Which of the two new songs do you prefer?

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glastonbury. hands down.

The acoustic is pretty, but there isnt much to it. Would be a great song on record. The kind of thing they went for with AMAAW but missed.
 
I find it curious that some fans are criticising Glastonbury for sounding too much like a HTDAAB song. To my ears, it is far more redolent of their 90s work- a big beat, a huge chorus riff (which reminds me of Big Girls Are Best) and some exotic guitar effects layered on top. Far from being disheartened, I am excited! :drool:
 
There's a lot wrong with it in my opinion, super fly guy, which is why I am relieved Glastonbury sounds altogether different!
 
It's that "Whole Lotta Love" sample riff that Edge plays. To my ears it doesn't sound inspired, just another example of Edge paying tribute to Jimmy Page. IMO he never properly absorbed Page's influence during that Might Get Loud era. It just sounds extremely bland, like it's just adequate, just good enough to pass for a retro sounding throwback Zeppelin riff.

The verses and "flowering rose" parts sound a bit more inspired. Kinda weird, 60's psychadelia or something, but then that Zepellin riff comes back, with Bono shouting "Yo! Oh! Rock and Roll something something!". I can just picture the video, with the camera shaking on a desert somewhere, with Bono leaning into the camera everytime he hits his "Yo!"s and "Oh!"s. Wait, didn't they already do a video like that?

After Vertigo and GOYB, do I really need another song like this?

I could be wrong. For all I know, this song could be reworked into a classic. But with knowing U2's reputation for overcooking songs in the studio lately, can't say the song has much of a chance.

"I Can't Wait Any Longer Fooooor Your Love - i can't wait, i can't wait!!!" Now that's still sounding great to my ears. At least there won't be any pelvic thrusts and lyrics about rock and roll.
 
ozeeko said:
It's that "Whole Lotta Love" sample riff that Edge plays. To my ears it doesn't sound inspired, just another example of Edge paying tribute to Jimmy Page. IMO he never properly absorbed Page's influence during that Might Get Loud era. It just sounds extremely bland, like it's just adequate, just good enough to pass for a retro sounding throwback Zeppelin riff.

The verses and "flowering rose" parts sound a bit more inspired. Kinda weird, 60's psychadelia or something, but then that Zepellin riff comes back, with Bono shouting "Yo! Oh! Rock and Roll something something!". I can just picture the video, with the camera shaking on a desert somewhere, with Bono leaning into the camera everytime he hits his "Yo!"s and "Oh!"s. Wait, didn't they already do a video like that?

After Vertigo and GOYB, do I really need another song like this?

I could be wrong. For all I know, this song could be reworked into a classic. But with knowing U2's reputation for overcooking songs in the studio lately, can't say the song has much of a chance.

"I Can't Wait Any Longer Fooooor Your Love - i can't wait, i can't wait!!!" Now that's still sounding great to my ears. At least there won't be any pelvic thrusts and lyrics about rock and roll.
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Your post is unduly negative in my view, and I say that as someone who isn't slow to criticise the band. I think this track sums up the best of their 90s work- the riff reminds me a bit of Discotheque, Bono's distorted chanting echoes Big Girls Are Best and (as you rightly say) the verses are psychedelic. I cannot understand how you or anyone else can call this a HTDAAB rip-off on the basis of what we can hear. Sure, if they let Lillywhite produce it, it may well meet that fate but for now, I think there are grounds of optimism. And on a minor point, what is wrong with Bono acting like a rock star? Isn't that what he did on Zoo Tv and PopMart, which were brilliant tours? I'd rather have Bono sending up rock stardom than preaching at me.
 
Come on, the guy thinks the power chord structure of Vertigo is blues based and walks around with 'Only Happy When it Rains' as the theme song in his head... :shrug:
 
BVS said:
Come on, the guy thinks the power chord structure of Vertigo is blues based and walks around with 'Only Happy When it Rains' as the theme song in his head... :shrug:
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I never said Vertigo was blues based. (when i said bluesforbeginners in a previous post, i was referring more to SUC, LAPOE and this song. whatever, forget bluesforbeginners, you want to call it electric-blues-inspired-hard-rock- for-beginners? call it whatever, sorry for the discrepancy)

Anyway, all I'm saying is that the one part of Glasto song (the whole lotta love riff) sounds like it's torn from the same dad-rock, cock-rock, whatever you want to call it, bag of tricks. Like Vertigo, like GOYB, like SUC, it has the same effect on me. Edge trying something classic rockish, and Bono doin the uber rock star thing, neither one pulling it off. Sounds and looks desperate. To me, and that's the main point, are you paying attention? To ME it sounds that way. It's an opinion.

