HTDAAB's Biggest Downfall.....

[namkcuR]

....has nothing to do with the music. Rather, it's to do with the production.

OOTS - this song has some GORGEOUS string arrangements and keyboard arrangements going on but you can't hear them most of the time because the production has resulted in Bono and Larry overpowering the rest. One of the best songs on the record but could've been even better.

COBL - I think the production problems with this one have already been covered to death.

Crumbs - it's just a little too loud. They should have let that acoustic guitar, the one that plays at the beginning of the song, shine through on the rest of the song. Basically it just should have been scaled down a bit. Otherwise a great song.

Those are the biggies, I think. This might be my single biggest complaint about an otherwise very good record.

 

[DPrinceNY]

wait can u go over the COBL production problems once more?

 

[Zoots]

The biggest downfall I think is in the lyrics.

Some bad lyrics:

just give me what I want and no one gets hurt.
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

and I miss you when you're not around
(of course you miss someone only when they're not around )

some people get squashed crossing the tracks
some people got high rises on their backs

with a mouth full of teeth you ate all your friends

some things you shouldn't....smiling, crying, celebrity
some people got way too much confidence baby

do do do do do...sugar cmon

 

[namkcuR]

The biggest downfall I think is in the lyrics.

Some bad lyrics:

just give me what I want and no one gets hurt.
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

and I miss you when you're not around
(of course you miss someone only when they're not around )

some people get squashed crossing the tracks
some people got high rises on their backs

with a mouth full of teeth you ate all your friends

some things you shouldn't....smiling, crying, celebrity
some people got way too much confidence baby

do do do do do...sugar cmon

The lyrics are fine...not spectacular but fine.

The point remains, if they fixed the production problems, that would improve the record much more than if they fixed all the lyrical problems.

Production is the biggest downfall.

 

[MrBrau1]

There are no drum machines. That means it isn't "experimental" enough.

 

[namkcuR]

There are no drum machines. That means it isn't "experimental" enough.

ha ha very funny

 

[namkcuR]

Just for clarification, I wasn't looking for other opinions on what the album's biggest downfall is, I was looking for conversation on the less-than-ideal production on some of the songs

 

[Zoots]

Well, I agree that Crumbs is a little too loud, along with Vertigo and especially All Because Of You. I turn the volume down sometimes when ABoY starts.

Loud doesn't equal rocking! I hope they realize that.

 

[typhoon]

just give me what I want and no one gets hurt.
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

some people get squashed crossing the tracks
some people got high rises on their backs

some things you shouldn't....smiling, crying, celebrity
some people got way too much confidence baby

do do do do do...sugar cmon

These lyrics are fine. It's rock 'n' roll, not William Blake. One thing Bono is typically pretty good about is writing suitable lyrics for each song. "All Because of You" and "Vertigo" have silly lyrics, for instance, but they're fun, loud songs (with some depth underneath the surface, of course).

I can't believe Ruckman said the drums in "Original of the Species" were too high, though. The drums need to be raised in the mix on pretty much every track on the album. I agree that the strings and such are hard to hear, but the problem there isn't loudness, it's clarity. The production is so overprocessed, there's no definition, no detail, no space between the instruments, so it all sounds like indistinguished noise when you listen closely to it. This is another problem that affects the entire album, sadly.

 

[gherman]

I think anyone who has problems with HTDAAB should piss off!!!!

 

[miss becky]

The volume on Crumbs is a bit off, I'll grant you that. But that's the only thing wrong with that song.

 

[Zoots]

I think anyone who has problems with HTDAAB should piss off!!!!

So you're saying every single person on this forum should consider HTDAAB as U2's third masterpiece? This would be the most boring place ever.

 

[CPTLCTYGOOFBALL]

The biggest downfall I think is in the lyrics.

Some bad lyrics:


some things you shouldn't....smiling, crying, celebrity
some people got way too much confidence baby

off topic, I've seen alot of criticisms of that line and I'm not sure why-It's actually one of my favourite lines from the album, but thats another story.

Anyway I don't think there's a worse line on this album than "you're an accident waiting to happen.."

Ouch!

 

[Zoots]

I don't think there's a worse line on this album than "you're an accident waiting to happen.."

Ouch!

Whatever. Achtung is flawless.

 

[CPTLCTYGOOFBALL]

Whatever. Achtung is flawless.

I love the album-It's not flawless

 

[namkcuR]

Dude, 'Accident waiting to happen' is a common phrase, and not bad for a lyric at all.

And please get back on topic - the production on some songs on this record was not nearly as good as could/should have been.

