Have U2 become TOO good and therefore beyond themselves?

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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
In fact, you know something... When I Look At The World, the only song on ATYCLB with a prominent guitar solo that actually sounds like nothing from their past work (cos Beautiful Day, Walk On etc. all had somewhat familiar guitar work) is I think fresher sounding than all the guitar oriented tracks on HTDAAB. Of course Kite too had some nice slide guitar going.
 
That said, I don't really understand the subject line of this thread or the original post too much. Just wanted to reply cos I found myself really relating to ozeeko's post! That's all.
 
Can you tell me why any fucking thread here ends in just the same old shit, the same discussion, this is getting boring round here...
The title and the theme of the thread could be "Why I ate scrambled eggs last night" but there's always a group of users that lead the thread to end in a discussion about how much the last two albums are similar, and HTDAAB is bland, the songs can't fulfill their destiny because of its overproduction and cheesy feeling. And why doesn't U2 stop the "back to basics" thing and makes a new Achtung Baby or an album as daring as Pop.
This sing is getting me sick...:no: :sick:
 
Aygo said:
about how much the last two albums are similar, and HTDAAB is bland, the songs can't fulfill their destiny because of its overproduction and cheesy feeling. And why doesn't U2 stop the "back to basics" thing and makes a new Achtung Baby or an album as daring as Pop.

For the record, I didn't say ANY of that. And neither did ozeeko as far as I can tell.

Believe me, I'm tired of such threads too. Especially when it's made to look like "if anybody criticizes the new album, they automatically want another Achtung or Pop". :huh:
 
WalkOn21 said:
U2 never "admitted" a resemblance between ATYCLB and HTDAAB. Apart from Bono's claim that "they're both great albums", of course. The band actually said they see a resemblance of HTDAAB with Boy, not with ATYCLB. "Maybe we should've called this one Man," and that kind of stuff.


U2 will never admit that HTDAAB and ATYCLB were the same disposable s*** :silent: that's pretty obvious. Of course the band invented a fish hook for the easy fans who run to buy every single product named as "U2": "Back to basics, Back to Boy, etc"... then what?. They spat the childish "Punk Rock for Venus" Vertigo... and that's all.

Even that "Song" died among the worst U2 crap ever written. Apart from City Of Blinding Lights, the rest is plenty of U2ish cliches found on ATYCLB. The same 11 songs, the same B-side slower than the A-Side, same production, songwriting, fairly the same album lenght, even same band's look.

HTDAAB is just a carbon-copy of HTDAAB and so far the "NEW" album will be another ATYCLB unlike the band will go to take at least minor risk this time by producing the album with other people than Eno-Lanois-Lillywhite and stopping writing songs intended just for Grammies and Arenas
 
I think onyourkneesboy has a really good point. There's a fine line between writing great songs and falling into predictable songwriting patterns. Cliched lyrics and overslick production also don't help matters.

I only have two minor quibbles:

1. They made Zooropa during the decadent Zoo TV era, so partying with supermodels/living the glamorous life and musical creativity aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.

2. Present-day Duran Duran aren't all that. I'll take guilty pleasure old-school Duran Duran, thank you very much. :wink:
 
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LemonMacPhisto said:


docii8.jpg


Great Scott!

That was unintentionally phallic :| :ohmy:
 
ozeeko said:
Does anyone here like ATYCLB and detest HTDAAB?

*Raises hand*. I agree with everything you say later on as well. While a lot of ATYCLB is not my bag, it's not something I dislike at all either. It sounds natural, you can hear that clearly. Just compare Beautiful Day to Vertigo, Walk On to Original of the Species, Stuck in a Moment to Sometimes. Elevation to All Because of You. To me, even the songs out of that list that I don't particularly care for (eg Walk On) I still have a lot of respect for, and I think it's great that they are there in that catalogue of thiers. Meanwhile, I honestly don't believe in a single note or word on Atomic Bomb. There is no spirit or soul on that album. I don't mind U2 doing more accessible, popular music at all. They can do it brilliantly - Beautiful Day being, to me, one of their singular greatest songs - but for it work coming from U2, you have to believe in it. I'm all for tunes, I'm all for songs. If it sounds as natural, inspired and fresh as many of the songs on ATYCLB, I'm all for it. If it sounds as stale, contrived, dull, overworked, manufactured, devoid of all soul and spirit, as completely lacking in any feeling so as to be the musical equivalent of the lighting in a 7-11, then just give it the fuck up.

