HelloAngel
ONE love, blood, life
You can't tell an album from its title
U2 has been one of the biggest bands in the world since the "Joshua Tree" days, but the group has never rested on its laurels.
After "Joshua Tree," the band took off in search of American music and came out with "Rattle and Hum," with nods to B.B. King, Bo Diddley, Billie Holiday and haunted Appalachian ballads. "Achtung Baby" burrowed into electronic music. "Zooropa" and "Pop" offered forays into the avant-garde.
"All That You Can't Leave Behind," which won a handful of Grammys, was heralded as a return to "classic" U2, but Bono, Edge, Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton would probably tell you there is no such thing. Is "classic" U2 "I Will Follow"? "New Year's Day"? "One Tree Hill"? "The Fly"? The band has grown and changed.
Still, even they're more than pleased with "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb." Bono has called it the group's best since "Achtung," which is usually ranked first or second in the U2 pantheon.
The album explores a number of themes. Some songs, most notably "One Step Closer," look at the relationship between fathers and sons (and life and death); Bono's father died three years ago.
The group's political activism comes out in "Love and Peace or Else" and "City of Blinding Lights." And then there's the single "Vertigo," which just blasts away.
Most reviewers agree with Bono's assessment. Rolling Stone gave the album four stars (out of five); Newsweek said the band was "at the top of its game."
Those who dislike the record, such as a number of contributors to the UK review site www.albumvote.co.uk, disapprove of the soft sound on several songs. One person said "Dismantle" was "hardly rocking." Another suggested Rick Rubin should be producing the band (Steve Lillywhite and Brian Eno handled the production on "Dismantle"), which sounds like a great idea regardless of what you think of "Dismantle."
If Rubin does take the reins for a future U2 CD, I hope he suggests a better title.
"How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" (Interscope) comes out Tuesday.
--By Todd Leopold
http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/11/17/eye.ent.u2/
U2 has been one of the biggest bands in the world since the "Joshua Tree" days, but the group has never rested on its laurels.
After "Joshua Tree," the band took off in search of American music and came out with "Rattle and Hum," with nods to B.B. King, Bo Diddley, Billie Holiday and haunted Appalachian ballads. "Achtung Baby" burrowed into electronic music. "Zooropa" and "Pop" offered forays into the avant-garde.
"All That You Can't Leave Behind," which won a handful of Grammys, was heralded as a return to "classic" U2, but Bono, Edge, Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton would probably tell you there is no such thing. Is "classic" U2 "I Will Follow"? "New Year's Day"? "One Tree Hill"? "The Fly"? The band has grown and changed.
Still, even they're more than pleased with "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb." Bono has called it the group's best since "Achtung," which is usually ranked first or second in the U2 pantheon.
The album explores a number of themes. Some songs, most notably "One Step Closer," look at the relationship between fathers and sons (and life and death); Bono's father died three years ago.
The group's political activism comes out in "Love and Peace or Else" and "City of Blinding Lights." And then there's the single "Vertigo," which just blasts away.
Most reviewers agree with Bono's assessment. Rolling Stone gave the album four stars (out of five); Newsweek said the band was "at the top of its game."
Those who dislike the record, such as a number of contributors to the UK review site www.albumvote.co.uk, disapprove of the soft sound on several songs. One person said "Dismantle" was "hardly rocking." Another suggested Rick Rubin should be producing the band (Steve Lillywhite and Brian Eno handled the production on "Dismantle"), which sounds like a great idea regardless of what you think of "Dismantle."
If Rubin does take the reins for a future U2 CD, I hope he suggests a better title.
"How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" (Interscope) comes out Tuesday.
--By Todd Leopold
http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/11/17/eye.ent.u2/
Apparently he got the abridged version of HTDAAB. 
