MERGED-->The U2 3 Album Theory

[Shawn Bonneau]

U2 By the Thirds

Notice that U2 styles are cut up by 3 albums? Think the next one will be like ATYCLB and HTDAAB?

SMB

 

[Axver]

Re: U2 By the Thirds

Notice that U2 styles are cut up by 3 albums?

No, no-one on earth has ever noticed this before. We will now gather around you, lavish you with praises, and bow at your feet praising you for your unique and brilliant insight. We are all idiots in the presence of such a dominating intellect.

 

[U2DMfan]

Re: Re: U2 By the Thirds

No, no-one on earth has ever noticed this before. We will now gather around you, lavish you with praises, and bow at your feet praising you for your unique and brilliant insight. We are all idiots in the presence of such a dominating intellect.

Rude

Maybe he needs a computer generated system to quote from so he can pretense about having knowledge that is as easily ready at the touch of a mouse click?

"Hey, I can use Google too!!!!!"

Maybe he needs the dominating intellect that would rather subsitute Alex Decends Into Hell for fucking One on Achtung Baby.

Jeez, and you complained about dissent to your opinion?

Your a fun guy, probably a real nice guy, but you can be a condescending jackass at times. I chalk it up to youth.

 

[U2DMfan]

I just want to add, I like you Axver, that just rubbed me the wrong way.

Not everyone lives on this forum like we do.

 

[Axver]

Re: Re: Re: U2 By the Thirds

Rude

Sarcastic. That exact point has been raised so many times and so many exact replicas of this thread made before that I have a hard time believing someone with over 700 posts would've missed it.

My fuse is also short with Shawn after he made a setlist party an absurd five hours before a concert and then just up and left for the duration of 1000 posts. I suppose the sarcasm was pretty harsh though.

Maybe he needs the dominating intellect that would rather subsitute Alex Decends Into Hell for fucking One on Achtung Baby.

Funny how no-one even gave me the chance to justify the tracklisting; they just went off like wild cannons because someone said something new.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

there's no need for either of you to be quite this rude. i understand where both of you (axver and U2DMfan) are coming from but two wrongs don't make a right.

 

[Axver]

there's no need for either of you to be quite this rude. i understand where both of you (axver and U2DMfan) are coming from but two wrongs don't make a right.

Fair call. Apologies for the harshness to Shawn (and to U2DMfan if anything in my post seems attacking, though I didn't intend for it to be). No offence taken from U2DMfan's post either.

 

[fullautoreverse]

Re: U2 By the Thirds

Notice that U2 styles are cut up by 3 albums? Think the next one will be like ATYCLB and HTDAAB?

SMB

Hopefully they go back and incorporate some of that crazy Actung stuff with a dash of Pop

 

[ElectricalVoice]

Yes, but how does this fit with AB, Zooropa and then POP? I think they changed a lot from AB to POP, as just an extension of the experimental period. And the tme they have used from after the popmart tour and to HTAAB is very long, so I think they might be ready for a change again next time - if there will be a next time. If they only plan one more album, I don't think they will change that much. But if they plan more, I think we are up for a change after the Vertigo tour wraps.

 

[Layton]

Re: U2 By the Thirds

Notice that U2 styles are cut up by 3 albums? Think the next one will be like ATYCLB and HTDAAB?

SMB

I used to buy into this theory of trilogies, but now I believe you can take any successive 3 U2 albums and connect the dots, so to speak. Take the 2 albums you mentioned. I think a good argument can be made that ATYCLB and HTDAAB belong in a trilogy with Pop. The first 4 songs on ATYCLB are practically a direct response and evolution from the primary 'character' that runs through Pop. Hell, WUDM and BD are practically sibling songs (both with nursery rhyme bridges), just from opposite perspectives.

Thematically speaking, the last 3 albums are U2's great 'adult' trilogy, if you ask me. It's like Bono always said, Pop was the first U2 album they made as men. Then ATYCLB gave us 'I'm a man, not a child'. Lastly, HTDAAB gave us, 'Time won't take the boy out of this man'. Thus, ending the trilogy of transition into adulthood by climbing back into the womb ('You can make me perfect again') that began with Mofo. That's the Venus part of HTDAAB. Of course, climbing back into the womb is sort of what has been going on thematically since the Boy album (IWF).

 

[U2girl]

I don't think they do it on purpose, but I agree with the trinity theory.

Boy-October-War, then changing producers and getting new influences -

UF-JT-Rattle and Hum,

re-inventing after the backlash and using more new influences coming to
AB-Zooropa-Pop.

After the mixed responses to album/tour, turning to pop influences and then back to basics with
ATYCLB-Bomb-?

That said, I'm not sure they'll do that type of sound on next album. They'd be setting themselves up for a huge backlash. I think we will get either the "rifforama" of the early Bomb sessions or something more experimental, like Mercy and Fast cars suggest.
Personally, I'd like them explore the Stateless/Ground beneath her feet/Falling at your feet sound more.

 

[Chizip]

what exactly is the connection between rattle and hum and the unforgettable fire?

i think the whole "triology" thing is way overrated.

all of the albums in the 80's changed a little bit from their previous album, but none were really drastic changes. the only 2 times u2 made drastic changes were the 2 times they got blasted by critics. first was after rattle and hum, second was after pop/popmart.

 

[U2girl]

Pride is the hint of the anthemic sound of JT, while Streets sounds most like UF era U2 on JT. Trip through your wires hints at the more bluesy sound of Rattle and Hum. Also, UF with the King and Elvis inspired songs hints at more interest from the band in America lyrically.

