The single turning point for the emergence of soft U2 is...

[t8thgr8]

If god will send his angels. After that song was recorded the band cut a hard left off of their track and have been trying to find their way back ever since.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

I'd say Out Of Controll, it's been pretty much downhill since then...

 

[Zoots]

What do you mean by soft? Just in terms of sound? Please is not exactly what I'd call soft. Neither is Last Night On Earth or Vertigo or All Because Of You.

 

[zitherglow]

anything from UF would count as soft

 

[Lancemc]

anything from UF would count as soft

 

[Earnie Shavers]

What do you mean by soft? Just in terms of sound? Please is not exactly what I'd call soft. Neither is Last Night On Earth or Vertigo or All Because Of You.

Vertigo and All Because of You are as soft/tame as my neighbours fat little cat.

 

[Screwtape2]

By soft do you mean pop music?

 

[Zoots]

Vertigo and All Because of You are as soft/tame as my neighbours fat little cat.

Are you saying they are soft? They're not hard rock by any stretch of the imagination but we're talking about U2 here! lol.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

I'll allow BTBS but other than that, has U2 ever really done anything that hard?

 

[Lancemc]

I want to know when U2 started being a "hard band". To my ears they have never really changed that drastically as far as attack or dynamics go in their albums.

 

[Screwtape2]

I'll allow BTBS but other than that, has U2 ever really done anything that hard?

Exit and maybe Like A Song.

 

[Zoots]

I want to know when U2 started being a "hard band". To my ears they have never really changed that drastically as far as attack or dynamics go in their albums.

Exactly!

I do believe that they have mellowed down with regards to experimentation and Edge doing funky things with his guitar a la LIB, Mofo or even Stateless but they were never "hard rock"!

 

[LMP]

Post-Punk -> Rock -> "Classic Rock" -> Experimental / Alternative -> Adult Contemporary / Pop

that's U2 in genres for me over their career. they've done their share of "hard" songs but they are by no stretch a "hard rock band".

 

[Screwtape2]

Any band that releases a song like Lemon cannot be considered hard rock.

 

[DreamOutLoud13]

While we're naming U2's "harder" songs, we certainly can't leave out God Part II

 

[david]

Uhh.. songs dating back to as far as October are pretty soft.. depending on what your meaning of soft is.

 

[Axver]

anything from UF would count as soft

Do either Wire or Indian Summer Sky ring any bells?

Uhh.. songs dating back to as far as October are pretty soft.. depending on what your meaning of soft is.

We could even go back to Boy - The Ocean, Into The Heart, and SATT aren't exactly heavy.

 

[BVS]

Wow, this is a pretty rock solid theory.

 

[Danny Boy]

...Shadows and Tall Trees is first performed live; March 20, 1978...

 

[Danny Boy]

Seriously, though, I've always thought of The Ground Beneath Her Feet as the point where U2 headed down the adult contemporary path.

 

[corianderstem]

... covering the Bay City Rollers at their first concert ever.

 

[love2bmama]

... covering the Bay City Rollers at their first concert ever.

yup, it's all been downhill from there

 

[blueeyedgirl]

PeterfuckinFrampton!!!!

 

[t8thgr8]

I guess when I say soft I mean cute. U2 ISNT hard rock and thats why i like them. And who knows when they RECORDED IGWSHA the tracklisting doesnt mean anything. It couldve been recorded at the end of the sessions. It lacks teeth and so does everything after pop. And they were riding the fence on POP. They fell off with 'angels'.

 

[t8thgr8]

you could say the ground beneath her feet was the next song recorded after angels.

 

[LemonMelon]

Sweetest Thing remix ring any bells?

 

[love2bmama]

I don't think "cute" explains what you're asking any better than "soft" does.

 

[t8thgr8]

does castration work for you?

 

[Zoots]

If you're looking for the turning point to a more adult contemporary direction, I would say Stuck In A Moment. But I'm not sure about soft or cute.

 

[love2bmama]

^ not really, but it's interesting that it's on your mind