Album 13: Arguing/Punning/Meme-ing/Discussion thread

[Galeongirl]

Not sure if this goes here;

I saw Garth Brooks is playing 2 shows at Dublin Croke Park on July 25-26. If they sell out quickly, he'll probably add more.

Does this mean U2 won't be able to play there? I thought there was some sort of allotment for allowed concerts there per year? Just thought you Irish fans might like to know in case there's some sort of issue with stadium availability this summer.

You're thinking Slane Castle. U2 broke the rule in 2001 with their third gig, got a hefty fine IIRC.

 

[digitize]

I rather like Boots. Looking back, the Grammy performance wasn't that bad (Bono's voice and Larry's drumming especially sound great). That being said, if I were a non-U2 fan in that audience (or watching this on TV), I would be absolutely groaning.

 

[Airseven]

So is "Invisible" even going to be on the album? Do we know for sure?

It would be odd to release TWO tracks during the new album lead-in, neither of which are on the album. I can see one bonus-type song, not two.

 

[Airseven]

I rather like Boots. Looking back, the Grammy performance wasn't that bad (Bono's voice and Larry's drumming especially sound great). That being said, if I were a non-U2 fan in that audience (or watching this on TV), I would be absolutely groaning.

I always rather liked it myself. It just needed to blend in to the periphery of the overall album texture, not try to carry it as a lead single. I get that they wanted to promote that riff, a la Vertigo, but it should not have been a single at all.

 

[digitize]

I always rather liked it myself. It just needed to blend in to the periphery of the overall album texture, not try to carry it as a lead single. I get that they wanted to promote that riff, a la Vertigo, but it should not have been a single at all.

My feelings exactly.

 

[Airseven]

My take on NLOTH is that it needed a "Beautiful Day" type hit to carry it. Easy for me to say, I know, but it needed a big single. Scratch SUC in the process. #2 single MOS and this album is top 5 in their catalog IMO. It really had a ton of potential, but falls just short for me due in part to the songs they chose to build it around.

 

[ClaytonsKitten]

Jan 11th - Haiti Benefit
Jan 12th - Golden Globes
Feb 2nd - Superbowl Ad.
Feb 17th - Jimmy Fallon / Tonight show.

This album comes out soon.

Grammy's are the 26th, this coming Sunday.

I wouldn't rule out them making a surprise appearance.

Otherwise the live debut of the new single would be (as it stands today) on Fallon. Which, if I'm being generous, I'd guess would only be about 5 or 6 million viewers. The Grammy audience is probably triple that.

Then again that might take the steam out of the Super Bowl thing...

So never mind.

They could play OL on the Grammys?

Then it would look like this:

Jan 26th:
surprise appearance at Grammys: OL live?

Feb 2nd:
Invisible/album name-release date on the SB ad

Feb 3rd-4th:
Invisible available for download (proceeds to (RED)?)

Feb 17th:
scheduled appearance/performance on Tonight Show w/Fallon -- Invisible

And then possibly an album within a few weeks??

Oh and the Oscars in March --- DEF a contender for a live performance of OL.

 

[mikal]

NLOTH was a confused album. That's my best way of describing it. If you listen to the whole thing, it has the sound of a band that originally wanted to make a deep and atmospheric album and then suddenly panicked and wanted hits. Actually, this album may be the best representation of a recording process that I've ever heard.

 

[Airseven]

NLOTH was a confused album. That's my best way of describing it. If you listen to the whole thing, it has the sound of a band that originally wanted to make a deep and atmospheric album and then suddenly panicked and wanted hits. Actually, this album may be the best representation of a recording process that I've ever heard.

Interesting observations and great points. I always found myself wanting to compare NLOTH to Zooropa. And I think it could have been worthy of such praise had the band pumped the breaks on the hits machine (Boots/SUC/Breathe), and gone with more expansive melodies like Some Days or Dirty Day. God how I wish I could pluck the second half of Zooropa and stick it in the middle of NLOTH.

 

[last unicorn]

I don't think U2 will appear at the Grammy's. Let's hope they won't - see discussion above. They're not nominated, it would look pathetic.

But the Oscars are a different thing. I'm pretty sure they will be performing, maybe after "testing" Ordinary Love live on the Late Night Show. I have the feeling U2 won't jump into cold waters by debuting OL at the Oscars. They'll perform it at least once before.

Apart from that I'd say we'll get more surprises in the following weeks. Exciting times.

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

NLOTH was a confused album. That's my best way of describing it. If you listen to the whole thing, it has the sound of a band that originally wanted to make a deep and atmospheric album and then suddenly panicked and wanted hits. Actually, this album may be the best representation of a recording process that I've ever heard.

Very good points. Also very interesting that they went with their biggest tour ever on the heels of such a confused album. Its a miracle the tour was such a success.

