Open Letter To U2

[00Kevin]

Anyways, great thread

 

[t8thgr8]

i swear to god i was going to come on here and start a thread titled an 'an open letter to u2' with the same exact copy. namkcuR, we share the exact same feelings on the current u2 and whats next. i applaud you sir and hope u2 dreams it all up again. The bomb and all that werent bad, but they dont put me in that state of thought the 4 previous records did. kudos on this thread!

This is for real some crazy shit, what a fucking coincedence. wow.

 

[U2Man]

I agree, the beatles were great until the very end.(keep in mind abbey road was recorded after let it be)

The Beatles are still great

Kevin, did you read the entire thread, because namkcuR explained his point further?

 

[00Kevin]

no sorry, i got lazy and assumed no one would further mention it

 

[namkcuR]

Burning out doesn't neccessarily mean ending your career abruptly just because a record didn't sell well. If you end your career at the top of your game, as I believe the Beatles did with Abbey Road, I think that too can be viewed as burning out. It's certainly not fading away.

 

[00Kevin]

Burning out doesn't neccessarily mean ending your career abruptly just because a record didn't sell well. If you end your career at the top of your game, as I believe the Beatles did with Abbey Road, I think that too can be viewed as burning out. It's certainly not fading away.

I guess you could look at it that way

 

[KUEFC09U2]

I agree. If you happen to love HTDAAB, go post in the many 'HTDAAB appreciation threads' and contribute there.. Don't go into a thread and belittle the poster with insensitive remarks. Everyone is entitled to their say. If you have a contrary opinion, state why...rather than contribute things like 'I am glad you are telling me what to like' or millions like HTDAAB so you are wrong in your post.'

Some people like the post-2000 U2, some don't as much. Jeez. We are all fans or we wouldn't be wasting time on these boards.

does that not go to the same people who dont like the album, but come into appretiation threads to express the same opinions on why they dont like it etc? is that ok then?

 

[namkcuR]

does that not go to the same people who dont like the album, but come into appretiation threads to express the same opinions on why they dont like it etc? is that ok then?

No that's not ok. I got quite upset at a user who I will not name now, for that very reason. And it's no one who has posted in this thread. That's all I'll say about that.

 

[KUEFC09U2]

No that's not ok. I got quite upset at a user who I will not name now, for that very reason. And it's no one who has posted in this thread. That's all I'll say about that.

thank you at least we got the cleared up, but that does happen quite alot

 

[starvinmarvin]

Hi, namkcuR, I've been reading this thread with great interest....I've been restraining myself LOL

Wouldn't imagine you are referring to me. LOL

 

[angelordevil]

Burning out doesn't neccessarily mean ending your career abruptly just because a record didn't sell well. If you end your career at the top of your game, as I believe the Beatles did with Abbey Road, I think that too can be viewed as burning out. It's certainly not fading away.

The only predictable thing here is this thread...not the band. I truly believe anyone with a problem with the current U2 is stuck in a moment they can't get out of. Love and Peace...Vertigo, Crumbs, OTS...some of the best stuff U2 has done. And, if you want to make a blanket statement, and suggest they're becoming less experimental, how about the stuff that came on the heels of HTDAAB, songs like Mercy and Electrical Storm? Not exactly stuffy clunkers

 

[namkcuR]

The only predictable thing here is this thread...not the band. I truly believe anyone with a problem with the current U2 is stuck in a moment they can't get out of. Love and Peace...Vertigo, Crumbs, OTS...some of the best stuff U2 has done. And, if you want to make a blanket statement, and suggest they're becoming less experimental, how about the stuff that came on the heels of HTDAAB, songs like Mercy and Electrical Storm? Not exactly stuffy clunkers

I really get rubbed the wrong way by those 'Anyone who' or 'Anyone that' statements that people make sometimes.

Anyway, I like Mercy a lot, I hope they follow in that vein. It would've been the best song on HTDAAB bar none. Electrical Storm was enjoyable but not all that challenging imo.

