Forum menu
Apart from the drum break from Sunday Bloody Sunday that appears in Lost & Found, I've never knowingly listened to a U2 track. Until Apple and U2 uploaded some rubbish to my iTunes. Never forgiven either party.
Well I admire him for what he has achieved, it's not just about the music if you broaden the view a little....
http://www.elevation.com/ep_it.asp?id=112
Bono is also a committed and successful activist in global politics and development policy. During 1999-2000, Bono played a leading role in persuading the U.S. and other industrialized nations to write-off over $30 billion of old debt owed by the poorest countries, so that the monies freed up could be spent on health and education. In partnership with other activists, his campaigning efforts contributed to the U.S. decision to triple foreign assistance to Africa, and to mount a response to the AIDS crisis, resulting in 2 million Africans receiving life-saving anti-retroviral medication. He is a co-founder of ONE, a campaign backed by more than 2 million people from around the world who are committed to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease. He also co-founded (RED), a private sector initiative involving some of the world's leading brands. (RED) channels funds from purchases of (RED) products to The Global Fund’s programs fighting AIDS in Africa.
Not a bad set of achievements to have on a cv, is it ? I'll put up with some music thrown at my iPad if that's ^^ the upside... It's not as if he was responsible for crashing the world economy or being as catastrophically poor at singing at public events as Paul McCartney....
I like(d) them. They still make a couple of good songs per album, but don't make good albums any more, but it's very odd for any band to last a long time without a changing lineup. They were terrific live but they don't do much for me now, and Bono's voice isn't what it was. I was at that Wembley gig too, thought it was excellent. Support was Spear of Destiny+World Party+The Pretenders.
Once went to see them play in Newcastle on The Tube, along with The Undertones and Big Country. Then hop in an Austin Maxi and race down to Leeds for their main gig, and back to the Kirk for afters.
Edit: I'm on the telly, stage invasion on the Tube
what is the differnce between Bono and God?
God doesn't walk around Dublin pretending to be Bono.
- knock knock
"Who's there?"
- "Bono"
"**** off, you shit"
the whole band grates me. "hi, i'm the Edge".... wtf... you've given yourself an article? you are now a "thing"? "**** off, Dave"
"hi, i'm Bono" what is wrong with Paul? oh, and "**** off".
the audacity to tell us to give money to hungry people when they themselves have millions and have set up elaborate schemes so that they pay next to zero tax.
they've turned from being a band to a brand. **** em.
The other thing that U2 have done to piss me off is to download themselves onto my iPhone and defy any reasonable attempt I make to remove those gurning celtic coprophiles from my eardrums.
Pretty sure it really doesn't require very much more effort to remove the U2 tracks than it does any other music downloaded from iTunes.
FWIW I like their albums up to Joshua Tree, which is definitely their peak, although Songs Of Innocence, the free one, isn't as bad as many maintain, especially as most of those making the loudest whining noises have never actually listened to any of it, which basically denies them the right to have any sort of opinion on it.
It's not a [i]great[/i] album, but it's a much more understated, more bluesy album than most of what they've done previously, and I'm perfectly comfortable to have a track pop up every now and then on shuffle.
I only own one Simple Minds track, the extended mix of [i]Waterfront[/i], and my interest in owning any more is about on a par with owning a Coldplay song, or anything by that even bigger bunch of sanctimonious, overblown asshats Manic Street Preachers; if I never hear another Manics song between now and the day I'm buried, it'll still be too soon.
This is probably my favourite U2 track. I'm mainly posting it here because I reckon that the old school U2 fans will be screaming with rage at having been reminded of its existence. Also because watching the Edge trying to keep a straight face through the video is quite funny.
wiki entry on "the" edge
The Edge has been criticised for his efforts to build five luxury mansions on a 156-acre plot of land in Malibu, California.[7] The California Coastal Commission voted 8–4 against the plans, with the project described by the commission's executive director, Peter Douglas, as "In 38 years... one of the three worst projects that I've seen in terms of environmental devastation. ... It's a contradiction in terms – you can't be serious about being an environmentalist and pick this location."[7] The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy agreed to remain neutral on the issue following a $1 million donation from The Edge and a commitment from The Edge to designate 100 acres of the land as open space for public footpaths.[
go edge.
There's a song on their Unforgettable Fire album called Elvis Presley and America (I think) - it's all shuffling and muffled sounding and basically wonderful, I guess Brian Eno was responsible.
I don't think I like anything else of theirs very much.
The singer seems mildly annoying but seems to want to help people so can't be all bad.
Whoever writes the songs needs to stop using the word 'tonight' though. I think it features in every U2 song I've ever heard. In much the same way as the word 'heart' is prominent in every Rod Stewart song.
I got given tickets to see them for free at Hampden once. It was rubbish, you couldn't see anything and the sound was just a mess. People were very excited though. It wasn't even dark! Mrs Tyred and I decided not to waste the babysitter so left after a bit and went to meet some friends in the pub.
I can't decide who I dislike the most.
Coldplay or U2......... but U2 have the edge
😀
Pretty sure it really doesn't require very much more effort to remove the U2 tracks than it does any other music downloaded from iTunes.
It's easier as there's a tool for doing it.