Actually, its a miracle im still alive having survived everything. They still keep up the chase...

 

[last unicorn]

Interesting observations and great points. I always found myself wanting to compare NLOTH to Zooropa. And I think it could have been worthy of such praise had the band pumped the breaks on the hits machine (Boots/SUC/Breathe), and gone with more expansive melodies like Some Days or Dirty Day. God how I wish I could pluck the second half of Zooropa and stick it in the middle of NLOTH.

Sorry, but while I agree that NLOTH wasn't the coherent and really great album it could have been without songs like SUC, Crazy and Boots, I disagree about the Zooropa comparison. Zooropa is one of my least favorite U2 albums, even though some stuff on it is really very good, but the songs you named are IMO among U2's worst. I alway skip them. And NLOTH is still one of my favorites, minus the middle three (which I sometimes skip, most of the time not). Two thirds of the album are pretty great. But yes, U2 somehow got cold feet when they tried to pull through the concept of a really atmospheric, really Morocco-influenced album. What mikal said: It kind of feels like the band was panicking halfway through. Shame, and I hope it doesn't happen with the new album.

 

[popacrobat]

I don't think U2 will appear at the Grammy's. Let's hope they won't - see discussion above. They're not nominated, it would look pathetic.

I don't see how it's pathetic or different from any other form of marketing. It didn't work last time, so I wouldn't bet on it happening again just for that reason. I don't think anybody here five years ago was calling it pathetic. Had it been a raging success and helped carry Boots, half of interference would probably root for it again.

I wouldn't bank on any late show residency again either. Maybe a stop here and there, Fallon and others, but a week for one show isn't likely. Have to figure they'll change up the gameplan a bit this time around.

It wouldn't surprise me if the Super Bowl ad is in conjunction with Apple, though. They were on the brink of having another iTunes ad with Get On Your Boots, but it fell through. Since it worked so well for Vertigo, and Viva la Vida, it wouldn't shock me to see that be the partnership and not Beats' subscription music service.

 

[Airseven]

Very good points. Also very interesting that they went with their biggest tour ever on the heels of such a confused album. Its a miracle the tour was such a success.

Actually, its a miracle im still alive having survived everything. They still keep up the chase...

Wasn't it the case that the tour was devised almost exclusively apart from the album? There was very little synergy between them. U2 tours are about promoting the U2 brand, not a singular album.

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

Wasn't it the case that the tour was devised almost exclusively apart from the album? There was very little synergy between them. U2 tours are about promoting the U2 brand, not a singular album.

I would say they are both, actually. The 360 Tour started out with six or seven songs from the new album:

Boots
No Line
Magnificent
Breathe
Unknown Caller
Crazy Tonight
Moment of Surrender

After the back surgery and tour hiatus, the remaining tour dates were more about U2 the brand, along with the 20th anniversary of Achtung Baby. They played more AB songs on the 2011 dates than NLOTH songs, if I recall.

 

[ClaytonsKitten]

Very good points. Also very interesting that they went with their biggest tour ever on the heels of such a confused album. Its a miracle the tour was such a success.

I think a lot of the late success with the tour had to do with the rebirth of AB after they delayed so B could recover from the back injury.

It was like getting Zoo all over again. Including leather-clad Bono and shirtless Adam.

That said, I'm all for surprises, news, anything! I'm ready! (For what's next!)

 

[digitize]

I don't see how it's pathetic or different from any other form of marketing. It didn't work last time, so I wouldn't bet on it happening again just for that reason. I don't think anybody here five years ago was calling it pathetic. Had it been a raging success and helped carry Boots, half of interference would probably root for it again.

I wouldn't bank on any late show residency again either. Maybe a stop here and there, Fallon and others, but a week for one show isn't likely. Have to figure they'll change up the gameplan a bit this time around.

It wouldn't surprise me if the Super Bowl ad is in conjunction with Apple, though. They were on the brink of having another iTunes ad with Get On Your Boots, but it fell through. Since it worked so well for Vertigo, and Viva la Vida, it wouldn't shock me to see that be the partnership and not Beats' subscription music service.

Apparently I said this at the time:

If this is true... please excuse me while I stab my eyes out with a blunt rusty poker.

There was also this:

I'm not a fan of acts that perform at awards shows where their music wasn't even nominated for any awards.

It kind of screams blatant promo to me.

It will be cool to hear them play live....thats always cool...but I've criticized other bands for doing stuff like that so it would be kind of hypocritical for me to change my stance just because its U2 doing it. I don't like it one bit.

As well as this:

Good to see U2 performing but somehow I can see this having a far reaching negative impact on the bands image in the newspapers and on the internet.

It is blatent promotion which I dont have a problem with but in the end they are taking up time that could be used by another band that actually has music nominated. Hopefully they arent making an error in judgement.

