U2 appreciation thread
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Topic: U2 appreciation thread
Posted By: Biff Tannen
Subject: U2 appreciation thread
Date Posted: March 08 2010 at 13:49
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One of my favorite bands, of any genre, for sure. I was big into them when I was a teenager, but they went by the wayside for a long, long time, but in the last few years, I have really gotten back into them in a big way, and I have been reminded why they were my favorite band for several years in the late 80s (before getting into Floyd, Rush, and then tons of other great music). I'll save the favorite songs and albums talk for now, as we don't want to give it all away at once, right?  Anyway, all U2 fans are welcome in this thread! 
------------- "What are you looking at, butthead?" |
Replies:
Posted By: Raff
Date Posted: March 08 2010 at 13:53
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Though I haven't really followed them for years, I used to be a big fan of theirs back in the day, and was one of those people who discovered them when they released their debut album, Boy. I saw them live when they stopped in Rome for the Joshua Tree tour, and it was one of the most memorable concerts I've ever seen. Their support act was another of my Eighties favourites, The Pretenders, so it was quite a double bill. Their performance of "Bullet the Blue Sky" was incendiary, and if I still remember it after all this time, it must mean something!
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Posted By: WalterDigsTunes
Date Posted: March 08 2010 at 13:57
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Up until 1987, they were making some amazing music. Delay pedals and Eno assistance helped alter their early raw edge, but when they hit their stride, they were on fire. Shame about their abrupt decline into techno and blustering mediocrity, though. Ouch. |
Posted By: SgtPepper67
Date Posted: March 08 2010 at 13:57
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I was a big fan when I was a teenager, then I got a bit tired of them mainly because their overexposure in the media, plus they had a couple of weak albums (All that you can't and How to dismantle) wich helped me lose interest in them although now I think those are ok albums with some amazing songs. I didn't care for their last one at first but a few months ago I give it a listen and I loved it, so I started to get interested again, I never see them live so I'm hoping they come to my country this year. My favourite albums are definitely Achtung baby and Zooropa, from their most experimental period. I think they're very underappreciated by prog fans so don't expect too many people posting on this topic. -------------  In the end the love you take is equal to the love you made... |
Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: March 08 2010 at 14:00
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I have their entire discography. I really enjoyed their latest No Line of the Horizon. I've never seen them live, but I do have their Rattle and Hum concert video on DVD. I kind of go through warm and cold stages with U2. It took me quite a while to warm up to them. I had a co-worker about 20 years ago who really liked them, and he strongly convinced me to listen to a couple of their albums and I found them to actually be pretty good, so I went out and got my own copies. ------------- 
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Posted By: Matthew T
Date Posted: March 08 2010 at 14:10
Love em'..........Achtung Baby back are my main favs. What about The Edge he really has his own style with that guitar. And not a solo in sight. Even though it is a later album than I mentioned what about the Johnny Cash song off Zooropa almost as good as BB King. Actually ( Change) Love Em' from Zooropa Back are my main favs In the Name of Love.------------- Matt |
Posted By: Biff Tannen
Date Posted: March 08 2010 at 14:23
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They lost me a bit in the 90s with their sudden turn in style, so it wasn't all me getting into other music. I was so thrown by what they were doing, and when you combine that with all of the great music I was getting into back then, it was easy to kind of forget U2 and put them on the backburner. However, when looking at their whole career now, albums like Zooropa and Pop have a unique charm to them. No, they aren't as good as masterworks like Achtung Baby and The Joshua Tree, but they both have some great stuff on them. In fact, the five post-AB U2 records all seem to be similar in this respect: 2-3 great songs, a bunch of songs that range from good to really good, and a couple of throwaways. I totally get why so many were put off by their sudden experimental turn in the 90s. I mean, U2 going electronic was unheard of, and is something no one ever thought they would do, but having gone back and listened to that material a lot, it is a lot better than I originally thought, and that era produced some great, great songs - "Gone," "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me," "Zooropa," "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)," "Staring at the Sun," "Mofo," "Gone," etc. Even a song like "Lemon," while not as great as some U2 fanatics would like us all to believe, is a good song. I think what hurt those albums right off the bat were the fact that neither lead singles were very good; "Numb" was a neat experiment and a great idea, but its execution was a little off, and "Discotheque" is pretty mediocre. I also think a horrendous song like "Get On Your Boots" being the lead single from the last album was a huge mistake, too. "Magnificent" is an instant U2 classic, and should have been the first single. Matthew T, I hear ya about The Edge. I absolutely love his playing and his signature sound. He isn't a great technical player, but who cares? He leaves his mark on every U2 song, and his sound and style are a big reason why U2 is one of the biggest, best, and most popular rock bands ever. That says it all. ------------- "What are you looking at, butthead?" |
Posted By: The Pessimist
Date Posted: March 08 2010 at 14:31
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'Nuff said folks On a serious note, they're OK I guess, they'd be better without an irritating frontman. Joshua Tree was a good album though. ------------- "Market value is irrelevant to intrinsic value." Arnold Schoenberg |
Posted By: Matthew T
Date Posted: March 08 2010 at 14:44
------------- Matt |
Biff Tannen wrote:Posted By: jampa17
Date Posted: March 08 2010 at 16:12
My God..!! we already have Marty McFly and now we have Biff Tannen as well... who would knew my favorite movie characters were lovers of prog rock... welcome dude... U2 is unlistenable for me... can't deal with Bono's weak voice and his Christ pose, but I promised to listen to Actchun Baby (mispelled, I know) to give them a second shot... not still but soon... ------------- |
Posted By: memowakeman
Date Posted: March 08 2010 at 16:48
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One of the first bands I listened (and liked) whose language was not Spanish, was U2, so since I was a teenager I used to listen to some of their albums. Then, lost interest for several years, but now that old love has returned. Got a copy of "The Unforgettable Fire" recently and I've been playing it over and over for the last month, it is a fantastic album. Attended to a show within the Vertigo tour some years ago and despite there was some material I do not like, the concert was first class. An spectacular performance!
