HelloAngel
ONE love, blood, life
[SIMG]http://bonovox.interference.com/reviews/httadbcover-sml.jpg[/SIMG]
By Erin Gould
2006.02
Take a look at your music collection. Now think about who your favorites are. Whatever the order may be (alphabetical, favorite to least favorite artist, record companies grouped together, etc.) if you look long enough, you may notice a sort of division of your artists.
There are those who have a defined start place and have never looked back, always continuously making their way toward their final destination. For me, this group is nine times out of 10 the more interesting to follow. You have people creating with a sketch of an idea and then creating something so much more like The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, The Clash, The Jam, R.E.M. and, of course, U2.
Then there are those artists who have found their niche and do their thing better than anyone else. You know what you get with these guys and that's a good thing. These folks are the masters in their world and it's going to be a long time before someone can come along and take their place. In my personal collection, I'm talking about Oasis, Chris Isaak, Michael Penn, Caesars, John Mellencamp, The Ramones and The Verve.
And while this second group will often take sidesteps and interesting roads to try something new, the first group is always evolving, always growing, always moving. The first and foremost place we get indications from this isn't the latest issue of Blender magazine or your local bit torrent site but in the very music these artists create.
Groups like The Beatles are perhaps the foundation of this tracking of progress. You don't just jump from "Please Please Me" to "Sgt. Pepper's" without creating such musical milestones in between as "In My Life" "Tomorrow Never Knows," "Ticket to Ride" or "Penny Lane."
Crawl before you walk, walk before you run, run before you fly.
U2 is in the position where it doesn't have the desire to make "Return to the Joshua Tree" or "More Achtung Baby." While there's a legion of fans out there who clamor for less change and more of the old, I think the majority loves the ride. We don't where we're going but damn if we're not having fun getting there.
I've taken a look at U2's music, looking for clues to where the band's heading, to pinpoint musical milestones in its career. More specifically, I'm looking for the songs, not new stage shows or comments made at a New Year's Eve show. I'm looking for the signs that exist on my iPod or on a CD that show that U2 is advancing to the next level (whatever, wherever that may be) Just like The Beatles' introduction of "Strawberry Fields Forever" to the world or Bob Dylan signaling a new arrival of "Like a Rolling Stone," U2 has had its turning points.
These are the ones that stand out the most to me.
I Will Follow An obvious starting point, but not because it's the first song on the first album. In “Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas,” Bono advises young bands to write that song, the one that will clothe you and feed you. This is the song that Bono was referring to. It was the song that opened the doors and ears of millions. A new sound was developing here. U2, still in its fetal stage, is working on figuring out where it's going, how it'll get there and, more importantly, what it wants to say.
New Year's Day With this track, U2 managed to find a voice, a radio audience and, at the same time, display a political message to the masses. A tremendous bass line and powerhouse of a chorus showed that U2's songwriting abilities were just coming in to focus. It was also one of their first forays into the mysterious (and sometimes fruitless) world of the remix. U2 was dipping its toes into bigger waters but, all the while, never losing its sense of what it was about.
The Unforgettable Fire Taking not a step back but a step to the side, U2's songwriting goes slightly out of focus through an Eno lens. The songwriting out of focus doesn't mean that the band has lost its way but that it's gaining a new perspective on the art of songwriting and creation. U2 had been shown that there are other ways to solve the equation and with Brian Eno at the head of the class, all is going to be well. And when the band begins to refocus that lens, the landscapes begin to appear and we can hear the combination of the old and the new, melting together to what will eventually become the U2 sound.
Pride (In the Name of Love) U2 distills the DNA of "New Year's Day" into this song—radio friendly and politically awakening. This is a set of DNA U2 will be going to for years to come.
With or Without You Taking a straightforward idea and turning it on its head, this is what U2 does best. Not content with the norm, the band crafts a love song, not one that lives on sunny days walking hand in hand in the park but in the shadows where the big finish of the song we've come to expect doesn't happen the way we thought it would. It's direct, concise, and evokes a mood that is beautiful, yet haunting at the same time. All of this glides along a guitar sound that had never quite been heard before and, in its originality, has rarely been heard since.
Bullet the Blue Sky Bono's experiences in Central America come to life in his lyrics and Edge's E chord—rage through six strings and an amplifier. The first of what will eventually be many expressive solos, not just diddling around on the frets but conveying emotion and feeling through sound (see also "Love Is Blindness"). This song also seems to take a book from the old (The Doors is definitely in the house on this one) and the new (an almost hip hop beat mixed with rock 'n' roll bass and guitars) This vibe will be pushed further on.
