So what were the thoughts on ATYCLB on its release?

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shart1780

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Before it's release was the hype similar to this album's hype? Was everyone saying that that was their best album yet? What were U2's remarks on the album? Was it getting rave reviews saying pretty much every track is a standout song?

Also, what did you guys think of the album when you first got it? Were you disappointed by any of the songs right away, or were you all pretty excited at first?

Also, when you heard the 30 second clips were you disappointed with those? Did the songs turn out being completely different than you'd imagined?

Ok I'm done asking questions :)
 
shart1780 said:
Also, what did you guys think of the album when you first got it? Were you disappointed by any of the songs right away, or were you all pretty excited at first?

honest truth?
Disappointed. I was like "this is IT?"

but:
I grew to love it in a different way than POP or zooropa.
great album.

let the fights begin.
 
These boards were just as crazy when ATYCLB came out. Everyone was excited and no one really bashed the album like some do now.

I was really impressed when I first heard Walk ON and Kite. I waited all night downloading it on Napster with a 56K modem :huh:. When I was finally done I listened to it in bed and was like :ohmy:
 
Yeah, I think you could say that the hype was as big as this, people were really excited and hopefull. All early reviews were really positive, but that's normal, these are not real reviews, they are used as a promotion tool.

Personally, I LOVED BD as soon as I heard clips, same with the entire song. It got me really excited about the album. When I heard the 30 sec. clips of the other songs I got a bit worried, I thought most of them sounded pretty ordinary.

My first impression of the actual album was mixed... I was not super enthusiastic at the beginning, I thought most of the songs sounded not adventurous enough. The only songs that I really liked from the first listens were IALW and New York (and BD).

The album grew on me eventually, but the beginning was a bit hard. I remember that fan comments on WIRE were really positive at first, it seemed like everyone was really excited and loved the album. The criticism came later. I think it's going to be the same with this one, people will be really thrilled at the beginning, and with time more differing opinions will come out.

I have to say that my initial impression of HTDAAB as of now is WAY better than for ATYCLB (with the clips).
 
Yeah, the pre-album hype of ATYCLB was possibly as high as it is for this new one. There were people who thought U2 were about to release their best ever, mostly fueled by Bono himself, who had said, "We have 15 of the best U2 songs ever written, and now we will pick our favourite 10 to 12 songs for the record." Ah, Bono, we love him, but he is king of hyperbole. This is probably why we love him, actually, haha. He also had stated, once they narrowed down the album to 11 tracks, that they had to have a very good reason to leave their families and go on tour...and said they now had "11 great reasons to go on tour." Sound familiar? He said the same thing for this new album!

As for my personal reaction when I first heard bits and pieces of ATYCLB: When the first 30 second clip came out of 'Beautiful Day', I was ecstatic. It sounded just as I had imagined it would, strangely enough - a combination of Radiohead with a tad bit of Oasis - basically an uplifting version of the Radiohead sound - all parts of U2 coming together to create a huge, ecstatic sound....with soaring vocals (the clip was the ending - the "what you don't have you don't need it now.....beautifuuuuulll daaaaayyy" part), and I thought the rest of the song would be in similar vein. Well, it wasn't. So when I first heard the entire song (which had leaked a few days early), I thought to myself, "Okay....." I was expecting more of the ferver that is found at the end. Having heard the entire song, it sounded like the ending was a bad cut and paste job....which now it no longer sounds like as it has blended nicely into one song since then! It's one of my favourites from ATYCLB now.

As for the rest of the 30 second clips: I enjoyed them a LOT. I knew they shouldn't be judged as full songs - it would be like judging a table without looking at the legs. Songs need all their legs to stand tall, too. My favourite clip was 'Kite' and 'Walk On' if I remember. I loved the clip of 'Grace' as well, probably more than the album version! The only clip I was disappointed in was 'Peace on Earth' - and the album version actually caught me by surprise in that case, as it was way better.

