What is to be the fate of Glastonbury (the song)

[JamietheEdgefan]

But they're almost certainly going to play it at the festival. So do something 'nice' and take out an ad in the festival program (which is loaded with band ads flogging albums, tour dates etc), that just says "Thanks for having us" and include a code for a free download of it.

I think you're giving u2 too much credit in this department - no way they'd release something in such an unconventional/humble way.

 

[bono_man2002]

Cause it blows

'Glastonbury' sucks a fat one. Go listen to it in the IEM thread and try telling me its worth it to the band to bother going any further with that. They would surely have a serviceable studio version of it though, or at least they could knock one up very quickly. And I bet that just as Stand Up Comedy is apparently channeling Led Zeppelin, but comes off as U2 sounding like Bon Jovi channeling Led Zeppelin, the 'rockin' Glastonbury in studio comes off sounding just as... sterile and lame.

So I would say, just forget it. But they're almost certainly going to play it at the festival. So do something 'nice' and take out an ad in the festival program (which is loaded with band ads flogging albums, tour dates etc), that just says "Thanks for having us" and include a code for a free download of it.

So it's used for good. Even if people hate the song, they'll like the gesture. And this way its also getting sold at exactly its true value: $0.00

Wow. Diffrent strokes, I guess. I think its better than Get On Your Boots (not that GOYB is reinventing the wheel or anything). I've only heard/seen the performance from the Helsinki show last year. I didn't see a whole lot wrong with it.

Actually the only thing wrong with it was its place in the setlist. I'd imagine it works better played straight off the bat, after Stingray Guitar....but its an unreleased tune and its U2.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

i think a fart is better than a shit, too.

 

[bono_man2002]

Ah Now I remember why I don't post in here anymore.

 

[shart1780]

One of U2's lamest songs in years. Hopefully nothing will happen with it.

 

[An Cat Gav]

Strange to think that a band that could write songs like Your Blue Room, Lemon and Stay would be writing a song like Glastonbury nearly 2 decades later....

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Yeah, I often think that when I hear certain songs. I know a lot of the 00s is meant to be about back to basics, being direct, blah blah. But a lot of it just sounds like a band that is years of development away from being capable of a Bad or Unforgettable Fire or Running to Stand Still or Until the End of the World or One or Lemon or Please or Ground Beneath Her Feet or (on and on and on.) Although, Bono did say Atomic Bomb sounded like their first album, but I'm pretty sure that wasn't what he meant.

 

[gareth brown]

I think you're giving u2 too much credit in this department - no way they'd release something in such an unconventional/humble way.

haha it's a nice idea though! would be cool if they put it out as a free download before the festival so everyone knows it...was hoping they'd do SOMETHING for Record Store Day, but doesn't look likely.

The thing I find weird is reading quotes like this from the Edge

“”We’re very excited about our next project. Our question now is, What’s the quickest way we can get this stuff out? It’s so about this moment. We almost don’t want to wait until we put a new CD together, but we’ll see.”

i mean, what do they THINK is the quickest way you get the stuff out?? Its like they don't pay attention to all these huge bands releasing new material free online and letting word spread (Radiohead - These Are My Twisted Words, Coldplay - Violet Hill)

it's bizarre because U2 strike me as a forward thinking band a lot of the time, at they least they were BIG TIME in the 90s, but when you read quotes like that, it hardly squares with what they do. They're hardly doing things "In the moment", if they did they'd just take a risk and release a new song online or as a single or whatever.

It just feels like they play it way too safe, or Mercury would never say yeah to releasing stuff for free (and they've stopped all singles so there's no chance!) OR....more likely, their usual habit of working on a song for 5 months, re-working it over and over and generally beating the life out of it, gets in the way

 

[JamietheEdgefan]

It's a shame, quotes like that make it all the more frustrating that they don't release stuff in a clever way. We've had Edge saying "We almost don’t want to wait until we put a new CD together", Adam saying "we don't want to go away for long, we're considering an EP", and of course the "we're not sure how to release it" excuse to cover an album delay.

It's like they say these things to tease fans, and act really clever and daring to the media, but when it comes down to it, after 2 years of promising a follow up, after debuting 6 songs live in 2010, they're still probably gonna have a 4-5 year gap between NLOTH and the next album, and then release something in a conventional lead single-album way. It's really frustrating to see them tease innovation, but never actually embrace it... it makes them look old, like they can't push the envelope anymore, or like they're afraid to.

I honestly think a small EP would work wonders for them - keep the remainder of the tour fresh, and cut the gap between 'big' albums in half. Keeping the EP small, and having it be released mid-tour, only a couple of years since their last album, takes away so much of the pressure, and would be such a great gesture for the fans.

Glastonbury is a great opportunity to do such an EP. Release it before the NA leg, have Glasto, a couple of club songs (we know they rock, based on what they played last night), a couple of DM tunes, and have the general public have a chance to listen to them before glastonbury is played at... glastonbury.

 

[Swan269]

i think a fart is better than a shit, too.

so its like a shart?

 

[shart1780]

haha... man I came up w/ this name like 12 years ago before it meant a defecation fart. I never knew what it would become.

You can't trust anything U2 says... and I mean ANY THING. Have they ever released music in an unconventional way, EVER? I think the most unconventional thing they've done in decades was release a single like Crap In the Skies or Sweetest Thing independent of an album. But that's not really unconventional at all.

EDIT:

Never mind, I forgot those were for their best ofs... so yeah they never to anything unconventional.

 

[Registered Dude]

You can't trust anything U2 says... and I mean ANY THING. Have they ever released music in an unconventional way, EVER? I think the most unconventional thing they've done in decades was release a single like Crap In the Skies or Sweetest Thing independent of an album. But that's not really unconventional at all.

how about Artificial Horizon, a vinyl-only release?

or WAIE, a vinyl-only EP?

or the Numb VHS single?

there are 3 examples

 

[miami66]

I think they should release a physical single of Glastonbury on July 1st.

A Side:
Glastonbury (Studio)

B Side:
Glastonbury (Remix)
Beautiful Day (Live)
Glastonbury (Live from... well Glastonbury)

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

way too many lyrical elitist snobs in here. Occasionally a song like Glastonbury comes along and has its place. The majority of people in here have never even heard this song outside of the random poorly recorded youtube video or the IEM. I bet it sounds different ("better") live, as in, if you were actually there. I dont think (i might be wrong) they ("the 2") ever meant this to be the next big single. Its a festival song, probably nothing more, nothing less.

 

[shart1780]

Yeah for the festival of poop.

 

[powerhour24]

Oh come on, so it's a thrown together song music wise, and the lyric plays the history of religious pilgrimage to Glastonbury against the music fanatic pilgrimage, I like that. It's a fun little song written for a specific event, not every thing they do has to be the next "Acrobat".

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

thank you

 

[Airseven]

The song absolutely sucks. Let it die inconsequentially at the festival.

 

[gareth brown]

Yeah for the festival of poop.

er..........

Oh come on, so it's a thrown together song music wise, and the lyric plays the history of religious pilgrimage to Glastonbury against the music fanatic pilgrimage, I like that. It's a fun little song written for a specific event, not every thing they do has to be the next "Acrobat".

agree with this 100%! I tried to avoid hearing the song until the festival but curiosity got the better of me and I really like it! like Mrs Garrison's said, it probably sounds amazing when you're actually there too!

besides, U2 thought Get On Your Boots was a good idea (as a song in general, never mind LEAD SINGLE, wart on an otherwise great album and live staple....) ANYTHING's better than that shitpile. Glastonbury certainly is, and I can't wait to hear it