U2 to stream free concert Sun Oct 25th live from the Rose Bowl

In fairness, sir, Oski didn't come into this thread saying "U2 is great!" in a three-word post... other people just started the hating without articulating anything...

 

the Jonas brothers and Marley Cyrus are the worst act of musical performance known to mankind.. So, I can live with U2 on youtube...

 

People will understand I had a lapse of memory cause I'm old.

We still have no idea why you are posting fake wife pictures on a thread about a CNN reporter.

Let's say you do play the guitar, you're not the Edge. mr second coming of Stevie Ray Vaughn.

 

U2 is streaming their concert.

Can you pick up some tabs and stream their entire catalog by 5pm today on youtube? please mr Jimi Hendrix?

 

Well, for starters their first 3 albums are extremely high-energy with a very unique sound at the time in terms of The Edge's guitar sound and Larry Mullen's drumming. Evidence is right there in the first song on the first CD Boy- "I Will Follow." Multiple examples of outstanding guitar-drums interplay on the first 2 CDs, including Gloria, The Electric Co, Out of Control, with (man, this is going to sound corny) uplifting vocals- hard to explain, but if you listen to the end of Gloria or the middle of Out of Control, you'll know what I'm talking about. U2, from the beginning, set out to make anthemic music and clearly admitted this from their 3rd album on.

In War, you have one of THE classic rock CDs, starting with the 1st song Sunday Bloody Sunday, which through its military-style drumbeat and its lyrics depicting that particular event in Irish history, immediately captured people's attention as a song that was about something important. Add to that New Year's Day, which has one of the most recognizable opening piano notes and bass lines in rock history, and you have 2 all-time classic songs. Then, you have hard-charging blasts like Like A Song, Refugee, and Two Hearts Beat as One (another killer bass line and a song in heavy rotation on MTV back in the day), coupled with more quiet, reflective numbers like Drowning Man and 40. Again, very "anthemic" music (some call it pretentious and bombastic- all depends on how you look at it).

When you get to Unforgettable Fire, the band who made their mark with guitar-driven, loud bass-and-drums music changes musical direction a bit and incorporates keyboards and synthesizers- and a softer guitar sound- into their work- highly successful in some songs (Unforgettable Fire, Bad) and so-so in others (Elvis Presley and America). Still, several songs that many would consider classics, most notably Pride (In the Name of Love).

Now, with Joshua Tree, they hit the motherload commercially through With or Without You and Still Haven't Found.... For the most part, they retain the sound of Unforgettable Fire- Where The Streets Have No Name, with its slow build-up and staccato guitar, provides another anthemic song. Their most popular CD- personally, I don't think it ranks as high as the first 4, but many very good songs, including Bullet the Blue Sky and Mothers of the Disappeared.

For all the others except for Achtung Baby, I'll just say that U2 has continually tried to experiment with sounds, styles, etc. while trying to retain their overall "anthemic" sound- sometimes very good (Pop), sometimes so-so (Zooropa). I can definitely understand why some might say, based on their post-Achtung Baby output, that they are overrated. I don't agree with them, but I do think the quality went down a bit. Still very good and better than most of what's out there, though.

Now, to Achtung Baby. I've listened to probably, oh, tens of thousands of albums, CDs, and cassettes throughout my 35-year music listening history. Even though this is only my opinion, I can say, though, that at least I've been exposed to a lot of different types of music, from reggae to country to rap to rock to classical to jazz to blues, etc. etc. And Achtung Baby, IMHO- again, IMHO- is one of the top 5 CDs of all time. It is very, very rare for me to listen to a CD and instantly shout CLASSIC after I'm done with it. Achtung Baby was one of them. It's just one of the most emotionally affecting CDs I've ever heard- evidence would be So Cruel, Wild Horses, Ultraviolet, One, Love is Blindness, Trying to Throw Your Arms, Acrobat, - heck, every song, and that's dead serious. Look at the Amazon reviews- people don't just like this CD, people don't just love this CD, they are literally obsessed with it- somewhat similar to the way OK Computer, Nevermind, Automatic for the People, The Wall, Exodus, Kind of Blue, King of the Delta Blues Singers, Fear of a Black Planet, Red Headed Stranger, and Abbey Road affects their fans. Bono's lyrics can tend to be a little strange or even so-so sometimes- not on Achtung Baby- it's their one CD where he truly does a GREAT job on the lyrics.

