U2 Fans

[Palace_Hero]

I am starting to become disillusioned with this place. Not due to 'negativity' or whatever some are upset about, but the crusade against it.

There are a large number of inhabitants on this board that cannot;

1) Accept criticism of the new album.
2) Prevent themselves from knocking any other bands, modern or a bit older... popular or more indie.
3) Criticize the band themselves.

There just seems to be an awful lot of blind faith happening here. If a reviewer says the album isn't up to JT or AB and that it isn't dynamic enough, IMMEDIATELY they are condemned as being a U2 basher, or their review is brushed aside because they weren't 'constructive' (i.e. "Bono doesn't sound his best, but that is still better than ANYONE ELSE ALIVE TODAY BECOZ HE IZ TEH BEST0RZ SINGE r EVARFRR~~1!!). Give it a rest.

Another thing I noticed was the criticism of other bands. I never see other music being embraced. Someone called the Strokes a just a hype band from a couple of years ago... HA! They are one of the best bands going around, and Room on Fire is easily on a par with Hut Dab.

For that matter, so is 'Final Straw' by Snow Patrol and 'A Grand Don't Come For Free' by The Streets. But I imagine someone will just quickly laugh that off as dull and poor songwriting, because it could never stand up to the musical and lyrical genius of 'When Love Comes to Town'.

Ugh, and finally, I'm sick of people being unable to see the faults in the new album. Apparently Bono looks and sounds as good as ever, Larry keeps this album together (well I guess boring drumming is better than none at all... is it?) and ABOY is 'raw'. But if someone says 'A Man and A Woman' doesn't do it for them, we must all start numerous 'NO MORE NEGATIVITY PLZZ' threads.

Ach, I'm just getting fed up with some of the unreasonable attitudes on here. I come here for 2 reasons, U2, and to read some intelligent and passionate opinions on the band. This means (relatively) objective posts and DISCUSSION. What we are getting now is collective ejaculation. I understand Jick's posting, he's almost like an ironic genius that I believe is brought on by what I am describing. There are a lot of good apples however, who strike me as being staples of the board. Hopefully in time as the new album hype dies down, a lot of the shit on here will be filtered away.

In conclusion, I'd like to note... I love the new album and could listen to 5-6 songs for the rest of my life. So don't think I am making this post just because I don't like the album and my opinion differs from the majority.

I am very tired.

 

[discothequeLP]

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwhhhhhhhhhhhhhhoooooo CARES?!?!

 

[Palace_Hero]

Fantastic response.

 

[discothequeLP]

certainly what you wanted to hear. . . but seriously. Everyone has their own opinion and are entitled to it. And, I guess you gotta take alot of people's posts with a grain of salt. Some people are just posting to be funny (like my previous post) and of course exaggerations are the key to humor (Jick, anyone? )



Anyways, we're all here because we love U2, and we can say whatever we want about this album and that song, but in the end, we know that U2 is the best band in the world. I don't know how you can call an Interference.com member a "U2 basher" when they're obviously fans of the band.



But I don't really see the faults in the album! I mean, it's a great record, up there with AB (Joshua Tree is untouchable) and the songs aren't "memorable" yet because we haven't seen them live, in concert, with the whole "U2-show" aura going on, where songs tend to make themselves spectacular. I mean, after my first few listens to JT, I didn't think WoWY was THAT good, but after seeing Rattle and Hum I thought, wow, this is the best U2 song i've ever heard! (this was before i'd heard Lemon or gotten into Bad).




Anyways, I think most of us know that this album is probably the most important and best U2 album since AB. And, seriously, I don't think any other band can even hold a candle to U2 right now. NO ONE is this big!

 

[alexvilagosh]

I agree with everything you just said Palace... EVERYTHING!

A Grand Don't Come For Free, album of 2004. Really, it is. Seeing Mike at a festival in January, and I cannot wait.

 

[Hoodlem]

I agree with a lot of what Hero said. A discussion board is for discussing the exact topics that are being condemed as "negative." Some people LOVE the new album, some LIKE it, others CAN'T STAND it and feel U2 has lost there way. No opinion is more valid than another. It is great to have this free flow of thought and information through the internet, but it means that we might be exposed to ideas and thoughts that are different to our own. I think this exchange of ideas is healthy. When I read someone elses ideas it does not offend me because I understand that I can still feel however I want. I like knowing what other people really think.

It is fine to disagree with someone about how they feel and express your own feelings, but it is not right to ask people who do not share your opinion to not express their own. Lets just be a little more grown up about this.

I love the new album by the way...and it is interesting to find out why other people dont feel the same.

