If I'm putting all likelihood aside, I can picture the original version of Mercy being re-recorded with Danger Mouse at the helm, and getting some much needed polish. There is something there...
But isn't it just so much better to listen to this song in its present state? What if the new...
In this climate, artists are ignored unless they stir up controversy. I'm sure Guy Oseary knew that the album release format would stir the pot... So we can assume that the album cover is a calculated risk as well.
For U2, the worst reality is not polarizing the public, or inciting a public...
I have a great experiment in relativity for everyone:
Step #1: Watch the GOYB video.
Step #2: Watch 'The Miracle' (Echoes) video from Apple.
Step #3: Try to watch the GOYB video without cringing or laughing hysterically.
Sometimes when people give GOYB any credit as a lead single I feel like...
I can be honest with myself, and say that I think this is a great ad, and a cool single.
This is coming from someone who thought that GOYB was embarrassing from day one. I'm not afraid to call the band on bad efforts.
I like it at #2...
Song 1: Realizing that you want to be in a band.
Song 2: Striking out to make it happen.
Song 3: Realizing that this life will be challenging, and you'll have to leave things behind (Are we so helpless against the tide? Are we ready to be swept off our feet?)
My wife (who is not very obsessed with music) has listened to the album on her walks home from work, and now she sings along to the songs with me. She says there are a lot of catchy portions in the songs.
My Dad hasn't had a positive word to say about any U2 album since ATYCLB, and he seems on...
I for one am just happy that the cover is not another picture of their four ugly mugs, acting like they're hanging out together... ala HTDAAB, ATYCLB.
I feel like I've probably even thought this to myself at some point in the last few years: "For the love of God, I'll take Larry touching...
The best part of this album is that I'm noticing little nuggets of lyric, or synth, or guitar parts in different sections of songs. They continue to change with every repeat, ala AB.
On HTDAAB or NLOTH every good part was thrown to the front of the mix, like "Hey, check this fucking shit...
1) The Troubles
2) Iris
3) The Miracle
4) Volcano
5) Raised By Wolves
6) Every Breaking Wave
7) This Is Where You Can Reach Me
8) Sleep Like A Baby Tonight
9) Cedarwood Road
10) Song For Someone
11) California
I prefer the urgency and the understated beauty of the live version. This version seems polished in the verses, but the chorus is too... happy? It's not sticking with me emotionally.
This is a real stand-out for me. Not single material... But akin to one of those AB tracks like Ultraviolet that really bolstered the album.
Very emotional, very 'Unforgettable Fire' in its sound. Edge's guitars are so 80's it's shocking.
The chorus ruins this song for me...
The verses are amazing. The tension held in the line "I don't believe anymore" is very palpable, but then the campy transition into the chorus, and the generic chorus brings me right down.