God Part II This is the foyer to the house that will forever be known as "Achtung Baby." This track was an early indicator, even if it wasn't meant to be, of what was to come. You have the drum machines and the real drums coming together. You've got the flange effects. You have the explosion of tom toms and bass lines. You have the howls of Bono's voice and Edge's militaristic precision of playing all merge together. It is a powerhouse of a song.
Angel of Harlem A simple song with a simple lyric that relies on the simple song writing structure of The Beatles and Dylan. Bono's lyrical imagery is as powerful as it has been in the past, just in a different, more personal, scrapbook sort of way. This style will come back in later years and will be a template that U2 will use for many songs to come.
The Fly U2 has arrived in the New World and likes it there. The guitar belches its energy, the bass line is dirty, the drums phase in and out and Bono phones his vocals in on the phone line from hell. We also have another Edge solo that conveys emotion and, more importantly, take you to another place. It brings you up above the song, looking down at the chaos all around and shines like a burning star, falling from the sky, a song that signaled a new era.
One A distant, possibly more introspective cousin of "With or Without You." A song with so many layers and complexities that it can be interpreted in many ways; it's a father and gay son argument, it's two lovers having a spat, it's a message to humanity, it's U2 in the studio in Berlin realizing its faults during the genesis of "Achtung Baby."
Lemon In a nightclub in the city of Zooropa, the dance beats blare on the floor and the plasma screens overhead show images of her in "Lemon." We don't know for certain who she is—a lover, a mother, a child, a dream. Whoever she is, she shines and moves beautifully, and we can't help but watch. It's what man does. He makes a picture to see himself up close. And U2, with the assistance of our illustrious captain, Brian Eno, take us there. It's the first of the one-two punch of the "Zooropa" album that takes you to that setting and makes sure you're happy with it.
Stay (Faraway, So Close) If U2's music has shifted in the past between widescreen cinematic and low-budget indie filmmaking, this is the combination of the both. You can almost see the wet, neon reflecting in the city streets at night, all in glorious wide screen—the fine, dirty detail of every shop and street corner visible to the naked eye. A love song presented in sonic high definition as we follow an angel in love with a prostitute. But what is their purpose? We never find out but the journey through this landscape is one that we'll never forget as the vocal soar at the end and eventually we crash to the ground.
Discothèque Still in the "Zooropa" nightclub, the alcohol rushes through the bloodstream, the company we've kept gets cold to the touch and the music in our head enters our hearts as we prepare for the hangover to come. The final stages of the rock/dance fusing that have been with us since "God Part II." This track shows that even some of U2's most throwaway lines aren't. Dig in the trash and you're bound to find a diamond.
Staring at the Sun Answering the call put out by Noel Gallagher and his songwriting, U2 takes the songwriting structure it toyed around with in "Angel of Harlem" and put it in the context of the "Pop" mood. There's a lot going on in this part of the world and we want you to know it with a melody that'll stick in your head for the day. U2 succeeds.
Beautiful Day Distilling all that it had learned in the past 10 years and filtering nearly everything. U2's sound hasn't been this pure and crystalline in a long time. The band created a powerful chorus and magical guitar lines that could ring around forever. Some call it a return of the old U2. I say the old U2 never left. Bono has called this the beginning of U2's ecstatic music phase. Songs from here on have more of an uplift than they've had in a while. We're out of the thick of it for now.
Love and Peace or Else A combination of "Rattle and Hum" (reaching back into the past for a sound), "Achtung Baby" (take what you've learned and dirty it up a bit) and "War" ideals (say what you want to say loudly), this song hits you over the head with its sound but not with its message. It contains touches of so many U2 eras but somehow manages to stay fresh and exciting, ensuring a highpoint of any live performance for years to come. You've got the message, the strong drumming, the deep bass line, the Eno keyboards, the distant cousin of "Bullet the Blue Sky's" solo. It's all there for us to take in and experience.
One Step Closer A step away from the loud and brash, this song reminds you that music is like a prayer. You can ask God, Allah, your higher power (whoever they may be) for a little understanding. And hopefully, if we listen long enough, we'll all be one step closer to knowing.
There are so many more songs I wanted to talk about; "Gone," "Until the End of the World," "Dirty Day," "All I Want Is You," "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," "Out of Control," "Gloria," "Vertigo," "Desire," "Elevation," "Stuck in a Moment," "Please," "If God Will Send His Angels," "Mofo," "Love Is Blindness," "Tomorrow," "Original of the Species," "Wire," "One Tree Hill," so many songs that can be considered classics or signature U2 songs.
But the ones I've chosen are the ones that turned my world around a little bit faster upon hearing them, the ones that made me sit up and take notice. They're the songs that reminded me why I chose this group to become a major contributor on the soundtrack of my life. But, more importantly, these songs show me that the band is always finding new ways and new sounds to tell its story. We just have to listen.