On first listening of the entire album (which was a leaked version, so the tracks weren't in order), I thought it was very good....though it shocked me in a way for being so understated. This was something U2 had never done before. It was sooo pop! I liked it because how fresh and new it sounded...so different from anything else in their catalogue...but I felt it lacked something. It had a beginning, middle, and end, but there was something missing. Once the novelty of the newieness wore off, I started listening to only parts of it at a time. Some of those songs really helped me out in times of need, songs like 'Stuck' and 'Kite'...but it wasn't the album that took me on a journey like UF, JT, Achtung and Zooropa do. It came into my life and brought me warmth and comfort. And for that, I am ever grateful to U2. They made an album that helped me out in a way they never would have before. It's their "warm blanket" album, their "sunlight" album.

I look for this new album to reach a little deeper and to go into the darkness below that blanket, into the shadows behind the sunlight...and lead me back again. Guess we'll see....
 
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shart1780 said:
What were U2's remarks on the album?

I remember seeing Bono on VH1 stating that it was a "real" album and not "plastic."

I also remember the Beautiful Day video premier being push backed, like, a thousand times on VH1. Also, the album was delayed for a very long time because they couldn't come up with a name. I remember yelling at the TV, "CALL IT BEAUTIFUL DAY! I DON'T CARE, JUST PUT IT OUT ALREADY!!!"
 
I remember hearing about a new album back in 1999, and when I heard it was coming out I bought it the very first day. My first reactions were that of, "Where have these guys been for the last three years?" I had been through so much over the past year (2000) and hearing those songs it was as if they had written them for me. I really related to a lot of those songs, and the album helped me heal. :yes:
 
I remember reading the ROLLING STONE August issue in 2000. There was a big article about the new album (you can still read it on www.rollingstone.com). They mentioned a song called "Soul Kitchen" and they said it would be the first song...hmmmm....
 
I remember the hype was pretty big -- a return to form after a decade of experimentation. It seemed people were quick to dismiss the 90s work as a diversion (something I completely disagree with). I was really excited because I was disappointed in POP (I didn't "get" it at the time).

To this day, I have mixed feelings about ATYCLB. There are some really strong songs and some I wish weren't there (at least in the same form they ended up in).
 
ATYCLB being my first U2 album still holds a special place for me, so I don't think I'll ever not LOVE It. But musically speaking, I certainly think this is one of their more obscure albums. Jsut think about it. POP and Zooropa are pegged as being U2's weird and wacky albums, but the overall sound of this one is jsut seomthing totally different for them. It's really hard for me to explain, but maybe some of you can here it too?
 
The first time I heard the album, (as with all U2 new albums), I felt kinda sick and just unsatisfied.

But as always, a few more repeats, the album became another classic.

So, I think is a fantastic soul album.

And I think Al Green should do a cover version of "In a little while".

Issac Hayes on "Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of" (the old mix of soul and funk version 9 minutes)

Van Morrison On "Wild Honey"

Norah Jones on "Grace"

Erykah Badu on New York. The neo soul version.

Jill scott on Peace on Earth

err...just a dream..
 
zoopop said:
These boards were just as crazy when ATYCLB came out. Everyone was excited and no one really bashed the album like some do now.

That's not what I experienced. I was here during ATYCLB and POP (under a different name - simply forgot my password, but have been here all the time), and I remember clearly all the bashing of ATYCLB. There have always been, and there will always be people that are not satisfied. And that's fine. But I have not seen so many people so exciting that they are this time around.

First time I heard ATYCLB i was going crazy. All those snippets on u2.com, the webcam at the studio ... Good times! Loved it! I clearly remember when I heard Elevation for the first time ... and I was jumping up and down ... just like when I heard Vertigo for the first time.
 
My story is similar to Lancemc's. ATYCLB was my first U2 album as well. I became a hardcore fan back in 98 with the release of the Best of the 80s. I knew nothing about U2 at that time. I took a chance and purchased the CD. It turned out to be one of the best decisions ever. I fell completely in love with U2's music. I just couldn't get enough. In 1999 I purchased all of U2's past albums and studied them and became obsessive. I was memorizing lyrics, playing the songs on my bass guitar/acoustic/electric/piano/ and even drums. That period was my musical awakening. U2 brought out the music in me.

When ATYCLB was scheduled to come out, I was supremely ready for it. I was counting the days. The release of Beautiful Day was AMAZING! I was SO proud to be a fan at that stage because BD caught on with everyone. The song made sense and was something that you don't usually associate with Rock = a positive message. Most other bands were singing about doom and gloom. All of my friends loved the song and I felt really proud to be a fan. I was like, "yah, this is the band that I'm obsessed with. You can now understand why!"