 

[Palace_Hero]

Unfortunately I lost ym long response. Let me just thank you for 3 top responses and for understanding what I'm trying to say.

U2 are the best band in the world, I don't doubt that, but that is no reason to not kick the shit out of their music to make sure it is strong enough to live up to their reputation.

And Alex, I am also seeing Mike at the Big Day Out in January. I'm counting the days.

 

[indra]

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwhhhhhhhhhhhhhhoooooo CARES?!?!

Obviously there are people who do care, as some people keep commenting that they are jumped on for saying anything considered remotely critical of U2 or this CD (or any U2 CD). Having said that, there are some obnoxiously critical people who post here, but those people are everywhere in this world...a pity, but true.

When I listen to an album I like to sit back, close my eyes and let the music take away. For me it is first a real visceral experience, and then it begins to stimulate my mind the more I get into it. I might look over the lyrics (if they are provided), but I don't study them. And for me, if the music pleases me, it's good, if it doesn't it's bad. And my way works great for me and I enjoy it immensly.

But my way is not great for everyone. There are people who love to analyse every single song, note by note, or memorize every single word to every song within a week, and people who love to try to figure out exactly what equipment was used to make what sounds, and people who love to decipher the production techniques.

I don't think that the different ways we listen to and react to the music make any of us lesser or greater fans -- just different.

 

[Rinn]

I have to say that I've become a deaf fan. I love it all simply because it's U2.

But, when I heard that this was going to be really rock and roll I thought that I was going to be bouncing off the walls.

I thought it was going to be less God orientated (what's with the Yaweh stuff?). But I was wrong and I still love the album. Meh......Gotta love them anyway.

Cheers

 

[Lisa71]

To me, it is all about opinions. Some people see faults where others see only good. Who is really right and wrong in the arugment? I happen to like the new record but I don't think it means I'm a blind believer and see only good. I have seen faults on other records( I don't like Pop or Zooropa much)and some faults on songs on this record (One Step Closer) but it's what I SEE. It may not be a bad thing to someone else. It's about a matter of taste, as I said in a similiar thread.

I respect people that have a different view of things as long as both sides can be nice and not get personal. I think that's where some of the problems have come up. People are getting way too personal. Taste is a personal thing and everyone's gotta remember that. There are some people here that don't like the record and feel like we should all agree with them. There are also people here who love Pop or Zooropa or even JT and others don't. Why isn't that okay? There is no proving what record is good or bad it's just about what each person thinks is good or bad. In the end, U2 put out a record that they clearly like and I don't think there's anything wrong with loving it or hating it. We just have to remember it's all about opinion here and not a fact.

 

[Axver]

Easy step to stop all disputes and fighting on the fora: agree with Axver all the time.

 

[ramblin rose]

The problem is not critizing U2, the music or anything else about them. That's done here everyday.

But you have to differentiate that, with the criticism that is stated as fact or the blatant generalizations that usually come with a lot of the criticisms which then begins the bashing.

Personally, I very much dislike George Bush and do not personally care for ATYCLB. But I don't then go around saying that because you like ATYCLB are a fucking moron who must have voted for him and must be tone deaf or have no taste in music. That was a lot a what was going on with a lot of the recent HTDAAB bashing.

You might not want to admit it but if you read most of the more heated threads they all started with opinions stated as fact with follow-up personal attacks against a wide population of people.

I don't want to see an all positive board either, its boring, but I prefer that to what I had seen over the last few days honestly.

 

[djerdap]

I completely agree with everything you said. But I can't stand people who bash the new album in some thread where the topic is something completely else, just to provoke the fans. And do so repeatedly.

 

[Palace_Hero]

FOR FUCKS SAKE.

Why did I get all the sensible people replying.

 

[Dutch Partygirl]

I do agree with most things you say, but I don't completely agree with the stuff you said about people bashing other bands. I don't read all the topics in every department, but in the Bang And Clatter department there's a lot of people praising other bands. Of course there's discussion because not everybody's got the same taste, but most of the time it's a reasonable discussion...

 

[Popmartijn]

Apart from calling How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (or HTDAAB if you like acronyms) 'Hut Dab' I completely feel the same as you wrote it.
Saves me from making it a journal entry myself.

C ya!

Marty

 

[U2girl]

I am starting to become disillusioned with this place. Not due to 'negativity' or whatever some are upset about, but the crusade against it.

There are a large number of inhabitants on this board that cannot;

1) Accept criticism of the new album.
2) Prevent themselves from knocking any other bands, modern or a bit older... popular or more indie.
3) Criticize the band themselves.

