Question for older fans (pre-Achtung Baby)

[hibricc]

Even having heard The Fly on radio, when I popped AB in the CD player the very first time, I literally checked to see if my speakers were blown.

Frankly, I can't remember loving ANY of their albums on first play. It's always taken repeated listening to really get into their new music. It's been true for me with every single album, and I expect it will be with whatever follows HTDAAB.

 

[East Bay Fan]

I became a U2 fan in 1988 but became a huge fan with AB. I remember working at a store in a mall the first time I heard The Fly. I turned up the radio and found it so hard to believe that what I was hearing was U2. The Fly and AB contained everything that I was hoping the new U2 album would contain. I had always wanted U2 to have a harder sound and a dance element. I knew a couple of U2 fans that didn't care for AB, but overall most people seemed to like it.

Like Dr. Who, I too was harassed when Discotheque and Pop were released. Everybody made a point to tell me that U2 sucked. As a result, I've always had some bitterness towards Pop.

 

[Roland of Gilead]

I came on board in winter of '84 with the UF.

I was already 2 years in university when the Fly came out. That song was real shock at first. A good shock mind you. I remember thinking that "industrial" was a keyword in describing this new U2. The Edge's guitar sounded insane on the Fly and I loved it because I was into a lot of heavy music about that time. Bono's voice on the Fly was so strange. That, more than anything else, took some time in getting used to. My initial thought was that the Edge was sonically miles ahead of his time, but that Bono was maybe struggling in the vocal department.

When it came time to hearing the rest of the album I went crazy with this new U2 sound. Zoo Station, Until the End of the World, Even Better... , all these songs sounded incredibly exciting. It just took that little time to get used to this new Bono sound. His theatrics were great from the start and took no time getting used to.

 

[LemonAid]

what a great time that must have been to be a U2 fan.

...you said it. depressingly so. that kind of thing could just NEVER happen anymore due to the advance in media like internet....

....really quite sad actually....

...that kind of thing sounds incredible...

 

[PoPrika]

I had heard a couple of U2 songs before the Live Aid performance and had some notion that U2 was a cool band, but it was Live Aid that really sucked me into U2 fandom. My first U2 record (and I mean vinyl) was UF.

I was very into the much-maligned earnest and socially conscious U2 image of the 80s and did find the new image for the Achtung era rather unsettling. I was 19 at the time with a rather unstable life, so I was tad irritated with the change; I would say years passed before I realized how fantastic the whole manipulation of their image was. That said, I loved the music on the album from the get-go and reveled in buying all the singles to get the B-sides.

I did cool off to U2 some in the early 90s (e.g., I didn't buy Zooropa when it was released), but I would chalk it up to personal problems (e.g., who knows if I was even aware Zooropa was released ), and, in retrospect, I consider this to be their strongest period.

 

[caragriff]

after rattle & hum, like many others here have said, u2 fans had to drift to another band or bands for a while because u2 was not around. i got really into nirvana and pearl jam in the early 90s and was actually disappointed in AB when i first heard it. i was like, why are they using all this studio gimmickry, they should play grunge! of course, i now realize that what u2 was doing on AB was way more adventurous and complicated than what the grunge rockers were doing, but honestly i was kind of pissed at u2 (especially bono in his fly suit) when AB came out. it took me a while to finally realize that they were actually being brilliant while everyone else was just playing boring old rock n roll....and once i heard the AB songs live, i realized how really rocking the songs on that album really were.

 

[onyourkneesboy]

i am a fan since 1983, but i got addicted with TUF. i love TJT & Rattle & Hum. when i first heard THE FLY on the radio i was pretty amazed and thought wooooooooooooow! absolutely astonishing. great rock 'n roll and a bit of psychodelic / underground. AB became my alltime fave record. there's nothing that is better.
then ZOOROPA: it was different with some strange sounds but i still love it. then POP. its a love/hate/love affair. first i loved it for one year, then i started to dislike it for 6 years and now i love it again. POP is the rough diamond in U2s history.
from 1980 to 1997 U2 was a great band, doing some extra-ordinary stuff. unfortunately imo their magic has gone. i hardly find some interesting music on their last 2 albums. sorry.
but i still adore all of their music from 1980 - 1997.

