ImOuttaControl said:
I agree with a lot of what you say actually; but I never said that ATYCLB is not a pop album. I only made that comment about HTDAAB because a lot of people are in denial that it is cut from exactly the same cloth as ATYCLB.
They are both very front heavy albums. They are both pop albums like you said, both have great pop songs. I'd say that HTDAAB rocks a bit harder and that's mainly due to the fact that it's produced very 'hot." With different production on ATYCLB, "Beautiful Day," "Elevation," "Walk On," "When I Look At The World" and "New York" could have ROCKED a lot harder. Hell, just listen to the Tombraider mix of Elevation as compared to the album version and that should give an indication of the differnce production makes.
I would even argue that HTDAAB has more great songs than ATYCLB....
But what I've been aguing the whole time is that does simply slapping 11 great songs together make a great album? No. Not every song on "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" is great, but those songs together make a great album.
In my opinion, a great album should have a cohesive sound and theme--something that HTDAAB lacks. It comes close, but the mix of all these different producers really churned out ATYCLB Pt II, but with no soul.
So to clarify:
Album with more great songs: HTDAAB
Album that forms a better "album": ATYCLB
we agree much more than disagree for sure.
I'd only take issue with the last part, as I beleive the vice versa, ATYCLB=great songs, less strong as an album
HTDAAB=not many great songs, but strong as a whole piece
the only reason is, I think HTDAAB has about 9 really solid songs, maybe less cohesive for sure, but strong in quality.
ATYCLB, to me has about 5 great songs and 6 B-side material.
So it's harder for me to make the argument, although maybe it does have more cohesion than HTDAAB.
I agree with the production gripes, for sure. The one thing I'll mention is about ATYCLB rocking much harder, that it could have for sure. Elevation to me has the bare bones of what could have been a mganificent song, and it's just crap IMO on the album. Even with the lyrical problems and the cheestastic chorus, it could have been salvaged. The tomb raider mix is 90 times better, I think the majority of this board agrees with that.
When I Look at The World is arguably U2's best song with a terrible vocal take. Bono just sounds lazy on it. He sang it like in Kansas City as the snip to Bad, and he really belts "So I TRY TO BE LIKE YOU" and it sounds magnificent. At what point and time didn't Danny Lanois or Eno or Edge or someone say to him "you gotta give the vocals more energy". It's still a really good song, could have been much better.
New York just transforms live and becomes a killer rock song, on the album, it seems so tame. Production. Maybe mixing more specifically.
Beautiful Day is the best song on the album, I think, easily. if the rhythm section was louder in the mix, I think it would have been even better.
Stuck, well I think the majority loves the acoustic version, very simple sweet, melodic, I think it's great. The album version, I loathe. It's terrible, IMO.
Seems pretty petty to nitpick production and all, I just think U2's last 3 albums are a production mess, so is becoming a trend, it would seem. I am of course, in favor of letting Brian Eno do it by himself.