What IS Rattle & Hum about?

[Schmeg]

hmmm...

If you were a teenager in 1987/8, and I was, you either liked U2, REM, INXS, and those types of bands (can't think of who else was around back then) OR you liked the wild heavy metal boys.

Every single person I was friends with and that my older brother was friends with listened to heavy metal and not U2 and the other bands so it was very easy to not like them. But I did have a mind of my own and I could choose for myself who to listen to and I still didn't like U2. I loved INXS but the rest of it sucked. U2 was in your face all of the time and it got old.

That's all I want to say because U2 is the most important music that has ever been in my life. I would be lost without them.

The last half of 2001 and the first half of 2002 were unbelievable shitty for me for various reasons. Seeing them in October got me through the bad stuff; it was the first time and the last time for a few months that I actually felt something besides numbness and sadness. I don't know where I'd be now if I hadn't gone to that show, and it's really scary to think of what might have happened.

I ALWAYS liked U2 songs; I knew all the words to the overplayed 80's radio songs and I was only 8 when The Joshua Tree came out. I remember my dad had War and JT, and he liked only good music, so U2 must be good. I didn't connect the 80's songs to the 90's songs until my room mate introduced me to the 90's album in college. I was like, DUH! How did I not KNOW THIS? And the rest is history...

Actual R&H Question: I read a post awhile back that said Edge unplugs Bono's guitar at some point during the movie. Does anyone know what scene this is? During All Along the Watchtower, Edge plays with some buttons and my brother insists this is the part, but I don't think so. Thanks!

 

[IWasBored]

unplugs it? why?

 

[u2popmofo]

Probably because Bono sucks at guitar? hehe. That's my guess

Bono quote - "I want to able to play guitar very badly, and I do play guitar very badly."

 

[IWasBored]

Bono quote - "I want to able to play guitar very badly, and I do play guitar very badly."

one of my favourite bono quotes

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Probably because Bono sucks at guitar? hehe. That's my guess

Bono quote - "I want to able to play guitar very badly, and I do play guitar very badly."

LOL.

Hey, he's not that bad. He plays a mean guitar during the live performance of "Exit" from R&H (he just goes nuts toward the end there-I love that (I also love how they throw "Gloria" into that song at the end, that is cool)).

Angela

 

[IWasBored]

i'm not saying it's my favourite quote cos i think he sucks

it's my favourite cos i think it really applies to me and my guitar playing

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

i'm not saying it's my favourite quote cos i think he sucks

it's my favourite cos i think it really applies to me and my guitar playing

Ah.

Yeah, I didn't think you thought he sucked...I was just saying that in response to his saying that he plays the guitar very badly-I beg to differ. .

Angela

 

[RickFly]

as larry mullen jr. said:
"its a musical journey"

 

[doctorwho]

There's a group called "The Clash" - never heard of them. Must be crap.

*runs from IWasBored

Sorry, I didn't respond in your Clash thread - but I do like them. However, I was never a huge fan of them and only know a few songs. In the late 70's/early 80's, I liked groups like The Ramones, The Police, Blondie, U2 and yes, even some disco! I know it's funny, but some of those disco songs were well written and performed by some very talented musicians. There's a reason why disco made a bit of a comeback! Also, those songs were fun to listen to - which is essential to music. But I also enjoyed the "new wave" sound and some "punk" or "post-punk".

As for the Bono quote... yeah, I love it! It's a rare sign of Bono humility. :rofl: However, I recall reading a quote from The Edge who stated that he thought Bono's guitar playing (which is more of an acoustic rhythm guitar) was actually very good on JT. And if you listen to songs like "Walk On" now, you can't help but agree. I can envision a future where Bono might do some U2 songs on a Vegas stage with just him and an acoustic guitar as he does his best to belt out an old hit.

Lastly, as for the movie... Sadly I did not see it in the theaters. Back then, I always felt that movies were social events. I thought going by myself would be ridiculous - and at that given moment in time, there was no one to go with me. If the movie came out today though, there'd be no hesitation on my part to see it a dozen times by myself. What it means though is a bit harder to describe. It's similar to a "Hard Day's Night" by the Beatles... a story of them becoming popular, the story of their songs and the story of them performing. "Hard Day's Night" had a script (and tons of John Lennon's dry humor) whereas "Rattle & Hum" did not (and sadly did not focus enough on the great humor within the band) - but it captured that same general feeling.

Anyway, thems me thoughts.

 

[u2popmofo]

Actually, if you pay attention and listen, Bono's guitar/amp are not on/ on so low you cant hear them most of the time in concerts. Just pay attention, it's just Edge most of the time.

 

[IWasBored]

it's usually pretty easy to pick out different guitars in some live versions of "one"

 

[dizzy]

R&H is about the best versions of SBS, WOWY and Pride, ever.

 

[Saracene]

Watching R&H, I think that although the band members always said that their 80s image of humourless holier-than-yous was largely created by the media, the band itself sure had a lot to do with helping that image along by doing that film. I could never sit through R&H in a single take: -great- individual moments, but taken as a whole thing it's all rather dull and dour.

