Ra Ra Riot: We want to be like U2 79-98

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drt4

The Fly
Joined
Jan 29, 2005
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Reading in the new issue of Spin about the band Ra Ra Riot, I saw this U2 reference that amused me.

Says bassist Matthie Santos: "We want a long successful career. Like U2."
Says guitarist Milo Monacci: "Only U2 from '79 to '98"

Now that's a U2 fan who knows that they love everything through Pop. Regardless of what camp you fall into regarding U2's last two albums, I found this amusing, giving how common of a sentiment this is on Interference, but it's awfully rare that you hear anyone in the rest of the world or in a magazine who suggests that Pop was the last great work by U2. Most everyone considers Pop the big disappointment, and either thinks that ATYCLB was the great comeback, or simply thinks U2 have sucked since Achtung Baby.

Let's hear it for indirect shout-outs to Pop! :applaud:
 
well, there's people from all over the world that post here about their dislike for everything after pop. wow. so someone in a band feels the same way and it gets printed in spin. does that make the sentiment for validated? it's all subjective anyway.
 
I don't know if this is a shout out to Pop so much as it is a putdown to ATYCLB and HtDaAB.

In which case, I say boo this man. ATYCLB is classic and HTDAAB was a good album.
 
Reading in the new issue of Spin about the band Ra Ra Riot, I saw this U2 reference that amused me.

Says bassist Matthie Santos: "We want a long successful career. Like U2."
Says guitarist Milo Monacci: "Only U2 from '79 to '98"

Now that's a U2 fan who knows that they love everything through Pop. Regardless of what camp you fall into regarding U2's last two albums, I found this amusing, giving how common of a sentiment this is on Interference, but it's awfully rare that you hear anyone in the rest of the world or in a magazine who suggests that Pop was the last great work by U2. Most everyone considers Pop the big disappointment, and either thinks that ATYCLB was the great comeback, or simply thinks U2 have sucked since Achtung Baby.

Let's hear it for indirect shout-outs to Pop! :applaud:
After '98 they released M$H, Electrical Storm and HTDAAB (with enough "rare and unreleased" songs for a solid EP).
One weak album released in 2000 is not making a whole decade weak.
That's all I have to say about their opinion.

I don't know if this is a shout out to Pop so much as it is a putdown to ATYCLB and HtDaAB.

In which case, I say boo this man. ATYCLB is classic

:laugh:
 
Reading in the new issue of Spin about the band Ra Ra Riot, I saw this U2 reference that amused me.

Says bassist Matthie Santos: "We want a long successful career. Like U2."
Says guitarist Milo Monacci: "Only U2 from '79 to '98"

Now that's a U2 fan who knows that they love everything through Pop. Regardless of what camp you fall into regarding U2's last two albums, I found this amusing, giving how common of a sentiment this is on Interference, but it's awfully rare that you hear anyone in the rest of the world or in a magazine who suggests that Pop was the last great work by U2. Most everyone considers Pop the big disappointment, and either thinks that ATYCLB was the great comeback, or simply thinks U2 have sucked since Achtung Baby.

Let's hear it for indirect shout-outs to Pop! :applaud:

Good point. I have to say I think Pop and Zooropa were pretty bad and, when they came out, felt ATYCLB and HTDAAB were better than each prior album back to Achtung Baby (which was the best!). I still think there was a certain appreciated complexity on Pop, but that the melodies weren't there on most songs, except Mofo, Do You Feel Loved?, and the single version of Please (and even that was a bit obvious).

Some of the big melodies were there on some of the newer songs, but there wasn't enough complexity and variation. I'm confused as to how I feel about the newer 2 albums compared to Zooropa and Pop. I actually think Zooropa had too many basic and boring melodies: Baby Face, Some Days, First Time. Zooropa had some complexity but the basic melody was dull; the first 1:50 are the most interesting part, in a way.

Either way, I want something a heck of a lot better than the last 4 albums!
 
I couldn't care less about what some random guy from some random band says in an interview. Let's talk again in 20+ years and see if anyone remembers this band like they remember U2. I doubt it.

Now off to the Coldplay thread.
 
I don't know if this is a shout out to Pop so much as it is a putdown to ATYCLB and HtDaAB.

Yeah, I don't see it as a shout out to Pop. I see it as, "We liked U2's work until the year 1999." It's nice that Pop is included in that span of years, but it's basically knocking everything U2 has done since.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not bent out of shape over it or anything...everyone is entitled to their opinion. I just view it as more of a backhanded compliment than an appreciation for Pop.
 
