on Danger Mouse's production

[djerdap]

Bwahahahahahshahahahshshahahanaha

He's right actually.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Yup.


Except, you know....

EVERY U2 album is better than EVERY National album.








(This coming from a National fan)

 

[gvox]

He's right actually.

No, he's not.

 

[LemonMelon]

EVERY U2 album is better than EVERY National album.

You'd take October and HTDAAB over Alligator and Boxer? mmk

 

[Diemen]

Except, you know....

EVERY U2 album is better than EVERY National album.

Hmm.

I'd say every National album so far is easily better than October. And I like October.

 

[lazarus]

http://www.u2interference.com/forums/f221/the-national-trouble-will-find-anthony-fantano-215610.html

 

[gvox]

War
Unforgettable Fire
Joshua Tree
Rattle n Hum

Unforgettable Fire
Joshua Tree
Rattle n Hum
Achtung Baby

Joshua Tree
Rattle n Hum
Achtung Baby
Zooropa

Rattle n Hum
Achtung Baby
Zooropa
Pop


/discussion

 

[LemonMelon]

All of those configurations contain Rattle and Hum. That's not a great album.

Personally, I think Achtung Baby/Zooropa/Passengers/Pop is perfection, but I don't expect anyone to agree.

 

[gvox]

You'd take October and HTDAAB over Alligator and Boxer? mmk

Right, and October and HTDAAB are part of which 4 U2 album run, again?

 

[gvox]

All of those configurations contain Rattle and Hum. That's not a great album.

Yes it is.

 

[LemonMelon]

Yes it is.

OK.

Right, and October and HTDAAB are part of which 4 U2 album run, again?

That's not what I quoted.

Then again, I think I read his post wrong anyway. I think he was comparing the entirety of both discographies, not saying that the worst U2 album is better than the best National album. Then again, comparing a discography with 6 albums to U2's isn't entirely fair to begin with.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

You'd take October and HTDAAB over Alligator and Boxer? mmk

Yes. There's very few bands that I would take over any U2 album. U2 at their worst are still incredibly notable.

And fwiw High Violet is my favorite National album anyways haha.

 

[jeevey]

The punishment never ends for Rattle and Hum. Even people who like it say it's a problem that it's a mix of live cuts from previous records and new studio material, but I honestly don't get the problem.

Take it its own-- just put the record on out of the blue, knowing nothing-- and it's fabulous. Huge songs, great sound on the live tracks and raging adrenaline. All the negative opinions about the album are really judgements about the band at the time, about what they did or didn't do or should have done and not about the songs at all. Because a collection of songs, it's just great. My sense is that after the band is dead, when no one needs to feel embarrassed about liking it and all the judgements about the band are passe, people are going to admit that Rattle and Hum is a great rock album, with a capital G, capital A.

 

[gvox]

What he basically said was that some other bands 4 albums in a row were better than any 4 U2 albums in a row. Even if you hate R&H, fine, leave it out its not a true studio album anyways. Take any 4 groups of U2 albums from War to ATYCLB and the statement he made is absurd.

 

[AEON]

Look - I'm a HUGE U2 fan - they are secure in my heart as my favorite band, and they have been since I saw Sunday Bloody Sunday (Live at Red Rocks) on MTV (they used to show music videos). But looking back - it seems they certainly peaked at Achtung Baby, and it has been a slow downhill slide since then.

They just don't seem comfortable in their own skin anymore. I'm hopeful DM does something new with them. I would love to hear some of the Rubin sessions also.

 

[mikal]

I would maybe take a The National greatest hits compilation over HTDAAB, and that's one of my least favorite U2 albums. Not trying to knock The National but I just don't think they're THAT awesome.

 

[LemonMelon]

What he basically said was that some other bands 4 albums in a row were better than any 4 U2 albums in a row. Even if you hate R&H, fine, leave it out its not a true studio album anyways. Take any 4 groups of U2 albums from War to ATYCLB and the statement he made is absurd.

You can't just "leave out" Rattle and Hum when it contains, what, 10 new tracks? That's enough for an album. I like the studio tracks OK, but the live tracks they chose were poor relative to the high quality of that tour.

However, if you do cut it, you can make this happen:

TUF
Joshua Tree
Achtung Baby
Zooropa

 

[iron yuppie]

What he basically said was that some other bands 4 albums in a row were better than any 4 U2 albums in a row. Even if you hate R&H, fine, leave it out its not a true studio album anyways. Take any 4 groups of U2 albums from War to ATYCLB and the statement he made is absurd.

Or maybe someone could think that something like Zooropa isn't a fucking gold standard. It's not absurd in the slightest to claim that there are more consistent bands out there than U2.

 

[AEON]

What he basically said was that some other bands 4 albums in a row were better than any 4 U2 albums in a row.

