djerdap
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
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Amen. This is what live U2 has always been about for me.
Shuttlecock IV: The Doubles
- Thread starter PhilsFan
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Amen. This is what live U2 has always been about for me.
Do you think perhaps they will pair EBW and SFS together?
God I hope not. I'd rather that Song for Someone would quietly just shuffle off to die somewhere, but I don't think we'll be so lucky. If EBW is acoustic, they could both end up together in a mid-show acoustic set.
Kieran McConville
ONE love, blood, life
Maybe in honour of the recent 'Too Many Cooks' massacre, someone can name the next thread 'California (There Is No End of Blood).'
Hewson
Blue Crack Supplier
Yay for Mom.
Hewson
Blue Crack Supplier
Exactly. Edge needs to let loose.
bono_212
Blue Crack Distributor
Love the dream, Martha. All I've been having lately nightmares, so that was a pleasant read. (I blame Too Many Cooks)
elevated_u2_fan
Blue Crack Supplier
too many too many cooks?
Hewson
Blue Crack Supplier
bono_212
Blue Crack Distributor
martha
Blue Crack Supplier
It occurred to me on the way up here that someone somewhere is going to get a personalized license plate with the numbers from Raised by Wolves.
OP
OP
PhilsFan
Blue Crack Addict
That song taught me that people pronounce "Z" differently in other parts of the world.
martha
Blue Crack Supplier
Double post
martha
Blue Crack Supplier
OP
OP
PhilsFan
Blue Crack Addict
I call one of my brothers "Z" so if I ever travel to Europe with him I'm going to start calling him Zed.
cobl04
45:33
Zee is the one Americanism I use.
david
ONE love, blood, life
Zed Leppelin
IWasBored
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Rpdbywlvs
Kieran McConville
ONE love, blood, life
The one Americanism I use, and am quite fond of is 'could care less'. As in, 'I could care less/give a crap about such and such.'
I think I like it because the grammatical wrongness, if taken literally, is itself just a further signifier of complete non-interest.
I think I like it because the grammatical wrongness, if taken literally, is itself just a further signifier of complete non-interest.
it's not a big deal over there since you guys use an s instead of a z everywhere
you know, realise, harmonise, soo, sebra...
djerdap
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
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Zed's not dead I guess.
bono_212
Blue Crack Distributor
The correct grammar is the actual phrase, people just sometimes get confused.
Kieran, are you ill?
There are few things that are more annoying than people who say "I could care less" when they mean that they could not care less. Plus there's some pleasure in putting really strong emphasis on the "not".
Kieran McConville
ONE love, blood, life
I must admit that part of it is probably watching too much 'The West Wing' over the years and inhaling the spirit of Toby Ziegler.
"It's talk to people about things we could give a crap about, day."
cobl04
45:33
Alright, I finally got the chance to sit down with the album, the booklet and a few beers.
The Miracle (of Joey Ramone) - first of all, perhaps the worst song title of the band's career. As for the song, I do not really like it. The first 15 or so seconds are solid but that riff, when it comes in, is just so flat. Bono's vocals are terrible, the lyrics are uninspiring, and the chorus, while half-decent vocally and pretty good musically, are just completely ruined by Bono's atrocious lyrics. Trying to cram about six words too many into each line. 4/10
Every Breaking Wave - a pretty decent song that suffers from Bono's singing in the chorus. I like the music in the intro and the verses quite a bit, even if it borrows quite obviously from one of their biggest songs. Bono oversings the chorus, to the song's detriment, but overall, a pretty decent song, as I said. 6/10
California - I was much, much happier with this song when I thought the intro, which I quite like, was just ad libs. With the lyrics in front of you it makes me cringe. Overall though I think it's a decent song, and I am surprised that it has caused as much consternation as it has. It's light and breezy, Bono almost doesn't try too hard with the vocals. Band really sounds pretty good. 6/10
Song for Someone - I really like this song. I can't really understand the hatred for it. Musically, it is nicely restrained, Edge's guitar playing in the bridge is quite nice. To me it is one of probably about two or three songs on the album on which Bono's vocals don't ruin the song. We've all made fun of the "soooooohhhhooooonnng" part, but when I listen to it I don't think it's over the top at all, certainly not compared with many other moments on the album. It also sounds genuine. Sure there's cheese there but they pull it off. Too many times on the album they all sound like they're trying too hard, not so here. The solo/break hampers the song a little, it's not really needed, but it's not very long and I really think this is one of the better songs. 7/10