There are too many highlights to list about that CD. If U2 did nothing else but release Achtung Baby, they would be Hall-of-Fame material (and if you think one CD can't get a group into the Hall, then you don't know of a group called the Sex Pistols). Combined with Boy, October, War, The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree, and Pop, they're earned the right to be known as one of the all-time great bands. Even lesser works have merit, unlike other bands. And in response to another poster, since when did complexity of music dictate greatness? If this were the case, then ELP would rank ahead of Buddy Holly- and that just ain't so. It's not just about musical chops- a lot of those artists with technical brilliance can't write good songs to save their lives- and that is perhaps even more difficult to do than master an instrument. And look at how many songs U2 has put out that not only get the AM-pop radio treatment- like With or Without You- but also the FM-respected-artist airplay, like Where the Streets or Pride.

"Overrated" is done by people, not the band. I could easily call The Beatles "overrated" and "one of the best bands of all time." "Overrated" is not necessarily a knock on the band, although that's how we often perceive it. U2 set out to be a larger-than-life group, and they pulled it off. U2 gives people something to believe in. They make grand gestures- somewhat audacious- like putting out a white flag during the War tour- and capture people's imagination because of this. A group like this is always going to be subject to the inevitable backlash- you know, the old "tear em up and tear em down" syndrome. At the same time, one does not have to like U2 simply because they're one of the most popular bands on earth. Bono's singing is fine to me, but he definitely does not have the best range. The Edge's guitar playing is unique, but he can definitely seem simplistic to some. And their anthemic music is not for everyone- some prefer a more dialed-down type of music.

Bottom line is that "overrated" shouldn't be seen as a knock on the band- rating is done by the consumer. My "rating" of them is that they were one of the 2-3 best bands of the 80s, one of the 4-5 best bands of the 90s, and they're in the top 30 in the 2000s. Most groups are lucky to be popular in even half a decade, much less 3. So, I would say that they are one of the best rock and roll bands of all time, according to my rating. And I'll be totally biased here- anyone that listens without prejudice to Achtung Baby and doesn't like it is just flat-out wrong- that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

 

sure.

perhaps, but you seem to be the only one worried about it. as I have said before, I thought I was being funny and apparently I was the only one who got the joke....I failed at pics or gtfo. I admitted it. Seriously, why would I care what you think of my wife? don't flatter yourself, you're not that important.

I do play the guitar. I am not close to the skill level of Edge(notice that I didn't say talent.)

and I am not anywhere near SRV's talent. I never will be.

thats why I said I am a NOVICE....did you have another memory lapse and forget the meaning of that word?

 

did you know Miley Cyrus packed 70K fans into reliant stadium?

she must be the greatest artist ever. amirite?

 

I admit, you made the entire thread more entertaining for your trickery and Swoly-D figured you were the balloon boy in the attic.

 

What's similar about U2, soccer, and baseball? They are all free to the public. What I don't get is how someone can go in an iPhone thread and say they hate it. Chances are they've never owned one. Hate the price, hate that you can't afford one, but don't hate the phone.

That is the definition of hater. Everyone who owns an iPhone loves it.

 

So I guess your novice guitar player who can play the entire U2 catalog by 5pm was your attempt to make this thread funny.

I vote for you for most original comedian on clutchfans then.

 

dandorotik, can you be a little more specific in explaining why you like U2 so much?

Seriously, that about nailed it. For my money, The Unforgettable Fire is THE best album (I still call them albums, not CD's) to emerge from the 80's. I can honestly say that I have been consistently listening to that album for 20 years now and it never gets old or sounds dated. Quite the opposite, actually.