For all you who bitch and moan whenever a bad word is said of the Bomb, and then squeal about those people and how they just want more Achtung/Pop, you generally are just showing yourselves up as idiots. If you ever read anything by anyone who dislikes the Bomb, you will find this as one of if not the single main reason, and that plenty of us quite like ATYCLB. If you paid any attention whatsoever to anything we ever write, raving on about 90s vs 00s bullshit wouldn't exist. It doesn't come from those who dislike the Bomb, it comes from those who can't handle that people actually dislike it. I don't care for another Pop, I don't care for experimentation. If its songs, tunes, music with pop sensibilities, that's fine and great. Just give me the underlying spirit of all the music that they created pre-Bomb and I'm happy with whatever it produces over the top. There was no explosion of hate when ATYCLB was released, so you can't try and blame it on the style of music. Stop trying. The reason is that even those who weren't particularly tickled by ATYCLB could still hear the spirit of U2 naturally at work. It's not there on the Bomb, so the knives are out.
 
discothequeLP said:
Popular music does not necesarrily equal shite music. I don't know how somebody can say that City of Blinding Lights or Vertigo "appeals to the masses" too much, when i think they are fantatsic songs. to each his own.


Yeah I mean, if popular music =shite, the Beach Boys, the Beatles, would be 2 of the most shite bands ever, I mean, how many people don't like those 2 bands songs? Just how popular are they?

I dunno, think maybe I'm gonna go back to lurking on this forum. I only check out this forum nowadays to see the heated threads about the 'last 2 albums.' Definitely an escape from the real world.
 
thrillme said:


Yeah I mean, if popular music =shite, the Beach Boys, the Beatles, would be 2 of the most shite bands ever, I mean, how many people don't like those 2 bands songs? Just how popular are they?

I dunno, think maybe I'm gonna go back to lurking on this forum. I only check out this forum nowadays to see the heated threads about the 'last 2 albums.' Definitely an escape from the real world.

Whoever said in this forum that popular music equals crap? The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby..hell POP even..they were all #1 selling albums! Popularity is irrelevant. Compromising your creative integrity is the issue hear.

What if the Beatles stuck it together after Abbey Road (their last technically recorded album) and recorded a couple albums filled with "silly love songs." Obviously there would've been a backlash.
 
ozeeko said:
Does anyone here like ATYCLB and detest HTDAAB?
*waves* :wave:

Although I wouldn't say "detest". I don't "detest" any U2 album - I do think HTDAAB is highly overrated though.
For me, it seems when making HTDAAB U2 was having the idea "let's make a rock album, like we never sounded before" and didn't let go of that idea. They dropped their unique style to make way for a standard rock sound. Only A Man and A Woman sounds genuinely like a new U2 song.

Therefore I can't believe people comparing ATYCLB to HTDAAB. They're a world of difference, musically. With ATYCLB they weren't trying so hard to re-invent themselves. That album sounds like they're on home ground, playing songs that maybe aren't revolutionary, but do sound like genuine U2.

It's a shame that on ATYCLB we can at times catch a glimpse of Bono's lack of feel for rhythm (especially on Wild Honey) though - the production could've been better. That's also why I don't understand them saying POP is underproduced - for my ears, it's done better than ATYCLB.
 
