namkcuR
ONE love, blood, life
I am well aware that I have been hard on HTDAAB and have been one of its more vocal naysayers on this forum. But today I felt like listening to it, did so all the way through, and for once am able to share some positive thoughts about the record. Listening to it today, I enjoyed probably more than I have since Christmas Time when the record was still brand spanking new. I still think it's overrated on these forums and I still think saying it's the third best U2 record is silly, but I do think it's quite an enjoyable record. I think a lot of us, myself included, tend to want to categorize records as either 'masterpiece' or 'crap', and sort of forget about the middle ground sometimes. In my view, Bomb is on the top end of that middle ground. It's good, even great at times, but it's not a masterpiece imo.
Every song here is very enjoyable, except for maybe Yahweh, which I find to be nothing special at all. Vertigo is great for what it is, it really is, but it shouldn't be compared to The Fly or UTEOTW or Bullet etc etc when talking about U2's great rock tracks. Miracle Drug is a song U2 could do in their sleep but it's enjoyable nontheless if I'm in the right mood. The final minute and a half or so, the bridge/solo/edge singing/final chorus, is great regardless of mood. Sometimes is a great ballad, but I don't think it's in the same league as WOWY or One or Stay. LAPOE is my favorite song on the record, I think it kicks ass. COBL is very overrated on these forums but it is still quite good. ABOY is a bit boring but is enjoyable nontheless if you just stop longing for it to be something it's not. AMAAW is one of record's best tracks, a lovely ballad. Crumbs is one of the record's stronger tracks and it is a pity that it hasn't been played live yet. OSC is a very enjoyable ambient piece with underrated lyrics, but I think something like 'The First Time' is better. OOTS is a very good song in and of itself but I have always felt and still feel that the album version is just a little too cluttered, it needed to subtract an instrument or two. Hopefully the rumored upcoming single version does this. I think Yahweh would've been much better had it been like the live acoustic versions. Fast Cars should have been on the record. There was enough space on the CD, and the theme of the song's lyrics fits with several of the other songs(Sometimes, OSC, etc), in that it is about Bono's father, so I don't see any valid reason for it being only included on international versions of the record.
All in all, it's a strong record, but, like many of the songs it parents, I think to say it's the same league as established classics(like UF or JT or AB) is to overrate it. Just my opinion.
Finally, I'd like to address what I think is the weakest aspect of the record: Its front cover art. It seems a little lazy to just take a photo of the band, especially where they don't seem to have much facial expression, and call it the front cover art.
I have this idea for what it could have been, and I think it would have worked very well. Since the record, including its title, is very much about the death of Bono's father and how Bono has dealt/is dealing with it, I was thinking that the cover art could just be Bono standing in front of a mirror on a black background, but the reflection in the mirror, instead of being Bono, would be Bob Hewson - to go along with the lyric, 'it's you when I look in the mirror'. Perhaps in the bottom corner of the front cover, there could be a small dedication: "For Bob Hewson". Just an idea.
Thank you for reading.
Every song here is very enjoyable, except for maybe Yahweh, which I find to be nothing special at all. Vertigo is great for what it is, it really is, but it shouldn't be compared to The Fly or UTEOTW or Bullet etc etc when talking about U2's great rock tracks. Miracle Drug is a song U2 could do in their sleep but it's enjoyable nontheless if I'm in the right mood. The final minute and a half or so, the bridge/solo/edge singing/final chorus, is great regardless of mood. Sometimes is a great ballad, but I don't think it's in the same league as WOWY or One or Stay. LAPOE is my favorite song on the record, I think it kicks ass. COBL is very overrated on these forums but it is still quite good. ABOY is a bit boring but is enjoyable nontheless if you just stop longing for it to be something it's not. AMAAW is one of record's best tracks, a lovely ballad. Crumbs is one of the record's stronger tracks and it is a pity that it hasn't been played live yet. OSC is a very enjoyable ambient piece with underrated lyrics, but I think something like 'The First Time' is better. OOTS is a very good song in and of itself but I have always felt and still feel that the album version is just a little too cluttered, it needed to subtract an instrument or two. Hopefully the rumored upcoming single version does this. I think Yahweh would've been much better had it been like the live acoustic versions. Fast Cars should have been on the record. There was enough space on the CD, and the theme of the song's lyrics fits with several of the other songs(Sometimes, OSC, etc), in that it is about Bono's father, so I don't see any valid reason for it being only included on international versions of the record.
All in all, it's a strong record, but, like many of the songs it parents, I think to say it's the same league as established classics(like UF or JT or AB) is to overrate it. Just my opinion.
Finally, I'd like to address what I think is the weakest aspect of the record: Its front cover art. It seems a little lazy to just take a photo of the band, especially where they don't seem to have much facial expression, and call it the front cover art.
I have this idea for what it could have been, and I think it would have worked very well. Since the record, including its title, is very much about the death of Bono's father and how Bono has dealt/is dealing with it, I was thinking that the cover art could just be Bono standing in front of a mirror on a black background, but the reflection in the mirror, instead of being Bono, would be Bob Hewson - to go along with the lyric, 'it's you when I look in the mirror'. Perhaps in the bottom corner of the front cover, there could be a small dedication: "For Bob Hewson". Just an idea.
Thank you for reading.
