jick said:
Vertigo is too short.
Miracle Drug starts out too quietly.
SYCMIOYO is too slow.
LAPOE takes too long before it gets rocking.
COBL doesn't have drums that bite.
ABOY has a guitar solo, but no extended guitar solo.
Original Of The Species seems to be missing something.
Vertigo - wow, I didn't realize a song needed to be a certain length to be good. Though I bet there will be some sort of extension during the live version... the whole point of Vertigo is to be a short 'n sweet rousing punker. How many six minute punk songs have you heard?
Miracle Drug - Um, so what? The song kicks in soon enough. The slow beginning adds to the atmosphere and makes the whole thing seem more epic.
SYCMIOYO - I also didn't realize a song didn't need to be a certain speed to be good. Sometimes is a ballad, so of course it's gonna be slow... I also seriously doubt U2 will speed it up live. It's possible, but the tempo right now is just dandy. If you're gonna complain about that, why not complain about every other semi-slow U2 song?
LAPOE - The extended intro enhances the guitar when it actually comes in. Personally, I don't think the song would be as good if it just kicked in right from the beginning (the 1:30 mark.) That would take away the whole atmosphere.
COBL - Eh, I guess I'll agree with you on that one... the drums don't have as much depth in the mix as they ought to, but I think that's basically a production thing.
ABOY - Well, Edge isn't one for long solos. YES, there are plenty of exceptions but long finger-bustin' solos just aren't his style... and the solo on All Because of You is plenty rockin' for me, thankyou very much. You've got a nice solo-lead guitar part during the bridge then the actual solo after Bono's scream... what do you want, a 3:00 solo?
OOTS - What, pray tell, is it missing? That piece is perfection. Then again, I wouldn't be surprised if something was added at the end, like the hallejuahs on Walk On or the extra verses to songs like WOWY and One, which could make the song even better... but right now it's soooo bloody good I don't even care.
I guess my main problem with your arguement is your flawed examples...I hardly agree with any of them. Does U2 hold back? Yes, this is U2's style...Edge's minimalist guitar playing, for example. When Edge actually DOES bust into a solo or even hits a full bloody chord, it has a HUGE effect, more so than listening to Metallica bang away. Restrain makes you really listen to try and fill the spaces in the music, makes you hear intricate parts you wouldn't have noticed before...and then when that restraint is taken away, and the band breaks loose, it's like opening a bottle of soda you've been shaking for the last hour. Poetic example, I know.
Playing live is what makes U2 truly great. Read the magazine articles, quotes, whatever, and you'll see that making an album is a lot of work for U2... it's difficult and I honestly don't think they CAN reach their full potential in the studio. The atmosphere tends to be too tense... but watch any U2 concert (especially from the Elevation tour) and you'll see the pure joy U2 has in playing together. On stage it all seems to click and it's FUN... I think that's part of what enables them to exapand on songs. Once they've got the studio work behind them and they're rehearsing, somehow pressure is taken off and they can explore a little more...that's how I see it anyway.