 

[MrBrau1]

You can hear the click track at the start of "Crumbs."

 

[CPTLCTYGOOFBALL]

"Dude, 'Accident waiting to happen' is a common phrase,"

(I agree)


" and not bad for a lyric at all. "
(I disagree)


"And please get back on topic - the production on some songs on this record was not nearly as good as could/should have been. "

(I agree)

 

[MrBrau1]

fight, fight, fight! Cat fight!

 

[namkcuR]

fight, fight, fight! Cat fight!

Catfight? namkcuR = Guy

Now, BACK ON TOPIC!!

 

[CPTLCTYGOOFBALL]

That can't count as a catfight! I agreed with him 2 out of 3 times!

 

[MrBrau1]

Now it's a cat fight. Cat fight!

 

[doctorwho]

ignore - double post (not my fault - Interference hiccuped! )

 

[doctorwho]

These lyrics are fine. It's rock 'n' roll, not William Blake. One thing Bono is typically pretty good about is writing suitable lyrics for each song. "All Because of You" and "Vertigo" have silly lyrics, for instance, but they're fun, loud songs (with some depth underneath the surface, of course).

Thank you! Although I wouldn't call the lyrics "silly" - just not as thought-provoking.

Over the years, Bono has written a lot of fluff. "With or Without You" is a beloved song, but lyrically light. What makes the song work is the haunting music and Bono's passionate singing. But lyrically, it's not his best - but it works for the song. The same is true for numerous other songs, such as "Even Better Than...", "Discotheque", "Elevation", etc. For a faster-paced fun rock song, in-depth lyrics can be overkill. Bono was borderline overkill with "Desire", but he pushed the line without quite crossing it.

As for the "production"... gosh, I listen to the music and that's about it. The only time I noticed bad production is when my JT album was "too soft". But I don't hear all these things y'all do. Or maybe I just don't care about it.

 

[namkcuR]

Thank you! Although I wouldn't call the lyrics "silly" - just not as thought-provoking.

Over the years, Bono has written a lot of fluff. "With or Without You" is a beloved song, but lyrically light. What makes the song work is the haunting music and Bono's passionate singing. But lyrically, it's not his best - but it works for the song. The same is true for numerous other songs, such as "Even Better Than...", "Discotheque", "Elevation", etc. For a faster-paced fun rock song, in-depth lyrics can be overkill. Bono was borderline overkill with "Desire", but he pushed the line without quite crossing it.

As for the "production"... gosh, I listen to the music and that's about it. The only time I noticed bad production is when my JT album was "too soft". But I don't hear all these things y'all do. Or maybe I just don't care about it.

I completely disagree about WOWY....I think it's one of his finest lyrical works.

 

[Zoots]

Sorry for deviating from the actual topic namkcuR but I just have to respond here... With Or Without You, as simplistic as it is, is still better lyrically than anything from atyclb or htdaab. Even Better Than The Real Thing is 100 times better lyrically (not to mention musically) than say, Elevation or Vertigo. I like these last 2 albums but the lyrics these days seem to be ridden with cliches, trite rhyming sequences and awkward, clumsy lines.

 

[namkcuR]

Sorry for deviating from the actual topic namkcuR but I just have to respond here... With Or Without You, as simplistic as it is, is still better lyrically than anything from atyclb or htdaab. Even Better Than The Real Thing is 100 times better lyrically (not to mention musically) than say, Elevation or Vertigo. I like these last 2 albums but the lyrics these days seem to be ridden with cliches, trite rhyming sequences and awkward, clumsy lines.

If you're arguing the blasphemous claim that WOWY's lyrics 'aren't the best', be my guest

 

[Axver]

Whatever. Achtung is flawless.

You're not fooling anyone. You cannt possibly believe that "I dreamt that I saw Dali/With a supermarket trolley/He was trying to throw his arms around a girl ... I'm gonna run to you, run to you, run to you, woman, be still" and "baby, baby, baby, light my way" are brilliant lyrics. They're flawed.

Bloody hell, some of you Achtung worshippers are nuts.

 

[namkcuR]

You're not fooling anyone. You cannt possibly believe that "I dreamt that I saw Dali/With a supermarket trolley/He was trying to throw his arms around a girl ... I'm gonna run to you, run to you, run to you, woman, be still" and "baby, baby, baby, light my way" are brilliant lyrics. They're flawed.

Bloody hell, some of you Achtung worshippers are nuts.

To each his own. And stop using the same two lyrics in every AB arguement you make.

 

[MrBrau1]

Another cat fight!