New Album Discussion 10 - Songs of Sir, this is a Wendy's, durr
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This is a cop out. Fans aren't perusing shows and catalogues for something to do. Presumably they've been tied to the band for decades, impacted by the music, and have expectations...perhaps anticipation is more fitting. If they don't like the new stuff, then they have every reason to be disappointed and can express that. They can't just mindlessly flip to next Spotify recommendation as if the next chapter of this band isn't happening.
trevgreg
Rock n' Roll Doggie
You can be disappointed, sure. But there's plenty of stuff I don't like from over their entire output anyway. And probably a lot of us can say the same. I've been underwhelmed and overwhelmed by various releases over the years, whether it's from these guys or other bands. For me, that just comes with the territory of being a fan of something.
At the end of the day, someone's either going to like a new release or not. Or maybe just some of the songs and so forth. If I don't like it, then cool. Hopefully I like the next release better. Or maybe it'll grow on me a bit, like that happens a lot of the time.
You do know Spotify also allows you to search for something you want to hear; in a not so mindless fashion I might add.
I fail to see the cop out. Do you want all their new material to appease your expectations? If so, I've lost the plot of this forum. I feel like most of us here complain about the constant attempts to appease fans ruining their creativity.
every time you say something i disagree with from here on out? i'm going to call you a lyin' honeybee.
DaveC
Blue Crack Addict
no refunds
you're a lyin' honeybee
dan_smee
ONE love, blood, life
I feel like most people are here to self-flagellate over their intellectual superiority or sub-cultural capital accrual of hipster cred by being the “voice of reason” among “sheep”. People like that are either emasculated in their real lives or just cunts. Either way…
You went in a couple directions here I'm not quite tracking. The point was that it's hard for some fans to just move on "ho-hum" if they happen to be disappointed by the new output - whether it's a gig with no LM or these irritating SOS renditions. They're invested. Disappointment is valid. That's all.
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dan_smee
ONE love, blood, life
Disappointment is valid. Someone suggesting that if you are disappointed you should listen to something else or old stuff being a cop out? Come off it. You want to wallow in your sadness at things not meeting your standards, fine - but don’t chastise someone for suggesting that you shouldn’t try and infect others with your negativity on a U2 forum where not everyone feels the same as you. Liking things you don’t is legitimate. Just like you not liking them is also legitimate.
Oh stop. Got yourself tied in knots.
dan_smee
ONE love, blood, life
Predictable response. Someone calls you out on your shit and you claim hypocrisy or contradiction.
Gonna Run 2 U
New Yorker
When does Larry’s diss track against Bono and Edge come out?
God damn it
Gonna Run 2 U
New Yorker
womanfish
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
Here is my issue with SOS so far. Off the top, I think it would have been much more effective and cooler to release lesser known songs as the first taste of the album. Stories For Boys from the clip sounds magnificent. City of Blinding lights as well. Leading off with three of your biggest, most sacred hits is just unwise.
I also think the "letter from the Edge" wasn't helpful at all. He made it sound like as older guys, they are looking back and somehow improving the original because of their wisdom. If he had written that they have played these songs hundreds of times, have sat with them over years of decades, and they wanted to put new twists on them, it would have set expectations, or the purpose of the record more appropriately.
Bigger picture. The issue here is lack of commitment. If you're going to do true reimagined versions of the songs, then chose a feeling or perspective and go all in. I give Pride a bit of a pass here because they did throw in some curveballs which were nice. I like WOWY, but it is in the same vein as what Bono sang at his fancy book reading, but at lesser quality. How do you let the vocal be inferior out of the studio than from an appearance at a late night talk show performance? And as I said before, why does there need to be any uplift? Take us to a different place. Don't attempt at transformation on the front half and then just follow the originals path, but with lesser effect.
One is really where it hit me. There are some really good parts of this song vocally. I think for One and WOWY, the weary, broken vocal fits the song, but it still doesn't commit.
Listen to the Damien Rice cover. That is commitment to a vision of the song. We have have examples of this from Bono. Your Blue Room, Cedars of Lebanon, even 13. One could have, should have, been a something in this vein. Intensely melancholy, slow, intimate. I posted a few weeks ago about WOWY. There is no reason to follow the original build and uplift at the end of the song. One is the same. But it's like Bono can't release himself from original and take it to a new and surprising place.
