Did U2 take it too far?

[One Tree Still]

Before some of you jump all over me - let me say that I have been a HUGE fan for over 20 years. No questions asked, U2 has been 75% of what has been played on my various stereos since at least 1987, when JT came out and I really got hooked.

All that to say, I feared the day that U2 became caricatures of themselves and I'm afraid that it has happened (much like the Rolling Stones).

IMO, a finished/completed POP should have been their last. I went to the POPMart show in Seattle and they barely sold 40K seats in a 65K stadium. I knew right then they had already peaked.

ATYCLB and HTDAAB have been and will be commercial successes, but I think much of that has to do with people - like me - buying the albums and hoping for a return to the magic of AB or JT - and then realizing it's not there.

I don' t think Bono has done us any favors prior to album releases talking up the rock and roll/punk side of things either. The last 2 albums have been less than 20% rock.

My sister is a HS teacher and her kids have absolutely ZERO interest in U2 - ZERO - and yet U2 seems to group themselves in with Radiohead and others who are still relevant to that age group.

HTDAAB is really trying to regain the magic - but it's even sadder to me to hear it being attempted, and failing. "Mercy" comes close, but it didn't even make the cut. SYCMIOYO shows promise, but dissolves into chaos. LAPOE is imposing, until the fairies tinker in and dance around. Yaweh is probably the best song on the album - and even it tries to borrow some guitar energy from In God's Country.

Someone said this album was too "lush" and I think that sums it and ATYCLB up very well.

For those of you who disagree with me - ask yourself if there was this kind of disparity of opinion on JT or AB - and then realize that U2 is even beginning to lose it's long-time fan base.

Pull the plug guys. You were awesome and I'd rather remember you as such.

 

[Yahweh]

You have the choice to pull the plug if you dont like the new material. Personally I think it is some of the best U2 have ever written and I will continue to tell people that. The band doesnt have anything to prove to anybody, but they still prove to me album after album that they are by far the best band on the planet and not only by a small margin by a large one. U2 should continue making music as long as they themselves feel they have something good and relivent to add to the music industry which by anybodys account is lacking due to sub standard artists these days.

 

[Diemen]

I respectfully disagree (with the original post).

To each his own, though.

 

[jick]

ATYCLB and HTDAAB have been and will be commercial successes, but I think much of that has to do with people - like me - buying the albums and hoping for a return to the magic of AB or JT - and then realizing it's not there.

The key word here is "I think." Obviously, your thoughts may have failed you.

If people buy an album with the hope of a return of a previous magic, then it will sell well in the first week and when they discover it doesn't have the magic then it will tank. This is precisely what happened to POP. Strong debut purely on anticipation but no staying power.

On the other hand, ATYCLB debuted similar to POP but it stayed on the charts for so long. It was due to a sustaining power and sustaining interest based on the actual content and quality of the album and not on unfulfilled hopes of returning to a previous sound.

So your premise on why ATYCLB sold well is clearly false. As for HTDAAB, it's too early to tell since it's barely a week. We'll have to see the sustaining sales. If it doesn't sustain then it could be another POP, but I doubt that.

Cheers,

J

 

[Jamila]

One Tree Still - with all due respect, are you stuck in a moment?

Either appreciate U2 where they are creatively right now or don't.

But just because they aren't living up to your ideas of what they should be is no reason for them not to exist!

U2 IS FINE JUST THE WAY THEY ARE - AND I ACCEPT THEM UNCONDITIONALLY.

Walk on, One Tree Still, to whatever music best suits you.

For me, it's still U2's music (and I have been following them for nearly 24 years).

YOU GIVE ME SOMETHING I CAN FEEL....

 

[knox]

The music's changed, so I get why some people don't like the new stuff.

I personally think that ATYCLB and HTDAAB have both been very interesting albums in terms of their subject matter. These two albums both seem honest and introspective, with the exception of a couple of singles...

 

[Bunbury]

My sister is a HS teacher and her kids have absolutely ZERO interest in U2 - ZERO - and yet U2 seems to group themselves in with Radiohead and others who are still relevant to that age group.