BTW, I don't think I used the word 'experiment' or any form of it anywhere in my original post

 

[KUEFC09U2]

The only predictable thing here is this thread...not the band. I truly believe anyone with a problem with the current U2 is stuck in a moment they can't get out of. Love and Peace...Vertigo, Crumbs, OTS...some of the best stuff U2 has done. And, if you want to make a blanket statement, and suggest they're becoming less experimental, how about the stuff that came on the heels of HTDAAB, songs like Mercy and Electrical Storm? Not exactly stuffy clunkers

please put some clean underwear on and be prepared to be flamed

 

[U2Man]

I truly believe anyone with a problem with the current U2 is stuck in a moment they can't get out of.

Not exactly helping the situation in here.

I don't think namkcuR "has a problem" with the current U2, he just gave out a few thoughts on where they might go from here, and where he would like to see them go.

 

[popacrobat]

so because the music doesn't "challenge" you?

whats music supposed to challenge you to? a race? a duel?

i challenge pop to... yeah...

okay.

like everybodys already said, same shit, different decade.

this is not 1990 anymore. this is 2000. U2 have moved on from their 90's, just like in the 90's they departed from the 80's. Maybe they'll depart from their early 00's, maybe they won't. whatever it is, im sure it'll be good.

 

[namkcuR]

so because the music doesn't "challenge" you?

whats music supposed to challenge you to? a race? a duel?

i challenge pop to... yeah...

okay.

like everybodys already said, same shit, different decade.

this is not 1990 anymore. this is 2000. U2 have moved on from their 90's, just like in the 90's they departed from the 80's. Maybe they'll depart from their early 00's, maybe they won't. whatever it is, im sure it'll be good.

It's supposed to challenge me to enjoy it, appreciate it. It's supposed to say

'Hey, you wanna love me and appreciate me? Get your headphones out. Listen to me over and over again, enjoying be a bit more every time until eventually BAM it hits you just can't get enough of all the intricacies within me. Take the time and put in the effort it will take to appreciate me, because I will be worth it in the end, because wants the BAM happens, it'll never go away. I will never get old on you. I will always sound fresh, because I'm not just a nice hook and chorus 30 seconds in. All you have to do is explore me and give me your time and effort, because I can't be appreciated the first time just by being played in the car on the way to work or at a party while you're schmoozing. C'mon. I dare you.'

That's what I mean by challenge.

 

[AtomicBono]

It's supposed to challenge me to enjoy it, appreciate it. It's supposed to say

'Hey, you wanna love me and appreciate me? Get your headphones out. Listen to me over and over again, enjoying be a bit more every time until eventually BAM it hits you just can't get enough of all the intricacies within me. Take the time and put in the effort it will take to appreciate me, because I will be worth it in the end, because wants the BAM happens, it'll never go away. I will never get old on you. I will always sound fresh, because I'm not just a nice hook and chorus 30 seconds in. All you have to do is explore me and give me your time and effort, because I can't be appreciated the first time just by being played in the car on the way to work or at a party while you're schmoozing. C'mon. I dare you.'

That's what I mean by challenge.

Ironically enough, I loved Pop on the first listen, but it took me a little while to get fully into ATYCLB. I guess ATYCLB is a more challenging album then.

 

[angelordevil]

BTW, I don't think I used the word 'experiment' or any form of it anywhere in my original post

It is up to you to decide whether you will make records like ATYCLB and/or HTDAAB for the rest of your career, playing it safe, ala the Rolling Stones, or whether you will venture into the unknown --

you certainly inferred it....

 

[The Disciple]

Good stuff!

 

[angelordevil]

please put some clean underwear on and be prepared to be flamed

bleached and pressed....let's go

 

[shaun vox]

Achtung Baby WAS THE LAST GREAT u2 album!!

zooropa was great and so was pop!!

atyclb + htdaab =adult contemporary! these are not good albums they only have some decent songs most of them are just fillers !!

now who wants to listen to my cover of LEMON

 

[namkcuR]

Achtung Baby WAS THE LAST GREAT u2 album!!

zooropa was great and so was pop!!

atyclb + htdaab =adult contemporary! these are not good albums they only have some decent songs most of them are just fillers !!

now who wants to listen to my cover of LEMON

You're not helping my cause.

I am trying to be constructive here rather than just saying ATYCLB and HTDAAB suck because I don't believe that to be true at all.

