GibsonExplorer
War Child
Beck is awesome. I'm not sure if the others are making fun of Beck by laughing at the comparison or not. Whichever it is, Beck is still putting out good material. I can't say the same for U2.
You've heard GET ON YOUR BOOTS? - Post all thoughts, reviews, discussion HERE Part 4
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Beck is awesome. I'm not sure if the others are making fun of Beck by laughing at the comparison or not. Whichever it is, Beck is still putting out good material. I can't say the same for U2.
Vlad n U 2
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LastNameonEarth
The Fly
So you will wait for the "strong follow-up singles and awesome live performances" before you pass your judgement on GOYB then, I hope?
GibsonExplorer
War Child
No. Judgment is passed.
LastNameonEarth
The Fly
Well, your previous post makes no sense then...
GibsonExplorer
War Child
Ummm....Nickelback's Gotta Be Somebody was a "hit". That doesn't make it a good song.
Of course not...nothing makes a song good mate.
Like I said... music is subjective. What's good for you may be shit for others and what is shit for you may be good for others.
GibsonExplorer
War Child
Then move along.
Vlad n U 2
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Please resume positive discussion.
oceane
Refugee
I'm not saying that Boots will or will not be a hit, but iTunes standings 2 days after the release do not mean much really... U2 has a massive hardcore fan base (us 
) that will run to get the new single no matter how good it is, and they are still mainstream enough that a lot of people will check out the song when it's out. At this point I don't think it means that people are liking it--or not liking it--it just means that U2 can still attract a lot of interest when they release a new song.
) that will run to get the new single no matter how good it is, and they are still mainstream enough that a lot of people will check out the song when it's out. At this point I don't think it means that people are liking it--or not liking it--it just means that U2 can still attract a lot of interest when they release a new song.ozeeko
Refugee
The difference between the musicians of the 60's - 90's (excluding parts of the 80's, like hair metal) - was that most of the serious artists were competing to see who would break more ground within the music itself. Like the Beatles competing with the Stones or Beach Boys or Dylan, the doors....bands that would be noticed because of their musical power...and then later all that celebrity shit. Today, it's not about how great ure music is, it's about how many units u can sell. Of course it's always been a business, but i'm seeing (in mainstream music) less of a desire to create inspirational music, and more of a drive towards selling the most albums. Same thing with movies. Ever since Jaws, every movie has been called a failure or a success depending on its opening weekend performance. Only years later can you actually look at a piece of work and critique it in a fair and unbiased way.
Look at 90's U2. They were competing with Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails, bands and musicians that took their work seriously and were mature. They could speak to kids and adults. Bono seemed more mature and wise in those days. There was no condescending. He knew he was a smart individual, he knew his fans were intelligent, and he wrote in an intelligent way. There was also a great desire (like in the 60's) to top other artists in an "artistic" way. Cuz, let's face it, today the songs are only a small part of the package. You can take a terrible song, raise the volume up and blast it in your face with a production style that's about as subtle as a brick in your face. That's what most people react to, the initial sound. That terrible sound actually sounds great to kids who don't know any better. It's like action movies with CGI effects. Great on the first viewing, with the theatre surround sound. Then actually watch it on a regular TV at home a couple times, u realize this movie sucks because the whole experience was based on how well those sound effects got thru to me.
So, in conclusion, today it's all about the bells and whistles and production style, the bling bling, the video with the choreographed dancing and the in your face attitude. Is there still good music out there? Of course, sure there is. Just not on mainstream radio. They can't sell too many units of something that would require their target audience to actually listen to more than once to understand.
All it takes is one person to step up and raise the bar. Like Dylan in the 60's. Then again, they didn't have reality television in the 60's. People actually read and were curious about life. Today the average joe wants nothing except a cell phone that will make him waffles and rub his nuts for him (that's a Carlin quote). In the past, when rockers wanted to out-rock eachother, what did they do? They rocked harder, they played harder, they got better. What do rockers do today? They tell the producer to raise the volume. What a joke. What a crock.
LastNameonEarth
The Fly
????