When did say U2 they were grouping themsleves with Radiohead?

 

[SeattleVertigo]

Should have quit after Pop? Ha!

Ha!

I for one am incredibly happy that they brought songs like Beautiful Day, Stuck In A Moment, In A Little While, City Of Blinding Lights, SYCMIOYO, Crumbs, One Step Closer, Vertigo, etc. into our lives.

I'm sure glad they didn't take your advice.

They're happy making music, and millions are happy listening to it. Let them continue to write and perform as long as they are happy doing so -- they've CERTAINLY earned that right.

If you don't like it, don't listen to it.

 

[Aardvark747]

U2 will NEVER become like the Rolling Stones.

 

[yimou]

One tree still.

I agree with some of your views.

Though i hope they never pull the plug. We still need U2, in a world full of stupid teen pop.


BTW,, Then Yahwah is the reason why i am thankful for this new album. This is the best i have heard U2 since pop..

 

[U2girl]

Actually, POP, as we know, was U2 coming close to an end.

Luckily they bounced back with ATYCLB, the Elevation tour and HTDAAB. Clearly, the quality has come back in their songs.

As for disparity of opinion, try POP. The fans outside of the internet forum, the ones that have been around from the 80's - if you included those, POP wouldn't be nowhere near the overratedness of the 90's worshippers that are so vocal here.

ATYCLB, and HTDAAB, have in the reviews and fan reactions, gained very positive impressions in a clear majority. Several people already are saying HTDAAB is the best since AB.

 

[Sleep Over Jack]

Re: Re: Did U2 take it too far?

When did say U2 they were grouping themsleves with Radiohead?

Its just anecdotal evidence anyway...

 

[amniar]

What confuses me is that the Red Hot Chili Peppers have become incredibly popular and successful by toning down their excesses and producing more commercial albums, and I don't hear anyone telling them to stop...

All bands should finish the moment you think they have put out an album you don't really like. For that reason, I guess U2 should have finished with Rattle And Hum... I'm glad they didn't though!

 

[Ellay]

I love the way U2 changes, OK Achtung Baby was my favourite album, but I wouldnt want the following 5/6 following albums to be copies of the same formula.

you're right, some albums ARE weaker than others, but on every single one there's something I like.

I always kind of shudder when I hear a new U2 song for the first time, because it's hard to take in something you're not familiar with, but atomic bomb is growing on me fast!

 

[u2sangel]

I disagree too!Some people don;t like the new material(and this happens every time there is a new u2 record)and want them to go back to a previous sound.U2 will never remake JT or AB so please get over it they are too GOOD for that!!!!!

 

[tennispunk]

I would just like to toss in that you can make jokes about the Rolling Stones all you'd like, but they put on a fucking incredible show. They played for 2.5 hours both times I saw them on the Licks tour. If U2 want to be "caricatures" like the Rolling Stones in that respect, I say bring it.

oh and also, while I think "Stuck in a Moment" is one of the most atrocious songs they've ever written, I think their last 2 albums have had some fantastic material. this one should have been produced better....perhaps by me.

but of course....everyone is entitled to his own opinion. even if it's wrong!

 

[BVS]

For those of you who disagree with me - ask yourself if there was this kind of disparity of opinion on JT or AB - and then realize that U2 is even beginning to lose it's long-time fan base.

Yee of short attention spans. When AB came out there were many who called for the end of U2. Terms like selling out, losing their minds, etc come to mind. That album probably had the largest disparity of opinion of any album when it came out. People to this day still claim U2 haven't made the same quality of music since the 80's.

 

[U2Kitten]

All that to say, I feared the day that U2 became caricatures of themselves and I'm afraid that it has happened (much like the Rolling Stones).

I don't feel they are caricatures of themselves at all. They have been too many things to ever become one thing in anyone's mind. David Lee Roth admitted years ago he had become a parody of himself, I think he even coined the term. But as long as it gets you money and chicks, who cares? It sure beats the hell out of working for a living, I'd say.

