LP15 - We're due for a break from the norm

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ChargedVT said:
Yes, 2019 will be another 2012... a year in which I think absolutely nothing whatsoever happened in the U2 world.
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Yeah besides probably a ludicrously overpriced 40th anniversary reissue of the Three EP for record store day I doubt there'll be much going on. Happy to be wrong though.
 
I still vote they take a few weeks and go to Australia and Asia in 2019. Maybe those will be those “late 2019” shows Adam speaks of. Hopefully.
 
In the “u talkin U2 to me” podcast, where they interviewed the band backstage at MSG.
 
Flying FuManchu said:
They should get away from full album releases and just start releasing EPs
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Yes. A million times over, yes. I personally think that from ATYCLB forward they would have been better off doing that. Then come back with a huge conceptual double album. I easily could have seen SOI/SOE being that (would have conformed perfectly, actually). Ah well. Imagine a short, tight NLOTH without that infamous middle 3 as an EP.
 
CosmoKramer said:
I was thinking last night that SOE could have made for an amazing EP but as a full album, there is just too much “meh”.
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Yep. And same can be said for SOI.

Unfortunately the band would release an EP of the worst crap on each...

SOI EP:
1. The Miracle (Of Mike Damone)
2. California (There is No End to The Extended Santa Barbara Intro)
3. Song For Someone
4. Iris (Hold Me Close Cause We Need More Parentheses)
5. Every Breaking Wave - Piano only version
6. Volcano -acoustic with no bass

SOE EP:
1. You're the Best Thing About Me
2. Get Out of Your Own Way
3. American Soul
4. Landlady
5. Love is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way
6. 6 (There is a Light)*

* Wouldn't make much sense titling it 13 on an EP
 
HansaTonImbiss said:
Yes. A million times over, yes. I personally think that from ATYCLB forward they would have been better off doing that. Then come back with a huge conceptual double album. I easily could have seen SOI/SOE being that (would have conformed perfectly, actually). Ah well. Imagine a short, tight NLOTH without that infamous middle 3 as an EP.
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Well I think back then it would still have been difficult to do that, albums were still selling, and that mostly meant a tour. That’s not the case now. I always thought this moment would actually be freeing to some artists that felt bound to the album concept, because now they don’t have to worry about finding 10-12 songs that fit, they can release 3 or 4 at a time on Spotify and not feel any obligation to tour or promote.
 
HansaTonImbiss said:
Yes. A million times over, yes. I personally think that from ATYCLB forward they would have been better off doing that. Then come back with a huge conceptual double album. I easily could have seen SOI/SOE being that (would have conformed perfectly, actually). Ah well. Imagine a short, tight NLOTH without that infamous middle 3 as an EP.
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Your mistake is thinking that making No Line shorter, to U2, would mean taking out the middle 3.

LP or EP, it doesn't matter.

What needs to change is their obsession with trying to get radio play. That's what led to the middle 3 being added in, and that wouldn't change no matter whether we're talking an LP, EP, or double album.
 
Headache in a Suitcase said:
Your mistake is thinking that making No Line shorter, to U2, would mean taking out the middle 3.

LP or EP, it doesn't matter.

What needs to change is their obsession with trying to get radio play. That's what led to the middle 3 being added in, and that wouldn't change no matter whether we're talking an LP, EP, or double album.
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This.

Considering that Winter was removed for Cock Crazy, I think it's fair to say what they would have prioritized.
 
Winter is a terrible mess of a song and never should have been on the album. Even Crazy Tonight is better because at least it has a sturdy melody and holds together as a song.

Agreed with the general concept of the post though. U2's priorities are a mile away from mine as a listener and, as a result, will likely not put together anything I love from front to back again.
 
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LemonMelon said:
Winter is a terrible mess of a song and never should have been on the album. Even Crazy Tonight is better because at least it has a sturdy melody and holds together as a song.
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I'm with you on this, never understood the allure of Winter. I would say that other than Crystal Ballroom and maybe Fast Cars, the b-sides/soundtrack "donated"/alternate version song decisions have been spot on in this millennium.

Now if we go back to the 90s, I would have loved HMKMTMKM on Pop.
 
I don't think it's a masterpiece or anything, but it's miles better than Stand Up Comedy or Crazy Tonight, which sonically stick out like sore thumbs, and it's another song where Bono is writing in character.

I'm much more bummed about Invisible, Crystal Ballroom, and Mercy not being on their respective albums.
 
LemonMelon said:
Winter is a terrible mess of a song and never should have been on the album. Even Crazy Tonight is better because at least it has a sturdy melody and holds together as a song.
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I think Winter's fine for the most part. I see where it might strike people as a bit awkward, but I still think it sounds like an actual song, unlike most of the more ambient fare on NLOTH.

LemonMelon said:
Agreed with the general concept of the post though. U2's priorities are a mile away from mine as a listener and, as a result, will likely not put together anything I love from front to back again.
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Honest question to most here... how many of us have an album that we absolutely loved from front to back? And not just generally "liked" every song on it, but absolutely ADORED every single track? And on a semi-related note, how many of those came before, say, the Napster-era of 1999 and forward?

For the most part, I've had albums that I've really liked and even loved. And maybe part of it is that I came after that Napster era in terms of my buying albums and listening to them. But there's not really any where I just became incredibly attached to every single track. For example, Achtung is one where I love almost every track, or like at minimum. But I hardly listen to Acrobat in my own time and, to a lesser extent, So Cruel. But at the same time, I acknowledge that I also came up in the Internet era, when I didn't just have the Walkman cassette player playing the same 12 songs over and over while looking at the case booklet.