I'll stand by that statement. I don't think U2 has ever made 4 great albums in a row. However - I don't think The National has made an album as great as Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby. Also - U2 has many more individual songs that I love than The National.

 

[AEON]

However, if you do cut it, you can make this happen:

TUF
Joshua Tree
Achtung Baby
Zooropa

That's pretty darn close. But I'm not the biggest Zooropa fan. Like it for what it is - but I don't love it.

 

[LemonMelon]

Or maybe someone could think that something like Zooropa isn't a fucking gold standard.

It is though.

 

[gvox]

It's not absurd in the slightest to claim that there are more consistent bands out there than U2.

Oh for sure, except that's not what he said.

 

[LemonMelon]

Rolling Stones:

Beggars Banquet
Let It Bleed
Sticky Fingers
Exile on Main Street

Led Zeppelin:

II
III
IV
Houses of the Holy

Pink Floyd:

Dark Side of the Moon
Wish You Were Here
Animals
The Wall

The Beatles:

Rubber Soul
Revolver
Sgt. Pepper
Magical Mystery Tour

Velvet Underground:

Velvet Underground & Nico
White Light/White Heat
The Velvet Underground (1969)
Loaded

Miles Davis:

In a Silent Way
Bitches Brew
A Tribute to Jack Johnson
On the Corner

Too good.

 

[lazarus]

Magical Mystery Tour

Not an album, but the substitute would be The White Album, so whatever.

 

[LemonMelon]

If you were a mod, Magical Mystery Tour would be censored and replaced with NOT AN ALBUM.

Replace it with the damn White Album then. The Beatles still win.

 

[The Slow Loris]

All of those configurations contain Rattle and Hum. That's not a great album.

Take out the live stuff and leave just the studio cuts, and this is what you have:

1) 'Van Diemen's Land' (amazing Edge lead vocal and very unique for U2)
2) 'Desire' (their 1st UK #1 lead single)
3) 'Hawkmoon 269' (incredible lyrics and lead vocal)
4) 'Silver and Gold' (studio version) - (Bono at his most politically charged)
5) 'Angel of Harlem' (U2's best "soul song" to date)
6) 'Love Rescue Me' (beautiful gospel...U2 at its most intimate)
7) 'When Love Comes to Town' (must have been ok to have BB King want to sing it)
8) 'Heartland' (Up there with 'Unforgettable Fire' as U2's most evocative song to date)
9) 'God Part II' (a nice pre-curser to Achtung Baby)
10) 'All I Want Is You' (one of U2's top 10 songs ever...up there with 'With or Without You', and possibly the best lyric Bono has ever penned: "...Eyes in a moon of blindness / A river in a time of dryness / A harbour in the tempest...")

Not too bad for "not a great album"

 

[AEON]

Replace it with the damn White Album then. The Beatles still win.

 

[LemonMelon]

Take out the live stuff and leave just the studio cuts

I wish they had done this.

Tack on a bonus live album and you've got a very worthwhile set for U2 fans.

 

[AEON]

"...Eyes in a moon of blindness / A river in time of dryness / A harbour in the tempest...")

Ahh - and now we get lyrics that actually ruin otherwise great songs. I absolutely love Miracle Drug. but the "scent of a newborn baby's head" lyric makes me cringe every time. Same with "see China right in front of you" in Beautiful Day and "a mole diggin' in a hole" in Elevation and "high rises on their backs" in All Because of You. Ever since Achtung Baby, my problem really has not been with the music - it's the lyrics that are dragging them down.

They just come across as bad high school poetry.

 

[Hollow Island]

In addtition to The Beatles, Stones, Zep, Velvets, and Floyd (though I'd drop the Wall and replace it with Meddle, their best non-Syd album) there's:

Depeche Mode

Black Celebration
Music For The Masses
Violator
Songs of Faith and Devotion

Cocteau Twins

Treasure
Victorialand
Blue Bell Knoll
Heaven or Las Vegas

Radiohead

The Bends
OK Computer
Kid A
Amnesiac

Boards of Canada

MHTRTC
Geogaddi
The Campfire Headphase
Tomorrow's Harvest

Can

Monster Movie
(Soundtracks)
Tago Mago
Ege Bamyasi
Future Days

REM

Murmur
Reckoning
Fables of the Reconstruction
Lifes Rich Pageant
Document

Sonic Youth

Bad Moon Rising
EVOL
Sister
Daydream Nation

Bob Dylan

Bringing It All Back Home
Highway 61 Revisited
Blonde on Blonde
John Welsey Harding


U2 have never had a great run of four or more. Rattle and Hum fucks it up, and it can't be ignored to make a case that they had a consistent period of greatness. It's a real U2 album.