What if "Discotheque" had not been the first POP single? (FOR REAL THIS TIME)

[GypsyHeartgirl]

Lazyboy, I think it goes both ways. I only brought up all those people because of Foxxem trying to say how many liked it and I wanted to show the other side. You say I have a grudge against it but I think some others have a grudge against ATYCLB because it did better, and a grudge against everyone who prefers ATYCLB and/or the 80's because we were the mean evil demons who caused your Pop to flop! You said what you thought and that's what I think. But, you know, I think most people who really don't feel that strongly about it one way or the other are tired of it all. <---THE REAL majority of U2 fans on this subject.

 

[Saracene]

It's hard to say whether Discotheque was a right choice for the first single or not. It looks like the gamble was on the public cathing on to the whole dance thing, but the thing with gambles is that sometimes they don't work out. Oh well, at least they've got something to show their grandchildren,

Personally I like POP, but most of the 20-ish U2 fans I know either dislike it or only think of it as OK, not great. IMO it really is not as weird or experimental as some people make it to be.

 

[Swan269]

I chose Staring at the Sun but I don't think this would have helped. As much as I like Pop, the album wasn't finished and several of the songs needed more time to complete. If the album had been "done", i believe it would have done a lot better with the public.

 

[lazyboy]

Lazyboy, I think it goes both ways. I only brought up all those people because of Foxxem trying to say how many liked it and I wanted to show the other side. You say I have a grudge against it but I think some others have a grudge against ATYCLB because it did better, and a grudge against everyone who prefers ATYCLB and/or the 80's because we were the mean evil demons who caused your Pop to flop! You said what you thought and that's what I think. But, you know, I think most people who really don't feel that strongly about it one way or the other are tired of it all. <---THE REAL majority of U2 fans on this subject.

So you didn't like Edge's funky moves?!
And hehe, I don't think people who dislike Pop are demons, and I have no personal attatchment to it so I'm not too bothered either way how it did commercially, who'd be sad enough to begrudge a group of people cos they might have left U2 of all people with a little less dosh?!
It wasn't a flop though, not at all! I think we are at an impossible venture anyway trying to sort it out. I've never came across anyone as you say "has a grudge against ATYCLB and/or 80s because Pop 'flopped'". That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard and if those people exist they're sad nuts!
I've just come across people who have zero time for anything from the Pop era, which I, ME, find a little strange. I mean, anything at ALL from that era.

Ah well, I'll force you to enjoy Popmart from mexico one day gypsy

 

[Salome]

I'm also just talking a lot of shite

If you like POP... then you are musically diverse, open-minded, you like to be challenged musically and you enjoy making an effort with music.

If you dislike POP... you like things simple, you like clarity, you want things to be immediate and you are pretty linear musically.

isn't it just the other way around?

a lot of the arguments used to prove why POP is supposed to be one of U2's best albums ("sonic soundscapes", "experimental song structures) sound a bit overdone to me because I listen to other artists who are way better than U2 in doing this

your general taste in music must be pretty linear if you think of POP as such a experimental masterwork

 

[wertsie]

I admire Werstie very much, because though she is a big Pop fan, she realizes and believes many good fans don't like it and never tries to deny that or force it on anyone. She says she remembers it being rejected by teenagers when it was new. None of this should matter of course if you love the album. What bothers me is that some people here are so busy trying to say that people 'didn't get it' or 'didn't give it a chance' or something they refuse to see what Werstie knows to be the truth- very many good U2 fans don't like it!

Yeah, I remember people rejecting POP...The biggest thing I noticed was that MTV, who had been playing U2 galore leading up to POP, all but abandoned it after Discotheque.

Hmmm...I don't remember teenagers rejecting it...It wasn't talked about all that much, except my high school english teacher, who became a fan with JT kept saying how the band "sold out" with POP, which really pissed me off. Of course, he pronounced Bono "BONE-OH," so he probably would fit into the "casual fan" category...He graduated from high school the year JT came out.

On the other hand, there's my mom, a 47-year-old woman who LOVES Pop!

 

[wertsie]

Re: I'm also just talking a lot of shite

isn't it just the other way around?

a lot of the arguments used to prove why POP is supposed to be one of U2's best albums ("sonic soundscapes", "experimental song structures) sound a bit overdone to me because I listen to other artists who are way better than U2 in doing this

your general taste in music must be pretty linear if you think of POP as such a experimental masterwork

I don't know...I think those two statements were pretty general, so it's hard to say, isn't it?

