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

[zoocarolina]

Originally Posted by zoocarolina

Double like

Originally Posted by PopFly

SOI and SOE are both great albums. It's just that both have a few flaws that seemed obviously correctable, but the band didn't do it (track order, song selection, choice of singles, etc.)

Hindsight being 20-20, U2 leaves Song For Someone and Volcano off SOI since their superior versions (13, American Soul) ended up on the next album. Those two slots on SOI are filled by Crystal Ballroom and Invisible, and suddenly SOI is even better than it already is.

Double like

[lazarus]

American Soul is in no way better than Volcano.

Double dislike.

[Hewson]

Originally Posted by lazarus

American Soul is in no way better than Volcano.

Double dislike.

Agreed

[DaveC]

volcano is dogshit and it's still at least a full order of magniturd better than american soul.

[Reggie Thee Dog]

Originally Posted by kabigon

The only reason Bono turned up was that the meeting was in a kitchen

Dude's on Holiday...

[prbiker15]

Volcano is light years better than American Soul.

Although I first wasn’t a fan of 13, I have grown to like it.

[Iggy Fizz]

Originally Posted by Headache in a Suitcase

--does it really make sense to put out a companion album to a story 3 years after the fact? No.

also doesn't make sense to call it a companion album when they tore it up and inserted a bunch of new stuff because someone they dont like got elected in a country not their own.

It will be interesting to see which of the Songs Of albums ages better... if they are able to age (and not simply be forgotten) at all...

[zoopop]

To get:

Every Breaking Wave
Raised By Wolves
This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now
Troubles
Crystal Ballroom
Lights of Home
Red Flag Day
Little Things
Land Lady
Love Is Bigger

this late in their career is pretty solid. These are songs I'll always revisit and remind me of both tours (which were great) . And my 3 year old loves Best Thing. That song will always remind me of him from age 2 to 3 for the rest of my life. Whats even more strange he was in my wife's stomach at the IE Tour (Phoenix)

[MattD]

Neither Innocence or Experience are great albums. And while I think Innocence is their worst, I do think there are saving graces like Sleep Like A Baby, Every Breaking Wave and This Is Where You... and The Troubles. A lot of it does however sound undercooked and pro-tooled to buggery - the worst U2 production ever (that’s what you get though if you bring in sonic diarrhoea like Tedder).

And there is utter balls littered across Experience too (obviously all the singles, including yes even The Blackout which I think has the most awful cut and paste generic chorus of all time).

I just think they operate in a musical straitjacket these days - they seem to have forgotten about the sonic and loose structural qualities their songs used to have, now resorting to generic rigid pop song structures that sound uninspired. The Edge has forgotten all about the ethereal mysticism that makes him a unique guitarist (whatever happened to the orchestrated multilayered beauty of songs like Unforgettable Fire?) and turned into a middle aged pub rawk bore for the most part with an extremely dull stripped down approach. Meanwhile, Bono thinks he’s in direct competition with Chris Martin for generic cut and paste choruses and ends up sounding like all those U2 imitator bands from the mid 2000s.

Turn the studio into an instrument, begin building songs from the ground up

Also, tell Rick Rubin (the most overrated producer of all time who has never produced a genuinely great album in his life) to fuck off with his ‘advice’ that U2 hid behind intriguing sounds to make their songs sound interesting. Pop is a better record than any shite that Rubin has produced, but unfortunately, they seem to have taken this grizzled bores advice over real auteurs like Eno.

[Hewson]

Originally Posted by MattD

Rick Rubin (the most overrated producer of all time who has never produced a genuinely great album in his life) .

That may be overstating just a tad for the guy who produced the likes of Licensed to Ill, Reign in Blood, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Californication, Wildflowers and countless others

[DaveC]

Originally Posted by MattD

Also, tell Rick Rubin (the most overrated producer of all time who has never produced a genuinely great album in his life) to fuck off with his ‘advice’ that U2 hid behind intriguing sounds to make their songs sound interesting. Pop is a better record than any shite that Rubin has produced, but unfortunately, they seem to have taken this grizzled bores advice over real auteurs like Eno.

lol what a stupidly fucking ignorant thing to say.

[LuckyNumber7]

What’s the point in trying to claim cat shit tastes better than dog shit? Volcano is bad. American soul is bad. Move along.

[JamietheEdgefan]

Originally Posted by MattD

I just think they operate in a musical straitjacket these days - they seem to have forgotten about the sonic and loose structural qualities their songs used to have, now resorting to generic rigid pop song structures that sound uninspired. The Edge has forgotten all about the ethereal mysticism that makes him a unique guitarist (whatever happened to the orchestrated multilayered beauty of songs like Unforgettable Fire?) and turned into a middle aged pub rawk bore for the most part with an extremely dull stripped down approach. Meanwhile, Bono thinks he’s in direct competition with Chris Martin for generic cut and paste choruses and ends up sounding like all those U2 imitator bands from the mid 2000s.

