Well, I didn't say all fans, did I? On this message board, certainly, fans tend not to be very positive about ATYCLB and, to a lesser extent, HTDAAB. That is not to say ATYCLB was a disappointment for all fans, of course. Reading U2-related message boards, talking to fans and reading the papers I just get the idea that the last three albums have not exactly been the big reinvention some had been anticipating after Pop.
In my opinion, it would be more like a continuation of a trend set in 2000.
Fair enough.
There's no need for constant reinvention. There is need for reinvention when things go downhill in one way or another.
In 1990 there was a need for reinvention because the success of the American / back-to-the-roots approach was fading. TJT had made them the biggest band in the world, but they lost critical acclaim and self-confidence after R&H.
In 2000 there was a need for reinvention because the continued exploration of electronic music didn't bring continued critical and commercial success. Pop received a mixed critical reaction and is by no means one of their best-selling albums.
And now, in 2011, I feel there is a need for reinvention because I reckon this quest for commercial success is actually inhibiting the artistic creativity of the band. Sure, if you want to be (and remain) a big rock band, you cannot ignore the fact that you will have to sell albums in order to do that. But that shouldn't keep you from experimenting and following your musical instinct.
In U2 by U2, Larry says about AB: "it didn't matter if it was successful or if people didn't like it, we thought this is great. And if this is the last record we make, it would be a great way to go."
What a contrast to Bono's remarks in last Saturday's Irish Times: '[Bono] wonders whether U2 can still be relevant. “We can play the big music in big places. But whether we can play the small music, meaning for the small speakers of the radio or clubs, where people are living, remains to be seen,” he says. “I think we have to go to that place again if we’re to survive”' and in Hot Press: "the reason we didn’t put out Songs Of Ascent was we felt that the next thing that people need to hear from U2 is not an art project".
After making AB, U2 basically said: we've done something quite experimental and we think it's great, and if the people don't like it, too bad. Now they're saying: we've got to make music that's successful on radio stations and in clubs, so although we've done some experimental stuff lately, we're not going to put that out.
That's not the right way to go, in my opinion.
I'm not sure "don't tinker with them too long" is such a good advice. Many of U2's most beloved songs actually took quite a long time to get right. Brian Eno famously tried to erase the Streets tape out of frustration over the time it took to make something out of it that sounded good.