Earnie Shavers said:


*Raises hand*. I agree with everything you say later on as well. While a lot of ATYCLB is not my bag, it's not something I dislike at all either. It sounds natural, you can hear that clearly. Just compare Beautiful Day to Vertigo, Walk On to Original of the Species, Stuck in a Moment to Sometimes. Elevation to All Because of You. To me, even the songs out of that list that I don't particularly care for (eg Walk On) I still have a lot of respect for, and I think it's great that they are there in that catalogue of thiers. Meanwhile, I honestly don't believe in a single note or word on Atomic Bomb. There is no spirit or soul on that album. I don't mind U2 doing more accessible, popular music at all. They can do it brilliantly - Beautiful Day being, to me, one of their singular greatest songs - but for it work coming from U2, you have to believe in it. I'm all for tunes, I'm all for songs. If it sounds as natural, inspired and fresh as many of the songs on ATYCLB, I'm all for it. If it sounds as stale, contrived, dull, overworked, manufactured, devoid of all soul and spirit, as completely lacking in any feeling so as to be the musical equivalent of the lighting in a 7-11, then just give it the fuck up.

For all you who bitch and moan whenever a bad word is said of the Bomb, and then squeal about those people and how they just want more Achtung/Pop, you generally are just showing yourselves up as idiots. If you ever read anything by anyone who dislikes the Bomb, you will find this as one of if not the single main reason, and that plenty of us quite like ATYCLB. If you paid any attention whatsoever to anything we ever write, raving on about 90s vs 00s bullshit wouldn't exist. It doesn't come from those who dislike the Bomb, it comes from those who can't handle that people actually dislike it. I don't care for another Pop, I don't care for experimentation. If its songs, tunes, music with pop sensibilities, that's fine and great. Just give me the underlying spirit of all the music that they created pre-Bomb and I'm happy with whatever it produces over the top. There was no explosion of hate when ATYCLB was released, so you can't try and blame it on the style of music. Stop trying. The reason is that even those who weren't particularly tickled by ATYCLB could still hear the spirit of U2 naturally at work. It's not there on the Bomb, so the knives are out.


EEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHH!: WRONG ANSWER! GAME OVER...!:bonodrum: :bump:
 
Zootlesque said:
In fact, you know something... When I Look At The World, the only song on ATYCLB with a prominent guitar solo that actually sounds like nothing from their past work (cos Beautiful Day, Walk On etc. all had somewhat familiar guitar work) is I think fresher sounding than all the guitar oriented tracks on HTDAAB. Of course Kite too had some nice slide guitar going.

WILATW guitar always reminded me of 90s U2.

Edge has lots of re-visiting his past on last two albums - which seems to be one of the biggest sins of U2 in the last 6 years - but I for one am glad to hear him rattle the cages in Vertigo, ABOY and LAPOE. And I'll take Edge comfortable being himself over Edge finding out the effect no 1213232 any day.

All this said I still heard something new in songs like IALW, Grace, Stuck, OOTS, LAPOE and Fast cars.




Of course, there will always be people who seem to be hanging over U2's shoulders in Dublin, and the only ones knowing whether or not U2 was "trying" or being "sincere" or "they can do better than this" (bonus category "oh NO I don't want experimenting but U2 was best in the 90s, why can't they go back to that attitude?"). Not forgetting the "U2 is jumping in on the pop bandwagon with ATYCLB" (of course don't anyone dare even suggest they were influenced by dance craze on Pop) or "U2 wants to compete with the radio" crowd. (radio? what radio? U2 had more radio airplay with Pop than ATYCLB or Bomb, and they sound like nothing on the radio - obvious influences don't count of course.)

If you don't like it just say so, stop hiding behind over pretentious know-it-all statements.
 
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I don't have too much to say on the subject right now, but can I just point out how absolutely ridiculous the thread title is? :wink:

"Have U2 become TOO good and therefore beyond themselves?"

:lol:

Am I the only one to find that level of delusion just hilarious?
 