I agree with for 98%! Your statements about former albums and the magic I can completely relate too! But towards the last 2 albums I think there's still some magic. Songs like "Kite", "In A Little While", "A Man And A Woman" and "Yahweh" still have in in them I think. But it's too little, you have to put a magnifying-glass on these albums to find it. UF, JT, AB slap you around the ears with it almost full time! Hearing yourself say: "what the f... is this..?" Although the songs are not as good as the former albums, even "POP" succeeded in this effect!
The last 2 albums are very good albums with good songs on it, but no more than that. There's good songs but hardly excitement. There's good songs but hardly magic. There's good songs, and I like them a lot, but I wasn't completely surprised when I heard them. It was like the other half of ATYCLB.
Don't we all long for an upcoming album that "blows up the bomb and the suitcases" of the last 5 years? If they make another (3rd) album that fiddles around the same concept of the former 2, it's legitimate to say that U2 probably produced another good, mediocre album that even my mother and my aunti likes, but is artistically and creativally history! They will become as "hot" as Phil Collins and Dire Straits! (Both down to the core good musicians!)

Jacobus, I admire you for your courage being critical on this forum because a lot of people here do not appreciate a fan being sharp critical. I found out myself several times. They don't seem to understand that it's positive critics. Not in order to burn the band down but in the hope they make an album again that doesn't live up to ours expectations, but completely blows you out off your socks and puts you on the wrong leg on first listen. An albums that really makes you think: "what the f... is this? Do they still have it? Is this U2? Are my speakers broken? I don't know what to think of this song, I have to hear it more often it's too weird..." All that effect AB had!

To me "dismanteling the bomb" in HTDAAB stands for the adventure, surprises and the sound of Achtung Baby. Not about Bono or his dad although I know that tends to be the subject.

Now the"U2-fundamentalists" might come after me again instead of you, but I can handle it! It's for the good cause (album)!.

 

[BVS]

Um, back on topic...

 

[the soul waits]

I've been a fan since the early 80's and allthough I enjoyed R&H, I was totally blown away by AB.
I didn't think they sold out.
Zooropa was an album I didn't "get" though and even POP, which is now my favorite U2-album along with October, took a few years to grow on me.

I loved AB instantly though, I thought it still sounded very much like U2 even with the new technology and sounds they used

 

[thankyou]

Don't we all long for an upcoming album that "blows up the bomb and the suitcases" of the last 5 years? If they make another (3rd) album that fiddles around the same concept of the former 2, it's legitimate to say that U2 probably produced another good, mediocre album that even my mother and my aunti likes, but is artistically and creativally history!

Not in order to burn the band down but in the hope they make an album again that doesn't live up to ours expectations, but completely blows you out off your socks and puts you on the wrong leg on first listen. An albums that really makes you think: "what the f... is this? Do they still have it? Is this U2? Are my speakers broken? I don't know what to think of this song, I have to hear it more often it's too weird..." All that effect AB had!

Not in order to burn the band down but in the hope they make an album again that doesn't live up to ours expectations, but completely blows you out off your socks and puts you on the wrong leg on first listen.

I couldn't agree more. I hope they pull another AB on us. To have a 3rd album come out that is along the line of the last two would be too predictable, almost dissapointing. But it sounds from what Bono has said in some recent interviews, that they are thinking along that line. To let the Edge and Larry have total free reign and just sort of cut them loose and see what they come up with. Should make for some ear-popping music. I can't wait. If they do that I know it is just going to be awesome.
I hope there is no more "vertigo" like songs. As much as it was a catchy hit, for me it was too "poppish" and not as interesting as some of their other work. (ok, I'm probably going to get bashed for that comment, that's ok.)
Bottom line, they've been great no matter what era of the band's existence. But I think as fans, it is ok for us to keep expecting that U2 will keep the bar high for what they create next. I think they will do it.

 

[clarityat3am]

To be honest, I was getting bored with their sound. It was starting to sound like the same thing over again to me. I was happy to see them take their music a new direction and equally as happy to see them take it back again. I appreciate pre-Rattle and Hum stuff a lot more now and love that they took that leap.

 

[thankyou]

clarity, i noticed your sig:

"If it's good enough for cheques, then it's good enough for you, buddy!"

~Larry, to some random guy waiting with us outside after the show who told Larry his signature was pretty much illegible 9/21/05

that's hillarious!!