Iris - again, surprised that people have gravitated more towards this song than Song for Someone. I like the ethereal oooohhhhs in the background and the band sounds pretty good for most part, as does Bono until the bridge comes in. Not a big fan of that, and Edge's guitar playing underneath it is something he does a million times before, and better. And by the time you get to the final line of the chorus it is honestly surprising that an Aviici-style beat doesn't come in during the chorus. As for songs about his parents... Sometimes and Kite are both far better. 5/10
Volcano - worst song on the album I would say. Not a great deal better than your Stand Up Comedies of the world, honestly. The chorus is absolute garbage, not a style of singing that suits Bono at all. It's nice to hear Adam for once but it's hardly Wire. The whole thing just comes off as a really lame attempt at making an upbeat rocker. "You and I rock and roll" is just embarrassing. Utter crap. 2/10
Raised By Wolves - definitely a better rocker than the previous track. Cool effects in the background and pretty decent musically for the most part. The subject matter is pretty heavy but I don't think this U2 is quite capable of pulling it off, it is a rather unmemorable song. Bono's vocals during the chorus are, again, horrendous. 4/10
Cedarwood Road - definitely a better rocker than the previous two tracks. Edge's guitar is real nice until it takes that heavier turn, which I don't like, I don't think they pull it off with enough edge, no pun intended. The chorus is really, really good, I think Bono sounds great on it as do the band, unfortunately the rest of the song isn't as memorable. Love the solo before the final verse, and the final verse is great too but Bono doesn't sing it well enough for me, and if that verse passes as great passion in these ages then U2 really are struggling. But a good song, yes. 6/10
Sleep Like a Baby Tonight - love love love the synth line. This is a really good song. Makes a nice change not only from the rest of the album but from a lot of U2 material in general. Bono sounds great, sitting back a bit and just enjoying it. Edge sounds good when he comes in after the first chorus. The only thing that brings it down for me is some ordinary lyricism - the album is full of lines like "hope is where the door is". 8/10
This is Where You Can Reach Me Now - one of the better intros on the album, a nice build in to the track. Musically it is pretty cool but overall it still feels a bit generic and goes from interesting to plodding pretty quickly. Catchy but not understanding the praise that it has received. 5/10
The Troubles - an absolutely brilliant song. By so, so, so, so far the best song on the album. no competition whatsoever. The best praise that I can pay The Troubles is that it would fit perfectly on the back end of Pop. Terrific musically, with the strings, the soft drumming, Adam's low, rumbling bass. Bono sounds fantastic, Lykke Li obviously brings her A-game, and it's an interesting lyric as well. 10/10
Can't see myself coming back to the album. It doesn't bode well that I never listen to Hutdab and NLOTH anymore, given I loved both of them after the first few listens. I've been pretty negative I know, but Songs of Innocence just really doesn't do much for me at all.
The Miracle (of Joey Ramone) - first of all, perhaps the worst song title of the band's career. As for the song, I do not really like it. The first 15 or so seconds are solid but that riff, when it comes in, is just so flat. Bono's vocals are terrible, the lyrics are uninspiring, and the chorus, while half-decent vocally and pretty good musically, are just completely ruined by Bono's atrocious lyrics. Trying to cram about six words too many into each line. 4/10
Every Breaking Wave - a pretty decent song that suffers from Bono's singing in the chorus. I like the music in the intro and the verses quite a bit, even if it borrows quite obviously from one of their biggest songs. Bono oversings the chorus, to the song's detriment, but overall, a pretty decent song, as I said. 6/10
California - I was much, much happier with this song when I thought the intro, which I quite like, was just ad libs. With the lyrics in front of you it makes me cringe. Overall though I think it's a decent song, and I am surprised that it has caused as much consternation as it has. It's light and breezy, Bono almost doesn't try too hard with the vocals. Band really sounds pretty good. 6/10
Song for Someone - I really like this song. I can't really understand the hatred for it. Musically, it is nicely restrained, Edge's guitar playing in the bridge is quite nice. To me it is one of probably about two or three songs on the album on which Bono's vocals don't ruin the song. We've all made fun of the "soooooohhhhooooonnng" part, but when I listen to it I don't think it's over the top at all, certainly not compared with many other moments on the album. It also sounds genuine. Sure there's cheese there but they pull it off. Too many times on the album they all sound like they're trying too hard, not so here. The solo/break hampers the song a little, it's not really needed, but it's not very long and I really think this is one of the better songs. 7/10
