lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
The reason there isn't going to be another band to pick up that mantle is because it's very unlikely another band will come along with both European and American sensibilities. U2 became the aberration that they are because they began as post-punks, hooked into to Eno's European experimental vibe, and then got turned onto American R&B and Blues. Who else will go follow that kind of roundabout path?
U2 grabbed inspiration from both sides of the Atlantic AGAIN in the 90's when they took grooves from hip-hop AND elements of industrial techno, as well as more experimental rock outfits like My Bloody Valentine.
The suggestion of lightweights like Coldplay make me laugh. A band like that with no balls and no soul (in the R&B sense) has no chance in hell of becoming 1/5 as big as U2. What propelled U2 into the stratosphere is that they learned not to take it too seriously and to shake their asses a bit. It's sadly something that will keep many bands from reaching that level.
Radiohead are brilliant, there's no doubt, and Thom Yorke can write a tremendously moving song when he wants to (Fake Plastic Trees, Let Down). But again, rock and roll without the R&B influence is too arty to reach the kind of mass appeal that U2 has. And as said before, Radiohead don't want it anyway.
Conversely, Dave Matthews Band clearly understands the black heritage of Rock and Roll, but they simply aren't artistic enough to ascend to the Pantheon of Rock. The Rolling Stones weren't necessarily that artistic, but they were also the first "dangerous" band and didn't need to. Pearl Jam was a good candidate because they had the "groove" and the artistic ambition to try different things. But both of the above bands really don't have any kind of European leanings. It's hard to think of American bands that DO, aside from The Velvet Underground. It's no coincidence that they're the only U.S. band that even gets mentioned among the best groups of all time. All the others are from the UK--The Who, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and the Stones are the big 5. R.E.M. is the only other candidate I can think of (heavily VU-influenced), but their peak popularity has long passed and won't return.
I'm rambling a bit, but I hope some of that makes sense.
laz
U2 grabbed inspiration from both sides of the Atlantic AGAIN in the 90's when they took grooves from hip-hop AND elements of industrial techno, as well as more experimental rock outfits like My Bloody Valentine.
The suggestion of lightweights like Coldplay make me laugh. A band like that with no balls and no soul (in the R&B sense) has no chance in hell of becoming 1/5 as big as U2. What propelled U2 into the stratosphere is that they learned not to take it too seriously and to shake their asses a bit. It's sadly something that will keep many bands from reaching that level.
Radiohead are brilliant, there's no doubt, and Thom Yorke can write a tremendously moving song when he wants to (Fake Plastic Trees, Let Down). But again, rock and roll without the R&B influence is too arty to reach the kind of mass appeal that U2 has. And as said before, Radiohead don't want it anyway.
Conversely, Dave Matthews Band clearly understands the black heritage of Rock and Roll, but they simply aren't artistic enough to ascend to the Pantheon of Rock. The Rolling Stones weren't necessarily that artistic, but they were also the first "dangerous" band and didn't need to. Pearl Jam was a good candidate because they had the "groove" and the artistic ambition to try different things. But both of the above bands really don't have any kind of European leanings. It's hard to think of American bands that DO, aside from The Velvet Underground. It's no coincidence that they're the only U.S. band that even gets mentioned among the best groups of all time. All the others are from the UK--The Who, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and the Stones are the big 5. R.E.M. is the only other candidate I can think of (heavily VU-influenced), but their peak popularity has long passed and won't return.
I'm rambling a bit, but I hope some of that makes sense.
laz
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p.s I love Muse
