Mrs. Garrison
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
i forgot what i was going to say
I'm not the biggest fan of How to dismantle .... but it's the most mature album the band's ever made
this pop kids crap is really quite ridiculous
I also want people to know that I started this thread because the thought popped into my head and I wanted to know what you guys thought, I'm not basing NLOTH or bemoaning it as a failure, just wondering out loud with everyone here where they'll go in the future.
'Get On Your Boots' was NOT safe......people still don't get it. Why? Because it is a straight-forward rock and roll song and people don't get that spirit of rock anymore. Rock and roll to people now is spilling your guts out, bleeding all over your song, screaming to the top of your lungs, and playing the guitar as hard or fast as they can. So many bands can create that sound. Those bands are not pure rock and roll. Those bands are playing to the pop kids. U2 dare to be different. Other bands wish they had their guts. Most bands want to be loved and try too hard to fit in until they sound like the rest of the pack.
U2 wants to be loved, too, but they are also not afraid to be hated, which makes them brilliant.
I'm not the biggest fan of How to dismantle .... but it's the most mature album the band's ever made
I'm not the biggest fan of How to dismantle .... but it's the most mature album the band's ever made
this pop kids crap is really quite ridiculous
I'm not the biggest fan of How to dismantle .... but it's the most mature album the band's ever made
Can we drop the "pop kids" shit? It just reeks of eliteism...
I'm quite surprised by how much many of you use the word 'experimental' to describe No Line On The Horizon. What exactly is 'experimental' about it?
"Boots" and "Stand up Comedy" sound like late 70s Cheap Trick; "Go Crazy" sounds like an ATYCLB outtake; "Magnificent" sounds like New Order with a better singer (or rather like "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)"; "White As Snow" is a folk melody. "Fez" might be called experimental in that it's slightly non-linear and doesn't have a chorus, but the same could be said of 'Promenade' or 'Elvis Presley and America' a quarter-century ago. And Eno squeaking away on his digital keyboard to make a squeal and squelch here and there sounds like a lot of records in the early 90s.
So, unless your idea of contemporary sounds is Miley Cyrus, I don't know how No Line would be considered "experimental". It seems that, with U2, when the band isn't obviously going for the commercial jugular with every release, their fans assign it to being an 'experimental' phase.
Your argument only applies to America. In Europe, they have still been top ten this decade, in terms of singles.
The quality of their live performances is now so light years ahead of their 80s shows, and even Zoo TV, that's it's very hard not to notice.
Hmmm, while the above quote reinforces your argument, personally I may have to dispute it... Having been to all tours since JT (apart from LoveTown) ZooTV, for me was on another level to Vertigo and Elevation. Musically and visually still THE best tour I've ever seen by any band before or since... A 3D version of this show at it's best would, I believe, blow minds of those unfortunate enough not to be able to attend and regrettably Vertigo would pale in comparison.
Can we drop the "pop kids" shit? It just reeks of eliteism...
I only quoted it because that's what Bono said around the time of Zoo TV. I thought that was what others were referring to in this thread. I was not trying to be eliteist.
I'm quite surprised by how much many of you use the word 'experimental' to describe No Line On The Horizon. What exactly is 'experimental' about it?
"Boots" and "Stand up Comedy" sound like late 70s Cheap Trick; "Go Crazy" sounds like an ATYCLB outtake; "Magnificent" sounds like New Order with a better singer (or rather like "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)"; "White As Snow" is a folk melody. "Fez" might be called experimental in that it's slightly non-linear and doesn't have a chorus, but the same could be said of 'Promenade' or 'Elvis Presley and America' a quarter-century ago. And Eno squeaking away on his digital keyboard to make a squeal and squelch here and there sounds like a lot of records in the early 90s.
So, unless your idea of contemporary sounds is Miley Cyrus, I don't know how No Line would be considered "experimental". It seems that, with U2, when the band isn't obviously going for the commercial jugular with every release, their fans assign it to being an 'experimental' phase.
Nothing is experimental if someone does it before
i forgot what i was going to say
It's time to bid the "pop kids" a final farewell and move into a more mature songwriting process. There are artists that can't move 1% of U2's sales, but they still produce beautiful, well-crafted music at the same caliber. I think when U2 set out to be commercially viable, they lose a crucial part of what makes them who they are. Part of the magic of the 80's and 90's was that they didn't seem to care how commercially viable they were. That may have been a clever sheen, but the adventurousness of the music backed it up. The 2000's U2 lost that edge. NLOTH is another lopsided album that doesn't fully commit itself either way. If Songs Of Ascent is put out without any overcooked, overly-tight U2 Karoake Pop Hits and just lets itself flow effortlessly into the theme of the album and the soul of the music, U2 may well get a second life. They will lose some of their viability, but they are U2, they can make whatever music they want to make and still attract attention. I'm really hoping Songs of Ascent tilts forward into a more mature landscape and marks a new beginning. If it's another NLOTH with the crazies, boots and comedies painfully trying to be artlessly poppy, their goose is cooked.
I only quoted it because that's what Bono said around the time of Zoo TV. I thought that was what others were referring to in this thread. I was not trying to be eliteist.
No, I understand that...
But it was said, 18 years ago, and in a somewhat tongue n cheek way, it doesn't fit in todays context.
I think those(I don't mean you in paticular) that keep using it today are showing a certain naive arrogance.
I prefer to say a more discerning palette. You've got to have standards- life cannot be some relativist free for all. If that makes me elitist, fine.