Iris - again, surprised that people have gravitated more towards this song than Song for Someone. I like the ethereal oooohhhhs in the background and the band sounds pretty good for most part, as does Bono until the bridge comes in. Not a big fan of that, and Edge's guitar playing underneath it is something he does a million times before, and better. And by the time you get to the final line of the chorus it is honestly surprising that an Aviici-style beat doesn't come in during the chorus. As for songs about his parents... Sometimes and Kite are both far better. 5/10
Volcano - worst song on the album I would say. Not a great deal better than your Stand Up Comedies of the world, honestly. The chorus is absolute garbage, not a style of singing that suits Bono at all. It's nice to hear Adam for once but it's hardly Wire. The whole thing just comes off as a really lame attempt at making an upbeat rocker. "You and I rock and roll" is just embarrassing. Utter crap. 2/10
Raised By Wolves - definitely a better rocker than the previous track. Cool effects in the background and pretty decent musically for the most part. The subject matter is pretty heavy but I don't think this U2 is quite capable of pulling it off, it is a rather unmemorable song. Bono's vocals during the chorus are, again, horrendous. 4/10
Cedarwood Road - definitely a better rocker than the previous two tracks. Edge's guitar is real nice until it takes that heavier turn, which I don't like, I don't think they pull it off with enough edge, no pun intended. The chorus is really, really good, I think Bono sounds great on it as do the band, unfortunately the rest of the song isn't as memorable. Love the solo before the final verse, and the final verse is great too but Bono doesn't sing it well enough for me, and if that verse passes as great passion in these ages then U2 really are struggling. But a good song, yes. 6/10
Sleep Like a Baby Tonight - love love love the synth line. This is a really good song. Makes a nice change not only from the rest of the album but from a lot of U2 material in general. Bono sounds great, sitting back a bit and just enjoying it. Edge sounds good when he comes in after the first chorus. The only thing that brings it down for me is some ordinary lyricism - the album is full of lines like "hope is where the door is". 8/10
This is Where You Can Reach Me Now - one of the better intros on the album, a nice build in to the track. Musically it is pretty cool but overall it still feels a bit generic and goes from interesting to plodding pretty quickly. Catchy but not understanding the praise that it has received. 5/10
The Troubles - an absolutely brilliant song. By so, so, so, so far the best song on the album. no competition whatsoever. The best praise that I can pay The Troubles is that it would fit perfectly on the back end of Pop. Terrific musically, with the strings, the soft drumming, Adam's low, rumbling bass. Bono sounds fantastic, Lykke Li obviously brings her A-game, and it's an interesting lyric as well. 10/10
Can't see myself coming back to the album. It doesn't bode well that I never listen to Hutdab and NLOTH anymore, given I loved both of them after the first few listens. I've been pretty negative I know, but Songs of Innocence just really doesn't do much for me at all.
djerdap
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
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When you say Sometimes and Kite, I say Mofo, Lemon, I Will Follow and Tomorrow, which are directly related to the Iris in question. There's no comparison between those songs and this new crappy one. Something like "There's a black car parked on the side of the road" brings so much more in terms of loss and memory than the cheesy repetition of "Hold me clooaaaahhsss". It's amazing how much more profound a 20-year old can sound than his 50-year-old counterpart. Not the worst song on the record, but the one that symbolises perfectly for me what is wrong about this band nowadays.
The only big disagreement we have is This is Where You Can Reach Me Now. And you're being awfully kind to Song for Someone.
Thoughts on The Crystal Ballroom?
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
Not a terribly huge surprise that I disagree with Cobbler on a couple of these. Volcano is one of the few songs on the album that I actually like, as it sounds focused and direct instead of just being a mishmash of bad ideas (see: Miracle and, since you mentioned it, SUC). Edge's guitar tone (as on Raised By Wolves) is metallic goodness. Song For Someone, meanwhile, makes losing your virginity sound as exciting as standing in line at the DMV.
I do agree that Reach Around is overrated. Sounds like a late album track, a loose and vaguely interesting diversion but I can never remember how it goes when it's over.
I do agree that Reach Around is overrated. Sounds like a late album track, a loose and vaguely interesting diversion but I can never remember how it goes when it's over.
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Hewson
Blue Crack Supplier
One of my close friend's last four digits of his cell phone # is 1385. He texted me after the album dropped that he was famous now...my response was "you should sue for royalties".
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