Have U2's 21st century releases done irreparable damage to their legacy?

[mikal]

i don't see any way that two organizations this large and this rich - apple and live nation (who owns oseary's company) - signed off on this deal without knowing every little detail about what would happen. that makes zero sense to me.

It happens all the time when two organizations get together, haha. I literally fix those mistakes for a living.

 

[womanfish]

It happens all the time when two organizations get together, haha. I literally fix those mistakes for a living.

Where were you when we needed you most Mikal!?!?!

So, I know that U2 has made some missteps these last 10-12 years. But I still think they are, for the most part staying true musically to themselves. The bulk of No Line, SOI and SOE, show that. So I'll just say I'm glad they haven't gone down this path....


BTS and Coldplay announced they will be collaborating on a single called "My Universe." The song will be in both English and Korean; the lyrics were written by Coldplay and BTS.

 

[DeVaul]

Coldplay fully embraced garbage top 40 a decade ago with the Princess of China single. Swiftly downhill from there

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Yep. They had the idea, money was flowing and no little thing like how it might actually be received seemed to come into play.

Like George Costanza, they flew too close to sun on wings of pastrami

i find the pastrami to be the most sensual of all the salted cured meats

 

[womanfish]

i find the pastrami to be the most sensual of all the salted cured meats

Viviaaaaaaaaan!!!

God bless you sir

 

[womanfish]

Coldplay fully embraced garbage top 40 a decade ago with the Princess of China single. Swiftly downhill from there

With a bit of an exception with Ghost Stories, I have been off the train since Viva La....

All I can say is that if U2 pulled something like this, I think after 35 years of uber-fandom, I would have to walk away.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

With a bit of an exception with Ghost Stories, I have been off the train since Viva La....



All I can say is that if U2 pulled something like this, I think after 35 years of uber-fandom, I would have to walk away.

Highly recommend you check out everyday life if you haven’t. It’s pretty clear to me that coldplay does one for the art and one for the money.

 

[womanfish]

Highly recommend you check out everyday life if you haven’t. It’s pretty clear to me that coldplay does one for the art and one for the money.

Thank you! I'll check it out

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

and two for the show

 

[super fly guy]

Coldplay have been garbage since Viva la Vida.

 

[lazarus]

So thankful I was never a Coldplay fan, can only imagine the shame of having to live with that.

I bought Parachutes when it came out and I think I listened to it 2-3 times.

 

[DaveC]

i hope y'all keep this same energy when U2 inevitably announces that the lead single off their new album has a BTS verse on it.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

It’s funny that there’s this angle that a band is something to be proud or ashamed of.

 

[DaveC]

i bought a rush of blood to the head 15 years ago and enjoyed it, so i'm deeply ashamed now in 2021 because some guy with over 40,000 posts and counting who posts almost every day on a comatose U2 message board told me i should feel that way.

 

[Hewson]

I recall this era well and I cannot disagree more. As an older long-time fan, I had no issue with an Apple ad. The world had changed and TV shows, ads, and other media was needed to get attention of the people who bought music. In fact, HTDAAB had their best selling first week sales ever (def. in the SoundScan era). Maybe releasing a free album wasn't great, but I think minimal damage done there, but that's debatable. However, the Apple ad was a good call.

Yeah I don't think the Vertigo ipod ad hurt them at all.
In fact I think it had an opposite effect.
It was kind of visually cool, and once those who cried "SELLOUTS!" found out they didn't accept any payment for the ad (of course they received publicity for the U2 ipod and their music on itunes so it wasn't a "pro bono" job), there was far more positive response than backlash.

The SOI on your phone on the other hand was an unmitigated disaster from a public opinion stance.

 

[DaveC]

i bought a rush of blood to the head 15 years ago and enjoyed it, so i'm deeply ashamed now in 2021 because some guy with over 40,000 posts and counting who posts almost every day on a comatose U2 message board told me i should feel that way.

lol what an awkward sentence. don't post 10 minutes after smoking a blunt, kids.

 

[Hewson]

 

[womanfish]

lol what an awkward sentence. don't post 10 minutes after smoking a blunt, kids.

DaveC, I think you should start to ALWAYS post 10 minutes after smoking a blunt.

 

[DaveC]

i'm getting some mixed messages here.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

If I’m honest it read very cleanly in my train of thought.

So you all think I’m high apparently

 

[ferball415]

[having just read the preceding 380 posts of often-good insights] Whenever I come back here for the first time in ages, the thing that always surprises me the most is the overall-love/goodwill for 21st c. U2 that I just cannot get "on board" with. In a nutshell, there is just such a hard demarcation line for me between their 20th c. & 21st centuries and I guess I'm just sort of surprised given the obvious devotion here that I seem to be in a real minority re: dividing their career into just two eras that roughly correspond to "excellent" and "lame", respectively.

Anyway, I love the thread title because my answer in a word is: "Yes". But, in more words: "Yes, but it doesn't matter in the end, thanks to the 20th century."

 

[dreamletter]

To my mind the problem with U2 is that the music is just not consistently good anymore, culminating in SOE which to my ear didn't have a good song on it. Tours like the 2017 and 2019 Joshua Tree outing haven't helped their cause, it's just too much of a backwards step.