Lol, i'm sorry if you don't like my opinion. I'm not trying to convert anyone's opinion, just explaining myself. So there's really no need to be nasty. You get under people's skin a lot, i've noticed. You think maybe it's time to take a break from being the U2 apologist/lawyer/selfproclaimed know-it-all? I'm sure you'll respond to this with some snide or sarcastic remark, but you can't deny that (with the exception of this and the previous 3 sentences) my posts are always first and foremost about the music and how it makes me feel.

It's funny, I've said more than 3 times already in the past couple days how much i love the acoustic song. But because I criticised one cock-rock song about a rose in Glastonbury, all of a sudden I'm Mr. Negative, only happy when it rains? Wow.
 
monsieur fly said:
Your post is unduly negative in my view, and I say that as someone who isn't slow to criticise the band. I think this track sums up the best of their 90s work- the riff reminds me a bit of Discotheque, Bono's distorted chanting echoes Big Girls Are Best and (as you rightly say) the verses are psychedelic. I cannot understand how you or anyone else can call this a HTDAAB rip-off on the basis of what we can hear. Sure, if they let Lillywhite produce it, it may well meet that fate but for now, I think there are grounds of optimism. And on a minor point, what is wrong with Bono acting like a rock star? Isn't that what he did on Zoo Tv and PopMart, which were brilliant tours? I'd rather have Bono sending up rock stardom than preaching at me.
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It's not that negative really. I said the song would be alright, it's just that one riff that turns me off. And it sounds like a main part of the song, like a chorus or after-chorus, and he plays it a lot, so there's really no getting around it.

Once again, I can't see how endorsing the acoustic song comes across as negative.

When Bono acted, and the key word is "acted", like a rock star during ZOOTV and PopMart, it worked. It worked because he was "acting". Big difference between that and the present Bono.
 
I made a post about it in the thread right below this but, for me, I definitely prefer the slower one. For Your Love/North Star whatever. That chorus has gots some big potential, yo.
 
I agree. It's lovely. And the middle-8 is great too. I would love if they did a studio version not straying too far from what he can hear now. Like the strummed chords, Bono's vocals. Song doesn't need much. It's already great.
 
Actually none, the slow song just has nothing to it.
The 'faster' song just sounds like another SUC/LAPOE, U2 desperatly trying to prove they can still rock or something? Please Edge just bring back your delay pedals and make a good melodic song instead of these plain boring riffs.
 
ozeeko said:
You get under people's skin a lot, i've noticed. You think maybe it's time to take a break from being the U2 apologist/lawyer/selfproclaimed know-it-all? I'm sure you'll respond to this with some snide or sarcastic remark, but you can't deny that (with the exception of this and the previous 3 sentences) my posts are always first and foremost about the music and how it makes me feel.
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By no means am I an apologist or self proclaimed anything, I just see you resort to really lazy comparisons all the time, and then repeat those lazy comparisons or lazy critiques all the time over and over...

ozeeko said:
But because I criticised one cock-rock song about a rose in Glastonbury, all of a sudden I'm Mr. Negative, only happy when it rains? Wow.
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You really think that's the reason? Come on now...

ozeeko said:
When Bono acted, and the key word is "acted", like a rock star during ZOOTV and PopMart, it worked. It worked because he was "acting". Big difference between that and the present Bono.
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Don't be fooled, Bono wasn't "acting" during ZooTV, he was just embracing and exaggerating. During PopMart, that was all him, there was no character it was just on stage Bono. Bono has always been the rock star, I mean when was the last time he referred to himself as Paul? You don't watch Rattle and Hum and see rock star plastered all over the screen? The kicking the leg to the side, the hair flips, the guitar held behind his back, the earnestness... it may have not been "typical" rock star, but it was rock star. Don't ever fool yourself into thinking anything less.
 
BVS said:
Don't be fooled, Bono wasn't "acting" during ZooTV, he was just embracing and exaggerating. but it was rock star.
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I dunno, through my eyes MacPhisto and Mirrorball Man look very much like Bono assuming a role.
 
