There is nothing wrong with making accessible radio friendly music. Much of ATYCLB does just that. Only, it hits the ball out of the park. It's a masterpiece. The problem with this record is in a very calculated way they went for this on the 'middle Britney Spears 3' and it failed miserably. These songs suc (pun intended), save the last minute of Boots.
There is no "lift" on this record--which for me, is the essential element of any classic U2 song.
I'm not getting the Spears analogy at all, so I'll ignore that.
ATYCLB has some good songs - no doubt. But the second half of the CD (or side 2 of the album) fades fast and hard. POE and "Grace" are essentially two closing tracks (and a third closer, "Ground Beneath Her Feet" was added on the U.K., just to really ensure people know the album had indeed ended). The writing is inconsistent. I get the "fun" of "Elevation", but it's hardly some masterpiece. Not that rock music has to be great, but Bono has done far better faster paced rock songs - the most famous being "Pride". So for every lyrically brilliant "Walk On" there seems to be a counterpoint. The music is almost too poppy and starts to blend together. There's not a lot of reflection on the album.
In contrast, NLOTH has its pop moments, but also some great soul, great rock, and some experimentation. Nothing on ATYCLB is experimental. And that's fine to an extent. But one can't keep doing that. NLOTH has a few safe songs, but it is out there and that lack of accessibility is probably what kept fans away.
That said, if "Boots" had been a huge hit, ala "Vertigo", and the album sold maybe 2M more copies worldwide, would Bono say what he did? Would fans?
Seems to me that this whole topic is because of the lack of a big hit on the album. But the good news, as far as I'm concerned, is that NLOTH is indeed an album, while ATYCLB is a collection of songs. As a result, I enjoy NLOTH much more, even if there is no super hit from it. Besides, super hits have led to repitition. People have grown tired of "Pride", WOWY, "One", BD, etc., in concert.
Still, it'll be interesting to see what U2 do next. Maybe they need to create a few "pop gems" to get strong sales, but if they keep their album experimental (i.e., a combination of the proposed songs from "Songs of Ascent" along with some pop-rock greats like BD or "Vertigo") then they might have the best of all worlds.
But yes, I used to be very open about my fandom of U2, although not much at all anymore. I prefer to keep it quiet, because I know I will get the usual reaction eg. the sort that you listed. Though like you said, I too, am not ashamed of U2 or just Bono. I appreciate their music and what they've done for its existence, I appreciate Bono for what he has done outside of music, his activist work etc.
While I understand you, I cannot relate - at least not any more.
There was a time when I wanted to be more subtle about my fanaticism. Then I asked myself, "why?" Was I embarrassed of being a U2 fan? All artists have had their "questionable" moments, so why not U2? Overall, I find them brilliant and I should be proud of this.
You name the artist and I guarantee you there are fans that love them and others that hate them. It's human nature. So I profess my love of U2. Others will hate them and that's that.
If some want to comment, I have my retorts. Complain about Bono's actions in government? Hey, at least the man is doing his part in trying to help others - he's putting his fame to use, not drugging himself up every day. Not a fan of Edge's sound? That's personal - can't change that. But his sound is what makes U2 be U2! In other words, I have some subtle replies for people. I don't try to convince them to be a fan. If they argue that ALL of U2 sounds the same, then I just ignore them as clearly they haven't heard enough of the group.
Therefore, feel free to share your love of the band. Don't expect others to necessarily understand. But you may just find yourself surrounded by some other "closet" U2 fans.