------------- Follow me on twitter @memowakeman |
Posted By: Epignosis
Date Posted: March 08 2010 at 16:52
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Love How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Great music. Also "Until the End of the World" is a great song. ------------- https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays" rel="nofollow - https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays |
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: March 08 2010 at 16:57
| I love everything up to POP (included). I think Achtung Baby is one of the greatest masterpieces of its era, but in recent years I found myself listening almost completely only to their first three albums. |
Posted By: Raff
Date Posted: March 08 2010 at 16:58
That it is  . I remember seeing the movie years ago (interesting, though rather uneven), and being very impressed by the song. |
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: March 08 2010 at 17:00
And to all those saying Bono is a weak/bad singer, I say "just try to do Staring At The Sun" 
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Posted By: WalterDigsTunes
Date Posted: March 08 2010 at 18:14
Try "Boy" or "The Unforgettable Fire." In fact, try to find the double disc edition of the debut in order to hear Bono circa 1979 (back when he's just a goofy kid that's just glad to be rocking out). |
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: March 08 2010 at 19:26
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First saw them as a support act back before Boy was released (which was a great album) but my interest waned with October and War. Under a Blood Red Sky is probably the album I've played the most since then. ------------- What? |
Posted By: jampa17
Date Posted: March 08 2010 at 19:31
mmm... Ok... "Boy" seems to be an easier album to borrow (steal) from my brother library...  I'll check it out... ------------- |
Posted By: stonebeard
Date Posted: March 08 2010 at 19:37
Ugh. *dislike* That's the only U2 album I'd say it atrocious. It's got about 2 or 3 pretty good songs, and lots of meh, and a few dear-god-what-am-i-hearings. ------------- http://soundcloud.com/drewagler" rel="nofollow - My soundcloud. Please give feedback if you want! |
Posted By: stonebeard
Date Posted: March 08 2010 at 19:39
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Also, October is one of the most underrated albums of all time. It's top tier U2.
------------- http://soundcloud.com/drewagler" rel="nofollow - My soundcloud. Please give feedback if you want! |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: March 08 2010 at 20:07
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love them, seeing them for Joshua Tree was one of the greatest rock experiences of my life |
Posted By: Biff Tannen
Date Posted: March 09 2010 at 10:07
While Bono is definitely something of an egomaniac, I can't imagine any scenario where U2 would be better without him.
Thanks for the welcome ...but weak vocals? Yeah, I definitely think you need to listen again.
I actually disagree with that recommendation. Boy has a few really good songs, but is really inconsistent. I don't think they really hit their stride till War. The first two albums have their moments, but I would never recommend them to try to convert someone. ------------- "What are you looking at, butthead?" |
Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: March 09 2010 at 10:16
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Never been a fanboy, but I always liked them, from the very beginning. When I was after their first album, Boy, they were not yet well-known around here, and there was no sign in those days (1980) that they were to become a supergroup a few years later. On the contrary, the guys in the record shops threw up stupid remarks like "No, but we have UB40", which even manage to annoy me 30 years later. Not because I have anything against UB40, by the way... ------------- 
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Posted By: aapatsos
Date Posted: March 09 2010 at 14:45
| I think I can only listen to Joshua Tree and that is how far I can go... |
Posted By: memowakeman
Date Posted: March 09 2010 at 17:38
I wish I had the same luck, but in those days I was a child
A U2 concert from The Joshua Tree or The Unforgettable Fire tour, would have been like a dream to me ------------- Follow me on twitter @memowakeman |
Posted By: Biff Tannen
Date Posted: March 12 2010 at 00:01
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In an effort to keep this thread going , I would just like to point out how U2 is one of those rare bands that manages to have at least a couple of great songs on each and every record, even their least best ones. To wit: Boy: "The Electric Co." and "I Will Follow" October: "Gloria" and "October" War: "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "New Year's Day," "Drowning Man," "Surrender" and "40" The Unforgettable Fire: "Bad," "Wire," "Pride (in the Name of Love)," "The Unforgettable Fire" and "A Sort of Homecoming The Joshua Tree: Pretty much every song is great, except for maybe "Trip Through Your Wires" and "Exit" Rattle and Hum: "All I Want Is You," "Hawkmoon 269," "Heartland" and "Van Diemen's Land" Achtung Baby: Like TJT, pretty much every song, except for "Mysterious Ways," which I have never been that fond of, although I like it more now than I used to Zooropa: "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)," "Zooropa" and "Dirty Day" Pop: "Staring at the Sun," "Gone," "Please" and "Mofo" All That You Can't Leave Behind: "Kite," "Walk On," "Beautiful Day" and "Elevation" How to Dismantle at Atomic Bomb: "City of Blinding Lights" and "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" No Line on the Horizon: "Magnificent," "Unknown Caller," "Breathe" and "Fez-Being Born" ------------- "What are you looking at, butthead?" |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: March 12 2010 at 00:09
| ^ yeah I appreciate how they continue to cultivate their sound without being monotonous |