Red Hill Mining Town Appreciation Thread

[LastEdgeOnEarth]

Ok....so I've been a U2 fan for years now, and this song never really did much for me, until the last couple of years. But even then, I just thought it was decent.

Until about 2 weeks ago...

I CAN'T STOP singing this song!!!!

Bono's melody on that is forever ensconced in my memory cells. It has quickly become one of my favorite U2 melody's....right up there with COBL, One, and Hawkmoon 269.

This melody gives me shiver and I have THE BIGGEST SMILE ON MY FACE when I'm singing the chorus in my car!!! I can't hit the chorus, so I switch to falsetto, and I STILL can't help but smile!

Sorry...I just had to get that off my chest.

I will be playing this out at my next gig, I can guarantee you that!!!!

 

[LemonMelon]

Probably the second or third best song on JT, which is high praise indeed. It's amazing.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

A thrilling song. One of the best.

Bono paints a beautiful picture with his words.

Scorch the earth. Set fire to the sky. Stoop so low to reach so high. Link lost. Chain undone. We wait all day for night to come...and it comes...

Loooooooove slowly stripped away. Loooooooooove has seen its better dayyyy!

 

[Cin]

the video. . . . . the video



YouTube - Red Hill Mining Town

 

[vaz02]

One of bono's best vocals. Pure gold.

 

[LemonMelon]

BTW, I don't buy Bono's claims that he can't hit the notes on RHMT live. There's no way he can deliver that performance one time and never be able to do it again unless all of his vocal cords changed shape immediately after the tape stopped rolling.

 

[Rob33]

BTW, I don't buy Bono's claims that he can't hit the notes on RHMT live. There's no way he can deliver that performance one time and never be able to do it again unless all of his vocal chords changed shape immediately after the tape stopped rolling.

I agree, I hope they do it on the next tour.

This song is definitely in my top 10 all time favorite U2 songs....IT ROCKS!

ok this thread inspired me...I'll go listen to it

 

[BonoIsMyMuse]

For some reason, I seem to skip over it a lot when I'm listening to the JT. Every time I do listen to it, though, I always wonder why I skip it, because it's such a good song. I love how powerful Bono's vocals are on it. If he can belt out Pavarotti's part in Miss Sarajevo, he can still sing RHMT, no doubt.

 

[65980]

I've always liked RHMT. I probably liked it more back in the late 80s than I do now, but I still think it's great.

I have a theory about it, which goes like this: It seems to be inspired (lyrically) by the UK miner's strike of 1984-85. I think, as Joshua Tree got underway in late 85/early 86, this song's lyric was probably front and centre, high on Bono's priority list. I have no idea when the track was laid down, but I have the feeling that after the Conspiracy of Hope tour, Bono and U2's worldview had shifted a lot. By the time they got around to releasing the album, the lyric of RDMT probably seemed a long way away from where they were at conceptually, in addition to the fact that the miner's strike was long over and was sort-of old news by then. Either the band or someone else must have pushed for it to be a possible single, so they filmed the (embarrasingly bad) video, but quickly shelved it.

Given these factors, plus the fact that the chorus has some hard-to-hit notes, they never put it in the setlist and people didn't seem to miss it so they never second-guessed that decision.

Just my theory...

 

[LastEdgeOnEarth]

BTW, I don't buy Bono's claims that he can't hit the notes on RHMT live. There's no way he can deliver that performance one time and never be able to do it again unless all of his vocal cords changed shape immediately after the tape stopped rolling.

Ya know, if Bono can't hit it, he should switch to falsetto.

I know that sounds like a crime...and it would be if it didn't sound good.

But it does sound good. It's such a high note on the "I'm still waiting....you're always left to hold one" part that EVEN when you switch to falsetto, it still sounds good because it's a LOUD falsetto....i switch to falsetto, and it's one of the rare times when I do swtich to falsetto that I think I actually sound good.

It's become my favorite falsetto parts in the world to do!

If Bono did it falsetto, not only would he find it easy, he might actually like the way he sounds.

 

[digitize]

Considering that Bono really has better range right now than he ever has before, I can see it coming back on the next tour.

 

[Zoots]

Bono paints a beautiful picture with his words.

Scorch the earth. Set fire to the sky. Stoop so low to reach so high. Link lost. Chain undone. We wait all day for night to come...and it comes...

Loooooooove slowly stripped away. Loooooooooove has seen its better dayyyy!

Beautiful Beautiful lyrics!

 

[intedomine]

Lyrics are awesome, love the soaring chorus, was a fantastic inclusion on the JT album. Flows very nicely between RTSS and IGC, really nicely.

 

[JCOSTER]

A thrilling song. One of the best.

Bono paints a beautiful picture with his words.

Scorch the earth. Set fire to the sky. Stoop so low to reach so high. Link lost. Chain undone. We wait all day for night to come...and it comes...

Loooooooove slowly stripped away. Loooooooooove has seen its better dayyyy!

ditto, ditto, ditto

 

[bonocomet]

same here ^ Those lyrics are really nice.

 

[ladywithspinninghead]

This is def in my top 10 fave U2 songs. I find it so intense that I can't have it on as background music - it's one of those songs that stops you in your tracks and demands you listen.