But, in general, most the early discussion from when the performance was announced was indeed quite positive. Of course, the people who posted on this board in early 2009 are not all the same as those who post now.

 

[jeevey]

Yeah that Grammys performance is just...uncomfortable. That bit with Bono up on the screen reenacting the opening of the ZOO shows just goes over like a lead balloon. They are working so hard for the crowd and just not getting them, and you can see that they can see that they aren't. The worry starts to come out in their eyes partway through. That's rough to watch. It's funny because the Brits were not too long after and although the staging was exactly the same, it's a much more effective performance.

Wasn't it the case that the tour was devised almost exclusively apart from the album? There was very little synergy between them.

I would say they are both, actually. The 360 Tour started out with six or seven songs from the new album:

I thought he was referring more to conception and design?

Also

Apparently I said this at the time:

How the fuck do you people do this? I can't find the things I said three weeks ago, let alone years.

 

[powerhour24]

I think a lot of the late success with the tour had to do with the rebirth of AB after they delayed so B could recover from the back injury.

Nah, most of those tickets were sold long before the AB thing came up.

I wonder if they would have done shows into 2011 just to have an AB 20th anniversary bit if those shows hadn't been delayed.

 

[Irvine511]

NLOTH was a confused album. That's my best way of describing it. If you listen to the whole thing, it has the sound of a band that originally wanted to make a deep and atmospheric album and then suddenly panicked and wanted hits. Actually, this album may be the best representation of a recording process that I've ever heard.

or, they wondered how they were going to fill stadiums on the back of a deep and atmospheric album -- no one wants to repeat the fall of 1997 again -- and panicked and tried to write hits.

 

[powerhour24]

NLOTH always strikes me as trying to throw a bit in for all the eras of fans they've picked up and as such muddles what could have been Top 3 U2 for me, maybe someday we'll hear the pre-Lillywhite album.

 

[YBORCITY]

NLOTH was a confused album. That's my best way of describing it. If you listen to the whole thing, it has the sound of a band that originally wanted to make a deep and atmospheric album and then suddenly panicked and wanted hits. Actually, this album may be the best representation of a recording process that I've ever heard.

This, all day long...

 

[Registered Dude]

You know what it needs to be.

saving that for when the leaks come...

 

[digitize]

I was just remembering the whole NLOTH release saga, the Grammy performance, the leak puns, and whatnot, and I realized that I was fifteen years old when that album came out. I made the post that I linked to when I was fifteen. NLOTH came a quarter of my life ago. That seems impossible.

 

[jeevey]

saving that for when the leaks come...

Where's a snicker smiley when you need it?

 

[IrishDawg]

NLOTH was a confused album. That's my best way of describing it. If you listen to the whole thing, it has the sound of a band that originally wanted to make a deep and atmospheric album and then suddenly panicked and wanted hits. Actually, this album may be the best representation of a recording process that I've ever heard.

NLOTH was disappointing for me because we were let in on the recording process way too early, then things changed for the worse. The Fez recordings, beach leaks, and U2.com videos we had all pointed to a great album. There was a really heavy guitar riff recorded in Morocco that either never made the album or was butchered into the riff in SUC. There used to be a sweet guitar solo in Magnificent that was cut into a really cliche Edge slide solo. Bono could've tamed the vocals on MOS to put it on par with One... I could go on and on.

I think a while from now we'll look back at NLOTH as the album that shows the other side of the recording process compared to Pop - taking too long and overthinking.

 

[ClaytonsKitten]

Jimmy Fallon Explains Why U2 Will Be His First "Tonight Show" Guest
http://www.1077thebone.com/common/m...ticle=632E2EFB81E611E3B51EFEFDADE6840A&mode=2

 

[mikal]

NLOTH was disappointing for me because we were let in on the recording process way too early, then things changed for the worse. The Fez recordings, beach leaks, and U2.com videos we had all pointed to a great album. There was a really heavy guitar riff recorded in Morocco that either never made the album or was butchered into the riff in SUC. There used to be a sweet guitar solo in Magnificent that was cut into a really cliche Edge slide solo. Bono could've tamed the vocals on MOS to put it on par with One... I could go on and on.

I think a while from now we'll look back at NLOTH as the album that shows the other side of the recording process compared to Pop - taking too long and overthinking.

I really wanted that heavy guitar riff to make the album. I remember Peterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr really liked that riff as well.

 

[ClaytonsKitten]

Where's a snicker smiley when you need it?

This should work.

 

[IrishDawg]

I really wanted that heavy guitar riff to make the album. I remember Peterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr really liked that riff as well.

I'm really hoping it makes the new album. It was quite a jam. It sounds different enough from SUC to be a separate song.

Also forgot that Unknown Caller riff used to be played a lot faster. Not sure how that would've turned out though. And the intro to Magnificent used to be pretty groovy sounding. Plenty of videos on youtube of them jamming out to those songs in Morocco.