For comparison: Usenet discussion from 1991 about "The Fly"

[dan_smee]

^ bit harder now to make something totallt new when you are 33 years old as a band, and have exhausted just about every creative outlet available to a rock band

 

[SpaceBoy]

Gotta love this bit:

"Listen, they say this is the most aggressive track from the album
The rest of the tracks are more mass-appeal. The next single Mysterious
Ways (Nov.6th) is rumored to be the With or Without You or
I Still Haven't Found What I'm lookinf for of the new album."

This guy was in for another shocker.

 

[cdirani]

Excellent find!!

This bit is brilliant:

">If 'The Fly' is any indication of the rest of 'Achtung, Baby' and
>U2's musical direction, I think we can fashion 4 caskets, and label
>them: Bono, Edge, Adam, and Larry. U2 is dead. What an unimaginative
>piece of garbage. "

I laughed out loud at that post!

Thankfully I had no idea that there was such thing back in 1991. I think the excess of crictics spoil the gift of music. Anyway, I can tell, the comment above is so erroneous that makes you laugh out loud.

 

[Melon50]

Internet was there before the WWW. In 1991 people could subscribe to newsgroups like these and post there. It was sort of the predecessor to the Forum concept nowadays. groups.google.com has Usenet archives dating back to 1981..

 

[cdirani]

Internet was there before the WWW. In 1991 people could subscribe to newsgroups like these and post there. It was sort of the predecessor to the Forum concept nowadays. groups.google.com has Usenet archives dating back to 1981..

wow. I knew there was BBS around the early 90's but I had no access to it.

 

[Melon50]

The Fly was and sounded different, revolutionary and fresh. It wasn't the 80s U2 updating their sound, rather it was a damn shocking new band with a new musical style, direction and sound.

There's nothing, absolutely nothing new, nothing we haven't heard before from the U2 catalog in Boots. It's pretty much Vertigo 09 version with Pop-like production.

I could also post links to discussions around the release of the Fly that disagree with what you say about the song, going as far as saying that "race against time" was more radical than "The Fly"

Melon50

 

[Chill Mike D]

Race Against Time probably is a bit more out there than The Fly.

 

[Flaming Friar Sr]

this is a good piece:

Now, I am certainly not trying to raise "The Fly" to the level of
Stravinsky; I'll get to my feelings about that song in a moment. But I am
saying that whether or not YOU choose to "get used to it", there is the
possibility that the rest of the "culture" (if something so amorphous
actually exists) may eventually pull in that direction, and we don't know
what may GROW OUT of songs like "The Fly".

 

[intedomine]

I seriously had no idea the internet existed prior to 1995. Learn something new everyday.

Just imagining all those 90's kids wearing their baggies and wierd looking 90's jeans getting all hyped up at their computers for the new U2 album.


Coool thread....

 

[HansaTonImbiss]

This is absolutely fantastic- what a find. You could literally superimpose the entire discussion onto the new track.

Funny, though, isn't it- there was generally solid reviews universally for "Vertigo", then it ebbed as people found it bland or overly simplistic. This one has had some degree of animosity, which as another poster mentioned, I quite like.

Music is at it's best, always, when it makes one take an opinion or reflect. I like to hear U2 doing that again. May it long continue...

 

[HansaTonImbiss]

Have you guys never seen Wargames? The internet has been around for quite a while.

You'd think they'd get it between that and "Real Genius"

 

[dmahoney10]

Great thread!

 

[stealthboy]

The Fly kicks ass - I can't believe people in 1991 thought it was techno garbage... (Wait til they hear pop : P)

Also, the internet existed in 1991?? Really?

The thing you know as the World Wide Web was created in 1993. The "internet" itself has been around for a lot longer!

 

[Melon50]

In one of the other discussions from 1991, people claim that U2 were probably very heavily "influenced" by this Guy. They claim both the music and video were very similar. Watch for yourself, Interesting..

YouTube - Daniel Ash - This Love

 

[david]

I think all those people that were worried U2 were done when they first heard the Fly had a sigh of relief when they got to hear One.

 

[dabiggestu2fan]

Wow i look at that old thread about The fly and it feels like you could just replace the fly to GOYB and the thread would be a brand new thread about GOYB! This is a very good indication that this in years from now will be viewed like AB is viewed now. The funniest post was that someone said that MW was supposed to sound like WOWY and someone even said U2 was dead! gee that rings a bell from yesterdays postings doesn't it?

 

[edgeplaytheblue]

I think it's cool to read that the diversity in opinions and discussions in 1991 was very similar to what we see happening now with GOYB..