 

[Sweepie]

I think it was cool but being in B&W had something to do with people thinking it dull. It is slower paced and not as entertaining as ZOO TV but that doesn't mean they were stick in the muds. There were lots of funny scenes in it. What about Graceland where Larry wants to sit on the Harley, and the lady says he can only pose next to it. Bono says "you have no idea what Harley Davidson means to this man" and he hugs her and grins. She laughs. Next scene, Larry is sitting on the Harley

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

I think it was cool but being in B&W had something to do with people thinking it dull. It is slower paced and not as entertaining as ZOO TV but that doesn't mean they were stick in the muds. There were lots of funny scenes in it. What about Graceland where Larry wants to sit on the Harley, and the lady says he can only pose next to it. Bono says "you have no idea what Harley Davidson means to this man" and he hugs her and grins. She laughs. Next scene, Larry is sitting on the Harley

Mmhm, I like that part (and I envy that girl Bono was next to at that part...).

Personally, I liked having the movie mostly in black and white (the color scenes were great, too, though). .

But I can see how it might have bored some people.

Angela

 

[U2Kitten]

Watching R&H, I think that although the band members always said that their 80s image of humourless holier-than-yous was largely created by the media, the band itself sure had a lot to do with helping that image along by doing that film. I could never sit through R&H in a single take: -great- individual moments, but taken as a whole thing it's all rather dull and dour.

Oh I don't think so! The part about the motorcycle was funny, and so was the part where they were watching the sunset on the river and Edge suddenly decided to slide down the hill. What about the beginning, when they crack up trying to explain what it's about? What about Bono's backstage wink, and Larry joking Edge in the Sun studio? There were a lot of funny little episodes in there. As a fan from then, I have always thought their 'po-faced' and seriousness was exaggerated by the media and that influenced some of the people who became fans in the 90's. Sure they were good boys, better than those wild and rowdy 80's rock bands, but they were not boring or goody-goody. Watch the UF collection tape where they are recording in the castle. They laugh and joke a lot. Look at Red Rocks- is "Party Girl" a somber, serious song? Anybody who thinks they never had any fun before 1990 should check it out!

 

[IWasBored]

makes me happy that i didn't know who u2 was while they still had that "hollier than thou" label looming over thier heads

i definetly found some of that stuff in R&H funny the first time i saw it, and the first time i saw it i knew about 1/3 of the songs, knew that the lead singer's name was bono, the edge was the guitarist, larry something jr was the drummer and something clayton was the bassist...

i got the impression that they were a rather amusing bunch of people before i really became a big fan, but i'm sure that's because the first thing i realy read about them was the flanagan bible...

 

[U2Kitten]

See? You saw it and formed your own opinion and you could see they were a cool bunch of guys! I believe the 'holier than thou' image was exaggerated and perpetuated by the media AFTER the 80's. During the 80's, yes they were 'better boys' than Poison or Ratt, they were not drug addicts or womanizers, but they were never thought of as dull, somber, boring, or no fun by anyone back then. That came later and it wasn't fair. It makes me sad to think there are people who believe they were a dull, boring and sanctimonious bunch before AB. It just isn't true. It seems like it's only some of the people who took up with them in the 90's who think that, and the people who became fans with ATYCLB don't feel that way. It was stuff written and said in the 90's. As Saracene said, the band blamed the media, and so do I!

 

[IWasBored]

the media is bad

 

[U2Kitten]

Bad bad media!

If anyone was considered 'holier than thou' in the 80's it was Stryper, the religious hair band. I saw some boys from my school in the store buy a rock magazine and rip out the Stryper story and toss it on the ground in the store parking lot.

 

[Saracene]

Oh, I -love- B&W in film, and I think that some of R&H's concert footage is just awesome. And yeah, there were some humorous touches here and there, it's just that on the whole the way the band was portrayed in the film came off to me as much too distant and sombre. But I never ever thought that they were a bunch of sanctimonius dullards in the 80s; most of my first impressions of the 80s U2 came from the "U2 Live" book, and how could anyone call them no-fun after reading about Dalton Brothers or "In the Nude" interview?

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

See? You saw it and formed your own opinion and you could see they were a cool bunch of guys! I believe the 'holier than thou' image was exaggerated and perpetuated by the media AFTER the 80's. During the 80's, yes they were 'better boys' than Poison or Ratt, they were not drug addicts or womanizers, but they were never thought of as dull, somber, boring, or no fun by anyone back then. That came later and it wasn't fair. It makes me sad to think there are people who believe they were a dull, boring and sanctimonious bunch before AB. It just isn't true. It seems like it's only some of the people who took up with them in the 90's who think that, and the people who became fans with ATYCLB don't feel that way. It was stuff written and said in the 90's. As Saracene said, the band blamed the media, and so do I!

.

Exactly.