 

[DeVaul]

To my mind the problem with U2 is that the music is just not consistently good anymore, culminating in SOE which to my ear didn't have a good song on it. Tours like the 2017 and 2019 Joshua Tree outing haven't helped their cause, it's just too much of a backwards step.

I think it’s mostly good, but all-too-rarely great.

 

[doxxer]

Not the chart-chasing obsession, but U2's current emphasis on songwriting craft > sonics was triggered by Rick Rubin.

From Wikipedia:

"The band also took to heart advice that Rubin had given them during recording sessions with him in 2006. Rubin pointed out that the group used unique sounds and arrangements to "disguise the fact that you don't have a song", and he stressed the importance of songcraft and writing music that could play well even when stripped down to vocals and piano."

"Rick Rubin has a larger looming presence on this album than his 'thank you' deserves. He asked 'Why can't more people cover U2 songs?' And it's because, with all the great sounds and arrangements, you can forget that there isn't a song there." - Bono on Rubin's influence on Songs of Innocence.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Not the chart-chasing obsession, but U2's current emphasis on songwriting craft > sonics was triggered by Rick Rubin.

From Wikipedia:

"The band also took to heart advice that Rubin had given them during recording sessions with him in 2006. Rubin pointed out that the group used unique sounds and arrangements to "disguise the fact that you don't have a song", and he stressed the importance of songcraft and writing music that could play well even when stripped down to vocals and piano."

"Rick Rubin has a larger looming presence on this album than his 'thank you' deserves. He asked 'Why can't more people cover U2 songs?' And it's because, with all the great sounds and arrangements, you can forget that there isn't a song there." - Bono on Rubin's influence on Songs of Innocence.

Someone else should sit them down and say "yea but the great sounds and arrangements is what made you great you big dummies"

I do think there's a chance, if they allowed themselves the chance, that the focus on songwriting could lead themselves back to another classic album if they were to go back to the right producer who steers them back towards what made them great. Maybe it's Eno again, maybe it's someone new. It sure ain't Ryan Tedder.

But the band needs to be open to it and not, ya know, chasing hits.

 

[womanfish]

Someone else should sit them down and say "yea but the great sounds and arrangements is what made you great you big dummies"

I do think there's a chance, if they allowed themselves the chance, that the focus on songwriting could lead themselves back to another classic album if they were to go back to the right producer who steers them back towards what made them great. Maybe it's Eno again, maybe it's someone new. It sure ain't Ryan Tedder.

But the band needs to be open to it and not, ya know, chasing hits.

I don't know how big the rift is with them and Eno/Lanois. But if this next album is it... It would seem almost mandatory, that they along with Flood produce it. And not bring in anyone else to monkey around. Change the locks on Lillywhite and Lee and Tedder. Make sure Martin Garixx doesn't even have their phone number.

Just go and hole themselves up somewhere new, and inspiring, and work out the songs.

 

[Irvine511]

Someone else should sit them down and say "yea but the great sounds and arrangements is what made you great you big dummies"

I do think there's a chance, if they allowed themselves the chance, that the focus on songwriting could lead themselves back to another classic album if they were to go back to the right producer who steers them back towards what made them great. Maybe it's Eno again, maybe it's someone new. It sure ain't Ryan Tedder.

But the band needs to be open to it and not, ya know, chasing hits.

I also think that the focus on craft, craft, craft gives them a way to make music while living lives that are no longer Dublin centric (Edge in Malibu, Bono in Manhattan a lot, Adam in London, etc) and require huge amounts of time locked in a room together. The focus on songs, songs, songs came when Bono spent large amounts of time on the road first with Jubilee 2000 and then his Africa work, all stuff that is more important than U2. They did lock themsleves away in Morocco, I guess, but that was 14 years ago at this point.

This may be the way that they’ve been able to continue as a band.

 

[lazarus]

Just go and hole themselves up somewhere

Lance’s Mom producing?

 

[ascender_RS]

I don't know how big the rift is with them and Eno/Lanois. But if this next album is it... It would seem almost mandatory, that they along with Flood produce it. And not bring in anyone else to monkey around. Change the locks on Lillywhite and Lee and Tedder. Make sure Martin Garixx doesn't even have their phone number.

Just go and hole themselves up somewhere new, and inspiring, and work out the songs.

100% agree. Time to get the band back together.

 

[Hollow Island]

I also think that the focus on craft, craft, craft gives them a way to make music while living lives that are no longer Dublin centric (Edge in Malibu, Bono in Manhattan a lot, Adam in London, etc) and require huge amounts of time locked in a room together. The focus on songs, songs, songs came when Bono spent large amounts of time on the road first with Jubilee 2000 and then his Africa work, all stuff that is more important than U2. They did lock themsleves away in Morocco, I guess, but that was 14 years ago at this point.

This may be the way that they’ve been able to continue as a band.

Goddamn, this is an astute observation!

Working up interesting sounds and arrangements requires them to be locked up together, but focusing on "the craft" gives them an out. It lets them have more rounded lives. Or it lets them be lazier artists. Depends on how charitable you want to be.

Do they really think the songs on SOI/E are better written than Achtung or the Joshua Tree though? I think that their best songwriting occurred when they had the coolest sounds and most interesting arrangements.