Ouizy and Maud: Completely agree. Look at my post from two years ago. Seems like nothing's changed. Word for word, from March of '14:
Stream of Consciousness Ramblings
Haven't posted, or even looked, on here for years. Just had to get some thoughts out of my head.
What a disappointment U2 has become. Just absolute blah. I used to friggin' love, I mean LOVE this band. I'm 46, right in the wheelhouse of classic longtime fans. They once seemed destined for the pantheon reserved for the true heavyweights of the genre. And based on their 1980-1993 output, they still deserve huge consideration. But it's like they've never recovered from the knockout blow that was Pop. Really, they've been staggering ever since.
In retrospect, I guess the day they died for me was the day I heard "Beautiful Day" on the radio for the first time. I honestly thought it was elevator musak--some kind of imitation U2 or something. Then I kept hearing people saying how "All That You Can't Leave Behind" was a "return to basics" or "back to the good old days", and I was like, "What? This is nothing like either of those things." And it's not like I was longing for a return to the good old days. I just wanted new, good music from them. I didn't mind the experimentation at all--Pop just didn't work for me, or a lot of others, for that matter. But it seems like they got so scared after that that they just dialed it back to keep producing this dreck. I can't even call it "middle of the road dreck", because that is more appropriately reserved for artists like Adele or Coldplay. Yet even they somehow manage to supersede U2 for balls these days.
What the hell happened? Intellectually, I know all bands have a shelf life. Compared to other all time greats, their heyday is about the same as others: Beatles1962-1970, simply amazing), Stones (1964-1981) Who (1965-1978) Zeppelin (1969-1980). Beatles and Zep stopped at exactly the right time due to circumstances. Who carried on a bit, then stopped, then re-grouped, etc, and have been trotting out greatest hits tours ever since, even sans two members. Since 1993, U2's arc most resembles the Stones of the mid 80's to the present: Release a horrible album every 4-5 years, followed by mammoth tours where all anyone cares abut are the oldies. Damn, I remember going to one of the first shows of the Zoo TV tour at the Meadowlands where they opened with 8 (!) songs from the "new" album, and they absolutely rocked the house. There'd be a F'in riot if they did that now. They also didn't play anything pre-"Unforgettable Fire", meaning only stuff from the current and previous three albums. If they did that today, the equivalent would be 8 new songs (from whatever album they can't quite seem to put out yet) and then only songs from "All That You Can"t Leave Behind" and beyond. Who'd be up for that?
Emotionally, it's just kind of sad. I've given up any hope of this band ever being close to what they once were. The track record over the last 15 years just says it's not going to happen. "Stuck in a Moment", "Vertigo", "City of Blinding Lights", "I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight", "Window in the Skies". Just one piece of shite after another. Don't even start with "Get On Your Boots". And now these two latest turds.
Bono rightfully has to take the blame for the majority of this crap. He's the frontman, the lyric writer, the face of the band. And the lyrics have been downright clunky. The vocals nowhere near what they used to be.
But you know who seems to be getting a pass all these years? The Edge. Where is the interesting, soaring, "from outer space" guitar that once made this band so unique? Why is every song so damn mid-tempo, or trying too hard to "rock" in some way that just sounds silly? Doesn't he listen to this shit and wonder what happened? Hell, just the opening notes to "Pride" put all of these songs to shame. And I literally mean that: just the opening 10 seconds. I was just passing by a room in a hallway today, and those first guitar notes of "With or Without You", where you first really hear Edge's guitar, were playing. Just so ear-catching. Where are the catchy riffs today? Does he not assert himself in the studio anymore? Has he lost it too? Off the top of my head, I feel he has tried to do that only a handful of times since 2000. One was "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own", but the guitar sounded so much like a mix of "All I Want Is You" and the live version of "Bad" from the '85 EP, that it was disconcerting. The other was "Crumbs From Your Table", which had potential, but was somehow just a little off (Bono's vocals/lyrics didn't help there). To a lesser extent, it was tried with "Magnificent", which sounded good at first, but disappeared like cotton candy after a few listens. No staying power. Not anthemic, though it tried so desperately hard to be.
To those who read this far, I appreciate it. I said I had some things to get off my chest. I know I'll get torched by some out there. But I've earned the right, with all I've invested (in all senses of the word) in these guys. They'll always hold a special place in my heart, but the last 15 years have done a lot towards watering down those memories.
