New Album Discussion 1 - Songs of..... - Unreasonable guitar album

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I mean, when the buttons pop off because you can’t fit into it anymore it’s the only way to keep it that way.

Also, CNN.com article about the Apple New Product event yesterday leads with this line:

Apple is wedging AI into its phones like a new U2 album no one asked for.

But I was told that only a small number of people on Twitter still cared or thought about this! :unsure:
HAPPY TENTH ANNIVERSARY SONGS OF INNOCENCE!!!
 
On the whole fifteen concerts thing, I don't really care what people do with their money, but from the band's perspective it must be a little weird to see the same people at their gigs so many times. I'm sure you'd have to notice.
 
On the whole fifteen concerts thing, I don't really care what people do with their money, but from the band's perspective it must be a little weird to see the same people at their gigs so many times. I'm sure you'd have to notice.
Hence the "hole in the heart" incident on the Elevation Tour.
 
To add - nothing here screams "U2 are definitely making an announcement soon."

The guy does appear to be turned in and has leaked dates for other acts in Ireland.

The two points about Glastonbury and whether they're touring next year are fair and could just be based on the same shit we've all heard. The post about leaking into about a band could be U2 - but it could be any number of other acts as well.

So giant grains of salt, folks.
 
Why would they do Glasto again when their last go-around didn’t exactly bring down the house?

We know that’s not the ideal live setting for them where they don’t control everything and are playing to a less partial/inebriated crowd?
 
i'm not sure exactly where this should go - which, i mean, i guess if i don't know nobody does - so i'm putting it here.

apparently the Qanon crowd has been discussing a certain advertisement as if it were a sign of the coming awakening and, well, i'll let you see for yourself.

 
i'm not sure exactly where this should go - which, i mean, i guess if i don't know nobody does - so i'm putting it here.

apparently the Qanon crowd has been discussing a certain advertisement as if it were a sign of the coming awakening and, well, i'll let you see for yourself.


This is so funny. I've just found his TikTok account, he's doing follow-up videos. Hilarious.
 
Why would they do Glasto again when their last go-around didn’t exactly bring down the house?

We know that’s not the ideal live setting for them where they don’t control everything and are playing to a less partial/inebriated crowd?
It might not be raining this time?

Inappropriate footwear aside, I've no doubt that a greatest hits Glastonbury appearance with minimal talking, no new songs etc would be well received by all (other than those who'll complain about anything).
 
Yeah, as much as I'd like to see U2 again, I'm not paying more than $100 per ticket, and that's even on the high end. There are so many good bands that tour that you can see for $30-$40 per ticket that put on as good of a show.
Ha ha ha ha. All ticket prices are crazy, man. I paid more for Disney on Ice.
 
So,what are we thinking. No new album this year it seems,are they not leaving it late to announce a tour for 2025?

HTDAAB anniversary shows?
Love new music like any fan -- but at this point, I'd prefer they just tour more often as they have more songs that we all love that they can ever play live.
 
The SOI anniversary "celebration" continues! Article on the AVClub's main page, from the guy who runs/writes for All Music Guide:

Thank god Songs Of Innocence wasn't a viable streaming model
this is, perhaps, the best written article on the whole SOI debacle i've read in the 10 years since it came out, and late stage U2 in general. it hits on everything, without being overly snarky or just taking unwarranted pot shots at the band because, hey, that's what's hip and cool with the kids.
 
this, right here, knocks it out of the park. it's the perfect description of the "Songs of" era of U2.

U2 went even larger on Experience, a move that helped illustrate the fatal flaw of Innocence. Somewhere underneath that processed clamor and yearning desire for relevance lies a modest, moving account of an artist attempting to come to terms with their fate by questioning their beginnings. The contours of that album are interesting but they’re lost through U2’s quest to remain the biggest band in the world, a desire that culminated in the group forcing its music on every Apple user on the planet—a move that ironically finally brought the band back down to earth.

the band's quest to always be the biggest and best in the world has led to incredible highs throughout their career - and is the key driver in their multiple creative changes - from War to UF/JT - from JT to Achtung Baby - from Pop to ATYCLB, etc.

but it's also the thing that has consistently knocked them down a peg - Rattle & Hum, PopMart, Songs of Innocence/Apple.

they were able to recover from the first two missteps because they were still young enough to shift gears and remain relevant.

on the last one - the only move left is to embrace the old - as they'll never be able to regain true pop relevance again because, well, they're too old to do so - and that is what's been so damning to their legacy.
 
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They did right by their legacy with U2:UV. More of that, please.
undoubtedly. and i do think they need to focus on their legacy. i mean - honestly, who gives a turkey about people and their "dinosaur act" and "heritage act" crap. uh, yea. they're in their 60s. no shit. there was some wiggle room in their 40s and early 50s but the key to transitioning to the next phase of your career while keeping your legacy in tact is knowing when to stop chasing "relevancy."

they couldn't jump off the train in time. No Line should have been their hint.
 
this, right here, knocks it out of the park. it's the perfect description of the "Songs of" era of U2.



the band's quest to always be the biggest and best in the world has led to incredible highs throughout their career - and is the key driver in their multiple creative changes - from War to UF/JT - from JT to Achtung Baby - from Pop to ATYCLB, etc.

but it's also the thing that has consistently knocked them down a peg - Rattle & Hum, PopMart, Songs of Innocence/Apple.

they were able to recover from the first two missteps because they were still young enough to shift gears and remain relevant.

on the last one - the only move left is to embrace the old - as they'll never be able to regain true pop relevance again because, well, they're too old to do so - and that is what's been so damning to their legacy.
This is a great take. I agree almost completely, although I might re-frame the last part slightly because I think that with SOI and SOE a weird - and extremely unfortunate, for us - mix of massive self-doubt and the absence of critical voices in their inner circle dug them into a hole they'll probably never get out of.

For me, this is the key quote from the piece - about hiring Ryan Tedder:
"Tedder’s presence suggests just how at sea U2 was during the Songs Of Innocence sessions: his glib sentimentality and glassy melodies run counter to the band’s naked empathy."

I would bring Songs of Surrender into the conversation too as a way of elaborating on this. While it might seem like a throwaway project, with a little bit of distance it seems pretty self-indulgent and clearly designed (primarily by Edge, it would seem) to promote Bono & Edge as great songwriters. Instead of the triumph they hoped for, however, what we got was forty songs, some interesting but most of them middling, and a largely forgettable project.

Having said that, I also think that it's in Songs of Surrender that the lesson of their late career missteps is audible (or not) most loudly: in the absence of Larry, Adam, and, notably, the contributions of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. But will they recognise that problem? I wouldn't bet on it.
 
yea i can't agree on SOS.

if they rolled out the big guns and pushed it hard from a marketing standpoint? okay, maybe. but they did the bare minimum, and i don't think they even did a single live promotional performance to push the album.

my hope is that the project showed them that Rick Rubin was full of shit.
 

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