The Crystal Ballroom - Song Discussion

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Reggie Thee Dog said:
Any 'new', 'non-album cut/B-Side' is usually held to this sort of gold standard...:doh:

TCB is a very good song, I don't see it replacing anything on SOI. I've only listened to it a few times, and I like it, but I'll give it a few dozen more spins before I figure out where it stands in regards to 'legacy' and this album in particular...:yes:
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I just listened to CB next to Invisible. I almost laughed out loud, the difference is SO great. CB destroys it.

I am finding it fitting perfectly as the second track. More cohesive than Miracle into EBW. Gotta have a little party before transitioning to the slower stuff. :)
 
After a few more listens & as much as I really dig it, I can kind of see why they left it off.

Glad we got to hear it regardless.
 
womanfish said:
I just listened to CB next to Invisible. I almost laughed out loud, the difference is SO great. CB destroys it.
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Bob Saget's head just exploded from reading this comment.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference
 
Listened to both the b-side and vinyl version twice. Fun song. I like it and it should be a good time at concerts if they choose to play it. Nothing as extraordinary as some of the posts in this thread were hyping me up to believe.

I can understand why so many would love it though. It sounds very un-U2, which for some reason on this u2 fansite is the hugest compliment a song can get for some users. :lol:
 
Holy crap what a fantastic song!!!! How did they leave this song off of the original release - man what a great tune.
 
I so hope they release this song as a single and use it to promote the deluxe release. Unfortunately that isn't going to happen as Bono is way too proud of Miracle to let it slide. (see: Facebook video today) Like gvox was saying, imaging them coming out to the Apple event with this song... would have been so awesome.

And it totally works as a commercial song, especially with the guitar parts at around the 3 minute mark on the 12" version. Ugh, this song should have been on the album.
 
RoKKeR said:
I so hope they release this song as a single and use it to promote the deluxe release. Unfortunately that isn't going to happen as Bono is way too proud of Miracle to let it slide. (see: Facebook video today) Like gvox was saying, imaging them coming out to the Apple event with this song... would have been so awesome.

And it totally works as a commercial song, especially with the guitar parts at around the 3 minute mark on the 12" version. Ugh, this song should have been on the album.
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They truly can be their worst enemy sometimes. I mean, they say they want to be relevant, and hear their songs on the radio. So what do they do?
Put out a straight ahead rock song (not really played much on the radio) played by guys in their 50's about a band even older than them...
Then, when it fails to catch on - keep pushing it instead of going on to something that would work like EBW or Crystal Ballroom... Hell, even Volcano.

p.s. - CB is awesome.
 
Anyone else remember last time a "dance" song was the leadoff release? How'd that work out ?

No, CB is exactly where it belongs, there's some serious myopia on some of the bonus material. I'd take it over SFS but then CB would be my 11th favorite song on the album. I'd rather they had SFS as a bonus song too and just made it a single vinyl album rather than a double which it doesn't really need to be with that run time.
 
I really, really like it. But it does feel unfinished. After the typical verse-chorus-verse-chorus it just meanders on, becoming more a collection of ideas rather than something complete and exciting. It's the same with Lucifer's Hands, really, though this one is more interesting.

The chorus is GREAT, and I think in terms of style it'd be a way more interesting single than The Miracle. The ending would IMO need a bit tightening and a more clear direction, though.

JTbaby said:
Anyone else remember last time a "dance" song was the leadoff release? How'd that work out ?
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This is the kind of reasoning that discourages taking risks. If you believe a song is first single-material, you shouldn't let the past stop you. And to be fair, if your goal is to "be relevant", a dance single is way more fitting than some standard rock affair (which is what, whether you like the song or not, The Miracle is) in the year 2014.
 
Both CB and LH have very promising first 2 and a half minutes or so

Then....not so much....
 
JTbaby said:
Both CB and LH have very promising first 2 and a half minutes or so

Then....not so much....
Click to expand...

Interesting, I wasn't really wowed by the first 2:30 by CB, I mean, it was good. But not wowed. But the 2nd half of the song is what makes it so great, literally starting right at 2:30.
 
I think their "apple stunt" has put any talk of relevance to rest. They don't need a "single", any radio station can play whatever they want, they have all the songs available to them. Radio is so fragmented anyway. I don't hear anything that's top of billboard charts as that's not the type of radio station I listen to anyway. Satellite radio is in more and more cars every day and that's another dent in the traditional lowest common denominator crossover radio hit potential audience. No, U2 doesn't need a half baked dance song to win anyone else over, they've already gotten their album to a wider audience than anyone else will.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference
 
Well, I've played it for several non-U2 fans, a couple of which just plain don't care for the band at all. The reactions were all positive, and I even found perhaps the biggest U2 detractor of the bunch bobbing his head up and down the whole time. If they want to be on the radio again, this could be their best shot.

The fact that they haven't released a song like this in a VERY long time helps as well. So much of my generation (I'm 23) would be impressed by this, because it's not like Vertigo or BD, it's not an in-your-face attempt to be big, it's not dad-rock... etc.
 
mikal said:
Interesting, I wasn't really wowed by the first 2:30 by CB, I mean, it was good. But not wowed. But the 2nd half of the song is what makes it so great, literally starting right at 2:30.
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You are a smart man. Look at my earlier post praising the section from 2:15 to 2:55 as some of their best work ever.
 
