U2 thread

[Ben_Jamin]

Theirs an automatic download option, which you can turn off, because I have it set to manual. Which makes it funny why people are complaining,  plus couldn't you just delete it. Or better yet, turn off the auto-download option. Or...why not get rid of itunes if your so concerned about future downloads. 

[Zook]

Itunes says I purchased it, but I can't find the damn thing. Oh well.

[Accelerando]

Itunes says I purchased it, but I can't find the damn thing. Oh well.

Go to your Purchased tab and download it from there.

[Kotowboy]

Yeah, I'm really, really liking this new album. I think Every Breaking Wave is my favorite so far.

Since ATYCLB - every album has had a "Grace". A song which is just blandness in a song.

on Atomic Bomb it was " One Step Closer "

On Horizon it was " White as Snow "

There's nothing like that on Songs Of Innocence.


Their 2000s albums :

1. All That You Can't Leave Behind. 
2. Songs Of Innocence.


3. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb






4. No Line On The Horizon.

[Zook]

Itunes says I purchased it, but I can't find the damn thing. Oh well.

Go to your Purchased tab and download it from there.

Thanks. There was a Purchased link on the main store page where I found it. I just checked and I have automatic downloads turned off so that's why I initially couldn't find it anywhere.

[Zydar]

I like the rockers most, like Volcano and Raised By Wolves. U2 has never been a ballad band for me.

[KevShmev]

Their ballads can definitely be hit or miss, especially in the 21st century. 

I just discovered the song Disappearing Act, which was included on the 2009 remaster of The Unforgettable Fire as a bonus track.  Holy crap, what a song.

And I had just done redid my U2 mp3 CD for my car, and then I go and discover that song.  Not to mention that I now the U22 live album from the 360 tour, which has several live versions that are totally awesome that I want to include now - Zooropa (I love finally having a great live version of this), Unknown Caller (far better than the live version from the Rose Bowl show) and the acoustic version of Stay (Faraway, So Close!). 

[Kotowboy]

So Sharon Osbourne claims that they gave it away because nobody would buy it

If she wants to get into popularity -

U2 total worldwide sales : 250m
Black Sabbath - 70m

No Line On The Horizon : 5m sales
13 - 1m sales

Ozzy's last solo album ? less than 1m total sales...

U2 - Exact same line up since 1976.
Black Sabbath ??

[KevShmev]

She's a terrible human being.  In every way possible.

I will be curious to see if anything from No Line on the Horizon gets played on the next tour.  By the last leg of the 36 tour, only Get On Your Boots and Moment of Surrender were still getting played at every show, with Magnificent getting played here and there, but they have to have realized by now that Get On Your Boots was not liked by fans and should be dumped, and I can't imagine Moment of Surrender being played anywhere in the set but at the very end, and they won't close with it again, so that will likely go bye-bye as well.  I could see Magnificent getting played again, which would be great since it wasn't played at the show I saw.  Sadly, they ditched Unknown Caller about midway through the tour, so I doubt they'll ever play that again; I still love that tune.

[Anguyen92]

So Sharon Osbourne claims that they gave it away because nobody would buy it

If she wants to get into popularity -

U2 total worldwide sales : 250m
Black Sabbath - 70m

No Line On The Horizon : 5m sales
13 - 1m sales

Ozzy's last solo album ? less than 1m total sales...

U2 - Exact same line up since 1976.
Black Sabbath ??

Not to mention that amount of money that U2 has made on tours and the # of people that came to their shows within the last four decades or so.

[Kotowboy]

I'm pretty sure that "360" is the biggest grossing tour of all time.

750m dollars ?


Since she didn't ask. She just took a jab at what she thought was an easy target.

[Kotowboy]

Just for shits and giggles - i looked up black sabbath's past members on Wiki

 

Really didn't realise quite so many people could lay claim to being part of the band.


They're almost the metal Fleetwood Mac ! Probably worse !

[King Postwhore]

Sharon can only be in the public eye thanks to Ozzy's money since she is the only person I would promote that needed plastic surgery.  Now imagine if he had Bono's money.

[Kotowboy]

The reason U2 have never had a line up change in 40 years is because they split everything 25%.

Now look at Black Sabbath - I bet Tony and Ozzy get the lion's share whilst Geezer and Bill probably had to share a pittance.

Hardly surprising he had to leave the band before the 13 sessions.

Probably cheaper for Iommi and Osbourne to pay a session drummer a wage rather than give Bill 25% of all income.

[Zook]

I'm sure making a shit ton of money probably helped in their decision to stay in the band.

[KevShmev]

That's a helluva deal for Clayton and Mullen, both of whom most would agree are far less valuable than Edge or Bono.   Rush does the same thing, spitting everything three ways equally, although in their case the value of all three is about the same.  I'm surprised more bands don't do that, for the sake of band harmony and unity, but then again, most bands are not as unique as Rush and U2.

[Kotowboy]

" Songs Of Innocence " will be followed be a companion album called " Songs Of Experience " within 18 months...



Hmmm where have I heard that before ?!

There was supposed to be an album called "Songs of Ascent" ready to come out in 2010...

[KevShmev]

I'll believe it when it randomly shows up in my iCloud.

[Nel]

Physical release is next month. Not the cover art I was expecting, but hey, I like the album, I'll buy the 2-disc version.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NI5RLOW/ref=asliqfspasiniltlie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00NI5RLOW&linkCode=as2&tag=intersrecor05-20

[King Postwhore]

I'll believe it when it randomly shows up in my iCloud.

