Love for Larry!

[cobl04]

That other thread got really scary, so I have decided to take action and make a compensation thread. Personally, I think Larry's drumming is fantastic, and there is a lot of post-RAH stuff that is as good as, if not better than his early stuff. In my opinion October is his best album, but from the 90's onwards there are many great songs from Larry.

Zoo Station, The Fly - the industrial, kick-ass drumming.
UTEOTW - The intro.
Acrobat - , , .
Lemon - Combines perferctly with Adam.
Stay - Combines perfectly with Edge.
Daddy's Gonna Pay - the intro.
Dirty Day - REstrained, then tears down the world in the chorus and outro.
Mofo - WICKED.
Gone - INTRO
Velvet Dress - His drumming contrasts beautifully.
Please - great, funky drumming.

Great 90's. I've listed 00 stuff in the other thread. Add to that his outro in GBHF.

Appreciate bitches

 

[phillyfan26]

Zoo Station
UTEOTW
Lemon
Stay
Daddy's Gonna Pay
Velvet Dress

I think Larry gets more hate for post-RAH than he deserves but those are pretty bland drumming songs. The only interesting part of any of them is the outro to UTEOTW, and the only thing you mentioned was the intro.

 

[ahittle]

Larry is the man.

Pay attention - every song has a signature to it. He never just sleepwalks through anything.

The man is completely misleading. He pretends that he is meat and potatoes, but he is a musician of sublime subtlety.

 

[cobl04]

Well I adore them, and I don't think they are bland at all. If it sounds good, it sounds good. I can't sit down and analyse note by note the music, because if I find a fault it might lower my liking for it, so if it sounds great, then it must therefore be great.

And all of UTEOTW is great, I just lvoe the mood he sets in the intro.

 

[indra]

He pretends that he is meat and potatoes

I thought he was a vegetarian.

 

[Brother Borat]

Larry is the man.

Pay attention - every song has a signature to it. He never just sleepwalks through anything.

The man is completely misleading. He pretends that he is meat and potatoes, but he is a musician of sublime subtlety.

Spot on!

 

[GracelandHarley]

 

[kingofsorrow]

yeah bitches. LARRY bitches LARRY!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Rachel D.]

I don't think there's any Larry-love lacking. See: PLEBA.

But, then again, EYKIW has become the I-Like-U2-But-They-Can't-Do-Anything-Right Forum.

Larry rules, by the way.

 

[hcbiggs2002]

Larry is the man.

Pay attention - every song has a signature to it. He never just sleepwalks through anything.

The man is completely misleading. He pretends that he is meat and potatoes, but he is a musician of sublime subtlety.

I totally agree with this statement! Larry rocks!!

 

[Axver]

Larry does nice work on the following:

- The Electric Co.
- I Threw A Brick Through A Window (the song rests on his drumming)
- Rejoice (a solo?!)
- With A Shout
- Sunday Bloody Sunday
- Like A Song ...
- Bullet The Blue Sky
- God Part II (intense)

His best album is certainly October.

The rest is completely forgettable.

 

[junkydog]

I wrote this a while ago about Lazzy...

"As far as Larry's drumming ability goes, his technical ability is not out of this world. What makes him good is his ability to be so rock solid... Zoo station is technically simple but its so solidly played its like a Train coming - unstoppable.. this is where his skill is..... The other thing that sets him apart is his mental approach to playing,, the guy is an artist. Check out tracks like the Fly, most of UF/JT and Pop. All of these albums are filled with standard 4-4 rhthyms being played in a style which is different, and yet compliments the edge and Adam perfectly in an off-the-wall kinda way.

He is not trapped into thinking of the drums in the traditional sense. As with the Edge, they are both very sublime, left of centre players."

 

[MullenGirl]

Hell YES!! Larry ROCKS!!

Even if he's not the best drummer of all time, he is a good drummer. And if it wasn't for Larry, U2 would not exist.

 

[blueeyedgirl]

Yes, but is he crying????

 

[U2Man]

well, sit through an entire u2 dvd, chicago for instance. notice how larry constantly comes up with new beats and rhythms all the time. he's never doing the same thing twice. larry is the man.

 

[Got Philk?]

Also notice that what he does doesn't take away from the music. It's not overpowering but not pulled back either.


Less CAN be more!!!

But if more is needed...yeah...Larry can do that.

 

[Val]

appreciative Larry bitch over here!

 

[GibsonGirl]

Larry does nice work on the following:

- The Electric Co.
- I Threw A Brick Through A Window (the song rests on his drumming)
- Rejoice (a solo?!)
- With A Shout
- Sunday Bloody Sunday
- Like A Song ...
- Bullet The Blue Sky
- God Part II (intense)

His best album is certainly October.

The rest is completely forgettable.

I'd add Exit to that list. The emotion at the end is almost completely driven by the chaotic drumming. But otherwise, I completely agree.

 

[phillyfan26]

Larry does nice work on the following:

- The Electric Co.
- I Threw A Brick Through A Window (the song rests on his drumming)
- Rejoice (a solo?!)
- With A Shout
- Sunday Bloody Sunday
- Like A Song ...
- Bullet The Blue Sky
- God Part II (intense)

His best album is certainly October.

The rest is completely forgettable.

Can I get Mofo live from Popmart a little respect here? Please? Acrobat? The Fly live on ZooTV or Vertigo? Mysterious Ways on ZooTV?

 

[gman]

I personally think drumming is about keeping a beat and keeping the song going. Drums can be completley overdone in my opinion and can overtake a song. Larrys drumming fits 99% of the songs and some of my fave drumming is his most simple (NYD for eg). IMHO, larrys best moment would be the jazz influenced Please.
I would like any of the Larry knockers to tell us how a song can be improved by changing what Larry has done without loosing the rest in the mud. Unfortunatley, if creativitey floats yer boat, drums should be yer last port of call!