There just seems to be an awful lot of blind faith happening here. If a reviewer says the album isn't up to JT or AB and that it isn't dynamic enough, IMMEDIATELY they are condemned as being a U2 basher, or their review is brushed aside because they weren't 'constructive' (i.e. "Bono doesn't sound his best, but that is still better than ANYONE ELSE ALIVE TODAY BECOZ HE IZ TEH BEST0RZ SINGE r EVARFRR~~1!!). Give it a rest.

Another thing I noticed was the criticism of other bands. I never see other music being embraced. Someone called the Strokes a just a hype band from a couple of years ago... HA! They are one of the best bands going around, and Room on Fire is easily on a par with Hut Dab.

For that matter, so is 'Final Straw' by Snow Patrol and 'A Grand Don't Come For Free' by The Streets. But I imagine someone will just quickly laugh that off as dull and poor songwriting, because it could never stand up to the musical and lyrical genius of 'When Love Comes to Town'.

Ugh, and finally, I'm sick of people being unable to see the faults in the new album. Apparently Bono looks and sounds as good as ever, Larry keeps this album together (well I guess boring drumming is better than none at all... is it?) and ABOY is 'raw'. But if someone says 'A Man and A Woman' doesn't do it for them, we must all start numerous 'NO MORE NEGATIVITY PLZZ' threads.

Ach, I'm just getting fed up with some of the unreasonable attitudes on here. I come here for 2 reasons, U2, and to read some intelligent and passionate opinions on the band. This means (relatively) objective posts and DISCUSSION. What we are getting now is collective ejaculation. I understand Jick's posting, he's almost like an ironic genius that I believe is brought on by what I am describing. There are a lot of good apples however, who strike me as being staples of the board. Hopefully in time as the new album hype dies down, a lot of the shit on here will be filtered away.

In conclusion, I'd like to note... I love the new album and could listen to 5-6 songs for the rest of my life. So don't think I am making this post just because I don't like the album and my opinion differs from the majority.

I am very tired.

1) Saying "the album sucks", "U2 is dead", "I hate it" over and over and over again all over several threads all over the board is not critisism. It's bashing. As is "U2 since 2000 blows". We can discuss things past the frustrated teenager level.

2) Never did that, though I will say that I don't like The Darkness, reasons for which I explained in another thread.

3) I did critisize the band's work, especially some of the 90's output.

I don't think anyone got bashed for saying HTDAAB is not up to par with JT and AB (but people who liked ATYCLB and/or HTDAAB get bashed on a regular basis) or saying it's not their best, but people get upset with the no. 1) point kind or arguments. Also, the "only real fans like this" thing is getting very old, regardless of the album in question.

Yes, and I say again, Strokes to me are just one of the huge amounts of "the" bands who was/is in at the moment. Who knows what will happen in 2,3 years? Someone/something else will be the big thing then.

As for jick, he is balance to the U2_Guy, rhjbonovox, ponkine of the board.

 

[U2Kitten]

Re: Re: U2 Fans

1) Saying "the album sucks", "U2 is dead", "I hate it" over and over and over again all over several threads all over the board is not critisism. It's bashing. As is "U2 since 2000 blows". We can discuss things past the frustrated teenager level.

Right. I think some people haven't been here long enough to see how long this has been going on, and mostly by the same handful of people. It becomes irritating.

One thing Saracene brought up in the now closed thread I wanted to address is that if you bash ATYCLB or HTDAAB, you get taken up for, but if anyone bashed Pop or Zooropa, they got jumped on for being 'closed minded' and 'stupid.' People repeatedly said 'we KNOW already, stop it, you're just getting on everyone's nerves.' However, if you bash the newer stuff, you somehow have 'a right to your opinion' and we must endure thread after thread of the same identical rhetoric. When is it going to reach the point where we can also say that about them too, 'okay, we KNOW already, and you're getting on everyone's nerves?'

It's NOT that anyone thinks U2 is perfect, or that we're blind followers, or that we don't want to hear anything negative. There are a lot of songs by U2 I don't like either. It's that it's the SAME redundant arguments OVER and OVER again that makes you want to

And if anyone is going to continue to say they have a right to their opinion and can continue to go on and on about it endlessly anyway, I will continue to post this, endlessly as well

 

[Saracene]

I've no problems with negative attitudes towards U2 albums or U2 in general. But what sometimes comes with it is people making sweeping generalisations about other people who do not happen to share their particular criticisms. This "you don't agree with my criticism of the band therefore you must be a mindless lemming" attitude is just as bad IMO as "you don't love every second on the new U2 album therefore you must be a basher" attitude.

And as for objectivity, I'm not sure if any post on the album can be considered "objective" or even relatively objective when music in general is so entirely subjective. I can't see why a more negative opinion is so often considered to be as somehow being more objective than a positive one.