IMO, a finished/completed POP should have been their last. I went to the POPMart show in Seattle and they barely sold 40K seats in a 65K stadium. I knew right then they had already peaked.

Like you, I am a long time huge fan, but I believe they peaked with JT and AB and have been a step down since then. That doesn't mean they can't still put out good stuff or that they should stop. They still have something to offer us.

ATYCLB and HTDAAB have been and will be commercial successes, but I think much of that has to do with people - like me - buying the albums and hoping for a return to the magic of AB or JT - and then realizing it's not there.

As I've said before, this happens with ALL great artists! They get to a stage in life where they are older, settled, happy and secure, and they just lose the fire inside that the angry young man had to spark creativity. It's no offense to them, it's also happened to the Stones, McCartney, Page and Plant, Dylan and more. It's part of the life cycle.

My sister is a HS teacher and her kids have absolutely ZERO interest in U2 - ZERO - and yet U2 seems to group themselves in with Radiohead and others who are still relevant to that age group.

I have several teenage nieces and nephews, and from what they're telling me HTDAAB IS big with some kids, especially Vertigo, its video, and the ipod commerical. They say it's much bigger than ATYCLB was. Of course, there will always be a faction of kids who won't listen to anyone 'old', you can't change them.

 

[LPU2]

Re: Re: Did U2 take it too far?

Yee of short attention spans. When AB came out there were many who called for the end of U2. Terms like selling out, losing their minds, etc come to mind. That album probably had the largest disparity of opinion of any album when it came out. People to this day still claim U2 haven't made the same quality of music since the 80's.

This is true. I watched a friend of mine walk outside and throw his Achtung Baby CD in the trash bin. He didn't just hate it; it pissed him off. He wasn't alone. Most of my U2 fan friends at the time just DESPISED that album. Recording an album like Achtung was a HUGE risk. They alienated a lot of their fans with that one, but it drew in 3 times as many new fans.

Bomb won't do that quite in the same way, simply because U2 is doing nothing really new here, except for maybe Vertigo. But this album has four or five solid singles that will keep it on the charts throughout the tour. No, it's not time for U2 to quit. But I do agree that they should "dream it all up again" when they go into the studio again.

Oh, and remember, the internet is giving us insight into reviews and critics we would never have read in '91 or '87. I'm sure both of those albums had their fair share of people who didn't like them. Even Rolling Stone's review of Joshua Tree when it came out was fairly positive, but certainly not glowing.

 

[U2@NYC]

OMG, who would throw out Achtung Baby????!!!!!!!

 

[ponkine]

Re: Re: Re: Did U2 take it too far?

U2 should have retire by the end of 1998, with The Best of 1980 -1990 having ending their most succesful tour ever: Pop Mart Tour.

Since ATYCLB U2 has been nothing but a big music company, resting on their laurels, promising again and again to return to Boy or Joshua Tree times, as a fan said

Just take a look: iPod, pay per view internet, Apple Tunes, crappy playback TV shows, short, safe, commercial, lame, uninspired, boring and recycled albums, credit cards, "collector´s editions" with fake books and DVD´s, "best" of 1990 - 2000 with those "new mixes", songs just for grammy awards ( like The Hands That Built America ), and money money money $$$$

I´d rather they retire, really

 

[U2Kitten]

Re: Re: Re: Did U2 take it too far?

This is true. I watched a friend of mine walk outside and throw his Achtung Baby CD in the trash bin. He didn't just hate it; it pissed him off. He wasn't alone. Most of my U2 fan friends at the time just DESPISED that album. Recording an album like Achtung was a HUGE risk. They alienated a lot of their fans with that one, but it drew in 3 times as many new fans.

I don't remember anyone hating AB. It was Zooropa and Pop that alienated a lot of people from what I saw. They scared away more than they drew in, but the fans of those seem to like nothing else and are very loyal to them, as we see from a handful of very vocal people here on this forum.