Yeah, I don't see it as a shout out to Pop. I see it as, "We liked U2's work until the year 1999." It's nice that Pop is included in that span of years, but it's basically knocking everything U2 has done since.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not bent out of shape over it or anything...everyone is entitled to their opinion. I just view it as more of a backhanded compliment than an appreciation for Pop.

Well, you can certainly look at it that way too.

I just somehow struck me when I read it, since there are tons of people on Interference who love U2's Pop era, (and sometimes the last decade not as much) but in print one NEVER sees any love for the Pop era. I know it's not a big deal, but it pleased me. (Obviously I'm a big Pop fan myself).
 
I read this comment as the members also not preferring the more "mellow" sounds of the more recent U2. The unfortunate part is that this causes them to miss out on some great songs, including "Beautiful Day", "Vertigo", "Love & Peace...", and "Fast Cars", and even some fun songs like "Elevation" and "All Because of You". Plus, there's nothing wrong with "mellow" - even heavy rockers have done mellow (from Led Zeppelin to Poison :D ). Also, there were plenty of clinkers in the 1979-1998 era, as well as mellow and flat out pop songs. So I'm not really sure why one would exclude the present era, but whatever.

The big thing is that this is just another artist saying they want to be like U2. Given I've never heard of them, I feel they have a way to go. :sexywink:
 
Chinese Democracy has not even come out and is considered a classic. and im sure it will piss over everything u2 has done since "atyclb" even a band like coldplay sound's better than u2 at the moment.
 
Practically everybody around me think U2 is a big disappointment ever since 2000. So I don't think the ATYCLB/HTDAAB dislike is reserved only for this forum.
 
I don't think the ATYCLB/HTDAAB dislike is reserved only for this forum.

Oh, it definitely isn't.

Someone - no, it wasn't me - recently created a "Do you like U2?" poll at another band forum I visit, and the general consensus there is that U2 were good in the 80s and (to an extent) the 90s, but not beyond that point. Only one or two people out of about 20 even had anything positive to say about ATYCLB / HTDAAB.
 
Chinese Democracy has not even come out and is considered a classic. and im sure it will piss over everything u2 has done since "atyclb" even a band like coldplay sound's better than u2 at the moment.

"Classic" was a play on how fucking old the album is without even being out.
 
So I don't think the ATYCLB/HTDAAB dislike is reserved only for this forum.

No, but dead horses need beating. You should see the reputation their non AB 90's work gets on other sites (and even AB itself isn't always the grand classic portrayed here).
 
Oh, it definitely isn't.

Someone - no, it wasn't me - recently created a "Do you like U2?" poll at another band forum I visit, and the general consensus there is that U2 were good in the 80s and (to an extent) the 90s, but not beyond that point. Only one or two people out of about 20 even had anything positive to say about ATYCLB / HTDAAB.

Hm. Interesting. I remember though a few years ago a Rollingstone reader's poll of the top 100 albums of all time, and ATYCLB was in there. So I feel like that album has had some pretty big mainstream cache, you might say.
 
I'm curious when the dislike for albums starts to come...


...because I know in 2000, everyone I knew, even in the online community, was raving about how good ATYCLB. Now all of a sudden, they've begun to dislike it.

Same with HTDAAB. This forum had positive reviews for it in 2004. Now it seems like everyone hates the album.
 
I'm curious when the dislike for albums starts to come...


...because I know in 2000, everyone I knew, even in the online community, was raving about how good ATYCLB. Now all of a sudden, they've begun to dislike it.

Same with HTDAAB. This forum had positive reviews for it in 2004. Now it seems like everyone hates the album.

Maybe the songs didn't have enough depth to hold up after repeated listening? (I personally find this to be more true for HTDAAB than ATYCLB. Some of the songs on ATYCLB actually grew on me over time, but my opinion of every single one of the songs on HTDAAB has lessened over time).
 
Maybe the songs didn't have enough depth to hold up after repeated listening? (I personally find this to be more true for HTDAAB than ATYCLB. Some of the songs on ATYCLB actually grew on me over time, but my opinion of every single one of the songs on HTDAAB has lessened over time).

:up::up::up::up::up:
 
There's more to it than just depth or lack thereof. It's easy for 00's U2 bashers to point to that, but it's interesting how the albums tend to lose their power as soon as the tour starts. That's also when the production criticisms begin.
 
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