MikeyJB said:
I dunno, through my eyes MacPhisto and Mirrorball Man look very much like Bono assuming a role.
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Well yes, but my point was that I don't think the whole show was done in character, MacPhisto was only a part of the show. MacPhisto was acting, and was a character in the traditional sense. I don't think The Fly was a character in that traditional sense. It was just another rock star mask just like the earnestness, changed name, sunglasses or anything else he's used.

In a way you can argue Bono is always acting when he's on stage, as most great frontmen, but I don't think ZooTV had any extra "acting" beyond that except during the MacPhisto/Mirrorball moments.
 
BVS said:
By no means am I an apologist or self proclaimed anything, I just see you resort to really lazy comparisons all the time, and then repeat those lazy comparisons or lazy critiques all the time over and over.....
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I don't like to make things personal, but I've noticed throughout the years that you like to attack people's opinions. Not only that, but you do it in a manner not unlike cross-examination. You take everything super literally, trying to pick out certain words or semantic gray areas, anything that you can use to build up your case of proving what an uncredible source someone is. But you always seem to overlook the fact that people come here to express their OPINIONS. And I seldom ever see you having one. Well, not true, you expess your opinions about other people's opinions, but rarely do i read something about your actual feelings about a U2 piece of music. I could do what you do all day, try to expose the contradictions in everyone's opinions, but what would be the point of that? After all, this is rock and roll! Rock and roll is always about contradictions! It doesn't have to make sense. If I say that the new song sounds Dad-rock related, and reminds me of Vertigo/GOYB/SUC, you're just going to have to accept that! (and i'm not alone in my opinion of that song, just look through the forum). I mean, by all means, you can argue that it's a great song, but you can't tell me I'm wrong about MY opinion!

BVS said:
You really think that's the reason? Come on now....
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This is what I'm talking about. You're assuming that I'm just an overall negative guy because once in a while I say something you disagree with. Maybe it's my writing style, I dunno. Sometimes i have to repeat myself because people misunderstand what i'm getting at. Otherwise, i would just make one post and leave it.



BVS said:
Don't be fooled, Bono wasn't "acting" during ZooTV, he was just embracing and exaggerating. During PopMart, that was all him, there was no character it was just on stage Bono. Bono has always been the rock star, I mean when was the last time he referred to himself as Paul? You don't watch Rattle and Hum and see rock star plastered all over the screen? The kicking the leg to the side, the hair flips, the guitar held behind his back, the earnestness... it may have not been "typical" rock star, but it was rock star. Don't ever fool yourself into thinking anything less.
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I agree with you about 80's Bono. In fact, I was going to say something very similar to what you said, but it was mad late and i was about to konk out for the night. But yea, he has always been a rock star. And he was a more effective rock star when he wasn't "typical". When he was the alternative. Whether it was his earnest 80's self, or ironic 90's self (i do think that POPMart Bono was an extension of ZooTV Bono, with the muscle suit and all). I think when Bono and Edge come up with these (forgive me) cock-rock anthems lately, it really brings out the worst in them. I'm not saying they shouldn't experiment with the form...I just wish they would stop! Because I think they always wind up looking and sounding silly. And that's my opinion.
 
xtrmx said:
Actually none, the slow song just has nothing to it.
The 'faster' song just sounds like another SUC/LAPOE, U2 desperatly trying to prove they can still rock or something? Please Edge just bring back your delay pedals and make a good melodic song instead of these plain boring riffs.
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I bet you will get excited when you hear the new rock song live just because it's new. You are complaining about something you have only heard a muffled audio version from a amateurish fan recording of and based on that jumping to conclusions about the overall state of U2's creativity these days. Nice.
 
ozeeko said:
This is what I'm talking about. You're assuming that I'm just an overall negative guy because once in a while I say something you disagree with. Maybe it's my writing style, I dunno. Sometimes i have to repeat myself because people misunderstand what i'm getting at. Otherwise, i would just make one post and leave it.
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No, I don't think your negative because you have a different opinion, that has nothing to do with it... You just come off as someone who hates optimism.