Turn the studio into an instrument, begin building songs from the ground up

I really agree with this.

There are parts of both SoI and SoE I love (and I think u2 have put out worse albums), but neither had that 'spark' that I always see/hear with the rest of their output.

I think you've hit the nail on the head as to why. They've definitely moved into a creative process where they want to be seen as 'song writers', and be able to play their songs on just an acoustic guitar.

The fundamental problem there for me is that what always made U2 special was their riffs, melodies, and soundscapes. Writing a song that's stripped down to an acoustic version, or that's based purely on chords/classic songwriting structures takes away a lot of the elements that make the band special, and leaves them with stuff they're not necessarily great at.

The result is SoI and SoE; two albums that are decent, but never blast off into the stratosphere like the Unforgettable Fire, Joshua Tree, Achtung baby or even All that You Can't Leave Behind.

The band have expressed an interest in traditional songwriting and having new songs stand up in a stripped down form, and if that's what they're interested in pursuing then that's their choice. But I'm not convinced they'll ever be able to generate anything truly special using that sort of method, because they're just not that sort of band.

My 'ideal' next u2 album would be something produced again by Eno and Lanois, with a focus on soundscapes and big guitar riffs. Maybe it's not traditional song writing, maybe the songs wouldn't sound as strong just played on a piano, but it's what they're good at and I think it's the only way they'll make anything close to great again.

[AndrewCowley]

Agree totally with these last few posts.

To summarize ... Edge needs to grow some balls and start making big sounds again. SOI and SOE are sonically sterile.

Contrast with a song like WILATW which is 100% Edge.

[lazarus]

Originally Posted by Hewson

That may be overstating just a tad for the guy who produced the likes of Licensed to Ill, Reign in Blood, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Californication, Wildflowers and countless others

Ehh. I think Pop is better than all of those, both writing and production-wise.

Rubin’s philosophy does not mesh with a unique band like U2. And like, would you tell Brian Wilson to stop messing around so much in the studio? Fuck that.

[MattD]

Originally Posted by Hewson

That may be overstating just a tad for the guy who produced the likes of Licensed to Ill, Reign in Blood, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Californication, Wildflowers and countless others

I’ll give him fair dues for the Beastie Boys, but Pettys album doesn’t rest on the producer, more so his god given songwriting talent.

But Red Hot Chili Peppers? Absolutely putrid band.

[DaveC]

Originally Posted by MattD

I’ll give him fair dues for the Beastie Boys, but Pettys album doesn’t rest on the producer, more so his god given songwriting talent.

But Red Hot Chili Peppers? Absolutely putrid band.

as i said...ignorant.

Frederick Jay Rubin (/ˈruːbɪn/; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer and former co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, he is the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings and also established American Recordings. With the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Geto Boys, and Run-DMC, Rubin helped popularize hip hop music.

Rubin has also worked with artists such as AC/DC, Adele, Aerosmith, At The Drive-In, Audioslave, Black Sabbath, Coheed And Cambria, Damien Rice, Danzig, Dixie Chicks, Ed Sheeran, Eminem, Frank Ocean, Gogol Bordello, Jakob Dylan, Jay Z, Jake Bugg, James Blake, Joe Strummer, Johnny Cash, Jovanotti, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, Kid Rock, Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey, Led Zeppelin, Linkin Park, Melanie C, Metallica, Mick Jagger, Neil Diamond, Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Shakira, Sheryl Crow, Slayer, Slipknot, Suitors of Penelope, System of a Down, The Avett Brothers, The Black Crowes, The Cult, The Four Horsemen, The Mars Volta, The Smashing Pumpkins, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Trouble, Type O Negative, Weezer, Dan Auerbach, The Black Keys and ZZ Top.

In 2007, MTV called him "the most important producer of the last 20 years", and the same year Rubin appeared on Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Rubin

he must really suck with a resume like that.

your shitty take is objectively ridiculous.

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Disliking what Rubin allegedly did to U2's psyche is fine.

Thinking he's not good for U2 is fine.

Saying he's not a prolific producer and one of the most important producers of all time is dumb.

[Mack_Again]

playing devil's advocate here, we know Rick Rubin has an amazing discography up in his production sleeve but his production choices can be very questionable, favoring loudness and simplistic idea of "aggression" or whatever rather than creating something actually interesting. but again I'm not saying Rick is entirely trash, its just that he is kinda overrated in that regard. but move on.

[Mack_Again]

also according to guys from Slipknot, Rick rarely comes to studio and even if he does, he just rarely says anything. also there's a vid of him producing Black Sabbath, Rick was literally lying bed and talking to the band thru intercom, that sounds.......just weird?