity and emotional substance. It's one of U2s most spectacularly successful tracks, every single note and beat as clear as a bell yet coalescing into an awesome wall of sound...

And it was even better live!

The whole album is about as near to perfect as it gets as far as balancing experimentation with quality tunes and songwriting. I was actually pretty pissed off with the lads for dissing it so badly around the time of the Best Of 1990-2000, then releasing those crappy re-mixed versions instead... Staring at the Sun was particularly badly butchered as was Discotheque...

Anyway, I'll always love Pop. I love ATYCLB as well but in a different way, more because of the sheer quality and emotional punch of the songwriting and - it's nowhere near as exhilarating an experience sound-wise to listen to as Pop is. Hopefully U2 will find some way of blending the two for the new record!
 
beli said:
I think its just Live in somewhere or other (Mexico?) I will have a look today. Theres people here who are much more knowledgable(sp?) then me.

No, it's a remix I'm sure. I'd like to know as well...
 
I've developed a new appreciation for Pop. Not so much the album or the music, but the colors, the flashiness, the rediculousness. I'm going to decorate my room next year in POP - I'm collecting bright, colorful Pop posters and such. I just like the whole concept of Pop and the way U2 completely changed their looks and attitudes and everything was crazy and over the top.
 
I thought Discotheque was a silly throwaway song and didn't care for Staring At The Sun so much, so this is when I kind of drifted away from U2. Got back into them with All That You Can't Leave Behind, though. Have been going through some of Pop's song's lately. Still like Discotheque, think Please is a very interesting song and video and think If God Will Send His Angels is pretty good too. Maybe I'll buy the CD soon...
 
MrBTH said:
And it was even better live!

The Sarajevo performance is just AMAZING. No words can describe just how great that is.
 
MrBTH said:
Mofo is actually U2 proving that they could do what Underworld/Prodigy/Chemical Bros. were up to around then - yet far far surpassing anything any of those bands produced for sheer intensity and emotional substance. It's one of U2s most spectacularly successful tracks, every single note and beat as clear as a bell yet coalescing into an awesome wall of sound...

And it was even better live!

The whole album is about as near to perfect as it gets as far as balancing experimentation with quality tunes and songwriting. I was actually pretty pissed off with the lads for dissing it so badly around the time of the Best Of 1990-2000, then releasing those crappy re-mixed versions instead... Staring at the Sun was particularly badly butchered as was Discotheque...


If you wanna talk about butchered Staring At The Sun and Discotheque, check out their versions in the first leg of Popmart, especially opening night where they virtually butchered everything. They actually did an oversimplified version of Staring At The Sun - disguising it as a "stripped down" version when in fact it was a "the-full-band-just-can't-get-it-right-so-let's-do-this-instead" version.

The Best Of 1990-2000 remixes may have been bad to some but they were actually an improvement in the ears of U2 because they thought the original album versions were not right. So counting the single versions, and the rumor that Playboy Mansion was remixed also as an accompanying track to THTBA single (which was never released) - then we virtually have the entire POP album remixed. It was always U2's goal to "finish" Pop anyway.

Cheers,

J
 
I've always felt that the 'unfinishedness' of POP kind of lent a punk sensability to an otherwise polished off album - so in that sense, to me, it's like Techno Punk. Gritty and flashy at the same time.
 
Well said...everyone...for me I think this was U2 at their (someone else said) "dirtiest"...or nastiest. See "I'm Not Your Baby" w/ Sinead O'conner as proof positive that the beats were going off around this time...as well as the b-side "Holy Joe"; "...closer than ever to everybody's wife..." Classic. "Big Girls are Best" also recorded around this time and later to appear as a ATYCLB b-side is a fun romp. But the QUESTION is...the REAL question is...what does it mean to "go driving in that pool"?
 
ryanu23 said:
Well said...everyone...for me I think this was U2 at their (someone else said) "dirtiest"...or nastiest. See "I'm Not Your Baby" w/ Sinead O'conner as proof positive that the beats were going off around this time...as well as the b-side "Holy Joe"; "...closer than ever to everybody's wife..." Classic. "Big Girls are Best" also recorded around this time and later to appear as a ATYCLB b-side is a fun romp. But the QUESTION is...the REAL question is...what does it mean to "go driving in that pool"?

I always thought it meant gene pool
 
I'm currently rediscovering Pop. When I first heard it my aunt gave it to me in like 1997 or 1998 and i was like 13ish so i didn't hear what anyone else said about the album! I loved it, especially the first 3 tracks.

I always kinda liked the rest of the album. I think when i heard people dissed it, it kinda made me forget about it except for disco, dyfl and mofo.

I discoevered Gone for what it REALLY is when i bought Boston on DVD and saw it live. Then i payed attention to it and the rest of the album alot more. I let me friend borrow it for like 7 months and only listened to what was on best of.

Then Best of dvd came out and saw Please and LAst night on earth and appreciated them more!

I got the cd back yesterday and listened to it aboyut 2-3 times!

It rocks!!!! U2 at its grittiest lyrics and most experimental sounds! U2 sound best when they don't exactly know what they're doing!

anyway love the cd, all tracks are great if you give them a fair listen. I think too many people listene to POP or ignored it because of preconceived notions and closed minds.
 
I always had a soft spot for Discotheque and it's chorus. I wanna be the song.. the song that you hear in youuuur head.

I even liked Miami.
 
My co-workers decorated my cube in a POP theme for my birthday a few months ago. I happen to have POP already in my cd player and they had the lights out when I came in. With a multi color disco ball and strobe lights / pictures printed off the net, it was really :cool: Wonder how they knew I was such a U2fan..!!:der:
I even got the War cd and a book. That was a Great birthday, day. :happy:
 
sue4u2 said:
My co-workers decorated my cube in a POP theme for my birthday a few months ago. I happen to have POP already in my cd player and they had the lights out when I came in. With a multi color disco ball and strobe lights / pictures printed off the net, it was really :cool: Wonder how they knew I was such a U2fan..!!:der:
I even got the War cd and a book. That was a Great birthday, day. :happy:

LOL, aw, that's so cool! And sweet. :).

Angela
 
Back
Top Bottom