Mentioned the great parts of the film-Bono's backstage wink... .

Angela

 

[U2Kitten]

.

Exactly.

Mentioned the great parts of the film-Bono's backstage wink... .

Angela

 

[Bono's shades]

Bad bad media!

I think the "ultra-serious, sanctimonious" charge came about because the media always needs to find a nice, simple, convenient label to stick on things, and people who only were familiar with the band in a casual way, and didn't see the whole picture the way the die-hard fans did, bought into the label.

 

[Popmartijn]

I think the "ultra-serious, sanctimonious" charge came about because the media always needs to find a nice, simple, convenient label to stick on things, and people who only were familiar with the band in a casual way, and didn't see the whole picture the way the die-hard fans did, bought into the label.

I don't think it was only the 'fault' of the media, the band also had a say in how they communicated their message. A while ago I commented here on the NME Collections magazine, the magazine which collected all the U2 articles from NME. While there were times that the writers of that magazine were unjustly criticising the band (even trying to destroy them) there were also many times that the band (and especially Bono) were so ultra-serious and sanctimonious that it would be hard not to put that label on the band. In the early days the band was so driven for success (not necesseraly commercial success, but also growth as a band and fulfilling their promise) that they did not (could not?) relativate (sp?) the position they were in.
As Bono would later comment (during the ZooTV days), "four jerks in a police escort, that is ridiculous." But in those early days all Bono could talk about was their message and how they wanted to replace the current bands in the charts and how music was the all-encompassing thing. Nowadays the band still talks about it , but they also have the ability to take a step from it and quip on the situation they're in, the ability to convey the same message, but with a nice anecdote.

And this was also largely absent in Rattle & Hum (to return to the thread). Yes, there were some funny moments in that movie, but it was largely po-faced. They showed many songs, but often not the build-up to the songs, where Bono would often make some funny comment, etc. At almost every concert he would at least once comment how they were so serious and that they had to carry the weight of the world (Not!), but they show none of that in the movie. (I once read that they edited Silver & Gold, originally Bono's speech was a bit longer, ending with a remark how he could bore everyone with his speeches or something like that. They cut that part out, so now you only have U2 performing the song in such a way as if it was the very first time anyone had ever pointed out that apartheid is wrong).

So yes, it is a great movie, it has a lot of great music. But you can get an impression of U2 being 4 very serious guys if you would only base that on the movie.

C ya!

Marty

 

[wertsie]

I don't know if anybody has said this because I'm too lazy to read the rest of the thread but...

It's a musical journey!

 

[SamanthaPuff]

I never thought of JT U2 as po-faced. A lot of the pics look serious, but it wouldn't have suited the mood to have them cracking up in them. That doesn't mean they weren't laughing between takes. Another thing is, U2 tackle a lot of very serious topics, like SBS, BTBS, and their political causes. Some of these things are a matter of life and death, and joking around just isn't appropriate. U2 have always had fun but they usually know there is a time and a place for it. They aren't clowns. They're intelligent, thoughtful men. If you want to call that po-faced, well I'd rather have that than stupidity. Whatever you call JT U2, call them winners, call them successful, call them loved. Anyone who has a problem with that era is truly missing out.

 

[cujo]

I think Rattle and Hum was more about capturing the live aspect of U2, showing that the music could hold its own without visual artifice. The black and white super eight (I think) used for the film allowed for a more intimate perspective of U2. This film was performance oriented, and bare boned; a sharp contrast to the decade that followed.

People always talk about how different the two decades of U2 are, but if you take a look at the two extremes, Rattle and Hum and Pop, the message is clearly the same. Its about the music, an ecstatic outburst of chords and verses (oh my God, I think I'm starting to even talk like Bono). The darkness only serves to compliment the hopeful spirit of the band.

But mostly, Rattle and Hum is for the fans... good tunes.

 

[Bono's shades]

U2 tackle a lot of very serious topics, like SBS, BTBS, and their political causes. Some of these things are a matter of life and death, and joking around just isn't appropriate. U2 have always had fun but they usually know there is a time and a place for it. They aren't clowns. They're intelligent, thoughtful men. If you want to call that po-faced, well I'd rather have that than stupidity.

Beautifully put!

 

[david]

I think the film did a great job at documenting a great period of U2 as a live band. Yes, on stage they were serious and were really great, but the other stuff in the movie sort of tried to give us some insight into just who those 4 guys, for some that might have only known them as those serious guys who take pictures of themselves frowning in a desert, are.

I could see how some might have thought they were still boring despite goofing off at Elvis's mansion, and might have got the idea that they were pretentious and all of that, but I think Achtung Baby and the Zoo TV tour really helped change that notion.

Still, you are left with a great period of the band caught on film when they didn't have huge lemons, huge screens and just had music and Bono's heart on his sleeve. I also really like the color portion of the film, especially the performance of Streets where the whole band is washed out by the spotlights and stuff. It's great watching the film in a darkened room on a big screen tv.