The Joshua Tree a bass album?

[asr]

Is it just my ears, or is Adam Clayton the true star of U2's most commercially successful album. The bass seems to be miked more than the guitar. I have read many times that Edge considers himself and Larry the rythem and Adam the lead. In retrospect, it sounds like he was right. Do you guys think that Adam has been the real musical force behind U2....or not?

 

[ahittle]

In my estimation, Adam was still a pretty awkward player through this period. It might be prominent, but it's still clunky in spots.

By the time Pop rolled around, he was a musical force. I think Pop is Adam's record.


Maybe JT is Danny Lanois's record.

 

[J_NP]

Adam gets the lead in wowy and exit , but most of the songs are Larry or Edge or both ridden songs

 

[phillyfan26]

Bono and Edge, Larry some, Adam little

As was said, Adam = Pop.

 

[ahittle]

I love the fact that the man went back and took lessons. The results are amazing. He is so much groovier than he ever was.

 

[thrillme]

Might be just me and one other person who pointed it out to me, but I think if Eno/Lanois are not producing the album, the bass is mixed higher, and Adam is more...I dunno, just more. ie Pop, Zooropa (Edge, Flood, and Eno but not Eno/Lanios). The first 3 albums produced by Lillywhite, bass sounds to be mixed higher. Lillywhite helped with With or Without You and Streets. Atomic Bomb, Lillywhite involved, bass was much better than ATYCLB.

ahittle I love the fact that the man went back and took lessons. The results are amazing. He is so much groovier than he ever was.

Me too, and I love how he sometimes throws in a few fills, not drastically different from the album versions, but just enough to notice, and it improves the song.

ie. the live versions of With or Without You on the Please single.

The added slides in Mysterious Ways. compare the bass from the Vertigo Chicago video to ZooTv or the album version.

 

[gman]

I think all albums have a few Adam Moments on it, eg....Out of Control, Rejoice, NYD, THBAO, 40, UF, Wire, WOWY, BTBS etc etc

 

[mandrake]

The bass on Pop is the best, and Achtung Baby as second

 

[coolian2]

40

 

[gvox]

 

[Infinity]

40 has a good bassline, but it was the Edge who came up with it not Adam. When they were recording 40, Adam wasn't there, and the Edge was playing around with the bass and came up with the 40 bassline. That is the reason why Adam and Edge switch instruments during the song.

 

[coolian2]

40 has a good bassline, but it was the Edge who came up with it not Adam. When they were recording 40, Adam wasn't there, and the Edge was playing around with the bass and came up with the 40 bassline. That is the reason why Adam and Edge switch instruments during the song.

Theres always one who has to explain the joke....

 

[Infinity]

Theres always one who has to explain the joke....

lol what?

 

[zoopop]

Adam Albums

Pop (his best)
Zooropa
AB
HTDAAB
Boy (Though he doesn't carry most the songs, you can hear him loud&clear)

 

[nathan1977]

JT isn't a bass album -- if you'll notice, the bass is mixed too low against everything else. Overall, none of their early albums hold up in terms of the mix -- levels are off, balance is off, volume is off. After JT U2 were working on Rattle and Hum and Larry asked Arnie Acosta, who was assisting in the mastering process, to look at the masters of their previous albums, because he was convinced Island was screwing up the master. They were, and since then Arnie has mastered every U2 album. (You can tell the difference between Rattle and Hum and their earlier work -- the bass is much more pronounced and the sound is so much fuller.)

 

[LemonMelon]

Is it just my ears, or is Adam Clayton the true star of U2's most commercially successful album. The bass seems to be miked more than the guitar.

It's just your ears. I can't hear the bass at all. Pop is U2's bass album. Sexy.