SOE 25 - The Freakout

[CMIS]

Okay, now I am at the point where I just want a clean version of this. Sounding good, and I find myself wanting to hear the coda in better audio. I think that might be the part that makes this song.

 

[david]

The song is sick af.

 

[BVS]

Congratulations BVS! You have WON!



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[Northside]

The song is sick af.

Yeah.

I agree with the poster who said Blackout has "meat on the bones." I don't know if it will join the pantheon of U2 classics but I do think it's got staying power.

And it's going to make one hell of a concert opener on the E&I tour. Hell, I'll considered my ticket paid for right then...

 

[womanfish]

Yeah.

I agree with the poster who said Blackout has "meat on the bones." I don't know if it will join the pantheon of U2 classics but I do think it's got staying power.

And it's going to make one hell of a concert opener on the E&I tour. Hell, I'll considered my ticket paid for right then...

Open with The Blackout followed by Electric Co.

 

[lazarus]

And to be honest I probably should have left off Discotheque, that was a step too far. One of the best riffs in history.

Yes. You should have.

Because that's crazy talk.

Same with the people comparing this to Zoo Station.

The Blackout is a very listenable track but let's not get carried away.

 

[womanfish]

Yes. You should have.

Because that's crazy talk.

Same with the people comparing this to Zoo Station.

The Blackout is a very listenable track but let's not get carried away.

I still stand by BD. Never been wowed by it, enjoy it live, but would never seek it out to listen to. But it was great choice for a first single for them. Just not my cup of tea.

 

[Scorpionac]

Beautiful Day is a top 10 U2 track, IMO. One of their signature songs.

Sounding good, and I find myself wanting to hear the coda in better audio. I think that might be the part that makes this song.

Yeah, I am very curious to hear the ending clearly.

 

[Wide Awake n AZ]

I have zero love for Trump, but I really hope this whole record isn't about the guy and the state of world democracy.

The thing is every celebrity is talking about Trump, that's all you hear on the news, it's permeates every award show and is part and parcel of celebrity culture now. Bash Trump. Yeah, he's eminently bashable, but there's nothing remotely original or interesting to me about it...at least musically. I can't think of anything less compelling then U2 joining in on the pile on.

I disagree, but that is the beauty of music.

a whole sub-sub genre came out of Reagan's presidency. The 80's hardcore scene spawned a thousand bands with Reagan in their title, or songs, or album names, or inspiration.

Now, those bands were young and angry and in very different circumstance than U2. But Bruce Springsteen was also reacting to the Reagan era on Born in the USA. Neil Young was pretty old when Rockin' In The Free World, still a pretty beloved song, was dating itself by referencing 1000 points of light.

Because of the times...not just Trump, but the times for recording artists...I think a topic record rooted in the now could be interesting for a band that has often avoided the literal. Because they aren't going to sell 5 million anyway.

But U2 is not going to do a Trump record. I could envision, however, a more figurative statement of the times, about a world pulling away from any center/consensus, careening off to dangerous territory while its citizens seek confirmation of bias rather than useful information. That is also more than political...every argument seems to be based on fingertip-ready data, and we argue about the bias of the data. We have people who reject modern medicine/inoculation based upon discredited and flawed research and a belief that 97% of the medical world is on the take. Conspiracy theorists are more emboldened than ever, as they can share (often) flawed data, again, against the 98% that must be shills. What we are seeing is more than a US presidency issue...it's a social issue, where winning the argument is more important than being right. With all the information in the world at our fingertips, we seek confirmation rather than truth.

I think there is a hell of an album in there somewhere. But I don't think U2 made it.

 

[Wide Awake n AZ]

Same with the people comparing this to Zoo Station.

I think that is from an opening guitar lick, nothing more. I heard that and went "holy shit...this might be transformative good."

Then the song returned to mildly interesting with some decent ideas and about 8 too many woooahhs

 

[Scorpionac]

Funny, I kinda rolled my eyes at the opening bit. Sounded like a mix between The Miracle and EBTTRT - we've heard these sounds before.

 

[lazarus]

I still stand by BD. Never been wowed by it, enjoy it live, but would never seek it out to listen to. But it was great choice for a first single for them. Just not my cup of tea.

BD is lame. Like a computer was told to write a catchy U2 song for basics who couldn't handle the innovative genius of the previous 3 albums.

If The Fly is the sound of four men chopping down the Joshua Tree, Beautifui Day is the sound of four men putting a fake plant in the middle of a tasteful table setting.

At least Stuck is going for some kind of modern gospel thing and has a fucking sonic identity.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

As they say, to each their own.

Beautiful Day is a great song.

 

[CosmoKramer]

Beautiful Day is a wonderful song, top 20 easy and may be top 10 for me when it comes to U2 songs.

Discotheque has an amazing riff but some of those lyrics are dodgy as hell. We crucify Boots for talking about submarines and oil but Disco gets a pass on bubble gum and Lovey Dovey stuff.

Granted The rest of Boots lyrics are utter garbage, so don't anyone say I'm saying Boots is better than Disco...cause I'm not!!

 

[Axver]

BD is lame. Like a computer was told to write a catchy U2 song for basics who couldn't handle the innovative genius of the previous 3 albums.

If The Fly is the sound of four men chopping down the Joshua Tree, Beautifui Day is the sound of four men putting a fake plant in the middle of a tasteful table setting.

At least Stuck is going for some kind of modern gospel thing and has a fucking sonic identity.

I'm no lover of Beautiful Day, but to suggest Stuck has any meritorious qualities ahead of it is pure madness.