All I want point out is that you're essentially saying The Fly justified itself on the back of the rest of the album and the subsequent tour....and yet we haven't even heard NLOTH yet, never mind had a chance to rate the tour!!! We're discussing the new single, why should I move along!?!
^^You're right on a lot of points ozeeko.
But mainstream is not completely lost. Actually, we still have Coldplay and U2. Those are the two last bands that still are mainstream and do good music. And while all of you hate Coldplay, I feel that they are the only band that one day can claim the spot that belongs to U2 now.
Mainstream is a refection of the youth generation's culture, that's it. The thing is that now young people don't care about music the way they used to do, cause now there's a lot more to "worry" about. Now people can get satisfied with less, and that's what happened. Just my opinion. Back then music was a lot bigger and artists would have to top each other to stay famous (mainstream) and within the last deacade, unfortunately that changed.
But mainstream is not completely lost. Actually, we still have Coldplay and U2. Those are the two last bands that still are mainstream and do good music. And while all of you hate Coldplay, I feel that they are the only band that one day can claim the spot that belongs to U2 now.
Mainstream is a refection of the youth generation's culture, that's it. The thing is that now young people don't care about music the way they used to do, cause now there's a lot more to "worry" about. Now people can get satisfied with less, and that's what happened. Just my opinion. Back then music was a lot bigger and artists would have to top each other to stay famous (mainstream) and within the last deacade, unfortunately that changed.
Vlad n U 2
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U2 weren't mainstream in the 90s.
They were... not as much as now, but they were.
Vlad n U 2
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How can Discotheque or Numb be mainstream?
They were mainstream cause they were U2.
Zoo TV and Popmart made them mainstream back in 90's. Especially Zoo TV.
LastNameonEarth
The Fly
I agree, U2 have been mainstreem since the late '80's. But being mainstreem isn't necessarily a bad thing. I hope The Killers and not Coldplay will ultimately prove to be the band of which you speak!
mhowells
The Fly
In what way? I haven't made a comment on this song and I don't vote.
I don't want to start a discussion about this subject, after all, it's off topic. But the only band I see with the qualties that can lead they to become what U2 is now is Coldplay. One of them is Chris Martin's charisma. Something hard to find, very hard.
ozeeko
Refugee
in the late 60's and early 90's, the underground or alternative movements took over the radio and became the mainstream. What was good, however, in the 90's gave birth to crap, I'm talking what grunge finally degenerated into, just hollow distorted guitars with no depth or originality, and gangsta rap, once a powerful force, which was simplified into the bullshit stuff you hear today like Lil Jon and Ludacris. The only time U2 weren't mainstream was pre-Joshua Tree.
Earnie Shavers
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
U2 absolutely were mainstream during the 90s. When music attitudes really swung in the mid to late 90s and you couldn’t be anything more uncool than a stadium rock band, their massive, mainstream-ness very nearly completely sunk a whole album and tour of theirs, and perhaps nearly the whole band. They were, in the 90s, the biggest of the big. Since the Joshua Tree, they have been at worst in the Top 3 largest bands in the world, at best the largest.
They have also, since then, always been a 150% mainstream band. It’s how they’ve used that which has differed. In 1992 they took Public Enemy into rock stadiums. In 2009, they’re banking on will.i.am to get them on the radio.
During the 90s they pretty much ignored their status when recording new music. They were the biggest band of the late 80s. They chucked that formula away. Achtung had them absolutely back on top. They risked it all on Zooropa. They were the biggest. Absolutely the biggest. Totally mainstream, but they didn’t pander to it and they didn’t let it dictate to them.
Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. They didn’t used to try and compete with the mainstream on it’s level. They used take something great from “up there” and dump it “down there” onto and within the mainstream. Using the power of their size and popularity to get something like Lemon played alongside New Kids on the Block, or whatever shit it was in 1991. Today, they’re molding their music to suit. Maybe not as consciously as some conspiracy theorists here think, but it’s definitely happened. A song like Miracle Drug is an absolute shallow water lightweight compared to the other songs of the Unforgettable Fire era that it apes. Lightweight enough that Coldplay can release an album as bad as X&Y and be considered a U2 peer. A song like Vertigo is as generic and only gratifying in an instant that the lead singer from a catchy-but-meaningless party band of the moment from Vegas called the Killers genuinely thinks that his band are on the verge of toppling their heroes from their perch.