U2 + Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois = album for the ages.

I have Achtung Baby on my iPod, but to be honest, I haven’t really listened to it a whole lot for whatever reason. I may have to revisit it soon if it’s as good as you say it is

 

wow, thanks for sharing that.

although I still disagree. The techniques you mentioned weren't pioneered by U2, nor were they revolutionized or mastered by them.

I do like Achtung Baby the most out of all of U2's albums, but thats not saying much. I still don't think it's impressive.

I just can't get into u2's vibe. Perhaps it has to do with Bono and his perceived ego. IDK, even as a kid I never was a fan, They just seem extremely flat......hollow, empty. I know there are a lot of highs and lows in their albums, but to me, it doesn't sound genuine(like coldplay) I'm not sure if that makes sense to you.

I do think one thing people need to understand is....just because I think U2 sucks and is overrated, that doesn't mean I think you personally suck for liking them. Music is music. except for The black eyed peas.

 

you guys need to at least make to the early 90s! those were some good years

 

here ya go pops....

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hyperbole

 

thanks dave chappelle, i thought you retired.

 

I get that and that’s partly why I phased out of them after Rattle and Hum. I didn’t really like the direction they took during the 90’s (Zooropa, Pop) and I didn’t get the whole “look at us, we’re being ironic!” thing.

But Bono has kind of ditched the ego and mellowed out over the last decade or so. At least that’s the impression I get. And it started when the band went back to basics with All That You Can’t Leave Behind. That was the first album I bought from them since Rattle and Hum.

 

U2 is awesome. Let the haters hate, I will definitely be watching this live concert.

 

you are missing out dude.

Achtung is better than Joshua Tree in my opinion.

You can find classics in every album. Pop got the worst publicity because Discotechque was the first single, but behind that are some very emotional songs. Please, Staring at the Sun, Wake up Dead Man etc

What do you mean 'back to basics'? Cause Edge isn't going wild on the sound? that's the only difference I can tell.

They are still singing about politics, life, etc.

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We need an "In before the U2 hate" guy just for the humor value.

And for all you Lou Reed Fans:
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Of course- but you know how it is with music- it's like reflective of them so if you insult "it," you're insulting them. Kind of like the Rockets- we can say that they occasionally s**k, but a fan of another team better not DARE SAY THAT ABOUT OUR GUYS OR WE'RE GOING TO SERIOUSLY START CRACKING SOME SKULLS!! U2 definitely ain't for everyone. They do write songs that appeal to people, I'll definitely give them that. And their whole "playing in stadiums" thing has been going on since the 90s, so I'm not sure if Miley Cyrus is an apt comparison. It's like Madonna- I personally don't get into much of her music but I respect the heck out of her for putting out so many songs that appeal to people- and to do for as long as she has, like Prince, is very tough to do. That's why so few reach that level.

I don't think they necessarily pioneered that sound but it definitely sounded different back in the day. My friends and I watched MTV religiously back in the early 80s, and when U2 came out with "Gloria," almost everyone was like, "Wow, that sounds kinda different and cool." There were other bands that had a similar sound, like The Alarm and Simple Minds, but the songs just didn't hit you the way U2's did. I think among the most popular rock bands of all time (Beatles, Floyd, Who, Zep), U2 may be the least talented (before you all get in an uproar, that doesn't mean they are not talented- quite the contrary- but I think all those other bands mentioned above were more "virtuoistic" on their instruments than U2), so I think that makes the songwriting abilities that much more impressive.

The Who caught a lot of flak in some circles for the same thing- you know, the rock operas, the whole "pretentious" label- but The Who were so good live and on record that they pulled it off. Same with Zep. Again, music is really all down to personal taste. The one thing you can't deny is that they've definitely been doing something right to still be selling out stadiums, and I respect them for that. The other thing you can't deny is that no amount of evidence, facts, etc. can force you to like any band because music is subjective.