By Erin Gould
2006.02
Take a look at your music collection. Now think about who your favorites are. Whatever the order may be (alphabetical, favorite to least favorite artist, record companies grouped together, etc.) if you look long enough, you may notice a sort of division of your artists.
There are those who have a defined start place and have never looked back, always continuously making their way toward their final destination. For me, this group is nine times out of 10 the more interesting to follow. You have people creating with a sketch of an idea and then creating something so much more like The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, The Clash, The Jam, R.E.M. and, of course, U2.
Then there are those artists who have found their niche and do their thing better than anyone else. You know what you get with these guys and that's a good thing. These folks are the masters in their world and it's going to be a long time before someone can come along and take their place. In my personal collection, I'm talking about Oasis, Chris Isaak, Michael Penn, Caesars, John Mellencamp, The Ramones and The Verve.
And while this second group will often take sidesteps and interesting roads to try something new, the first group is always evolving, always growing, always moving. The first and foremost place we get indications from this isn't the latest issue of Blender magazine or your local bit torrent site but in the very music these artists create.
Groups like The Beatles are perhaps the foundation of this tracking of progress. You don't just jump from "Please Please Me" to "Sgt. Pepper's" without creating such musical milestones in between as "In My Life" "Tomorrow Never Knows," "Ticket to Ride" or "Penny Lane."
Crawl before you walk, walk before you run, run before you fly.
U2 is in the position where it doesn't have the desire to make "Return to the Joshua Tree" or "More Achtung Baby." While there's a legion of fans out there who clamor for less change and more of the old, I think the majority loves the ride. We don't where we're going but damn if we're not having fun getting there.
I've taken a look at U2's music, looking for clues to where the band's heading, to pinpoint musical milestones in its career. More specifically, I'm looking for the songs, not new stage shows or comments made at a New Year's Eve show. I'm looking for the signs that exist on my iPod or on a CD that show that U2 is advancing to the next level (whatever, wherever that may be) Just like The Beatles' introduction of "Strawberry Fields Forever" to the world or Bob Dylan signaling a new arrival of "Like a Rolling Stone," U2 has had its turning points.
These are the ones that stand out the most to me.
I Will Follow An obvious starting point, but not because it's the first song on the first album. In “Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas,” Bono advises young bands to write that song, the one that will clothe you and feed you. This is the song that Bono was referring to. It was the song that opened the doors and ears of millions. A new sound was developing here. U2, still in its fetal stage, is working on figuring out where it's going, how it'll get there and, more importantly, what it wants to say.
New Year's Day With this track, U2 managed to find a voice, a radio audience and, at the same time, display a political message to the masses. A tremendous bass line and powerhouse of a chorus showed that U2's songwriting abilities were just coming in to focus. It was also one of their first forays into the mysterious (and sometimes fruitless) world of the remix. U2 was dipping its toes into bigger waters but, all the while, never losing its sense of what it was about.
The Unforgettable Fire Taking not a step back but a step to the side, U2's songwriting goes slightly out of focus through an Eno lens. The songwriting out of focus doesn't mean that the band has lost its way but that it's gaining a new perspective on the art of songwriting and creation. U2 had been shown that there are other ways to solve the equation and with Brian Eno at the head of the class, all is going to be well. And when the band begins to refocus that lens, the landscapes begin to appear and we can hear the combination of the old and the new, melting together to what will eventually become the U2 sound.
Pride (In the Name of Love) U2 distills the DNA of "New Year's Day" into this song—radio friendly and politically awakening. This is a set of DNA U2 will be going to for years to come.
With or Without You Taking a straightforward idea and turning it on its head, this is what U2 does best. Not content with the norm, the band crafts a love song, not one that lives on sunny days walking hand in hand in the park but in the shadows where the big finish of the song we've come to expect doesn't happen the way we thought it would. It's direct, concise, and evokes a mood that is beautiful, yet haunting at the same time. All of this glides along a guitar sound that had never quite been heard before and, in its originality, has rarely been heard since.
Bullet the Blue Sky Bono's experiences in Central America come to life in his lyrics and Edge's E chord—rage through six strings and an amplifier. The first of what will eventually be many expressive solos, not just diddling around on the frets but conveying emotion and feeling through sound (see also "Love Is Blindness"). This song also seems to take a book from the old (The Doors is definitely in the house on this one) and the new (an almost hip hop beat mixed with rock 'n' roll bass and guitars) This vibe will be pushed further on.
