says you. he can wail a bit and emote with the best of them, but he's always had a very limited range and as of late it's pretty clear his voice is deteriorating with age.
Yeah, I'm talking about "U2" in totality, not just right now. Remember, we're talking about a 30+ year history here?
had more to say, but i'm done with making this a u2 vs. rem discussion. fuck that shit. next we'll be comparing bass players.
I was not attempting any such comparison. (But since you jokingly brought it up, Mike Mills pisses all over Adam.)
yeah, just your opinion. i'm a little obsessed with the sidewinder sleeps tonight right now, and that thing has more swagger than...well, a shitload of stuff.
I'll agree with that -- that track does swing.
is it the same kind of swagger as...well, other than u2 i don't know what else you like.
Again, understand that I love R.E.M. I just don't think they're particularly diverse, especially as compared to several other of my favorite artists.
and to be honest, i'm still not completely sure i understand (or find it to be relevant) what you're saying
I'm not saying anything -- just having an interesting chat.
...but isn't trying out different sounds the definition of trying to grow musically?
It could be, yes. To be more clear, I'm specifically talking about musical ability as played by the musicians on their instruments. I don't think many professional musicians, schooled at Juilliard or wherever, put on an R.E.M. album and say, "Wow! What was that obscure jazz chord?!"
We may just be interpreting "musically" in different ways. You're quite right that Peter Buck has occasionally tried to draw up different sounds on the guitar, for example.
i didn't want to go here, but if i say u2 grew musically in the difference between r&h and AB, you're going to agree when a big chunk of how they "grew" was based off sound effects.
To some extent, I do think that. But c'mon -- the change in U2's sound from 1980 to 1988 is pretty clear. For example, just in Bono's voice alone.
i don't know. lately i'm less impressed with "diversity" in sound, and putting out an album miles different from your last album for the sake of so-called musical growth.
I get what you're saying. Again, I'm thinking of this a bit differently -- I'm not necessarily impressed by making every album miles different from the last; what I
am impressed by is music artists who can play a vast range of styles because they have that musical ability. I mean, if you listen to The Beatles'
White Album or Stevie Wonder's
Songs in the Key of Life, I might argue there's more diversity in those single records than the entire R.E.M. canon of 27 years.