yea, i really wish lillywhite would have left boy, october and war alone... those records are just too commercial for me.
Lillywhite talks next project
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yea, i really wish lillywhite would have left boy, october and war alone... those records are just too commercial for me.
Cmon guys, since when did we start hanging Steve Lillywhite upside down by his balls? He's done fantastic work for them, and he may no longer be at his creative zenith - but neither are U2. They clearly still trust his judgement and all he can do is offer mixes and suggestions - it's 100 percent up to them if they follow up. If you're looking for someone to blame for bad U2 songs, you can either 'throw a rock up in the air you're bound to hit someone guilty'. Or you can be more level headed and say bad U2 songs are ultimately U2's responsibility.
Earnie Shavers
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
With most of those Alternate vs Album Bomb songs, I think the alternates are undercooked, album versions are overcooked, and they overshot 'just right'.
And I agree, it's either a good song or a shit song. Most of the tracks Lillywhite takes heat for, to be honest, I can't really see being made 'good', or at least, I suspect their badness appeared long before Lillywhite had his fiddle.
And I agree, it's either a good song or a shit song. Most of the tracks Lillywhite takes heat for, to be honest, I can't really see being made 'good', or at least, I suspect their badness appeared long before Lillywhite had his fiddle.
JamietheEdgefan
Refugee
I'm not saying commercial is a bad thing. The guy knows how to make a hit
And if you're trying to make the point that the first 3 u2 albums aren't mainstream, i'd agree with you... but i'd still bet Lillywhite helped to make them (or at least the singles, at least by war) radio friendly.
Certainly in the bands recent years, his push to make the songs more commercial seems more explicit. Again, not necessarily a bad thing...
JamietheEdgefan
Refugee
That's a very good point. From a song-writing perspective, one can't really blame a producer for failing to turn an awful song into a great one...
if anything i put any blame on band indecision as opposed to on a producer, lillywhite or other.
Rachel D.
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
U2 couldn't decide their way out of a paper bag.
corianderstem
Blue Crack Distributor
"Let's get will.i.am to help us out of this bag!"
"No, let's get RedOne!"
"Well, there's always Lillywhite."
*rustle rustle rustle*
Irvine511
Blue Crack Supplier
i'm sure we'd all be much better at being U2 than U2.
corianderstem
Blue Crack Distributor
I'd love to give it a shot. Put me in, coach!
djerdap
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2004
- Messages
- 7,605
Yep. It's always Spider-Man's or Lillywhite's fault for U2's indecisiveness about new material. Curse them!
powerhour24
ONE love, blood, life
You know we've had this discussion before and we clearly fall on different sides. Sure Vertigo was the hit that Native Son wouldn't have been, but does that make it a better song to me? Absolutely not.
Also, personally All Because of You is the one song I skip on the released album, whereas the lyrics to the Chris Thomas version seem a lot less forced, and the feel of the whole song reflects that.
Yahweh's alternate is also cracking. All of what we've heard from the Thomas sessions are just so much fresher and natural than the overcooked Lillywhite, Lee, Lanois/Eno, et al produced version of the album. But that's just my take.
Again though, the rough guitar sounds that worked on all the other tracks absolutely did not fit Sometimes and the hook adds a lot to it, so kudos to that particular rework.
super fly guy
New Yorker
I must be the only person that loves bomb?
Tyagu_Anaykus
New Yorker
Yes.
Irvine511
Blue Crack Supplier
DoctorGonzo
War Child
At this point it takes them four years. And ultimately, they just wait 'till the bag is a soggy, collapsing mess before they make their triumphant return to the public eye.
Earnie Shavers
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
Their problem at the moment is that they don't know whether they're in a bag or box (or hole?)
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
What fuck do I give? It's their money, not mine, and I'm positive they don't sit around and listen to Bomb as much as I do. Native Son, the superior but less lucrative song, seems like the right choice from my perspective.
Similarly, a Danger Mouse-produced album excites me more than a Danger Mouse-produced album run through the Lillywhite brand colander, though though their piles of cash will remain hills, not mountains. I acknowledge the "U2 wants hits" statement as fact more than I sympathize with it because, honestly, why should I care, especially at this stage? It's one thing to want some underground favorite to break through to millions, but this is Ufucking2. People will give U2 shit no matter what, and U2 will remain a beloved, extraordinarily rich rock group no matter what. Release the better, very likely purer album already. They earned that right back in the mid-80s.