My only critiscism of Larry is he could look like he wasnt on death row so much. He leads a very privaliged life at the end of the day.

 

[phillyfan26]

I would like any of the Larry knockers to tell us how a song can be improved by changing what Larry has done without loosing the rest in the mud. Unfortunatley, if creativitey floats yer boat, drums should be yer last port of call!

That's not the argument they make. They're saying write some new songs based around more creative drumming, which, in truth, they do not do very often. HTDAAB had one unique piece: COBL. That was it.

 

[ALass4Larry]

Rattle and Hum is the reason I became a U2 fan. The songs possess and energy that I attribute to the drumming. Larry is rock solid at what he does, IMO, and U2 owes alot of what they are to him.

 

[vaz02]

The rattle and hum DVD is awesome for larry lovers, with or without you is slick ass.

One of my fav drummers of all time.

 

[Axver]

I'd add Exit to that list. The emotion at the end is almost completely driven by the chaotic drumming. But otherwise, I completely agree.

Ah, yes, of course, I'm surprised I omitted that. Larry especially turned it on during some live performances of Exit.

Can I get Mofo live from Popmart a little respect here? Please? Acrobat? The Fly live on ZooTV or Vertigo? Mysterious Ways on ZooTV?

Mofo on Popmart: Larry was helped by the effects.
Please: Meh, never noticed him. The studio version of the song is mediocre (I used to love it - then I heard it live), and Bono and Edge own the live version.
Acrobat: Again meh, never noticed him. That's Edge's song.
The Fly live on Vertigo: Let's put it this way. I saw that song nine times, and every time, Bono, Edge, and Adam were absolutely in the zone and creating an out-of-this-world monster. I should have been able to effortlessly headbang to it. But Larry was just plodding along, not at all laying the intense, driving foundation the song demanded.
Mysterious Ways on ZooTV: Don't see what's so special about Larry's drumming. The live versions are worthwhile because of Edge's guitar work.

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

well, sit through an entire u2 dvd, chicago for instance. notice how larry constantly comes up with new beats and rhythms all the time. he's never doing the same thing twice. larry is the man.

Also notice that what he does doesn't take away from the music. It's not overpowering but not pulled back either.


Less CAN be more!!!

But if more is needed...yeah...Larry can do that.

Those two are very true!



I love Larry! I admire him a lot as a drummer and as a person. He's a gigantic part of the U2 sound in my opinion, I mean neither Bad or Sunday Bloody Sunday would be half as good to me without him. I think people give him shit about his drumming being simple but he gives the song exactly what it needs (ex: New Year's Day).

I feel that he is as much of a songwritter as a drummer cause I think his drumming really helps shape the songs as much as the guitars and vocal melodies does. And he is one of the very few drummers who know how to use the studio (ex: COBL). One thing that I admire a lot about his drumming is that he knows how to build tension and that building and building until the song explodes up at the end is classic U2.

He does the same thing Edge and Bono do for every song, he gives each song a different personality from the others with his instrument (ex: Angel Of Harlem, UTEOTW, Bad, SBS, One, SYCMIOYO, Pride...) and that doesn't seem to be easy.

Favorite tracks:
Bad
Sunday Bloody Sunday
The Electric Co.
The Fly
City Of Blinding Lights
Until The End Of The World
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
Discothèque (live)
With Or Without You
Where The Streets Have No Name
Yahweh
One
Two Hearts Beat As One

Best album:
War
Achtung Baby


By the way, I particularly love when he uses brushes, he knows how to use them really well.

 

[phillyfan26]

Ah, yes, of course, I'm surprised I omitted that. Larry especially turned it on during some live performances of Exit.



Mofo on Popmart: Larry was helped by the effects.
Please: Meh, never noticed him. The studio version of the song is mediocre (I used to love it - then I heard it live), and Bono and Edge own the live version.
Acrobat: Again meh, never noticed him. That's Edge's song.
The Fly live on Vertigo: Let's put it this way. I saw that song nine times, and every time, Bono, Edge, and Adam were absolutely in the zone and creating an out-of-this-world monster. I should have been able to effortlessly headbang to it. But Larry was just plodding along, not at all laying the intense, driving foundation the song demanded.
Mysterious Ways on ZooTV: Don't see what's so special about Larry's drumming. The live versions are worthwhile because of Edge's guitar work.

Well, you could argue that almost every U2 song is focused on Edge's guitar work. That's the nature of the band. I was pointing out songs in which Larry also did something out of the ordinary.

Mofo: I don't understand, the effects were mostly bass and a strange wailing sound. The drumming was him.
Please: Just because Bono and Edge are doing well doesn't mean Larry isn't.
Acrobat: It's one of the most unique beats he's ever done.
The Fly: I enjoy both of his beats - ZooTV with the pounding action on the tom-tom's, and Vertigo with the more rock beat. I think it is a driving foundation. I can't speak for headbanging though, it gives me headaches.
Mysterious Ways: I'll concede it's not all that, but I think it's catchy and right for the song.

 

[GibsonGirl]

phillyfan26, Howie B programmed lots of drum sequencing for Pop. Due to his back problems, Larry more or less played over the drum sequences on the album and during Popmart.

 

[Val]

Is this still a Love for Larry thread?

 

[kingofsorrow]

Is this still a Love for Larry thread?

tell me about it.

 

[U2girl]

I like how he went from the early militaristic style of War, to the more tribal sounding UF, to adapting in the 90's for U2's dance flirtation. He always seems to find a beat that matches the song perfectly.