HTDAAB Revisionist History

[toscano]

mediocre then, mediocre now

 

[GibsonExplorer]

mediocre then, unlistenable now

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Will give it a spin on the way home tonight. Haven't listened to it in maybe a year. I think it's crap almost completely from start to finish.

 

[Yahweh_OMG]

ABOY is a really bad song, the worst of the album, maybe of their whole career.

I don't like Crumbs too much either, the rest is good.

Love Yahweh and SYCMIOYO

Like MD (even though drumming is weak)

Like LAPOE, Vertigo, COBL and AMAAW (best vocals in HTDAAB).

The other songs are fillers....

 

[asr]

Crumbs From Your Table is subjectively the only good song on the album.

 

[last unicorn]

I think One Step Closer is criminally underrated.

 

[An Cat Gav]

At first I really liked it, then one by one I went of all the songs apart from COCL and SYCMIOYO. For about a year I didn't listen to any of them, but now most of the songs have gone up in my estimation, especialy LAPOE. The only song I still hate is MD which is the worst thing they have ever released.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Crumbs is a very good song imo, nice riff too.

 

[zooperson]

Interesting: LAPOE was originally a highlight for me and just recently My cousin and I realized that it is pretty crap. It's really poorly mixed, too.

Vertigo: Never liked it, although i've come to appreciate it a tad more.

Miracle Drug:

SYCMIOYO: it's a nice tune (but nice is such a shitty word)

LAPOE: see above

ABOY: SHITE! they really lost the plot here. you don't have to try so hard guys

COBL:

Crumbs: Almost good. like it

AM&AW:WTF happened there?!?!?

OSCTK: SO good. Agree w/ the folks who said that it's underrated. reminds me of the Velvet Underground or Lou.

OOTS: ARE YOU KIDDING?!?!?!? In my top 10 Favorite songs of all time. LOVE @ 1st sight!

Yahweh: Beautiful sounding song with beautiful lyrics

Fast Cars: Should have been on every version of the album. Totally fun

Where can i find the alternate version of Y*HW*H???

 

[U2387]

If anything it was good and has gotten better for me. I know that does not win a popularity contest in these parts, but I think its a damn good album. ABOY has actually grown on me, though I still think it is a little too cliche rocker and U2 can and have most certainly done 1000 times better. I agree w. whoever said LAPOE is mixed very poorly, though I love the live versions.

Overall, the rock is back (relative to ATYCLB) and the lyrics are better than people give them credit for. Bomb was a nice representation of almost all aspects of U2's career and no more or no less. Is it their best album? NO. Is it a damn good album, better than anyone else does today? Unequivocally, yes.

 

[65980]

Here's my opinion of HTDAAB in 2004: Near-masterpiece.

Here my opinion of HTDAAB in 2008: Near-masterpiece.

Here's what I thought in 2004: An incredibly great, emotional collection of rockin' tunes. "Love and Peace" is a little cheesy and "One Step Closer" is kind of disposable, but the rest can't be beat.

Here's what I think in 2008: An incredibly great, emotional collection of rockin' tunes. "Love and Peace" is a little cheesy and "One Step Closer" is kind of disposable, but the rest can't be beat.

I will never understand how any U2 fan could love "I Will Follow" or "Until the End of the World" and then hate "All Because Of You", one of their most musically and spiritually uplifting songs.

Oh, and every one of the alternate (meaning, they decided it wasn't good enough) versions of songs is decidedly inferior to the superior ones on the album (especially 'All Because of You', whose alternate, unreleased version is utter crap compared to the masterful album version).

 

[ozeeko]

I will never understand how any U2 fan could love "I Will Follow" or "Until the End of the World" and then hate "All Because Of You", one of their most musically and spiritually uplifting songs.QUOTE]

Maybe because in those songs Bono never said anything fucking stupid like "intellectual tortoise".

 

[Rosebud]

I will never understand how any U2 fan could love "I Will Follow" or "Until the End of the World" and then hate "All Because Of You", one of their most musically and spiritually uplifting songs.QUOTE]

Maybe because in those songs Bono never said anything fucking stupid like "intellectual tortoise".

Yeah, but for the love of God have you not seen Bono in the IWF video??
Swing those lil hips!