 

[trabantland]

I really got into U2 in late 1984 when I literally bumped into them. Two days later I saw my first U2 concert and not long after got my first U2 record (i.e. vinyl). I have followed them ever since and would have to say that when Achtung Baby came out, and still to this day, is pretty much the most played album. What a tour! ZOO TV was the Big Bang Theory turned into reality. The music from Pop I believe was equal to and maybe even better than Achtung, however, some of the choices on the Popmart tour overshadowed the quality of this release. Such as some really bad fashion /image mistakes that were generally misinterpreted by the greater public. Achtung Baby/Zooropa/Pop remains the pinnacle of my U2 experience as those 3 records and subsequent tours are continually played more than any other material. I must say though, with the last two records, besides the 1st week I got them, I cannot seriously remembering the last time I listened to either in their entirety in one sitting.

Cheers.

 

[MrBrau1]

I had a boss who was a HUGE U2 fan through the 80's. He saw them at the Malibu Beach Club in LI, NY back in 81, and every tour after. Until Achtung/Zoo TV.

I loved the Zoo TV era, and he despised it. We argued alot about it. He thought the whole change reeked of opportunism and MTV appeal.

 

[caragriff]

.....a lot of people here do not appreciate a fan being sharp critical. I found out myself several times. They don't seem to understand that it's positive critics. Not in order to burn the band down but in the hope they make an album again that doesn't live up to ours expectations, but completely blows you out off your socks and puts you on the wrong leg on first listen.

i can't say i disagree with that, though i do think the respect should go both ways. people who absolutely love the two latest albums DO EXIST, and they should not be made to feel like they are stupid for loving the newer stuff.........

 

[clarityat3am]

clarity, i noticed your sig:

that's hillarious!!

 

[OnFire]

I've been a fan since 1981, that's right kids, 1981! Way before cell phones, the internet, Ipods, you name it. What do I win, Depends? lifetime supply of Geritol?

Anyway, for the first half of the 80's I would have rated U2 as a 2nd favorite band behind The Clash (passed on seeing U2 at a club because I couldn't afford to also see the Clash) but the whole AB/Zootv reinvention is what made me a true fan.

I still recall our local news station interviewing fans for reactions to the Zoo spectacle they had just witnessed. There were four or five "blown aways" and "never seen anything like it" and one "they don't know who they are anymore". `

 

[JCOSTER]

Been a fan since WAR, yes I am that old. When Achtung Baby came out I was like what on earth did they do? But, then after listening, I was like this is good stuff. Out of it came one of my all time favorites Mysterious Ways. Everything about that time was great! But thats just the opinion of an old fan...

 

[Eliv8]

Id been a fan since Live Aid too.

I bought AB on the day it came out on cassette as the car I had at the time didn’t have a CD player. Loved it right from the first time I listened. Then I went to see my first U2 show not long after at SD Sports Arena. 91X – Local radio station played almost the full album all summer. Then they came back and played at Jack Murphy Stadium. Two brilliant shows. The only band to top them was Floyd.

 

[Achtung Joshua!]

I hated the whole AB U2 thing when it first came out. I thought the whole thing was a big sell out deal. I couldn't believe it and I almost gave up on them. But my friend insisted that I hang in there and give them a chance. Some of the videos were cool I guess, some of the songs I hated but the Zoo TV concerts were amazing. All in all though 80's U2 is still way better and I'm glad I was part of it all.

 

[S.A.K]

I remember the moment when I first heard the Fly. I was sitting in my parents living room on a sunday night, the radio turned on. It was a week or two before the single would be in the shops and all of a sudden this great guitar started howling and I just looked up realizing instantly that this was The Edge playing!! And sure enough as the drums started the radio-host said: this is "The Fly", the new U2!!!
I just jumped around playing air-guitar. Ecstatic that U2 could sound like this!! (I was very much into the whole Manchester-scene at the time). It was just a feeling that my old favourite band were still up for it and moving in the same direction as myself. And it was a feeling that U2 had actually returned home to Europe. I always felt that U2 should place themselves more in the tradition of Bowie, Joy Divison and so on, instead of the american roots thing (It just fits their musical abilities so much more) So in short: it was a thrilling experience!!!

 

[bollox]

since i wasn't all that into u2 @ the time (and i was only 12), i can only imagine what an experience it was for the long time fans to hear the biggest band in the world at the time make such a radical musical transition.

er, i guess the closest thing i experienced to that was listening to kid a for the first time. that definitely took getting used to for me. kinda sad that today with early leaks and constant mb/blog updates about what's going on in the studio, i don't think it is possible to truly hear an album with "virgin" ears when it first hits stores.