 

[angelordevil]

Achtung Baby WAS THE LAST GREAT u2 album!!

zooropa was great and so was pop!!

atyclb + htdaab =adult contemporary! these are not good albums they only have some decent songs most of them are just fillers !!

now who wants to listen to my cover of LEMON

I come armed with the brilliant words of Layton in the Just the Bang and the Clatter section....


As for HTDAAB being full of nostalgic sounds, I think the sound of HTDAAB just IS. U2 are trying to just BE, on this album. In other words, stand as you ARE. There's a strong philosophical idea at the root of the 3 words, I capitalized. In their purest form, their representations are irrespective of past or future. They do and exist fully in the NOW. That is a perfect match for the thematic content of HTDAAB.

 

[MrBrau1]

Achtung Baby WAS THE LAST GREAT u2 album!!

zooropa was great and so was pop!!

Ladies and gentlemen, a glimpse into the mind of Shaun. great.

 

[starvinmarvin]

To namkcuR

Thank you for writing your letter. I'm well acquainted with your views from my frequent visits to the Interference forum. We've had some heated debates, but I appreciate that you feel so passionate about our music.

I agree with you that U2 is currently in a fork in the road in our career. But this hasn't been the first time that we've been there. We were there in 1978 when we decided we weren't really a punk band, moved into new wave territory. We were there when we felt our "earnest hard rock" sound in the early 80's was getting stale, and decided to go "atmospheric" with Lanois and Eno on UF. We were there when Rattle and Hum bombed at the box office, and when critics and fans alike grew tired of our American roots rock incarnation. We were there with in the late 90's when our fans made it clear to us that we had gone too far with electronica and experimentation with Pop. It was at that point that we decided to abandon the overblown theatrics and hookless dance elements and just write some great songs again. However, the time has come to change again. Even Larry is getting restless, which is always a good sign. We are moving forward, and we hope you will join us when the next record comes out.

As for the Propaganda quote, I still stand by it. The past two albums are not in any way a sell out. It is work that we wanted to do. We'd never tried writing an album full of great, 4 minute pop songs before. It was a challenge for us, and we really worked hard at it. You have to understand that writing a good pop song is not an easy task. Simplicity can be more difficult than it looks. You have to remember that we had been off on a tangent for the past decade, so it was very hard to simplify things again. We feared we had lost that ability. We had gotten too arty for our own good. We had lost sight of our roots, but we found them again on Beautiful Day, and by the time we finished Bomb we had gone full circle again. When I said that Bomb feels like our first record, that's not bullshit. It really felt that way. If you've seen any of the Vertigo shows, you'll probably sense that we truly believe it.

You stated in your letter that if the work we did on Bomb or ATYCLB is the work we want to do than I should stop reading. But I didn't….I want a chance to explain….

I'm glad you think we haven't sold out. We will do everything in our power to prevent this from ever happening. Yes, we have made some radio friendly singles on the last two albums. We actually tried on Pop, but it didn't work for whatever reason. Time constraints, probably. You see, we've always been a radio friendly band. We love to get our music out there, to as many people as possible. Radio is one way to do that. As far back as I Will Follow, we've tried to write good, hooky songs that we know stand a good chance of getting airplay. Even Zooropa had Stay, which didn't really fit into the theme of the album, but we knew we needed that one great pop song to sell the record. You seem to have become a fan during Pop, which is a bit of an anomaly in our career. I fear that your first impression of the band was of a phase when we had almost lost the plot. Parts were great, other parts were not so good, but overall it didn't feel quite right. If you want us to make another Pop, I'm afraid you may be disappointed.

I also don't agree that we have lost our uniqueness. Name any other band that we sound like today. Coldplay doesn't count - they're copying us. We are still true to ourselves and our fans, and we haven't tried to be anyone other than ourselves over the past 5 years. I'm also sorry that you don't think our music is "challenging" anymore. Even if it were true, it misses the point. Music is not only about being challenging - it is not solely an intellectual exercise. It is also about emotion, and I believe our last two records have more emotion than most of our other albums. It's our own version of soul music.

In summary, we will soon change again. We may fall flat on our faces, and we probably will once again. We want to blow minds, and we will try.

