goincommando said:
I wouldn't doubt there being a OS2 sometime in their future career. I mean come on. Who names an album Orignal Soundtracks...1, without their being follow-up's?
Well, there already has been a follow up of sorts, though it was called
The Million Dollar Hotel soundtrack. Some would argue this was even more of a departure in the sound of U2 than was OS1 at the time. 'Stateless' - recorded amid the recording for ATYCLB, remains U2's most evocative song since
The Joshua Tree and
Rattle&Hum recordings.
As much as I'd like the guys to try a song differently, or see what this button does and what not, I think they've slid into a comfortable posistion as mid 40 rockers pumping out guranteed hits. In the words of Dr. Dre, they're "rapping for the pop charts."
In some senses, U2 has just become
too good. They now actually understand the music they are making, and how it is put together. Their songwriting is technically much better now, which can take away some of the mystery. Here's a thought experiment for those who want U2 to "experiment" again (in quotes because I think the word is being misused by the vast majority - U2 is still experimenting, now with their sound wrapped around traditional pop compositions).... Ah! Where was I? Oh yes, the thought experiment....
Imagine if U2 had never released (but had still privately recorded) any of the albums after
Achtung Baby, and then released all of them at the same time...let's say....yesterday. Now, there are no dates on these records, no liner notes. Just the CD's. Put yourself into this picture, this scenerio, if you will. Now, you press play on the very first album you pick. It turns out your are listening to
Bomb. You have never heard Zooropa or Pop or ATYCLB or Passengers, or anything put out by the band since 1991. Achtung Baby was, indeed, the last album you heard by them. Now, what do you think of the album? Now put in Zooropa. What do you think of the album? Both great, I'm sure....but which one do you like more? How about Pop and ATYCLB? How about OS1? You have just heard 5 albums back to back that you have never heard before. The first U2 music to your ears since
Achtung. How do you rank the albums?
It's difficult not to be biased. We do have history on our side (or against us, as the case may be), afterall. I decided to edit out the purpose of this thought experiment because upon typing it out, I realized it would influence the thought experiment. Enjoy!