 

[MissMoo]

Fan since 81 as well. Saw 17 of the Joshua Tree shows and loved them. Met the band and all that, so was really into them and the Joshua Tree earnestness. Was open to AB but really had to listen to it many times before it grabbed me. I remember first hearing a song on the radio and not being able to make out Bono's voice and being totally perplexed by it. But the tour! Saw many of those shows and LOVED it! Great camp, great spectacle, amazing fun! Those two tours were the best and completely opposite of each other. I'll never forget them.

 

[Muad'zin]

I became a fan during Joshua Tree when I first saw the With or without you video. I was to young and a bit to late to see them during the JT tour but I was blessed to see them during Lovetown. I still don't get why the press was bashing them so much for being stale cause Lovetown rocked. More so if you hear the various bootlegs when they showed that they can deliver kick ass shows AND vary their setlists on a nightly basis. Maybe I was to spoiled in that regard to have that as my first show.

I never saw the FLy video until the best of 1990-2000 DVD, would you believe that? But I got The Fly single when it first came out. It was different but had some kick ass guitar in it. Which is always a plus for me since I play guitar. Especially at that time as I was getting more and more into hard rock and heavy metal.
I bought AB a little later and contrary to The Fly I hated it with a passion. All that dance crap was wasted on me since I hate electronic house and dance music with a burning passion still. To this day its my least favorite U2 album. I felt pissed on as a fan by a band whose singer stated that if they lost a few fans along the way, that was acceptable.
So I transfered my allegiance to Metallica at the time.

It were the bootlegs who brought me back. I knew this place in Utrecht which then sold bootlegs (no longer ) and out of curiosity I checked the U2 bin and found me a Zoo TV bootleg, the march 1 Miami show. I bought it to check out how the band did live these days. And to my amazement the AB songs I loathed came alive on stage. THere was quit some nice guitar work on it with lots of guitar solos for songs which even didn't have them. It rekindled my interest enough to get me ticket for the '93 Zooropa tour. The show didn't quit impress me much. The multimedia experience was nice but the '93 show in Nijmegen was in a large park, all GA basically. Which is nice if you are up front but way in the back in such a setup isn't the best place to experience any rock show. Stadiums are better for that then parks. I did pick up the Zooropa album afterwards and although its even more experimental then AB I've always quit liked it.
But I was still a headbanger at heart. Metallica went beyond Achtung Baby with Load and I chugged them sellout asses into the bin as well. Luckily there was still the monsterriffing madness that was Pantera. Besides, a 4 year wait between Zooropa and Pop is just to long. Such waits should be incidental, not the norm. Especially if your fandom is more casual then diehard. Diehards can keep themselves busy, are like cacti, they can survive the long drought between albums. Casuals need more nurturing to sustain their fandom, otherwise their allegiance might stray as mine did.

By 1996 the press was again full of rumors this time of even more dance influence and again I feared for the worst. When I heared Bono talking about Pop being a triphop album I was like fuck this, I'm outta here. This time I didn't get the new U2 album as it came out, I more or less ignored it. Until I got me a guitarmag with CD which had a feature on the Edge. On that CD were some Pop riffs and they sounded pretty decent. Even hard rockin'. So it was off to the shop and this time a pleasant surprise. No dance infested shite but pretty decent rockin'guitarwork still. Luckily Pop got a somewhat bad reception, including subpar ticketsales and I could still get a GA ticket months after they had gone on sale. So I went to Popmart and this time became a true believer once again.

 

[mackemlad]

Fan since 1982

Around about the time of the release of Actung baby and The FLY I can remember Radio 1 doing a U2 day where the played loads of songs and asking questions like Edge used to have a pony tail but how long is is hair now. This was for a chance to get a copy of the new album when it was released. Not sure of the timing but I think it was they first aired The Fly single.
It was aired at 8.0 am and I was driving home after nightshift.
I was totally shattered and struggling though my 17 mile journey home but excited all the same at hearing the new song.

I rember thinking great riff but whats all this with the funny effect on the vocals. But then the second verse guitar,the solo and the kick arse outro and I was blown away.
I was not tired for the rest of my journey and to cap it all off they played it again just as i pulled up at home the phones had gone mad with people wanting to hear it again.


The Fly is not my fave U2 song but it still has the most frantic, heavy, jaw dropping guitar Edge has ever put on record.

"The sound of four men chopping down the Joshua Tree"

Let them axes fall boys!!

 

[trabantland]

Muad'zin, great post! (Although I don't agree with you on almost everything in it.) However, POP DOES ROCK!!! And that's not an oxymoron!