They've lowered themselves, and shed any weight. They've been mainstream for 20 years, but only in the last 8 or so have they really been acting like it.
They have also, since then, always been a 150% mainstream band. It’s how they’ve used that which has differed. In 1992 they took Public Enemy into rock stadiums. In 2009, they’re banking on will.i.am to get them on the radio.
During the 90s they pretty much ignored their status when recording new music. They were the biggest band of the late 80s. They chucked that formula away. Achtung had them absolutely back on top. They risked it all on Zooropa. They were the biggest. Absolutely the biggest. Totally mainstream, but they didn’t pander to it and they didn’t let it dictate to them.
How can Discotheque or Numb be mainstream?
Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. They didn’t used to try and compete with the mainstream on it’s level. They used take something great from “up there” and dump it “down there” onto and within the mainstream. Using the power of their size and popularity to get something like Lemon played alongside New Kids on the Block, or whatever shit it was in 1991. Today, they’re molding their music to suit. Maybe not as consciously as some conspiracy theorists here think, but it’s definitely happened. A song like Miracle Drug is an absolute shallow water lightweight compared to the other songs of the Unforgettable Fire era that it apes. Lightweight enough that Coldplay can release an album as bad as X&Y and be considered a U2 peer. A song like Vertigo is as generic and only gratifying in an instant that the lead singer from a catchy-but-meaningless party band of the moment from Vegas called the Killers genuinely thinks that his band are on the verge of toppling their heroes from their perch.
They've lowered themselves, and shed any weight. They've been mainstream for 20 years, but only in the last 8 or so have they really been acting like it.
Earnie Shavers
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
I consider those songs to be U2 dumbed down and lightened up to suit the mainstream. Of course U2 have a unique sound and style that doesn't sound like anything else on the radio, but yes, I consider Miracle Drug to be pretty generic MOR-pop-rock. Really. That they sound unique is not what I'm debating, it's the depth and quality to them. Vertigo could have been a neat little once off hit for any snappy, tight little mid western pop-punk band.
ozeeko
Refugee
That sums everything up, pretty much. 100% agree. Hope the new album proves me wrong. As mainstreamy as GYOB is, i still enjoy it for the time being.
I don't remember liking Vertigo for this long, so that's a good sign.
Vlad n U 2
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They were mainstream cause they were U2.
And back then mainstream music was probably awesome.
Earnie Shavers
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
Yes, and I don’t want to get taken the wrong way: I like GOYB. I think it’s infinitely better than Vertigo. Not as good as, say, the Fly or Discotheque or Beautiful Day, but it’s solid, catchy, interesting. Coming after Vertigo, that’s good enough for me for now. I don’t think it’s going to set the world on fire, but that’s just my opinion as per the landscape and the type of song it is + the initial reactions it seems to be getting. It won’t be anywhere near as big a hit as BD/Vertigo, but that’s not a bad thing. It’s U2. It just needs to be a bullhorn announcing a new album, and that it has done.
LastNameonEarth
The Fly
Mostly agree, although I don't think Beautiful Day is given the credit it's due. If you can recommend a mid-western pop-punk band churning out GOYB-standard singles I'd like to hear them!
GOYB is the sound of U2 having fun again, and I don't see anything wrong in that
I don't want to argue with you... but I never saw any rock band doing a song like Vertigo before of after it was released in the 00's
I agree that MD is kinda bland, but still decent. And better than a lot of what mainstream "rock" bands can do. Sorry, but my memory sucks, what's MOR??
I just don't know how to explain... they acted mainstream with ATCYLB.. I agree. But I don't see it so much on HTDAAB.
LastNameonEarth
The Fly
MOR is the middle-of-the-road....which in reality is the most dangerous place to be!
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