If EBW et al. are the sounds of a band glossing up a song in the hope of getting a hit in the current radio landscape, Stuck - even more than Beautiful Day - is the sound of a band doing that for 2000, and being just young enough and just not reviled enough to get that hit. It's hilarious how dated it sounds.

 

[BoyOnTheHorizon]

Beautiful Day is such a important song. It saved U2 and gave them 10 more years of stardom. It took them beyond the 2000s, on a era of world changing, and after the "dark years of" POP, Beautiful Day was a breath of fresh air. As much as people like 97-99 U2, that era was almost a ostracism period for them. There was so much going on music wise and U2 was deemed unecessary. Beautiful Day changed all that. It brought back that U2 quality of immersiveness yet epic and catchy ambience that was absent since Zooropa.
I love that period because it made U2 part of so many people adult lifes, everybody was into U2 again, not just the kids, but most people who still cared about music. Dont take BD importance for granted, it was a cultural hallmark of the early 2000s and a great, complete and fresh song.

 

[cseggleton]

3.1M Facebook views and 36K shares. Anyone know how this compares to other artist releasing / previewing songs this way?

 

[dan_smee]

Surely they can't think this is anything but a success. I have a niggling concern over the removal of the album info commitment in the Facebook post. There is no reason to remove it unless they are not going to do it. This means there are two scenarios, one far more likely than the other:
1. Something happened in the intervening 24 hours that has made them review their strategy. I can't think of anything that would do that that wouldn't also put the tour in jeopardy considering reaction to the song is overwhelmingly positive, and they have a clear and defined schedule.
2. They will release the whole thing on September 6 because it went so well, thus no longer needing an announcement. Far less likely though, because they have a clear strategy and schedule.

Of course, it could just be an oversight or an innocuous change. I doubt it though, because it had to be a conscious decision to remove it. It is important info in the post.

 

[ChargedVT]

Surely they can't think this is anything but a success. I have a niggling concern over the removal of the album info commitment in the Facebook post. There is no reason to remove it unless they are not going to do it. This means there are two scenarios, one far more likely than the other:
1. Something happened in the intervening 24 hours that has made them review their strategy. I can't think of anything that would do that that wouldn't also put the tour in jeopardy considering reaction to the song is overwhelmingly positive, and they have a clear and defined schedule.
2. They will release the whole thing on September 6 because it went so well, thus no longer needing an announcement. Far less likely though, because they have a clear strategy and schedule.

Of course, it could just be an oversight or an innocuous change. I doubt it though, because it had to be a conscious decision to remove it. It is important info in the post.

It still says that the first single will be out next week. If it were anything major involving the album's release like a delay then Best Thing would be getting shelved. But it's still happening. We tend to stress about U2 changing their minds going by past examples.

 

[Northside]

They're still committed to putting the lead single out next week. I wouldn't worry too much.

Their initial FB post was a little confusing. Some people (and at least one press outlet) misunderstood and thought they were sharing album news with the Blackout release. Is it possible they just wanted to clean up the post a bit?

 

[Mack_Again]

Funny, I kinda rolled my eyes at the opening bit. Sounded like a mix between The Miracle and EBTTRT - we've heard these sounds before.

only part where it sounds like EBTTRT was the Whammy-driven bit, dude.

 

[dan_smee]

I'm not sure I share the confidence. They are promoting their new album and telling people when they can get news, only to remove that exciting, well received and important info and not replace it with anything. They committed to the single, so it would be alarm bells if it was removed

 

[BoyOnTheHorizon]

only part where it sounds like EBTTRT was the Whammy-driven bit, dude.

There is also some All Because of You just after the EBTTRT bit...

 

[dan_smee]

There is also some All Because of You just after the EBTTRT bit...

That's a bit mean...

 

[PRB216]

3.1M Facebook views and 36K shares. Anyone know how this compares to other artist releasing / previewing songs this way?

It's pretty great for them and a strong showing but these aren't really newsworthy figures on their own.

Taylor Swift's lead single just debuted with two videos released in the last week and both already have a combined ~160 million Youtube views and broke a bunch of streaming records. U2 are well short of that reach.

And for what it's worth her song really sucks.

 

[dan_smee]

YouTube views and Facebook views aren't exactly a like for like, though not dissimilar enough to put a dent in that gap. Swift's song came out over a week ago though, and we are talking 36 hours for u2.

Facebook is a less accessible platform, and will have less people finding things in search, or having things promotes as popular videos etc.

It's pretty much impossible to draw any comparisons that have any meaning or value

 

[TinKnight]

God I love The Little Things That Give You Away.

It's fucking perfect. The first half is very contemporary and pop-y. I really love the chorus so much.

But the second half WRECKS me every time. It's falling while soaring. It's maybe the most vulnerable I've ever heard U2. It's scientifically constructed heartbreak.

 

[dan_smee]

God I love The Little Things That Give You Away.

It's fucking perfect. The first half is very contemporary and pop-y. I really love the chorus so much.

But the second half WRECKS me every time. It's falling while soaring. It's maybe the most vulnerable I've ever heard U2. It's scientifically constructed heartbreak.

This 100% - I can't understand why people aren't all over this.

 

[prbiker15]

Does anyone use TIDAL?

[TWEET]903475030285099009[/TWEET]
https://twitter.com/TIDALHiFi/status/903475030285099009

 

[shineon]

"Beautiful Day", while it did capture the attention of the public at large, is not one of the greats in the U2 catalog. The new song "The Blackout" feels culturally relevant as well as sonically interesting. Good on you, boys!