New Album Discussion 1 - Songs of..... - Unreasonable guitar album

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Originally Posted by super fly guy

Look at how the public received the new stones song, most people digging it and saying its great to have them back.

U2 will never have that after the apple debacle, people still banging on about nearly ten years later.

Ah I mean the Stones were a running punchline for a long time for being too old.

[Irvine511]

Originally Posted by super fly guy

Look at how the public received the new stones song, most people digging it and saying its great to have them back.

Have the public been saying this?

[super fly guy]

Originally Posted by Irvine511

Have the public been saying this?

In the UK anyway,played all the time on Radio 2. (I know that's a low bar).

[ascender_RS]

Originally Posted by super fly guy

Look at how the public received the new stones song, most people digging it and saying its great to have them back.

U2 will never have that after the apple debacle, people still banging on about nearly ten years later.

The new Stones sounds really good but in the context of their history, it's just a good rock single. But that's fine. Like U2, any new music and live shows from them at this stage in their career should be considered a good thing as you never know what will be their last.

With the way the music industry is just now, if U2 did release With or Without You for the first time next week, there's no guarantee it would be a massive hit or make a wide cultural impact or anything.

No matter how good their next album is, unless they do something radically different from their last few, their only hope would be they write something they put out as a lead-off single which grabs the public's attention (was Vertigo the last time they managed that?) but even then, I'm not sure what they would really do for them. Their next world tour will still sell out and they'll do the same again in 3/4 years time.

I'd love them to take more risks with their music; do different sorts of music; do some soundtrack work; maybe some solo stuff or collaborations; release more music... but none of that's going to happen.

[Irvine511]

Originally Posted by super fly guy

In the UK anyway,played all the time on Radio 2. (I know that's a low bar).

Ok. Fair enough.

[david]

It’s a pretty cool song and the lyrics aren’t horrible. I just wish Edge could write better riffs these days.

[super fly guy]

Originally Posted by david

It’s a pretty cool song and the lyrics aren’t horrible. I just wish Edge could write better riffs these days.

Wish the solo went on a bit longer,but it's certainly catchy.

[DomCobb]

Originally Posted by TinKnight

you guys are wildly out of touch with popular music if you think U2 will ever have a mainstream hit again. Adult alternative and/or alternative rock, sure. Anything else, absolutely not.

I think we're all pretty much on the same page about that.

They've had too many misses to regain public support, it's been almost two decades since their last hit album/song. They've always been a punchline, but without hit music their only relevance is "remember when they forced an album on your phone?" But more than anything, they're old. No one wants to listen to old people.

Which goes back to, who would new music be for at this point? To which the answer is basically just the fans.

[david]

The only legacy act that I think still appeals to the young and old alike are probably the Chili Peppers. But are their singles doing anything?

[ascender_RS]

Originally Posted by david

The only legacy act that I think still appeals to the young and old alike are probably the Chili Peppers. But are their singles doing anything?

In the Spotify plays from March to September, RHCP are about 130th with 30 million monthly listeners.

U2 are 302nd with 19 million listeners.

RHCP have recently been on a world tour and in the last few years have released two double albums of new material. I've not heard much coverage of their singles on radio other than the lead-off from each album, so maybe its a combination of new material and a tour which helps older acts get more streaming listens each month?

[DomCobb]

I think acts just have a shelf life. RHCP didn’t start that long after U2, but they broke out about a decade after U2, so they seem a bit more recent, so not as far down the descending popularity as U2. But I don’t think RHCP is very popular with young people these days.

U2 would be better off going the Springsteen route, and just give up on the young people entirely. Bruce releases fairly regularly and I feel like the olds have no problem picking up every album.

[Irvine511]

Originally Posted by super fly guy

Wish the solo went on a bit longer,but it's certainly catchy.

i agree with this. one of my complaints about SOI/E is that the songs are too short, actually. they are too tight, there's no room to breathe. Little Things' solo could be longer, they could ride that lovely Landlady groove for another minute, etc.

[DeVaul]

Originally Posted by DomCobb

U2 would be better off going the Springsteen route, and just give up on the young people entirely. Bruce releases fairly regularly and I feel like the olds have no problem picking up every album.

Bruce, Neil, hell even Pearl Jam and Radiohead are happy making music for themselves and their core audience and have zero issues moving tickets and getting the occasional play on adult alternative.

[lazarus]

Originally Posted by Headache in a Suitcase

i feel that U2 are at the point where the only way they would ever have a single that the general public would be "all over" would be if one of them died

is Bono ok??

[Gonna Run 2 U]

Originally Posted by david

The only legacy act that I think still appeals to the young and old alike are probably the Chili Peppers. But are their singles doing anything?

Probably the Foo Fighters too because everyone loves to stroke Dave Grohl for some reason.

[gvox]

Originally Posted by Irvine511

i agree with this. one of my complaints about SOI/E is that the songs are too short, actually. they are too tight, there's no room to breathe. Little Things' solo could be longer, they could ride that lovely Landlady groove for another minute, etc.

This.

Add the inexplicably abrupt fade of Edge’s brilliant solo on The Troubles… like what the?!

 

We add that extra groove at the end of Landlady for our live version.. It really resolves the song far more naturally.

__________________
band on fb

[mikal]

Originally Posted by Gonna Run 2 U

Probably the Foo Fighters too because everyone loves to stroke Dave Grohl for some reason.

For good reason. Dave Grohl is awesome.

[DomCobb]

Ultimately I think the main issue is that in the past ten years is that they've only put out two albums. One annoyed people because of how it was released, and the other one some people probably didn't realize was new because it had a similar title (especially with the I+E tour name). So I think they've just fallen a bit off the radar, not even the mainstream, which of course is unattainable, but for even their target demo.

That said, unlike the mainstream and the younger crowd, I think they can win back the base. This could be the first step on the road to doing that. But I really hope there's an album soon. Even if this song isn't on it. They need to parlay whatever press they're getting from the Sphere (TBD) into "U2 is back."

[Gonna Run 2 U]

Originally Posted by DomCobb

Ultimately I think the main issue is that in the past ten years is that they've only put out two albums. One annoyed people because of how it was released, and the other one some people probably didn't realize was new because it had a similar title (especially with the I+E tour name). So I think they've just fallen a bit off the radar, not even the mainstream, which of course is unattainable, but for even their target demo.

That said, unlike the mainstream and the younger crowd, I think they can win back the base. This could be the first step on the road to doing that. But I really hope there's an album soon. Even if this song isn't on it. They need to parlay whatever press they're getting from the Sphere (TBD) into "U2 is back."

They did re-engage a lot of the traditional U2 fan base with the Joshua Tree tour too.

They just need a great “comeback” first single.

They haven’t had that since Vertigo.

[cseggleton]

Originally Posted by DeVaul

Not releasing Magnificent, Volcano and Red Flag Day as the first singles from their respective albums put the kibosh on that approach which - I agree - would’ve been the sort of move that gets positive attention. Would’ve at least gotten some more play on the indie/alt-leaning radio stations.

Volcano? Nah..RBW or TIWYCRMN would have been better choices.