U2 promoted ATYCLB as being a return to their Joshua Tree days. This got me excited because like half of you out there, JT is my favourite album.

I was innitially blinded by the success of BD. The song was almost too good to have as a first single. It really raised the expectations of the album for me. When I finally heard the album, I fooled myself into hailing it as the best album ever. I knew deep down that it wasn't a winner like the other albums that I recently discovered. I kept these feelings bottled up for a long period. I thought that if I criticized the album, my loyalty as a fan would be hindered. I wasn't until 2002 that I became real with myself that were some real crap songs on ATYCLB. Stuck in a moment has to be the worst U2 song ever. Peace on Earth has absolute no passion for the subject it is handling. Walk On is ordinary. I can say this now because I'm being real with myself and I'm covering up dislike for certain songs as I did in the past! In hindsight, I'm very happy U2 made ATYCLB, even though a lot of songs are duds. The album contains BD, which made me proud to be a fan.

What do I think about HTDAAB? Well, I'm a lot more hopeful than ever was with ATYCLB. But I'm going to be real about it! I will not trick myself into liking songs just to prove my U2 loyalty. The songs that I have heard so far are awesome. Vertigo isn't quite the winner as BD was. But maybe that's a good thing. The hype is genuine and not fraudulent. I already love ABOY & COBL in the crappy quality that we have been presented with. I'm so excited about MD because the beach clip of it gives me the chills in a way that no ATYCLB song could. So there is a lot be excited about with this album.

I'm more excited for HTDAAB than I was for ATYCLB. I owe that to this forum. If it wasn't for this forum, I would be fairly normal. I would wait just like a normal person would. This forum breeds hype and it's a lot of fun!


This is a really good thread.
 
I think they mirror each other.

Before ATYCLB, Bono hyperbole about it being their best ever etc.
Fans hearing clips, worshiping segments of songs before they are properly released. Critics fawning over the album.

Seems the same with HTDAAB for me. It will probably be much the same. There will be fans saying it's their best ever, some who say it's just another great U2 album and those who don't like it.

And those who don't like it will be a vocal minority, obsessing over why a certain song is done a certain way and why Edge didn't do this right or that the lyrics are too obvious or blah blah.

It will be the same. Come to think of it, they've all been that way almost. POP was certainly similar, although there werent as many 'leaks' or whatever. But the critics prasied Pop for the most part and when it didn't sell as well as some thought, you can see their reaction. Part of that probably had to do with the tour. I htink it was allmusic guide that gave Pop 4 1/2 stars when it came out and now it has less, funny how that works for supposed "critics". I think rolling Stone did the same thing.

Anyhow, back to the topic, I think it has been and will end up being the same. The true test is how well the album stands up 2,3,4,5 years down the line. ATYCLB is 4 years old and despite it's detractors has stood up reasonably well. HTDAAB is probably going to thrive depending on how well they tour for it. It's all subjective stuff anyways.

But to answer the question in the thread, I think the two situations mirror each other quite well. Not to say that the music will be so similar but fan reactions are usually typical, including mine.
 
boosterjuice said:

When I finally heard the album, I fooled myself into hailing it as the best album ever. I knew deep down that it wasn't a winner like the other albums that I recently discovered. I kept these feelings bottled up for a long period. I thought that if I criticized the album, my loyalty as a fan would be hindered. I wasn't until 2002 that I became real with myself that were some real crap songs on ATYCLB. Stuck in a moment has to be the worst U2 song ever. Peace on Earth has absolute no passion for the subject it is handling. Walk On is ordinary. I can say this now because I'm being real with myself and I'm covering up dislike for certain songs as I did in the past! In hindsight, I'm very happy U2 made ATYCLB, even though a lot of songs are duds. The album contains BD, which made me proud to be a fan.


I basically agree and did the same thing for POP. I found myself liking it initially no matter what, which is always a bad sign. It probably took me a good couple of years to come to terms with both of those albums, how I truly liked or disliked certain tracks and realizing that my expectations were silly in the grand scheme of things.

7+ years after POP I like it more than I did, say 5 years ago, but less than I did when it first came out.
4 years after ATYCLB I like it more than I did, say 2 years ago, but less than I did when it first came out.