I would say War - UF was a pretty drastic change but to each his own.

 

[Chizip]

War - UF is about as drastic a change as October - War is, but then that throws the whole triolgy theory out of wack. Or if you consider Passengers a part of their 90's work then thats 4 albums of experimentation, and that throws the triology theory out of wack too!

 

[Bodnex]

Re: Re: Re: Re: U2 By the Thirds

Funny how no-one even gave me the chance to justify the tracklisting; they just went off like wild cannons because someone said something new.

Justify it.

 

[the tourist]

Re: Re: U2 By the Thirds

No, no-one on earth has ever noticed this before. We will now gather around you, lavish you with praises, and bow at your feet praising you for your unique and brilliant insight. We are all idiots in the presence of such a dominating intellect.

 

[U2girl]

War - UF is about as drastic a change as October - War is, but then that throws the whole triolgy theory out of wack. Or if you consider Passengers a part of their 90's work then thats 4 albums of experimentation, and that throws the triology theory out of wack too!

War to me is simply refining the sounds of first two albums. UF is a much bigger change, if nothing else for Eno's atmospherics.

I don't consider Passengers a U2 album.

 

[Clawgrabber]

i think the trilogy theory comes from the drastic reinvention...

it may be hard to see the connection between UF and RAH, but if you split their careers by their most drastic changes...

1. eno comes onboard. Drastic change from WAR to UF
2. U2 changes from "earnest" to "ironic" and "industrial". Drastic change from RAH to ACHTUNG.
3. U2 decides it is time to "Be U2 again". Drastic change from POP to ATYCLB.

I think their next album will come out sooner than we all think and will include much of what we haven't yet heard from the HTDAAB sessions, and will include mercy. Whatever new studio work they do will follow what they did with Mercy and Fast Cars.

and then I think the "experimentation" we have heard Adam and Larry talk about re-exploring will take over again and there will be another drastic change.

 

[tommycharles]

War to me is simply refining the sounds of first two albums. UF is a much bigger change, if nothing else for Eno's atmospherics.

I don't consider Passengers a U2 album.

Why not?

(And don't say because Eno plays on it, you just cited that as the reason UF was a big changing U2 album...)

 

[Sleep Over Jack]

Re: Re: Re: U2 By the Thirds

Rude

Maybe he needs a computer generated system to quote from so he can pretense about having knowledge that is as easily ready at the touch of a mouse click?

"Hey, I can use Google too!!!!!"

Maybe he needs the dominating intellect that would rather subsitute Alex Decends Into Hell for fucking One on Achtung Baby.

Jeez, and you complained about dissent to your opinion?

Your a fun guy, probably a real nice guy, but you can be a condescending jackass at times. I chalk it up to youth.

 

[Clawgrabber]

ditto, sleep over jack...

hilarious!!!

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

can we get back on the topic instead of everyone quoting a post that i've already said was out of line!

 

[Zoots]

can we get back on the topic instead of everyone quoting a post that i've already said was out of line!

I love it when you get all tough!




The trilogy theory has some validity to it I think. The War-UF transition is definitely more dramatic than the Oct-War or UF-JT ones!

 

[U2DMfan]

just close this bastard, will ya? Shit.

I've seen more productive threads get snipped.

 

[Meghan]

Why not?

(And don't say because Eno plays on it, you just cited that as the reason UF was a big changing U2 album...)

Because its not. It's a Passengers album. U2 albums are good -- Passengers albums are bad.

 

[JOFO]

The 3 Album Theory

so it's commonly suggested here that u2 does albums in "3's", meaning 3 albums in a row of similar sound and style.

for example:

Period 1:
Boy
October
War

Period 2:
UF
JT
Rattle & Hum

Period 3:
AB
Zooropa
Pop

That would mean we're well into period 4, which would be:
ATYCLB
HTDAAB
??????

So the debate is this: is this theory true, and if so, provable? That would mean the next album (due in, oh....I'd say 2008) would be similar in style of the last 2.
How does one prove it? If you're a believer, please point out stylistic, aural, and creative similarities to the above mentioned groups of 3.


*personally, I don't really see it. The main problem is that UF has nothing to do soundwise with R&H. Also, AB and Pop are also far removed from each other imo. also, I just can't see them making the next record in similar style as the last 2.*

 

[matt76]

WOW
I have never heard this before

 

[financeguy]

I think there is something in the theory, with Unforgettable Fire being an exception. That album has more in common with their more experimental 1990's work like Passengers and Zooropa.

 

[POP-ROMANCER]

I think Unforgettable fire has also a lot of similarities with war, more than with JT or R&H. So I don't know about that theory. As clawgrabber mentioned, they made 2 major changes.

I think we can better look to the years. The first 3 records were recorded in 3 years, so it has the same style. Also R&H followed JT after a year or so. Zooropa followed AB by 1 and half a year.

Nowadays it takes u2 3 or 4 years to release an album so as years go by it's easier to change styles. That's why I don't think the next album will be the same style as HTDAAB, of course it will have a lot of similarities and that's why it always will fit in the 3 album theory.

Look at this:

1980 Boy ----> 1990 or so CHANGE (period 10 years)
1991 AB -----> 2000 CHANGE (period 10 years)
2000 ATYCLB ----> ???? (period 10 years???)

 

[POP-ROMANCER]

So what I mean is not a 3 album theory but a 10 year theory.

Also at the ends of the decades u2 changed a bit: '80s RH and '90s POP. After that little change of style directly followed by a major Change.