ozeeko said:
I agree with you about 80's Bono. In fact, I was going to say something very similar to what you said, but it was mad late and i was about to konk out for the night. But yea, he has always been a rock star. And he was a more effective rock star when he wasn't "typical". When he was the alternative. Whether it was his earnest 80's self, or ironic 90's self (i do think that POPMart Bono was an extension of ZooTV Bono, with the muscle suit and all). I think when Bono and Edge come up with these (forgive me) cock-rock anthems lately, it really brings out the worst in them. I'm not saying they shouldn't experiment with the form...I just wish they would stop! Because I think they always wind up looking and sounding silly. And that's my opinion.
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And if you really want my opinion, I believe that those that hold your opinion(which I know there are many more) really just don't like aging rocks. Period. It wouldn't matter if he was still doing the ironic thing or the earnest thing, I honestly believe they would come off as desperate in your mind no matter what. People want their rock stars to be youthful...
 
BVS said:
No, I don't think your negative because you have a different opinion, that has nothing to do with it... You just come off as someone who hates optimism.
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Yes, we've had countless conversations about optimism. And no, I wouldn't say i "hate" optimism. Hell, I'm one of the few fans who sticks up for "Grace"! And I love the ATYCLB album, with IALW being one of my all time fave songs. And their sound in the 80's was for the most part bright and optimistic sounding, and I loved all of that. So, I wouldn't say I "hate" optimism, when truth is I like about 95% of everything U2 has ever released.



BVS said:
And if you really want my opinion, I believe that those that hold your opinion(which I know there are many more) really just don't like aging rocks. Period. It wouldn't matter if he was still doing the ironic thing or the earnest thing, I honestly believe they would come off as desperate in your mind no matter what. People want their rock stars to be youthful...
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I don't hold their ages against them, that would be pretty unfair. And they still have the goods. Just take a look at MOS, WAS, F-BB, COL...these songs reflect the depth and maturity of a band totally in control of their craft. However, their craft gets away from them when they attempt the rock thing. And their moodier rock songs always sound better (Fast Cars, NLOTH). Is age a part of it? Well, it shouldn't be. I think Vertigo and SUC would still sound dumb if they had recorded it in their 20's. I think Edge should drop the whole Zepellin/garage/classicrock/cock-rock gig, and started messing with atmospheres again. I'm positive they'd come up with some damn good rock songs, rock songs that I don't NEED to be at a concert to appreciate. And rock songs that don't enable Bono's worst tendancies.
 
ozeeko said:
Yes, we've had countless conversations about optimism. And no, I wouldn't say i "hate" optimism. Hell, I'm one of the few fans who sticks up for "Grace"! And I love the ATYCLB album, with IALW being one of my all time fave songs. And their sound in the 80's was for the most part bright and optimistic sounding, and I loved all of that. So, I wouldn't say I "hate" optimism, when truth is I like about 95% of everything U2 has ever released.





I don't hold their ages against them, that would be pretty unfair. And they still have the goods. Just take a look at MOS, WAS, F-BB, COL...these songs reflect the depth and maturity of a band totally in control of their craft. However, their craft gets away from them when they attempt the rock thing. And their moodier rock songs always sound better (Fast Cars, NLOTH). Is age a part of it? Well, it shouldn't be. I think Vertigo and SUC would still sound dumb if they had recorded it in their 20's. I think Edge should drop the whole Zepellin/garage/classicrock/cock-rock gig, and started messing with atmospheres again. I'm positive they'd come up with some damn good rock songs, rock songs that I don't NEED to be at a concert to appreciate. And rock songs that don't enable Bono's worst tendancies.
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^ I tend to agree. I don't have anything against the adult contemporary/"dad's rock" thing. The problem is that U2 shown for 20 years (before that) that they could do something waaay more imaginative and defying (which doesn't mean they have to write another "Mofo"). That's it.

Now that I've listened to the three new songs more, I think I'm enjoying the three of them.
And yes, I like FROG (I prefer "The Flowering Rose Of Glastonbury" than the too in-your-face but final "Glastonbury"), I think it has energy and I even think it could work as the show openener (!) instead of an old track like "Beautiful Day".
But I'm afraid that a song like FROG might be tiring very and uninteresting soon because we've heard many similiar things from U2 in the recent past.
 
Glastonbury....I don't comprehend any of what Bono's saying from the video, but the acoustic North Star has some of the shittiest lyrics I've ever heard....
 
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