When exactly did U2 start going downhill for you?

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I have to mention that every artist has good and bad periods. I mean who can top themselves each time they produce something? I read something where a record executive says thats the problem with that industry now, they don't support a band developing they want them to produce something now and then drop them. U2 is lucky in that McGuinness believed in them and supported their development and now they are so well known that it's okay if we don't love an album, they get to regroup and make another one. It's kind of like harvesting a field you need your fallow periods to produce your harvest. Some of us like the fallow periods some of us don't.
 
never went downhill for me..
i've been listening since, well, the beginning and I have yet to see them churn out anything but the best they can do. I have to be in a certain mood to listen to certain records, but they are all quality.
 
God Part III said:
They went down since Pop.
Artistically.
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb has a huge amount of style in them, but they don't experiment.
Click to expand...

Yep... no experimentation in L&PorE or "Fast Cars". And let's not forget about the "brilliant" experimentation in "Staring at the Sun", "If God Will Send...", "Discotheque", "Please", etc. :rolleyes: People seem to think of AB and "Pop" as some experimental masterpieces. AB has almost nothing but "verse, chorus, verse, chorus", yet no one complained then. And there's TONS of classic U2 sound on "Pop", yet no one seems to recall that.

I really need to go to this world of "selective memory of U2 fans". It must be a fantastic place.
 
I think it was around the time Adam put out his first solo album.

things haven't been the same since.
 
doctorwho said:


Yep... no experimentation in L&PorE or "Fast Cars". And let's not forget about the "brilliant" experimentation in "Staring at the Sun", "If God Will Send...", "Discotheque", "Please", etc. :rolleyes: People seem to think of AB and "Pop" as some experimental masterpieces. AB has almost nothing but "verse, chorus, verse, chorus", yet no one complained then. And there's TONS of classic U2 sound on "Pop", yet no one seems to recall that.

I really need to go to this world of "selective memory of U2 fans". It must be a fantastic place.
Click to expand...

:up: :up:
 
strannix said:
I don't think they ever recovered from Dik's departure. But that's just me reliving the glory days ... most people don't know this, but I was often referred to as "The Sixth Member of Feedback" in my Dublin youth.
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:up:

The day Larry Mullen put that notice up on the message board at Mount Temple. A black day indeed - and it's been downhill ever since! :wink:
 
JOFO said:
I think it was around the time Adam put out his first solo album.

things haven't been the same since.
Click to expand...

Just the thought makes me laugh. "Well, fine, if they won't let me tag along to Moe's, I'll show them!"
 
I think that when Bono lost the October lyrics... he said "to hell with this" and started again... thy were never thet same

there's your downhill

:|

Jick and his threads... :|
 
The sky's the limit for this group...I don't even think they've peaked yet. What is a peak for U2? There's been so many of them. Even the "arch-shaped" peak was great for them. Engrained in people's memory banks forever. Wasn't that the point anyway?
 
U2's career is on a certain trajectory. They have been in the ballgame for 25 years. I think to argue that they still have 25 more productive years is absurd. To argue also that U2's trajectory is still going up and they are going to reach greater heights than any of their previous past glories of the 80s and/or 90's is likewise absurd.

I'd say in their career trajectory, U2 have already gone past the apex and are already in the downward descending trajectory. The only reckoning point I'd want to pose to you guys, is when exactly did U2 start going downhill for you? When did their trajectory shift from ascent to descent?

Cheers,

J
 
There are some albums that I really don't have much of a passion for, but the rest of them I love. There is no single point at which U2 has gone "down hill" as you put it. There are times when I think they could have done better, but hey, who am I to talk, I've never made a song let alone 12 albums.

Cheers, Rinn:D
 
U2 reached their absolute peak during the Lovetown Tour. I wouldn't say they have gone downhill since then as that has many negative connotations, and I also think that the current album is the best they have made since The Joshua Tree, but their greatest peak was and always will be the Lovetown Tour. The band was on fire. Absolutely no-one can touch Lovetown U2.
 
I don't think creativity should be confused with greatness.
Zooropa may have been their creative peak, but it was still a few steps down from overrall. Album wise they peaked at JT, then again at AB....now I believe they have come very close to another peak.

Concert wise they have been climbing a very steep hill ever since 1977.... creativity has been rife on all the tours...old songs get better and better (excepting Pride, WOWY or ISHFWILF).

On a greatness level...they are still riding at the top of the wave.
 
the peak of the band was in 1993 , best album , recorded in a very short time , perfect record in any direction : lyrics , music , images , tour was the best , they never changed the set-list , they were so great , golden age that was

after that problems had started , but every person has a peak of his / her / trans life at mid 30's

they were good with their studio works after that .
POP Mart was a flop , U2 had no ideas about the tour , zoo tv was a concept , pop mart was one big mess , karaoke was bad , decision to play oldies , no good
Elevation Tour was alright
 
It's been one heck of a long roller coaster ride... And I love the roller coaster!
 
jick said:
U2's career is on a certain trajectory. They have been in the ballgame for 25 years. I think to argue that they still have 25 more productive years is absurd. To argue also that U2's trajectory is still going up and they are going to reach greater heights than any of their previous past glories of the 80s and/or 90's is likewise absurd.

I'd say in their career trajectory, U2 have already gone past the apex and are already in the downward descending trajectory. The only reckoning point I'd want to pose to you guys, is when exactly did U2 start going downhill for you? When did their trajectory shift from ascent to descent?

Cheers,

J
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He's right, there HAS to be a peak somewhere, otherwise no one would be able to vote for a favorite album.

So, if they haven't re-attained that peak, then they are further downhill than they were at that point, albeit very slightly. For me, JT was the peak, so R+H started them downhill, and they ahve gone up and down a few times since then, but never quite reached the same pinnacle as with JT.

Salamat-Na, Mabuhay.
 
You can't tell with these guys, they've never really had a rut now have they? the popmart tour, though unsuccesful in the U.S. was a smash in the rest of the world. and although rattle and hum the movie was frowned upon the album did amazing, so....where's the rut??? no really??

I think they have to be very carefull with all the apple thing do, it might come back and bite them in the arse later on, same with fanfire, and how things are being handled these days, but that has nothing to do with their music, I think their in good form in Bomb. I think it measures up to leave behind , so I dont think they've been going downhill these days
 
this is a silly thread...I don't think they've ever gone "downhill" in the defintion you use...of sucking. They've crossed a few bogs, meandered through some back alleys, but it's all character-building and simply adds to the music in my opinion.
 
U2 has never went downhill in my mind, just changed direction and any band out there would love to have U2s cataloge of hits, which includes more then just the singles.

A U2 album is like any other bands greatest hits, record after record.
 
:shrug:

I think War-UF-JT run of albums was incredible for such a young band. Always going up in big steps.

Rattle and Hum always was going to have the bad luck of following up Joshua Tree, so in that respect I think it does rather well. (same goes for Zooropa following Achtung Baby)
AB was their second peak.

The relative downhill came with POP, who had lots of same topics and themes from their other two albums but didn't quite deliver.

Things went up IMO with ATYCLB, HTDAAB is even further up on the curve.

So while U2 had their up and downs (and which band doesn't?), I don't think they're going downhill just now.
 
Their Peak for me personally is Beautiful Day. It's the most totally subjective thing I could say though. That's the song practically got me listening to music (and by that I mean REALLY listening to music, not just casually if you know what I mean). Objectively, it's impossibe to decide. Impossible.
 
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