All I know is I U2!

 

[oliveu2cm]

DYFL. But I think it would have looked just as "offensive" as Disco to people. So maybe SATS. They can't choose IGWSHA or Please- too religious / political for their opener on an album that pretends it is neither. So I didn't vote, but that's my opinion on them. Anyway some of you know I like Pop, but it switches all around in the 4-6th position lol. (AB, JT, then Pop/UF/Zoo) Some days it's all I can listen to, other days I need TUF, yknow. But I admire and appreciate what they accomplished with Pop. And I'm not just deaf and dumb..staring at the sun.

I posted this in another thread but here's an interesting quote from Bono about Pop:


Bono told the NME: "We're just outsiders being dragged through the bushes, but we don't wanna be outsiders... I can't quite figure why people won't join in our success like they do with other bands, whether it's Oasis or Radiohead or whoever. People want them to win. With us, we have to win by six or seven goals, in an away match, in Brazil, at midday, with hangovers."


"We've just played to 120,000 people in NYC. we've sold five million copies of Pop. We're just about to sell our 2,000,000th ticket this week, and apparently we're in trouble.." Bono

 

[wertsie]

I posted this in another thread but here's an interesting quote from Bono about Pop:


Bono told the NME: "We're just outsiders being dragged through the bushes, but we don't wanna be outsiders... I can't quite figure why people won't join in our success like they do with other bands, whether it's Oasis or Radiohead or whoever. People want them to win. With us, we have to win by six or seven goals, in an away match, in Brazil, at midday, with hangovers."


"We've just played to 120,000 people in NYC. we've sold five million copies of Pop. We're just about to sell our 2,000,000th ticket this week, and apparently we're in trouble.." Bono

Whoa...Thanks for posting these quotes. I've never seen them before. They gave me chills.

 

[follower]

Bono told the NME: "We're just outsiders being dragged through the bushes, but we don't wanna be outsiders... I can't quite figure why people won't join in our success like they do with other bands, whether it's Oasis or Radiohead or whoever. People want them to win. With us, we have to win by six or seven goals, in an away match, in Brazil, at midday, with hangovers."

I just love that quote. Yup, he knows what a mission impossible is.

Sorry, couldn?t help it. Back to Put?Em Under Pressure

 

[lazyboy]

Re: I'm also just talking a lot of shite

isn't it just the other way around?

a lot of the arguments used to prove why POP is supposed to be one of U2's best albums ("sonic soundscapes", "experimental song structures) sound a bit overdone to me because I listen to other artists who are way better than U2 in doing this

your general taste in music must be pretty linear if you think of POP as such a experimental masterwork

On the broader scale I think you are right Salomey but this is about U2. The main reason Pop was not a hit with some people was because of the different approach U2 took to it, using Howie B to such an extent didn't really appeal to some U2 fans, it just wasn't "U2" to them. So in that respect Bullet is right, they didn't like the change.
I don't think he referred to it as an "experimental masterwork" either. For U2 themselves, on their own backyard, it was a bit of a change, obviously. That's why some people love it more than they would have, they see it as a risk, as a change from the norm. More interesting. ORIGINAL. It is in many ways.

Obviously what you are talking bout Salomey is musicians like Aphex Twin, DJ Shadow, Cornelius. Even Radiohead

Pop must have been somebit revolutionary, otherwise me or many other people, some of my friends, would not have noticed it, or respected it. I was into techno and dance, and Pop sucked me in cause it had that edge to it.

 

[pub crawler]

mwuhahahahahaha...

[AutoReply] I love POP! Sure some people don't understand the album because it's kind of heavy and deep, but if you listen to it long enough, you'll get it! [AutoReply]

 

[Salome]

Re: Re: I'm also just talking a lot of shite

and Pop sucked

now that is very harsh

 

[Salome]

Re: Re: I'm also just talking a lot of shite

On the broader scale I think you are right Salomey but this is about U2.

it's not about U2 anymore when people start saying that you must have a linear taste in music when you don't think POP is one of U2's best albums

 

[bullet the blue sky]

Re: Re: Re: I'm also just talking a lot of shite

it's not about U2 anymore when people start saying that you must have a linear taste in music when you don't think POP is one of U2's best albums

It's okay. I know you must not have linear taste in music as you like Rattle and Hum

 

[DYFL]

Yup, DYFL. it's strong and kicks ass enough to be out there, it's got great rhythm and lyrics and definitely thick enough for anyone to dig.