This might be more understandable if it weren't for the fact that it's something that he has done so well in the past. Lemon pops into my head right away. This isn't Bono, it's something else he created for this song that transforms and transcends in such a beautiful way. Achtung Baby as a whole is Bono becoming something unlike he was before. There may very well be songs on SOS where that comes out. But so far, that's not the case. And trying to reimagine while simultaneously staying close to the core of the original just doesn't yield effective results.
I listened again to the Garbage cover of Horses, and it's so very good. It's a space that I wish U2 would step into more often. It is haunting and spare for the better part of the song. I think U2 could do some amazing things in this style. Listening to Yeah Yeah Yeah's latest. My first thought was how cool it would be for U2 to go in this direction. Sort of this middle ground of elctro-alternative rock and atmospheric beauty.
I'm happy to get 40 new things to listen to. I'm hoping to really like 7-10 of them. But from what I've heard, it's pretty meh. It feels like they decided to go all in on this, maybe to buy time for Larry to get well. But it's almost like Bono went in and did one take, and then Edge and Ezrin layered lush instrumentation behind it, while Bono went and hit the local Pizza Ranch.
Still looking forward to hearing everything, but knowing most of it won't land like I would hope.
I also think the "letter from the Edge" wasn't helpful at all. He made it sound like as older guys, they are looking back and somehow improving the original because of their wisdom. If he had written that they have played these songs hundreds of times, have sat with them over years of decades, and they wanted to put new twists on them, it would have set expectations, or the purpose of the record more appropriately.
Bigger picture. The issue here is lack of commitment. If you're going to do true reimagined versions of the songs, then chose a feeling or perspective and go all in. I give Pride a bit of a pass here because they did throw in some curveballs which were nice. I like WOWY, but it is in the same vein as what Bono sang at his fancy book reading, but at lesser quality. How do you let the vocal be inferior out of the studio than from an appearance at a late night talk show performance? And as I said before, why does there need to be any uplift? Take us to a different place. Don't attempt at transformation on the front half and then just follow the originals path, but with lesser effect.
One is really where it hit me. There are some really good parts of this song vocally. I think for One and WOWY, the weary, broken vocal fits the song, but it still doesn't commit.
Listen to the Damien Rice cover. That is commitment to a vision of the song. We have have examples of this from Bono. Your Blue Room, Cedars of Lebanon, even 13. One could have, should have, been a something in this vein. Intensely melancholy, slow, intimate. I posted a few weeks ago about WOWY. There is no reason to follow the original build and uplift at the end of the song. One is the same. But it's like Bono can't release himself from original and take it to a new and surprising place.
This might be more understandable if it weren't for the fact that it's something that he has done so well in the past. Lemon pops into my head right away. This isn't Bono, it's something else he created for this song that transforms and transcends in such a beautiful way. Achtung Baby as a whole is Bono becoming something unlike he was before. There may very well be songs on SOS where that comes out. But so far, that's not the case. And trying to reimagine while simultaneously staying close to the core of the original just doesn't yield effective results.
I listened again to the Garbage cover of Horses, and it's so very good. It's a space that I wish U2 would step into more often. It is haunting and spare for the better part of the song. I think U2 could do some amazing things in this style. Listening to Yeah Yeah Yeah's latest. My first thought was how cool it would be for U2 to go in this direction. Sort of this middle ground of elctro-alternative rock and atmospheric beauty.
I'm happy to get 40 new things to listen to. I'm hoping to really like 7-10 of them. But from what I've heard, it's pretty meh. It feels like they decided to go all in on this, maybe to buy time for Larry to get well. But it's almost like Bono went in and did one take, and then Edge and Ezrin layered lush instrumentation behind it, while Bono went and hit the local Pizza Ranch.
Still looking forward to hearing everything, but knowing most of it won't land like I would hope.
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ascender_RS
Refugee
As much as I love the Chili Peppers and they clearly have a massive global following, their live performances in stadiums can be, um, "erratic", so not sure I'd put them in that list alongside bands like Foos or Metallica whose live reputations are right up there with U2.
Hewson
Blue Crack Supplier
Though a lyin' honeybee in the cell would have been the icing on the cake.
one of us, one of us, one of us
quality didn't come in to play when creating those lists. it was merely "can they/do they play stadiums"
I was just genuinely confused is all.
"Disappointment is valid"...we're on the same page there. I'll also admit, I'm one of those fans that has trouble moving on. I unfortunately do let my perception of the new influence the frequency of how much I revisit the old, but I'm getting better. In short, it's not the band's responsibility to not disappoint us; we haven't earned the right to expect that just because we're "devoted" or what have you; but of course it's a valid feeling.
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