But hey, maybe I'm being selfish and unrealistic. Here's a statement most of us can agree with: U2 is indecisive, and it would be the healthiest choice of all for them to limit themselves to one producer. Great as it was, NLOTH is the strongest proof yet that limiting sessions and production credits results in purer, more interesting music. Save the full page of producers for Rihanna.
Earnie Shavers
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
U2 aren't a sports team.
Again, music is subjective. I'd listen to vertigo over native son any day of the week.
Yeah, I wish those albums had been left to sound like the Twilight demo.
Niceman
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
I must be the only person that loves bomb?
Nope, not the only one. I think it suffered from bad recording, and also being "U2 Best of 2001-2004" instead of a cohesive album, but they're all good songs. IMO the demos were mostly pretty bad.
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
Alt ABOY and Native Son are improvements, alt Yahweh and Xanax and Wine are a wash, alt SYCMIOYO is hideous.
OP
OP
Registered Dude
Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
"Let's get will.i.am to help us out of this bag!"
"No, let's get RedOne!"
"Well, there's always Lillywhite."
*rustle rustle rustle*
this is gold
ozeeko
Refugee
I still believe that Edge is mainly responsible for their lack of direction. He can't decide whether to "rawk" or to "chime" or to just simply be "sublime". Bono can't play a chord on anything (tho he does one-finger piano)...but he (for the most part) does his best with what's handed to him. When the Edge don't deliver...the Bono does suffer. Make that a bumper sticker.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
Oh come on. It's not Edge's fault that Boner is still cranking out stomach-curdling, eye-rolling lyrics. You can't say the music forced him into those places.
Having said that, No Line is a huge improvement in that department over the last two albums, with Boner writing more in character.
Having said that, No Line is a huge improvement in that department over the last two albums, with Boner writing more in character.
powerhour24
ONE love, blood, life
What fuck do I give? It's their money, not mine, and I'm positive they don't sit around and listen to Bomb as much as I do. Native Son, the superior but less lucrative song, seems like the right choice from my perspective.
Similarly, a Danger Mouse-produced album excites me more than a Danger Mouse-produced album run through the Lillywhite brand colander, though though their piles of cash will remain hills, not mountains. I acknowledge the "U2 wants hits" statement as fact more than I sympathize with it because, honestly, why should I care, especially at this stage? It's one thing to want some underground favorite to break through to millions, but this is Ufucking2. People will give U2 shit no matter what, and U2 will remain a beloved, extraordinarily rich rock group no matter what. Release the better, very likely purer album already. They earned that right back in the mid-80s.
But hey, maybe I'm being selfish and unrealistic. Here's a statement most of us can agree with: U2 is indecisive, and it would be the healthiest choice of all for them to limit themselves to one producer. Great as it was, NLOTH is the strongest proof yet that limiting sessions and production credits results in purer, more interesting music. Save the full page of producers for Rihanna.
Quoted for much truth.
powerhour24
ONE love, blood, life
I must be the only person that loves bomb?
Note I said ABOY is the only track I skip when listening to it. It's a collection of very heartfelt and earnest songs, that are way overproduced, it could have been something more cohesive, but I still like the tracks.
lazarus
Blue Crack Supplier
While I do prefer No Net to ATYCLB and The Bomb, there are actually no songs I skip on either of the latter. But I can't stomach several moments on Crazy Tonight, so that gets the boot 9 times out of 10. Stand Up Comedy leaves me shaking my head, but I don't quite dislike it enough to skip.
I love every song on AB, Zooropa, Pop, and JT, and never skip anything on those.
I love every song on AB, Zooropa, Pop, and JT, and never skip anything on those.
Sken
Refugee
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2001
- Messages
- 1,042
This is a fair comment, 'With great solo's, comes great lyrical responsibility'. <-----See what I did there, lame attempt at referencing Spiderman
Anyways, I am finding what Edge is bringing to the table it not setting a mood or a landscape for Bono to build on.
Sure lyrics in some cases are clunky at the moment, but go listen to 'Bullet' it sets a tone, a mood, you feel the anger. Listen to WOWY, haunting, and so on. You set the right mood, and the lyrics will follow.
Edge's recent tunes sound like someone trying to make a quick buck versus a long con. Great at first, but won't suck you in long term and leave you wondering how the hell did that happen.
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