Peaks and valleys I guess. That's why my expectations are flatlined for HTDAAB. Sure, I expect it to be good, I don't know how it could not be merely "good". And if it's great, I won't be shocked but I think I will enoy it much more that way, trying to just get the music, listen to it, and just give it the fair evaluation not bogged down my unfair expectations.

It's a hard thing to do for die-hard fans. I include myself, I don't know how it will end up, but I think I'm going to let U2 set the bar this time around and not try and set the bar too high myself.

I'm sure it will be at least good, if they can't reach that modest expectation, then it's probably not worth worrying about anyway. :)
 
I knew nothing about Pop and didn't even get it until like 2002. I absolutely love some of the songs on there.

Why?

Probably because I didn't study them for years before they were released.
 
I clearly remember right before ATYCLB came out that these boards were going nuts just as they are now. It was right about the time I registered on these boards. When the 30-second clips came out everyone was pegging Walk On as U2's next With or Without You, and SIAM was the next ISHFWILF. There were virtually ZERO negative comments. Certain songs were going to be "sure chart toppers" and everyone was praising the album day in and day out.

It wasn't until the album had been out for a few months that you started to hear the "it's boring", "it's not creative", "it's too adult contemporary" comments.

Which just proves that a group of die-hard U2 fans cannot objectively view any U2 song until, oh, I'd say, ONE FULL YEAR after its release.
 
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I remember it differently. I distinctly remember one or two (very, very long) threads started by one or two brave souls - one in particular - who criticized the album before it was officially released. This person was bashed by a vast number of U2 defenders. I felt sorry for him, as he was merely stating his opinion.....which was later actually shared by many of the bashers of this poor soul. Hypocrisy was alive and well.
 
Apart from Elevation, I was a little bit dissapointed of ATYCLB; what I have heard from HTDAAB so far excites me much more than ATYCLB...
 
Zoocoustic said:
I clearly remember right before ATYCLB came out that these boards were going nuts just as they are now. It was right about the time I registered on these boards. When the 30-second clips came out everyone was pegging Walk On as U2's next With or Without You, and SIAM was the next ISHFWILF. There were virtually ZERO negative comments. Certain songs were going to be "sure chart toppers" and everyone was praising the album day in and day out.

It wasn't until the album had been out for a few months that you started to hear the "it's boring", "it's not creative", "it's too adult contemporary" comments.

Which just proves that a group of die-hard U2 fans cannot objectively view any U2 song until, oh, I'd say, ONE FULL YEAR after its release.

I totally agree with you mate. 100%.

I was here too in 2000 and i remember those "Walk On as U2's next With or Without You, and SIAM was the next ISHFWILF" commentaries. And guess what, they are happening again, only worst! COBL is "better than anything after Stay" or "a classic bigger than Streets"...

Gimme a break ppl...

Listen to the album for a year and then you can really say things like that.
 
I remember those comments too, but I guess the difference for me this time is that although I wouldn't call COBL the next Streets ( you're right U2_Guy, you can never judge a song that quickly), I can see why people are really excited about the new songs.

When people were freaking out about ATYCLB, first with the clips, then with the actual album as soon as it came out, I couldn't rely to that because apart from BD, my frist impression of the album was not that good.

This time around I can say for sure that I'm more confident, everything that I've heard so far sounds fantastic, but again I won't know for sure until I hear the real thing, and it will take some time and perspective no matter what to have a real judgment on this album.
 
there was a good amount of hype for the last album...i was disappointed with it...bd was ok...and the rest of the album was a bit too country for me...this album is totally different...vertigo is wicked...and from the other clips i've heard this is going to be a classic album...the previews so far are better than ATYCLB...much better...i remember them being 'this is great stuff' blah blah blah but there was a lack of 'this is the greatest' blah blah blah...this time i'm really feeling it from the previews...much more positive
 
I'm listening to ATYCLB right now, and it's actually pretty good. "Stuck In a Moment" remains a pretty good song. I was sick of it at the time, but it's not half bad.

Walk On was a song I knew I was going to love later on in my life, so I stayed away from it. It's sounding pretty good to me right now.

Beautiful Day is still U2 classic. I love it very much so, and I hate most mainstream songs.

The rest of the songs are just album songs. They arn't like, "WOW!". They're just songs that make the album what it is.
 
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