But seriously folks, Bono has ALWAYS written/performed stuff that makes certain people cringe. We just remember waaaaaay less of what happened back in the day. Once enough time has passed, albums and tours stop being criticized and scrutinized to death. We're just not thinking about them as much as what's going on now; it doesn't mean they were so perfect.

 

[ozeeko]

Yeah, but for the love of God have you not seen Bono in the IWF video??
Swing those lil hips!


But seriously folks, Bono has ALWAYS written/performed stuff that makes certain people cringe. We just remember waaaaaay less of what happened back in the day. Once enough time has passed, albums and tours stop being criticized and scrutinized to death. We're just not thinking about them as much as what's going on now; it doesn't mean they were so perfect.

Yea, but Bono was practically a kid in the IWF video. He's a grown middle aged man now, and i'm sorry but writing corny embarrassing crap like "intellectual tortoise" is inexcusable. Especially when he has proven many times in the past to be an interesting and talented lyricist. "Intellectual tortoise" is something i would've thought was poetic in the 5th grade.

 

[Rosebud]

Alright fair enough. I guess I just don't see that phrase as really a big deal. First, I don't actually find it cheesy. Second, even it is, who cares? It's not like the song is some sort of ballad. It's fun and frollicks. Let's all just lighten up, shall we?

 

[last unicorn]

Intellectual tortoise is self irony. I don't get why people hate that phrase so much.

 

[ozeeko]

Alright fair enough. I guess I just don't see that phrase as really a big deal. First, I don't actually find it cheesy. Second, even it is, who cares? It's not like the song is some sort of ballad. It's fun and frollicks. Let's all just lighten up, shall we?

No, let's not. If I want fun from U2, I'll listen to genuine fun like Mysterious Ways, not processed studied fun ala Vertigo and Tortoise-fucker. If I want genuine cheesy fun I'll listen to Rick Astley "Never Gonna Give U Up". At least that's cheesiness done well. As for ABOY, I can't even really call it cheesy. If anything, it's retarded. senile. a grandfather with Althszheimers yapping some sad and strange shit in the corner. Actually, looking at it from that angle, the song is starting to seem funny.

 

[Salome]

I don't get why it was brilliant wen U2 dressed up serious topics with irony in the 90s and at the same time it's dreadful that they dress up serious topics with an element of fun in the 00s

I don't think the lyrics of All because of you are the best they've ever done, by far, but there's still some meaning there and they mostly sound ok
the somewhat generic music hurts the song more IMO
(it has grown on me quite a bit though)

 

[ozeeko]

I don't get why it was brilliant wen U2 dressed up serious topics with irony in the 90s and at the same time it's dreadful that they dress up serious topics with an element of fun in the 00s

I don't think the lyrics of All because of you are the best they've ever done, by far, but there's still some meaning there and they mostly sound ok
the somewhat generic music hurts the song more IMO
(it has grown on me quite a bit though)

For some reason, in the 2000's, fun in U2's music has been equated with cringe-inducing embarrassing lyrics set to halfassed music. What's so fun about this? I'd have a lot more fun listening to Sunday Bloody Sunday. I think I'll go do that now.

But one question: are you telling me that listening to ABOY is more fun than listening to Achtung Baby because it's less serious?

 

[ozeeko]

A side note. I will admit this. U2 sounds like they're having more fun on ABOY than a handful of tracks off Achtung. But that's the whole point...maybe they should stop screwing around, sober up and actually sit down and focus on writing some damn good songs. Hopefully they did that this time around.

 

[Salome]

I don't think the lyrics are that much worse
there have been cringe worthy moments throughout their career
the worst of them IMO on POP which coincidentally I also think is one of their stronger albums lyrically

I think All because of you adresses a topic that has been used by U2 throughout their entire career, but they tried to use a different angle and make it all a bit more joyous

I don't think they necessarely succeeded at this completely
and I also admit the lyrics aren't their best

what I'm saying is that the lyrics are not as insane and bad as you make them out to be

 

[Rosebud]

For some reason, in the 2000's, fun in U2's music has been equated with cringe-inducing embarrassing lyrics set to halfassed music. What's so fun about this? I'd have a lot more fun listening to Sunday Bloody Sunday. I think I'll go do that now.

But one question: are you telling me that listening to ABOY is more fun than listening to Achtung Baby because it's less serious?