In other words, I guess I'm mostly content if I can take a few songs from every release a band I like does. Then I can take or leave the rest if need be. I enjoyed SOI and most of the songs on it, and SOE was a bit more of the opposite. But so it goes.

Yet again, I'm also in the contingent that seems to think that a band that's always aimed to be big and has always been signed to major labels would naturally think about songs that would appeal to as big an audience as possible. And that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense that a band based around a guitarist, bass player and drummer would want to somehow not make songs that sound like that or solely Eno-esque ambient landscapes. But I suppose when you read up on a band and follow them closely, you sort of put those expectations you want on them anyway. How many bands do we do the same thing for at the end of the day? I'd be losing my mind if I kept thinking how every single song I hear was written or what could have been done to make it different somehow.
 
lazarus said:
I don't think it's a masterpiece or anything, but it's miles better than Stand Up Comedy or Crazy Tonight, which sonically stick out like sore thumbs, and it's another song where Bono is writing in character.

I'm much more bummed about Invisible, Crystal Ballroom, and Mercy not being on their respective albums.
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I forgot about Invisible...add that to my (short) list of misses. That should have opened SOI.
 
Yahweh_OMG said:
Going To Milano 3... and i have never had such low expectations... summer of love remix was my ultimate suicidal moment. :doh:
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Let me say this....the show is solid but was at the bottom of my list of U2 shows because its missing the typical highs from the war horses. For me, songs like Bad, With or Without You and Streets (among others) make a U2 show...a U2 SHOW. They create an atmosphere that is just so special and it ignites energy into the arena/stadium like few songs can and that energy carries over several songs. It is my opinion that the crowd energy of these shows never comes even close to a typical Streets performance (even Vertigo tour streets). The sing alongs that so many loath here, I happen to love and they are very few and far between.

Blackout, Love is Bigger and American Soul(yes, American Soul) all sound great live. I Will Follow, Elevation, Pride and Beautiful Day all get the crowd moving but the show is missing something.

I have read on many message boards (not here necessarily) how they played all the JT songs last year and its time to give them a break....well, if something is special and unique to you....you don't give it a break, you ride the shit out of it and introduce new fans to those moments.

This video might be one of the most spectacular recording I have watched/heard of Streets and it captures the power of the song. Sure, its in Dublin and a lot of the songs they played that night on JT 30 Tour went over great but this, this is the stuff that makes you smile and say "thats my fucking band".

From the 40 second mark to the end of the song the crowd is into it. At the 1.28 mark, that "signature U2" moment Im talking about hits and then at 2.08 forward 50k people sing every single word in unison. Oh, and the timing of the fly by at 4:04 into the song is perfect and makes for an incredible moment.

This song alone is worth the price of admission and its exclusion from the set was sorely missed by me!! Go ahead, tell me this song doesn't raise the hairs on your arm.......

 
I really loved the show I saw in Chicago. I think anybody who has tickets is going to have a great time. But I only need to see it once. Like Kramer, I felt it was missing too many signature U2 moments. When half your setlist is from the last 2 albums, it’s not going to feel as epic as the JT show did last year. Acrobat was amazing. American Soul was (oddly) one of the highlights. I didn’t even mind “Best Thing” acoustic. The low point for me was “Lights of Home”.

My only real complaint. The encore is weak as fuck. One and LIBTAIIW are both great live songs, but they need to be sandwiched in the encore between a rocker to start it, and a more epic anthem to close things off.
 
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CosmoKramer said:
Let me say this....the show is solid but was at the bottom of my list of U2 shows because its missing the typical highs from the war horses. For me, songs like Bad, With or Without You and Streets (among others) make a U2 show...a U2 SHOW. They create an atmosphere that is just so special and it ignites energy into the arena/stadium like few songs can and that energy carries over several songs. It is my opinion that the crowd energy of these shows never comes even close to a typical Streets performance (even Vertigo tour streets). The sing alongs that so many loath here, I happen to love and they are very few and far between.

Blackout, Love is Bigger and American Soul(yes, American Soul) all sound great live. I Will Follow, Elevation, Pride and Beautiful Day all get the crowd moving but the show is missing something.

I have read on many message boards (not here necessarily) how they played all the JT songs last year and its time to give them a break....well, if something is special and unique to you....you don't give it a break, you ride the shit out of it and introduce new fans to those moments.

This video might be one of the most spectacular recording I have watched/heard of Streets and it captures the power of the song. Sure, its in Dublin and a lot of the songs they played that night on JT 30 Tour went over great but this, this is the stuff that makes you smile and say "thats my fucking band".

From the 40 second mark to the end of the song the crowd is into it. At the 1.28 mark, that "signature U2" moment Im talking about hits and then at 2.08 forward 50k people sing every single word in unison. Oh, and the timing of the fly by at 4:04 into the song is perfect and makes for an incredible moment.

This song alone is worth the price of admission and its exclusion from the set was sorely missed by me!! Go ahead, tell me this song doesn't raise the hairs on your arm.......

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yeah but think about the excitement when they return on the next tour and everyone has built up anticipation of hearing these gems again after a hiatus.

special songs dont need to be played every single show, or tour. and with Streets, you either play it every night or leave it out every nght... you can't selectively deprive fans unfortunate enough to be at the wrong show.

I skipped this tour but it had nothing to do with those tunes not being played.
 
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