Michael Griffiths
Rock n' Roll Doggie
Some arguments (that I don't necessarily subscribe to):STING2 said:If most people think U2 is past their prime, how did the band sell over 11 million albums to become one of the 10 biggest selling albums worldwide of the new century? Why are they the biggest touring act on the planet? Over 11 million people have a different view from a few strange Coldplay fans on a message board. The band didn't win a record 7 grammy awards because ATYCLB was bad. Despite how damn good Coldplay's new album is, its still not as good as ATYCLB.
Many would say it was due to GREAT marketing and the hype of "returning to their roots" etc. Also, the album didn't really hit stride until after Sept. 11th. Suddenly, it became very relevent. Some would call that fluke or chance. Others would call it destiny.If most people think U2 is past their prime, how did the band sell over 11 million albums to become one of the 10 biggest selling albums worldwide of the new century?
Once again, the GREAT marketing of ATYCLB and its encompassing hype, combined with U2's back catalogue and reputation for a great live show would be the argument.Why are they the biggest touring act on the planet?
See above arguments on marketing and hype. Also, it wasn't just a "few" Coldplay fans. At least 50 percent who were posting in that thread were anti-U2. Now, a thread that's titled "U2 Please Stop" would certainly attract those kind of people, I suppose, but considering that most of the pro-U2 types seemed to be even more ignorant than the anti ones, I'm not convinced by the argument. Coldplay would attract a fairly eclectic audience, and therefore one should not see such an anti-any band stance as there is against U2. That's the puzzling aspect for me.Over 11 million people have a different view from a few strange Coldplay fans on a message board
I agree that ATYCLB wasn't bad. It is technically speaking, very well structured, and very uplifting. 'Walk On', for example, may not be a classic U2 song (in the vein of 'One' 'WOWY' and 'Bad' etc), but it is classic U2, you know what I mean? The fact remains, however, that this album really took off for two major reasons: 1) It was U2's *perceived* return to their classic sound and 2) because of U2's assault on America. They promoted themselves to death, worked extremely hard. If any other band that wasn't called U2 released ATYCLB, I wonder if it would have won 7 grammies? I know it's an absurd question, but I have to ask it. That said, I believe ATYCLB did deserve to win those grammies, as the music scene was pretty dull during that stretch, and ATYCLB is a great album.The band didn't win a record 7 grammy awards because ATYCLB was bad. Despite how damn good Coldplay's new album is, its still not as good as ATYCLB.
As for it being better than Coldplay's new album, that is really merely based on opinion. They are both great albums, but for me, Coldplay's album is more cohesive as a whole. Coldplay also are in a different part of their lives, and are still unsure of their footing, which tends to make things more interesting. Just my opinion of course.