Cheers,
Bono

P.S. I'm not sure what beanies and glasses have to do with materialism though.

 

[The OOTS]

does that not go to the same people who dont like the album, but come into appretiation threads to express the same opinions on why they dont like it etc? is that ok then?

No it's not ok unless someone clearly states a case in a well mannered discussion. It's the silly little one liners written to flame that are more of what I am talking about.

You are right...it does happen both ways unfortunately.

 

[The OOTS]

To namkcuR

Thank you for writing your letter. I'm well acquainted with your views from my frequent visits to the Interference forum. We've had some heated debates, but I appreciate that you feel so passionate about our music.

I agree with you that U2 is currently in a fork in the road in our career. But this hasn't been the first time that we've been there. We were there in 1978 when we decided we weren't really a punk band, moved into new wave territory. We were there when we felt our "earnest hard rock" sound in the early 80's was getting stale, and decided to go "atmospheric" with Lanois and Eno on UF. We were there when Rattle and Hum bombed at the box office, and when critics and fans alike grew tired of our American roots rock incarnation. We were there with in the late 90's when our fans made it clear to us that we had gone too far with electronica and experimentation with Pop. It was at that point that we decided to abandon the overblown theatrics and hookless dance elements and just write some great songs again. However, the time has come to change again. Even Larry is getting restless, which is always a good sign. We are moving forward, and we hope you will join us when the next record comes out.

As for the Propaganda quote, I still stand by it. The past two albums are not in any way a sell out. It is work that we wanted to do. We'd never tried writing an album full of great, 4 minute pop songs before. It was a challenge for us, and we really worked hard at it. You have to understand that writing a good pop song is not an easy task. Simplicity can be more difficult than it looks. You have to remember that we had been off on a tangent for the past decade, so it was very hard to simplify things again. We feared we had lost that ability. We had gotten too arty for our own good. We had lost sight of our roots, but we found them again on Beautiful Day, and by the time we finished Bomb we had gone full circle again. When I said that Bomb feels like our first record, that's not bullshit. It really felt that way. If you've seen any of the Vertigo shows, you'll probably sense that we truly believe it.

You stated in your letter that if the work we did on Bomb or ATYCLB is the work we want to do than I should stop reading. But I didn't….I want a chance to explain….

I'm glad you think we haven't sold out. We will do everything in our power to prevent this from ever happening. Yes, we have made some radio friendly singles on the last two albums. We actually tried on Pop, but it didn't work for whatever reason. Time constraints, probably. You see, we've always been a radio friendly band. We love to get our music out there, to as many people as possible. Radio is one way to do that. As far back as I Will Follow, we've tried to write good, hooky songs that we know stand a good chance of getting airplay. Even Zooropa had Stay, which didn't really fit into the theme of the album, but we knew we needed that one great pop song to sell the record. You seem to have become a fan during Pop, which is a bit of an anomaly in our career. I fear that your first impression of the band was of a phase when we had almost lost the plot. Parts were great, other parts were not so good, but overall it didn't feel quite right. If you want us to make another Pop, I'm afraid you may be disappointed.

I also don't agree that we have lost our uniqueness. Name any other band that we sound like today. Coldplay doesn't count - they're copying us. We are still true to ourselves and our fans, and we haven't tried to be anyone other than ourselves over the past 5 years. I'm also sorry that you don't think our music is "challenging" anymore. Even if it were true, it misses the point. Music is not only about being challenging - it is not solely an intellectual exercise. It is also about emotion, and I believe our last two records have more emotion than most of our other albums. It's our own version of soul music.

In summary, we will soon change again. We may fall flat on our faces, and we probably will once again. We want to blow minds, and we will try.

Cheers,
Bono

P.S. I'm not sure what beanies and glasses have to do with materialism though.

^ now that's a post.
Very well said!

 

[namkcuR]

To namkcuR

Thank you for writing your letter. I'm well acquainted with your views from my frequent visits to the Interference forum. We've had some heated debates, but I appreciate that you feel so passionate about our music.

