i must admit it, i will not lie.... sometimes i truly think some crew fans say bizarre, unsupportable sh1t just to be different and oddly beligerent
A good band. Sometimes brilliant. Generally overrated. Talented guitarist and drummer. The weak link, which no one ever says, is Bono. Well Adam Clayton, too, but he doesn't really count. A man who, more often than not, has chosen to write bland songs on topics bordering between important and pretentious. I don't think there are many U2 songs that I personally like, where he's the showcase. It's usually a great guitar riff or drum part. Maybe In God's country.
There's no band that I love more, but there's also no band that infuriates me more, on many levels. But dealing with just the post-20-year mark, Pop is totally underrated. There's some filler but "Discotheque", "Mofo", "Please", "Gone", and "Staring At The Sun" are all great songs. They're just not traditional U2 songs. All That You Can't Leave Behind is a half-great album, Atomic Bomb about one-third great. Live shows this time around are not as strong as the Vertigo tour. The question of how their later-stage work compares to other artists is bit hard to tell, because everyone is compared to what they did before individually. Dylan, Neil Young, Paul Simon, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Costello have all IMHO put out some great later work that can stand on its own; Bruce has hit-and-miss material; Bowie is just trying so hard to do something different every time out that it's hard to categorize him. But as far as bands go, you'd be hard-pressed to find any act that has been around for as long and is still putting out relevant product. Nobody's going to see the Stones to hear things from A Bigger Bang, for example. So on that level U2 pretty much stand alone.
This just in. It's an opinion. A taste in music. Therefore it does not need to be supported, just as if you were saying the complete opposite you wouldn't need to support it either. That's the nature of opinions. Grow up.
--- no one has to support an opinion, but it's better if you do, i think. saying that U2 is/are overrated, on its own, ends up with: no they aren't! yes, they are!
I didn't say they were overated. I stated that I liked Zooropa and Pop better than the albums afterwards. I gave reasons as to why, throughout the thread as well, mainly I find the lyrics on the last two albums Phil Collins like in their banality.
For me it boils down to this. Uber music snobs will label them as "not as good as the Clash". Real music fans understand that they're better than the Clash, even though they didn't get any of the Clash/Doors/Hendrix mystique by not breaking up or having a member die or leave acrimoniously. That being said, they are past their creative best, even if that means they still put out good music. Its just no longer great - its merely very good. But in this day and age of overproduced garbage, that's still pretty good.
--- i fully agree with the idea that U2 hasn't written a truly great song since Achtung Baby. but as an appendix to that opinion, i would like to note that most musical groups have waned in creative spark as their careers progressed. the two best examples i can think of off the top of my head are Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. Coda? or dare i mention Bridges to Babylon?, which actually made the top 10.
please note above correction. If ever, 10 out of 10 was underrating an album, war would be it. The second side of war, starting with Like a son, especially drowning man and 2 hearts beat as one has been in my car cd player(holds 6 cds) for 10 years and I still listen to it about twice a week. ... also, U2 is only my 7th or 8th favorite band
--- and your top six? 1. ABBA 2. The Monkees 3. Journey... etc... btw, are you thinking of purchasing an new car soon? i have some ideas.
hey man, don't rag on abba - fernando was a excellent pop song! ... and journey's cool too! the monkees were not actually a band but a tv creation who didn't sing or play their own instruments. can't afford a new car either ... sucks to be me
Top Six: Zeppelin - way ahead of the pack at number one Next, In no particular order: the who, stones, police, floyd Next level: soundgarden, bob marley
U2 is the most relevant bad in the world.....musically, and Bono off the stage as well. They are an incredibly consistent band, Zooropa (Stay is one of their greatest tunes) and Pop were awesome as well, experimentation is the key to progression, who knows, that is how they got to ATYCLB and HTDAAB, which are two of their greatest albums to date. U2 are in their own sphere of influence, seems they haven't been touched by the years as their shows are still vibrant and energetic, their music poignant and socially relevant. Why wouldn't they be rated among the best of all time? I can seem them getting only better and better....you can't say all about many bands, certainly not any that are still around now bar a few.
I'm a pretty big fan of U2, but come on. They've been making good solid rock for the past 5 years. I don't think any U2 fans will agree that their latest 2 albums have been some of their best. They don't even come close to Achtung. And Zooropa? Ugh. That its socially relevant maybe true, but that doesn't make it great music.
I gotta stick up for "All You Can't" again. It's not The Joshua Tree or Achtung, but besides those two, it's as good as anything U2 has ever done. BTW...I was a fanboy 20 years ago. I remember that after TUF came out, they were interviewed, and they said that until after War, they weren't really sure they wanted to do rock'n'roll for a living. If you listen to the first couple of albums, you can hear it. Brilliant in their way, but you can tell there were certain things that didn't work, the band knew it, but just said f'it, it's good enough.
I totally agree, but just on the latest; how to dismantle an atomic bomb was one that i consider gold material because none of the 11 songs are bad; some are better than others, but i feel that all are definitely good.. my only complaint was the order of the songs on the album, miracle drug sounds a bit too similar to vertigo- but the album was great in each song that being said, that is why achtung baby will always be my favorite: the closest to perfect they could ever get- all are great songs and the order i have no complaints about
I saw them in concert last weekend in Dallas, and the show was amazing (even from the nosebleed seats). The last album was good, and the new songs take on a new life when done live. "Love and Peace or Else" is amazing, and fits snugly in with the classics performed around it, like Sunday Bloody Sunday and Bullet the Blue Sky. The quality of the last 2 albums, and the quality of their live shows means that they are even more relevent than they were 20 years ago. If you don't beleive me, spend a ton of money on scalpers and go see them NOW!
--- you are such a brave soul. around here, liking Journey is about the same as saying you eat quiche. i still have some ideas about a car for you...
I just finished listening to The Unforgettable Fire, and it reminded me about few other things in looking at this band over 20 years. Post-Joshua Tree, Bono's lost a bit off the top end of his vocal range. He can't sing, the "wide awake!," refrain from Bad as he did on the album or in live performance (the live ep and Live Aide vs Rattle & Hum show this-I tend to cringe when he croaks out the part now). Bono's use of the falsetto. Maybe the most annoying thing about the band's music for me. The band never really grew as musicians. Edge's guitar style is quite unique; very much a trademark sound in rock. But there is a kind of trepidation now to his attempts to take solos-which is a shame in a way, because when I listen to Under A Blood Red Sky, his playing seems more strident and confident. 11 O'Clock Tick Tock and The Electric Co. especially-you almost imagine him going crazy windmilling ala Townshend on certain parts of the tunes. Maybe that's just them getting older, but I loved the way the band sounded during that era. Larry and Adam have been steady but nothing that stands out for me over the years. I also think at some point they should have added a keyboard player. Eno and Lanois serve as that "5th" member to an extent. But having a Billy Preston or Ian Stewart-like person in the band I think would have been interesting.
Agreed on Bono's live voice. The smoking has hurt it, almost guaranteed. The top shelf and his 95mph fastball is gone; the will is willing, but the body is not.
Nah. Check out Gang of Four. He copies their right hand technique to a T, at least on his solid chords.
It is the accepted conventional wisdom among the Los Angeles supporters who were present that the fate of the Earthquakes was sealed in blood last Saturday night the moment the P.A. system at Spartan Stadium started blaring, completely un-ironically, Journey's "Don't Stop Believin." This displeased the soccer gods greatly.