I think that all Salome was saying (and correct me if I'm wrong!) was that there's kind of a double standard around when talking about less-serious (or seemingly so) moments for U2 through the years. Maybe because they had a "cooler" image (which was carefully and deliberately crafted), they could get away with more. I don't know, it just seems like we can't take a joke these days.

In my posts though, I wasn't really arguing for or against the phrase. I was arguing more along the lines of, hey it's not reeeeeally that big of a deal is it? I mean even if you truly abhor it, it's only 2 words out of the whole song right?

 

[ozeeko]

I think that all Salome was saying (and correct me if I'm wrong!) was that there's kind of a double standard around when talking about less-serious (or seemingly so) moments for U2 through the years. Maybe because they had a "cooler" image (which was carefully and deliberately crafted), they could get away with more. I don't know, it just seems like we can't take a joke these days.

In my posts though, I wasn't really arguing for or against the phrase. I was arguing more along the lines of, hey it's not reeeeeally that big of a deal is it? I mean even if you truly abhor it, it's only 2 words out of the whole song right?

Well, all self-irony aside...i personally could actually care less about the message U2 is trying to get across. I think presentation really comes into play. With ZOOTV, they were a lot more mysterious and thought-provoking in their approach, which i find a lot more interesting than their cutesy, squeaky clean and (hate to use the word yet again)...CHEESY approach. I mean, I know Bono's so comfortable with himself these days that he doesn't need to dress his lyrics in competant metaphors, darkness and whathaveyou...but does that mean he has to write in a boring style? I have no problem with direct lyrics. At least make them interesting. It's almost like he writes embarrassing lyrics these days just to prove he's incapable of being embarrassed. I say get embarrassed, get uncomfortable, and pour out your soul you cheesy old drunk.

Aight, i'm going back to cramming for my final

 

[The Sad Punk]

Intellectual tortoise is self irony. I don't get why people hate that phrase so much.

You don't get why anyone criticises anything to do with U2.

 

[U2girl]

I don't think the lyrics are that much worse
there have been cringe worthy moments throughout their career
the worst of them IMO on POP which coincidentally I also think is one of their stronger albums lyrically

I think All because of you adresses a topic that has been used by U2 throughout their entire career, but they tried to use a different angle and make it all a bit more joyous

I don't think they necessarely succeeded at this completely
and I also admit the lyrics aren't their best

what I'm saying is that the lyrics are not as insane and bad as you make them out to be

Oh some of the lines and lyrics he got away with in the "fun" of the 90s...

 

[FredReis]

For me, the standout tracks in HTDAAB until today: MD; SYCMIOYO; COBL; CFYT; OOTS; AMAAW; Yahweh. I still strugle to really like LAPOE, ABOY and OSC and I DON'T like Vertigo.

I still feel that HTDAAB are better than ATYCLB, but I think POP is still better than this two albums. POP has this sequence from 1 to 7 (Discotheque to Gone), that even if you think that the songs are unfinished, they're still GREAT PIECE OF MUSIC. I don't think that HTDAAB or ATYCLB has a big sequence like that, IMO.

 

[Dr. Lemonseed]

Just throwing this into the mix: I think AMAAW is the best track on there, or at least the most interesting to me. Regarding this debate over "intellectual tortoise," certainly that is deliberate. There is actually an extended metaphor of turtles in the song... "people get squashed crossing the tracks, some people got high rises on their backs" certainly evoke turtles, non?

Also, I would like to shout out to whoever mentioned the "I'm alive! I'm being born. I just arrived..." section of ABOY. Quite kicking!

 

[MadForIt]

good album

Dont like One Step Closer and the lyrics to Origin of the species are poor

All because of you it average

best ones are vertigo, sometimes you cant make it on your own and COBL

The simple rockers like Vertigo is what i like to hear

 

[Rosebud]

Just throwing this into the mix: I think AMAAW is the best track on there, or at least the most interesting to me. Regarding this debate over "intellectual tortoise," certainly that is deliberate. There is actually an extended metaphor of turtles in the song... "people get squashed crossing the tracks, some people got high rises on their backs" certainly evoke turtles, non?

Also, I would like to shout out to whoever mentioned the "I'm alive! I'm being born. I just arrived..." section of ABOY. Quite kicking!

Mmm...Turtles.

And thank you, that was me.

 

[gvox]

Vertigo and All Because are my least favorite tracks and Vertigo is probably near the very bottom of my list of U2 songs as well.

I love the album overall, however.