Aygo said:

EEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHH!: WRONG ANSWER! GAME OVER...!:bonodrum: :bump:

Wow, what a well thought out reply! I'll bet you didn't even read his post which is exactly what he is saying in that post. :|
 
XHendrix24 said:
I don't have too much to say on the subject right now, but can I just point out how absolutely ridiculous the thread title is? :wink:

"Have U2 become TOO good and therefore beyond themselves?"

:lol:

Am I the only one to find that level of delusion just hilarious?

Yeah I don't understand the thread title either. :scratch: :huh:


U2 girl: I cannot just say "No. I don't like HTDAAB." or "No, I hate HTDAAB." because I do not hate it. Just trying to point out the things I don't like about it. Or the way U2 seems to have approached the recording of this album, IMO. But if you like it a lot, so be it. If Aygo thinks it is the greatest album ever and that Yahweh is the greatest song ever then fine. Newsflash: Opinions differ! What're we fighting about again? :huh:
 
You know, they closed the "new direction in next U2 album "thread in Where The Album Has No Name. Funny thing is, it had nothing to do with the actual discussion. It was because Aygo and Snowlock starting cursing at each other. Damn shame because it was actually a thought-provoking thread for once.
 
U2girl said:


Of course, there will always be people who seem to be hanging over U2's shoulders in Dublin, and the only ones knowing whether or not U2 was "trying" or being "sincere" or "they can do better than this" (bonus category "oh NO I don't want experimenting but U2 was best in the 90s, why can't they go back to that attitude?"). Not forgetting the "U2 is jumping in on the pop bandwagon with ATYCLB" (of course don't anyone dare even suggest they were influenced by dance craze on Pop) or "U2 wants to compete with the radio" crowd. (radio? what radio? U2 had more radio airplay with Pop than ATYCLB or Bomb, and they sound like nothing on the radio - obvious influences don't count of course.)

If you don't like it just say so, stop hiding behind over pretentious know-it-all statements.

Why bring up every argument on this board? Zoot gave a simple opinion that contained no disrespect for anyone. You know it has now gotten to the point where people can't say anything negative about the last two albums without being attacked. It used to be the case that the Pop supporters were rude, now it is clearly the ATYCLB and HTDAAB supporters. It doesn't matter how well thought out and respectful a post is regarding why they don't like the last two albums, they still have to deal with a bunch of squabbling. I am generalizing a little here, but if people give well thought out and respectful opinions, then be nice! You can argue of course, but present it in a thought out and respectful manner as well.
 
WalkOn21 said:
Generalizing ATYCLB and HTDAAB under the nomer "the latest two albums" is never well thought out. :shame:

I think you missed the point of my post. Anyway, I can see many reasons to lump them together, I can also see many differences. The point is that people need to stop attacking each other with all the constant fighting regarding the last THREE albums. I am not lumping them together, just pointing out that most of the fighting is regarding Pop, ATYCLB and HTDAAB. People should be able to give their opinions without being attacked.
 
U2girl said:
Edge has lots of re-visiting his past on last two albums - which seems to be one of the biggest sins of U2 in the last 6 years - but I for one am glad to hear him rattle the cages in Vertigo, ABOY and LAPOE.

All this said I still heard something new in songs like OOTS.

The guitar in OOTS are some of the best I've heard from The Edge. :up:

I really don't see how one can hate on HTDAAB like some people do. Vertigo, COBL, SYCMIOYO, LAPOE, OOTS, Yahweh, and Fast Cars are all very good, and Miracle Drug is not that bad either.
 
Canadiens1160 said:

Well, it's simple astrophysics, really...

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:lmao: this needed to be quoted again :drool:

you win at life

I have no idea what this thread title even means

personally I just don't see HTDAAB as a terrible album. shite production, not as cohesive as an album as I'd like, but it doesn't suck. I think the next album will be somewhat different. I don't buy the arguement that HTDAAB is a repeat of ATYCLB (I'll join the ATYCLB>HTDAAB club though!), and I don't think U2 is declining in a way from which they cannot recover.
 
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