Alisaura said:
I was just thinking today that Adam's bass playing went up a notch from AB onwards.
I am a very beginner bass player and all the tabs I have are from JT or earlier, cos they're relatively straightforward. (WOWY, anyone?) I don't have tabs for all those earlier songs, I'm just saying the tabs I do have are all from the 80s. Without listening to all the songs right now, I can't say for sure that there aren't some very complex bass lines in War that I wouldn't have a hope of repeating.
I'm also re-reading "U2 at the End of the World" again, especially the part where it all nearly fell apart in Berlin and one of them said something about Adam working on the personality of his bass playing. And listening to Pop today, there's a HUGE difference between how he plays on that, and how he played in the 80s (to my admittedly fallible memory). In Pop he is kicking arse all over the place, bass-wise. It's magnificent. 
Slightly back on-topic, I love watching Adam in R&H. 
I guess I should pay more attention to Larry when I watch it next....
Adam did spend a year or two taking lessons with a fairly respected bass teacher and player between Zooropa and Pop. (Passenger's not technically a "U2" album. ) He would be given "monster" exercises, and would have them down in a week. The instructor is a big fan of Jaco Pastorius, as well as much more respected bass players, so I'm guessing when he says 'monster' exercises, it's not simple scale exercises.
Larry also spent some time working with a drumming instructor around the same time period.
I've read that the more "seasoned" a musician gets, the more he/she tends to play the song, not the instrument. Technique is great, but making music, it's not brain surgery, it's an art. The instrument gymnastics are fun to watch but that's not really what U2 is about. "Guitar Olympics" as Edge refers to it, won't deny it's cool to watch, but I like to enjoy a song too. Busy playing sometimes kinda distracts from the whole, like say, heavy metal. IMO. Heavy metal musicians, a lot are virtuosos, but I don't get any "feel" from what they play.
Besides, it's really only in Jazz and a few other genres that bass is really important, makes sense that many of the top bassists, play Jazz.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=287168
Drummers too, the Jazz drummers, only a few genres where it's not all about the guitar and singing. (no offense to Bono and Edge)
I love Larry's playing on God Part 2!
Larry's drumming was superb on October/War in particular. His little semi-solo in Rejoice! If Larry could still drum like that today... And Adam was just fantastic on Boy and War.
" around here to keep people from taking us dead seriously. Larry's not a bad drummer. He gets the job done. Of course he was better when he was younger, but that goes for any performer. I didn't mean to imply that he was absolute crap now, because he isn't.