JTbaby said:
Anyone else remember last time a "dance" song was the leadoff release? How'd that work out ?

No, CB is exactly where it belongs, there's some serious myopia on some of the bonus material. I'd take it over SFS but then CB would be my 11th favorite song on the album. I'd rather they had SFS as a bonus song too and just made it a single vinyl album rather than a double which it doesn't really need to be with that run time.
Click to expand...

The difference is, this isn't "dance" and they aren't dressing up like the village people. And to be fair, Discotheque was a TOP 10 single in the US!
And Boots went to number 37! So it's actually worked out pretty well.

This is a rock song with some modern leap forward, and something unique and "now" and relevant for them.
 
I would say that the very fact it feels a bit unfinished and Bono's delivery is a bit... eeh... I don't know.. lazy, makes it so appealing. Like Mercy in a way. Maybe that this takes away the album-inclusion-status but I absolutely adore it for just that. Most fun I've had with a U2 track since AB/ZOO era. :up:
 
RoKKeR said:
I so hope they release this song as a single and use it to promote the deluxe release. Unfortunately that isn't going to happen as Bono is way too proud of Miracle to let it slide. (see: Facebook video today) Like gvox was saying, imaging them coming out to the Apple event with this song... would have been so awesome.

And it totally works as a commercial song, especially with the guitar parts at around the 3 minute mark on the 12" version. Ugh, this song should have been on the album.
Click to expand...

:up:
 
womanfish said:
The difference is, this isn't "dance" and they aren't dressing up like the village people. And to be fair, Discotheque was a TOP 10 single in the US!
And Boots went to number 37! So it's actually worked out pretty well.

This is a rock song with some modern leap forward, and something unique and "now" and relevant for them.
Click to expand...

.... and this :up:
 
SleepyDeadMan said:
Well, I've played it for several non-U2 fans, a couple of which just plain don't care for the band at all. The reactions were all positive, and I even found perhaps the biggest U2 detractor of the bunch bobbing his head up and down the whole time. If they want to be on the radio again, this could be their best shot.

The fact that they haven't released a song like this in a VERY long time helps as well. So much of my generation (I'm 23) would be impressed by this, because it's not like Vertigo or BD, it's not an in-your-face attempt to be big, it's not dad-rock... etc.
Click to expand...

I said earlier that if today's "kids" love OneRepublic, Broken Bells, etc, then they would devour this. It's miles beyond any of that. :up:

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using U2 Interference mobile app
 
Can someone explain what exactly "released as a single" actually means any more ?
 
Reggie Thee Dog said:
U2 will, most likely, not be releasing this or any song off of the bonus CD as a single...:no:

They are basically 'extra' tracks, deemed not worthy or suitable for the proper album...:shrug:

Sorry kids...:hug:
Click to expand...

Not True at all. There are tracks like The Crystal Ballroom that just don't fit into the concept or the style of the album, but are not at all deemed 'unworthy' or unsuitable. In fact, in his interviews so far, Bono talks as much about The Crystal Ballroom as he does about any of the album tracks, if not more.
 
Reggie Thee Dog said:
U2 will, most likely, not be releasing this or any song off of the bonus CD as a single...:no:

They are basically 'extra' tracks, deemed not worthy or suitable for the proper album...:shrug:

Sorry kids...:hug:
Click to expand...

Which is strange, because they seem to want to be played on the radio and be cool and have BD-like success again, and this is seriously their best shot at it. It sounds cool/funky/good enough to be something from The Black Keys, Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys... pretty much any of the current "cool" bands that get played on the radio (at least in the USA) atm.

I mean, if they don't care about that, then it's whatever. But the vibe I get from them is that they certainly DO care. So it's surprising that they would miss out on the fact that this song is clearly most "in-tune" with radio these days (out of all the songs on SOI, that is).

Oh well, they'll either realize this or they won't.


EDIT: And it's totally true CK! This generation would absolutely love it! LOVE ITTTTTT!!!!
 
Reggie Thee Dog said:
Sending it out to radio stations...whether terrestrial or satellite.
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Really ?

Was TM "released as a single" ?

Seems to me everyone already had it.

I'm pretty sure if I can access any song I want to that they can too and the phrase is meaningless, pretty much just a program director decision what to play.

If Radio stations want to play CB, they will.
 
hpantazo said:
Not True at all. There are tracks like The Crystal Ballroom that just don't fit into the concept or the style of the album, but are not at all deemed 'unworthy' or unsuitable. In fact, in his interviews so far, Bono talks as much about The Crystal Ballroom as he does about any of the album tracks, if not more.
Click to expand...

I read those articles, and he's proud of the song, but it's still a 'bonus' track on a U2 album. How many of those have been "hit" singles...:hmm:
 
Reggie Thee Dog said:
I read those articles, and he's proud of the song, but it's still a 'bonus' track on a U2 album. How many of those have been "hit" singles...:hmm:
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Well, that's your opinion though, not a fact. We shall see soon enough. This is a new era of music distribution, and U2 are embracing it. I wouldn't at all be surprised to see them release it as a single. If it's a hit or not is a whole other story. Also, can you recall any past album releases where Bono raves about a Bonus track more than the other tracks during the promo interviews? Nope.
 
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