I don't think U2 really cares anymore what we like or don't like, they know no matter what they do some will love it and some will not. You can't please everyone so they must please themselves.

reminds me of this song:

went to a garden party to reminisce with my old friends
A chance to share old memories and play our songs again
When I got to the garden party, they all knew my name
No one recognized me, I didn't look the same

CHORUS
But it's all right now, I learned my lesson well.
You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself

People came from miles around, everyone was there
Yoko brought her walrus, there was magic in the air
'n' over in the corner, much to my surprise
Mr. Hughes hid in Dylan's shoes wearing his disguise

CHORUS

lott-in-dah-dah-dah, lot-in-dah-dah-dah

Played them all the old songs, thought that's why they came
No one heard the music, we didn't look the same
I said hello to "Mary Lou", she belongs to me
When I sang a song about a honky-tonk, it was time to leave

CHORUS

lot-dah-dah-dah (lot-dah-dah-dah)
lot-in-dah-dah-dah

Someone opened up a closet door and out stepped Johnny B. Goode
Playing guitar like a-ringin' a bell and lookin' like he should
If you gotta play at garden parties, I wish you a lotta luck
But if memories were all I sang, I rather drive a truck

CHORUS

lot-dah-dah-dah (lot-dah-dah-dah)
lot-in-dah-dah-dah

'n' it's all right now, learned my lesson well
You see, ya can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself

 

[Sleep Over Jack]

Piss off ponkine.

 

[Matthew_Page2000]

Yahweh is far and away the worst song on the album so I don't agree with much of anything you say.

 

[rjhbonovox]

He has some good points and I kinda agree with most of the sentiments. The last two albums while containing decent tracks and are above average albums no one in the whole world is gonna tell me that these albums rank alongside Achtung Baby, Joshua Tree, Pop and even Zooropa. They have lost a certain excitment in their music, the longing for the Biggest Band in the world tag has seen the band start making virtually music that is pretty damn bland when you compare it to the stuff they were making ten years ago. I listened to the whole of Achtung Baby today and it flows by in an instant and this is one thing I can not do with the last two albums. Tracks such as Miracle Drug, All Because Of You, City Of Blinding Lights and Crumbs From Your Table are so alike to past songs that U2 seem to have lost the knack of creating fresh songs. This album may become an album that will rate lower than All That You Can't Leave Behind in a year or two's time, which I believe should have been their last.

 

[isabelle_guns]

if you sdon;t like u2 anymore, pull the plug, my boyfriend did

 

[Zoomerang96]

One Tree Still - with all due respect, are you stuck in a moment?

Either appreciate U2 where they are creatively right now or don't.

But just because they aren't living up to your ideas of what they should be is no reason for them not to exist!

U2 IS FINE JUST THE WAY THEY ARE - AND I ACCEPT THEM UNCONDITIONALLY.

Walk on, One Tree Still, to whatever music best suits you.

For me, it's still U2's music (and I have been following them for nearly 24 years).

YOU GIVE ME SOMETHING I CAN FEEL....

i'm not gonna lie, you terrify me.

 

[U2girl]

With fans like this, why would U2 need enemies?

 

[Rafiennes]

The Beatles should have stopped after Rubber Soul...they would never achieve anything or have a wider appeal than that critically acclaimed and highly purchased album…except for Revolver…and Sgt. Pepper’s…and Magical Mystery Tour……and you get the idea…U2 are one of the few bands these days who, at the height of their critical and public appeal, chose to push their sound in different directions, and are now choosing to push it back to an area where they were, but bringing with them some of the things they’ve learned in the 90’s. Now, do some of the new songs on the last two albums smack of a little desperation to ‘reclaim the old fans’? Sure. Is it tolerable? Sure. Would I love to see them go back to the Achtung Zooropa Pop territory, yup. Never gonna happen though. As Bono has said, there are no reverse gears in this tank. They keep going forward, they’ve just managed to pick up a few new passengers along the way.

 

[rjhbonovox]

With fans like this, why would U2 need enemies?

Great post! I tell you what "I love EVERYTHING u2 have ever done, and come to think of it, EVERYTHING they are ever going to do cos its gonna be great whatever it is, YES it has to be cos it is U2!". Happy now!