U2's 'The Fly' - Are you JOKING? - rec.music.misc | Google Groups

Melon50

very very cool .. 1991 on usenet. I got on the internet at 1995 ... i missed this then LOL

 

[edgeplaytheblue]

Wow i look at that old thread about The fly and it feels like you could just replace the fly to GOYB and the thread would be a brand new thread about GOYB! This is a very good indication that this in years from now will be viewed like AB is viewed now. The funniest post was that someone said that MW was supposed to sound like WOWY and someone even said U2 was dead! gee that rings a bell from yesterdays postings doesn't it?

not WOWY ... also ISHFWILF .... lol

 

[adotson]

That's awesome. The best part from me looking at the Usenet files was to see that one of the main guys was posting from Unversity of Virginia account... and I know him. I too, was a student at UVA in 91. And a Usenet user. ; )

Is it possible to be old and yet retro-cool at the same time?

 

[edgeplaytheblue]

check out ... je can also search on achtung baby ...
quote :

>Well, U2 fans, sorry to dissapoint you, BUT...

>Spin Magazine didn't seem to like the album much at all, giving it
>a yellow light which means 'There is plenty of other good stuff in the
>store, you don't have to buy everything!'. Hahaha!

>Says the album depends on cheap riffs and indecipherable Bono
>mumblings... sounds real boring to me...

>Farewell U2, it was nice while it lasted...

>hahahhahaahhahahahahahhahahahahha..

I'm laughing out loud here ... we all know now that AB is a masterpiece ... i can quite remember it came out .. i was again sceptic when i first heard it .. if NLOTH will repeat like AB did in 1991 ... hell yeah! Come on let it be 27-02 quick please

 

[zoopop]

I would hate to be in a setlist party with these guys from 1992-93... "Zoo Station again as the opener!!"

 

[edgeplaytheblue]

I would hate to be in a setlist party with these guys from 1992-93... "Zoo Station again as the opener!!"

or streets .... Party within 10 seconds ... no matter what

 

[edgeplaytheblue]

That's awesome. The best part from me looking at the Usenet files was to see that one of the main guys was posting from Unversity of Virginia account... and I know him. I too, was a student at UVA in 91. And a Usenet user. ; )

Is it possible to be old and yet retro-cool at the same time?

yes it is .. on discovery channel they are broadcasting "the history on the internet". Couple of weeks ago it was about downloading from napster in 1999 ..
supercool imo. But i'm an internet freak so ...

 

[cmb737]

I am not sure I had heard of email in 1991 - hard to believe people were debating U2 even then. Great perspective - my thoughts exactly. This album is gonna be great.

 

[edgeplaytheblue]

Wow i look at that old thread about The fly and it feels like you could just replace the fly to GOYB and the thread would be a brand new thread about GOYB! This is a very good indication that this in years from now will be viewed like AB is viewed now. The funniest post was that someone said that MW was supposed to sound like WOWY and someone even said U2 was dead! gee that rings a bell from yesterdays postings doesn't it?

yeah i read the same articles i guess

 

[edgeplaytheblue]

Wow i look at that old thread about The fly and it feels like you could just replace the fly to GOYB and the thread would be a brand new thread about GOYB! This is a very good indication that this in years from now will be viewed like AB is viewed now. The funniest post was that someone said that MW was supposed to sound like WOWY and someone even said U2 was dead! gee that rings a bell from yesterdays postings doesn't it?

let's start this thread now so we can all view it at those google groups. And 17 years later look back at this thread and see what has happened. I hope history has been repeated like AB ..

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

the most frightening part of this thread is that the original USENET post in that link was made by supersexyrepublicandb9 diamond dave.

hold me, i'm scared.

i don't really remember when i first heard the fly... i was 10 at the time, so yea. not my first priority.

my issue with the choice is that we're a much different society these days... if you don't hit 'em right away the public won't stay with you. which, in actuality, is okay with me... easier to get good stadium tickets.

just remember... just because this reminds a lot of you of how you felt about the fly doesn't mean that no line on the horizon will be the next achtung baby. it could be that the song is just strange.

 

[PolarCamel]

I always said J.S. Bach's THE SHIT and anything after was bollox!

 

[edgeplaytheblue]

i didn't say NLOTH WILL be the next AB .. I only hope history will be repeated.
It just makes me laugh when i read it back.
I don't want another AB ... i want another album that will be remembered in 17 years as AB now is ..

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

Cripes, the only thing I can think of was, I was 12 in 1991 - I feel so old.