God Part II This is the foyer to the house that will forever be known as "Achtung Baby." This track was an early indicator, even if it wasn't meant to be, of what was to come. You have the drum machines and the real drums coming together. You've got the flange effects. You have the explosion of tom toms and bass lines. You have the howls of Bono's voice and Edge's militaristic precision of playing all merge together. It is a powerhouse of a song.
Angel of Harlem A simple song with a simple lyric that relies on the simple song writing structure of The Beatles and Dylan. Bono's lyrical imagery is as powerful as it has been in the past, just in a different, more personal, scrapbook sort of way. This style will come back in later years and will be a template that U2 will use for many songs to come.
The Fly U2 has arrived in the New World and likes it there. The guitar belches its energy, the bass line is dirty, the drums phase in and out and Bono phones his vocals in on the phone line from hell. We also have another Edge solo that conveys emotion and, more importantly, take you to another place. It brings you up above the song, looking down at the chaos all around and shines like a burning star, falling from the sky, a song that signaled a new era.
One A distant, possibly more introspective cousin of "With or Without You." A song with so many layers and complexities that it can be interpreted in many ways; it's a father and gay son argument, it's two lovers having a spat, it's a message to humanity, it's U2 in the studio in Berlin realizing its faults during the genesis of "Achtung Baby."
Lemon In a nightclub in the city of Zooropa, the dance beats blare on the floor and the plasma screens overhead show images of her in "Lemon." We don't know for certain who she is—a lover, a mother, a child, a dream. Whoever she is, she shines and moves beautifully, and we can't help but watch. It's what man does. He makes a picture to see himself up close. And U2, with the assistance of our illustrious captain, Brian Eno, take us there. It's the first of the one-two punch of the "Zooropa" album that takes you to that setting and makes sure you're happy with it.
Stay (Faraway, So Close) If U2's music has shifted in the past between widescreen cinematic and low-budget indie filmmaking, this is the combination of the both. You can almost see the wet, neon reflecting in the city streets at night, all in glorious wide screen—the fine, dirty detail of every shop and street corner visible to the naked eye. A love song presented in sonic high definition as we follow an angel in love with a prostitute. But what is their purpose? We never find out but the journey through this landscape is one that we'll never forget as the vocal soar at the end and eventually we crash to the ground.
Discothèque Still in the "Zooropa" nightclub, the alcohol rushes through the bloodstream, the company we've kept gets cold to the touch and the music in our head enters our hearts as we prepare for the hangover to come. The final stages of the rock/dance fusing that have been with us since "God Part II." This track shows that even some of U2's most throwaway lines aren't. Dig in the trash and you're bound to find a diamond.
Staring at the Sun Answering the call put out by Noel Gallagher and his songwriting, U2 takes the songwriting structure it toyed around with in "Angel of Harlem" and put it in the context of the "Pop" mood. There's a lot going on in this part of the world and we want you to know it with a melody that'll stick in your head for the day. U2 succeeds.
Beautiful Day Distilling all that it had learned in the past 10 years and filtering nearly everything. U2's sound hasn't been this pure and crystalline in a long time. The band created a powerful chorus and magical guitar lines that could ring around forever. Some call it a return of the old U2. I say the old U2 never left. Bono has called this the beginning of U2's ecstatic music phase. Songs from here on have more of an uplift than they've had in a while. We're out of the thick of it for now.
Love and Peace or Else A combination of "Rattle and Hum" (reaching back into the past for a sound), "Achtung Baby" (take what you've learned and dirty it up a bit) and "War" ideals (say what you want to say loudly), this song hits you over the head with its sound but not with its message. It contains touches of so many U2 eras but somehow manages to stay fresh and exciting, ensuring a highpoint of any live performance for years to come. You've got the message, the strong drumming, the deep bass line, the Eno keyboards, the distant cousin of "Bullet the Blue Sky's" solo. It's all there for us to take in and experience.
One Step Closer A step away from the loud and brash, this song reminds you that music is like a prayer. You can ask God, Allah, your higher power (whoever they may be) for a little understanding. And hopefully, if we listen long enough, we'll all be one step closer to knowing.
There are so many more songs I wanted to talk about; "Gone," "Until the End of the World," "Dirty Day," "All I Want Is You," "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," "Out of Control," "Gloria," "Vertigo," "Desire," "Elevation," "Stuck in a Moment," "Please," "If God Will Send His Angels," "Mofo," "Love Is Blindness," "Tomorrow," "Original of the Species," "Wire," "One Tree Hill," so many songs that can be considered classics or signature U2 songs.
But the ones I've chosen are the ones that turned my world around a little bit faster upon hearing them, the ones that made me sit up and take notice. They're the songs that reminded me why I chose this group to become a major contributor on the soundtrack of my life. But, more importantly, these songs show me that the band is always finding new ways and new sounds to tell its story. We just have to listen.
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