I agree with you that U2 is currently in a fork in the road in our career. But this hasn't been the first time that we've been there. We were there in 1978 when we decided we weren't really a punk band, moved into new wave territory. We were there when we felt our "earnest hard rock" sound in the early 80's was getting stale, and decided to go "atmospheric" with Lanois and Eno on UF. We were there when Rattle and Hum bombed at the box office, and when critics and fans alike grew tired of our American roots rock incarnation. We were there with in the late 90's when our fans made it clear to us that we had gone too far with electronica and experimentation with Pop. It was at that point that we decided to abandon the overblown theatrics and hookless dance elements and just write some great songs again. However, the time has come to change again. Even Larry is getting restless, which is always a good sign. We are moving forward, and we hope you will join us when the next record comes out.

As for the Propaganda quote, I still stand by it. The past two albums are not in any way a sell out. It is work that we wanted to do. We'd never tried writing an album full of great, 4 minute pop songs before. It was a challenge for us, and we really worked hard at it. You have to understand that writing a good pop song is not an easy task. Simplicity can be more difficult than it looks. You have to remember that we had been off on a tangent for the past decade, so it was very hard to simplify things again. We feared we had lost that ability. We had gotten too arty for our own good. We had lost sight of our roots, but we found them again on Beautiful Day, and by the time we finished Bomb we had gone full circle again. When I said that Bomb feels like our first record, that's not bullshit. It really felt that way. If you've seen any of the Vertigo shows, you'll probably sense that we truly believe it.

You stated in your letter that if the work we did on Bomb or ATYCLB is the work we want to do than I should stop reading. But I didn't….I want a chance to explain….

I'm glad you think we haven't sold out. We will do everything in our power to prevent this from ever happening. Yes, we have made some radio friendly singles on the last two albums. We actually tried on Pop, but it didn't work for whatever reason. Time constraints, probably. You see, we've always been a radio friendly band. We love to get our music out there, to as many people as possible. Radio is one way to do that. As far back as I Will Follow, we've tried to write good, hooky songs that we know stand a good chance of getting airplay. Even Zooropa had Stay, which didn't really fit into the theme of the album, but we knew we needed that one great pop song to sell the record. You seem to have become a fan during Pop, which is a bit of an anomaly in our career. I fear that your first impression of the band was of a phase when we had almost lost the plot. Parts were great, other parts were not so good, but overall it didn't feel quite right. If you want us to make another Pop, I'm afraid you may be disappointed.

I also don't agree that we have lost our uniqueness. Name any other band that we sound like today. Coldplay doesn't count - they're copying us. We are still true to ourselves and our fans, and we haven't tried to be anyone other than ourselves over the past 5 years. I'm also sorry that you don't think our music is "challenging" anymore. Even if it were true, it misses the point. Music is not only about being challenging - it is not solely an intellectual exercise. It is also about emotion, and I believe our last two records have more emotion than most of our other albums. It's our own version of soul music.

In summary, we will soon change again. We may fall flat on our faces, and we probably will once again. We want to blow minds, and we will try.

Cheers,
Bono

P.S. I'm not sure what beanies and glasses have to do with materialism though.

Like you're really Bono.

But I'll address you arguement anyway. The difference is that after War, they tried something they hadn't done before. After R&H, something they hadn't tried before. After Pop...ATYCLB and especially HTDAAB don't sound 'new' to me in the way the other records did. They ARE good records. But they don't have the challenge or the freshness in them for me.

I'm not much amused as this mock response letter, though.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate your input, but I wish you wouldn't have put it in the form of that mock letter.

 

[starvinmarvin]

Like you're really Bono.

But I'll address you arguement anyway. The difference is that after War, they tried something they hadn't done before. After R&H, something they hadn't tried before. After Pop...ATYCLB and especially HTDAAB don't sound 'new' to me in the way the other records did. They ARE good records. But they don't have the challenge or the freshness in them for me.

I'm not much amused as this mock response letter, though.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate your input, but I wish you wouldn't have put it in the form of that mock letter.

get a sense of humor.

 

[angelordevil]

To namkcuR

Thank you for writing your letter. I'm well acquainted with your views from my frequent visits to the Interference forum. We've had some heated debates, but I appreciate that you feel so passionate about our music.....

AMAZING!!!