 

[Kotowboy]

Physical release is next month. Not the cover art I was expecting, but hey, I like the album, I'll buy the 2-disc version.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NI5RLOW/ref=asliqfspasiniltlie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00NI5RLOW&linkCode=as2&tag=intersrecor05-20

It's better than seeing Adams wang on Achtung Baby. 

[KevShmev]

Is that really the cover?? Good Lord.

[Kotowboy]

Is that really the cover?? Good Lord.

It's not just two guys. It's Larry Mullen Jr and Larry Mullen Jr. Jr.

[KevShmev]

Wouldn't that be Larry Mullen III?

[Nel]

Larry Mullen The Second Second. 

[King Postwhore]

This is my brother Larry Jr, My other brother Larry Jr, Jr........

[Kotowboy]

Let's play " Rank the 21st Century U2 albums !! "

For me this is easy.

1. All That You Can't Leave Behind.  2000

The first time I heard " Beautiful Day " me and my bro were both like " Oh finally ". . It was U2 sounding like U2 again. A few people claim it was them playing it safe -

- but they usually make their best music when they do what they do best  - and this album is choc full of great songs that were even better live. The Elevation Tour DVD was amazing.

2. Songs of Innocence.  2014

Already better than No Line On The Horizon and How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb. Just U2 being U2 and writing great songs with amazing melodies and choruses. The Miracle is a

fantastic opener and Song For Someone is probably their best song this century. There's no real dud track and when sequenced with Ordinary Love & Invisible - a really strong album

overall.

3. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.  2004

Not quite as good as the two above but I absolutely adored Vertigo and wished the whole album was that rocking. Unfortunately - it's basically All That You Can't Leave Behind - just

not as good. Got a few really weak songs in the shape of " One Step Closer " and " Love and Peace Or Else ". As with the preceding album ( ATYCLB ) - the best track on the album

is the bonus track. The Ground Beneath Her Feet, and here - Fast Cars.  However - Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own is gorgeous.

4. No Line On The Horizon. 2009

Not entirely sure what to make of this album. The lead single was poor and really only has a handful of stand out tracks ( Breathe, Fez, No Line On The Horizon & Magnificent ) . The rest

are really dull ( " White as Snow " ) or just uninteresting ( " Stand Up Comedy " , " Unknown Caller " ). Good closer in " Cedars Of Lebanon " though. I like Bono's

Mark Knopfler-esque talky singing style on that one. But overall a really difficult album to like and not much to enjoy.

[Kotowboy]

My brother and I will be witnessing this in now a matter of hours at Busch Stadium:

https://blogs.suntimes.com/music/U2_Chicago2_72dpi.jpg

 

That picture is now my desktop background

[KevShmev]

I think the new one is much better than the others from this century, although I thought that about NLOTH at first, too, but that one didn't age that well, so we'll see.  However, unlike NLOTH, I am liking every song on the new one a lot; nothing even close to a dud on there.  Iris might be their best album track since Achtung Baby; it's that great, IMO.  It sounds so effortlessly rocking and enjoyable, and the section near the end is freaking incredible:

Iris standing in the hall
She tells me I can do it all
Iris wakes to my nightmares
Don’t fear the world it isn’t there

Iris playing on the strand
She buries the boy beneath the sand
Iris says that I will be the death of her
It was not me

 

[Kotowboy]

Iris reminds me of Exit with that single note clean guitar in the verses just twice as fast.

That section from Volcano that goes : You were alone, and now you 're not alone - you and I are rock and roll - reminds me something off Pop.

Mainly the vocal effects - the funk guitar part and the way Bono sings " You were aloo--one. " the second time he says it.


I always enjoy Edge's funk guitar parts. The one from Discotheque is a great part and quite tricky to play.



What about Miracle Drug ? I think it's a good song but sounds like they were trying to re-write With Or Without You.

[Kotowboy]

Just listened to "Fast Cars" again.

First line : " My cell is ringing - no ID i need to know who's calling ".

Interesting...

[KevShmev]

I like Miracle Drug, but I don't love it.  Most of the songs on How to Dismantle... are like that for me, except for Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own (which is great), City of Blinding Lights (which is far better live) and Crumbs from Your Table, which are my three favorites from it. 

I've never heard Fast Cars; I'll have to check it out.

[Kotowboy]

It might be just me but I think U2 can pull stuff off that other bands would find extremely naff - and make it seem
Cool.

Like the Popmart tour. If any other band had done that it would have seemed completely ridiculous.

It *was* completely ridiculous but when it's U2 - it's acceptable because they're so huge that it kinda makes sense.

Also they all four of them look great as a band. You couldn't imagine anyone but Adam playing bass for them. 

[KevShmev]

I'm still amazed by the backlash to them giving this new album away for free.  Reading reviews on various sites, the vast majority of negatives ones mention Apple or something about it being bull shit that the album was shoved on to them and their iCloud.  Hell, I've been around long enough to know that people love to bitch about the stupidest shit (this is DTF, after all ), but this really takes the cake.  It's like, some are so pissy about it that they want to hate the album.  It's pathetic, really.

[KevShmev]

BTW, Kotowboy, have you heard the bonus disc yet?  It's out there.  

There are two other new songs, the album version of Invisible (which is better, as the intro and outro are both a bit longer), and a bunch of alternate versions of songs from the normal album (mostly acoustic ones).  Of the two new songs, The Crystal Ballroom, which is a very dancy track, is pretty great.  The other, Lucifer's Hands, is okay, but I've only listened once.