 

[Moser]

Red Hill Mining Town

God sings this song in his sleep.

 

[An Cat Gav]

Third best song on The Josha Tree after One Tree Hill and Streets. One of the songs that made me into a hardcore U2 fan back in 87.

 

[The Sad Punk]

I must say, my opinion of it changes pretty regularly. Sometimes I think it's one of the very best on the album. Other times I find it to be very lumbering. I do consistently like most of the lyrics, though.

 

[gareth brown]

still one of my all time favourites. possibly favourite on the Joshua Tree....not sure though never am!

 

[Aardvark747]

good song. shit video.

 

[U2girl]

BTW, I don't buy Bono's claims that he can't hit the notes on RHMT live. There's no way he can deliver that performance one time and never be able to do it again unless all of his vocal cords changed shape immediately after the tape stopped rolling.

I know they tried to play it live - even wanted to make it a single - but it was dropped for that reason; he could not do it live. I don't know - I don't think he ever strained on record as much as that chorus, especially at the end.

Very good song, it gets overlooked in favour of the big 3 and Bullet/RTSS duo of the first half of JT:

 

[doctorwho]

BTW, I don't buy Bono's claims that he can't hit the notes on RHMT live. There's no way he can deliver that performance one time and never be able to do it again unless all of his vocal cords changed shape immediately after the tape stopped rolling.

If I recall the story, Bono strained his voice singing this song in rehearsals. And it's because of this that U2 decided to release a different second single. As he belts out this song, it's not surprising to me that if he just launched into it without proper vocal warm-ups, he would indeed strain his vocals. Given that Bono also had difficulty singing in the dry desert air on the JT tour (and the PopMart tour - makes ya wonder if starting the upcoming tour in Vegas is really such a good idea given Bono's past history with launching tours in the desert), it definitely isn't surprising that he had vocal difficulties.

However, like you, I doubt he retained those vocal problems for the entire tour and U2 probably could have incorporated this song into their JT or LT tour setlist.

Now that Bono's had lots of vocal training and has really matured as a singer, he's shown recently that he can hit those big notes, but without damaging his voice. Perhaps U2 will treat us and finally bring out the long overdue RHMT on the next tour???

 

[gareth brown]

good song. shit video.

haha agreed. only watched the video once when I got the joshua tree box for christmas (read it was available on YouTube before but decided against it, thought I'd leave it and it'd be more special) needless to say I never watched it again until this thread popped up and I decided to give it another watch. Dead cheesy...wish they released it as a single and just made another video it's appalling...the whole drumming with a pipe and releasing birds...nevertheless it is a PLEBA'n's dream where Bono is concerned. Look at him!

 

[Bug]

I love the song more than I love most things.
The video was an extreme disappointment, though.
They probably should have just left it to be the impossible Holy Grail everyone thought it was.

 

[Rob33]

I love the song more than I love most things.
The video was an extreme disappointment, though.
They probably should have just left it to be the impossible Holy Grail everyone thought it was.

why does everyone care so much about the video? or for that matter, videos in general? Who gives a shit, it's a video....the audio is what is important- the actual music

 

[Addicted To Bad]

why does everyone care so much about the video? or for that matter, videos in general? Who gives a shit, it's a video....the audio is what is important- the actual music

I think the video is sort of important but in this case (RHMT), I believe that most of people who didn´t like it are more "male" fans because they are emphasizing a lot Bono´s beauty... Hum... Am I wrong ??? Well, anyway in my opinion it´s one of the most beautiful songs from that era and... I had to watch it many, many times... and I am still watching it...humm.. Why ??

 

[Bug]

I think the video is sort of important but in this case (RHMT), I believe that most of people who didn´t like it are more "male" fans because they are emphasizing a lot Bono´s beauty... Hum... Am I wrong ??? Well, anyway in my opinion it´s one of the most beautiful songs from that era and... I had to watch it many, many times... and I am still watching it...humm.. Why ??

I'm female and Bono is ttly qt but the overwhelming corn and BIRDS in the video well.... overwhelm me. Genius song though, I really wish they'd try it out live.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

If I recall the story, Bono strained his voice singing this song in rehearsals. And it's because of this that U2 decided to release a different second single. As he belts out this song, it's not surprising to me that if he just launched into it without proper vocal warm-ups, he would indeed strain his vocals. Given that Bono also had difficulty singing in the dry desert air on the JT tour (and the PopMart tour - makes ya wonder if starting the upcoming tour in Vegas is really such a good idea given Bono's past history with launching tours in the desert), it definitely isn't surprising that he had vocal difficulties.

However, like you, I doubt he retained those vocal problems for the entire tour and U2 probably could have incorporated this song into their JT or LT tour setlist.

Now that Bono's had lots of vocal training and has really matured as a singer, he's shown recently that he can hit those big notes, but without damaging his voice. Perhaps U2 will treat us and finally bring out the long overdue RHMT on the next tour???

i agree with this. although i'm not sure if they'd bring it back on tour. although given how with vertigo they resurrected some of their older songs, you never know for me, i file it in the "unlikely, but not impossible" folder.

 

[Harry Vest]

Wasn't this supposed to be the first single and then they went with WOWY instead???