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201396
ChrisL - I thought I'd be the only person who thought that was their best track.
The Edge can't play guitar for sh#t
the New York Post revealed that in 2008, the most recent year for which tax records are available, ONE took $14,993,873 in donations from philanthropists, of which a thrifty $184,732 was distributed to charity. More than $8m was spent on executive and employee salaries
From the Guardian.
After the heady early days of Under a Blood Red Sky, Live Aid, the Joshua Tree album followed by Rattle and Hum (even with all its weaknesses), and the remarkable emergence of Achtung Baby and the Zoo TV concept, I've just felt ambivalent since.
+1
The Edge can't play guitar for sh#t
He tends to play for quite a lot of money now instead.
Not particulary a fan ...but I did see them at Slaine Castle (Ireland) in 2002 for their homecoming gig and it was pretty amazing...but probably more to do with the the atmospshere on home turf than their music....
the New York Post revealed that in 2008, the most recent year for which tax records are available, ONE took $14,993,873 in donations from philanthropists, of which a thrifty $184,732 was distributed to charity. More than $8m was spent on executive and employee salaries
The supposed charity work of U2 does seem to be very much based on the Armstrong charity shield model.
I did think that Achtung Baby was the only innovative thing they ever did
Nope, That was our innovation, and their theft.
Genuinely?
Not over familiar with your stuff, something I keep meaning to rectify.
Used to be a big fan. Haven't done anything particularly decent for about 20 years. The odd album track but that's it. Saw them live several times in the 90s and they were fantastic.
Bono may be considered a prat, but i've tended to base my musical taste on the actual music rather than the personality of any band member. John Lennon was an absolute **** by all accounts.
And just because the Edge isn't all sweeping picking and finger tapping, don't think he's a shit guitarist.
Rusty, start with Live in The Hothouse.
Will do.
🙂
Julian Cope, interviewed in the NME probably 1981 or'82ish, had the line: "music's getting really complicated these days, it's no longer enough just to know that U2 are shit, you have to know [i]why[/i] they're shit too..." (This thread is a rich mine of reasons.)
Now that's a name. If Julian Cope said it must be true, the mans absolutely barking and that for me makes him great.
I'm with the general consensus on Bonio, a tax dodging hypocrite and friend of Blair. U2 did do some good tunes though back in the day.
BB King about Edge "Great rhythm guitarist".
Thing with the Edge is, he's not a guitarist, he's a guitar-and-effects-ist. It's not really the same thing. It's a bit like the difference between playing piano and synth.
OTOH Matt Bellamy can do everything the Edge can and much more, and generally makes him look like an absolute knobber. But then Bellamy's some sort of nuclear powered guitar robot from the future.
Nope, That was our innovation, and their theft.
Actually I listened to a bit off achtung baby yesterday on youtube having not done so for many many years. It struck me that it was just following the general indy (and to a certain extent madchester) trends of the time. In many ways it was kind of generic, although it was still quite well done.
Is that what you were also doing?
I don't know if I agree with everything being said about the Edge, but it does bring to mind this brilliant take on him by Bill Bailey:
That is a great sketch by Bill Bailey, but then Bill Bailey is a fantastically talented musician and comedian. I cannot play a note, but I do seem to be aware that you have to be a great musician to play really bad on "purpose", aka Les Dawson playing the piano.
Anyway, I think U2 are an amazing band. They don't hit it every time but they seem to try and take every album to different places whilst funneling their influences. They could have remade The Joshua Tree for the rest of their career and made a lot of people very happy, but they didn't.
They might not be to your taste, but they are certainly not shit, and live they are still an awesome spectacle as I witnessed on their last Innocence + Experience tour. It's a shame you stopped listening SaxonRider 🙂
U2 are a peculiar beast really. They were, for a period, one of the biggest and are still one of the most recognisable bands in the world but it became cool to hate them a couple of years ago for some reason. Much like Oasis, they've sold an awful lot of music for a band that everyone professes to have always hated!
For the record I'm not a huge fan or anything but they do have a lot of really good instantly recognisable songs.
I gave up on them when they released Rattle and Hum
Must say after seeing the Paris show on TV over Xmas, the new album comes across better. But still not a patch on Achtung Bay.
I stopped liking them after 'October'. They weren't my fave band, but there was some 'post-punk' originality to singles like Fire and 11 o'clock Tick Tock. Then they just merged with all the other bland 'rock bands'.
No interest in them so don't care if they give it up or not. Why would they of there are still people buying their stuff and going to their gigs?
This was my final nail in the coffin, a "lyric" from Elevation
A mole, living in a hole
🙄
they didn't do anything good after ...and justice for all..
Joshua Tree is probably the most listened to album I have! I'm a fan of everything upto Zooropa. Pop wasn't too bad, but they were on the downward curve after AB.
I've seen them twice at Wembley....and managed to end up right at the front, which made it even more fantastic a spectacle.
So it pains me to say it...that they really should have quit while ahead, and Bona now reminds me of a 50 something that's having a mid life crisis. Probably because he is one.
The last few albums have been so nondescript, I couldn't even tell you what they are called. I am sure I must have bought them out of curiosity though.
I was at that Wembley gig too - aged 17 & about 20ft away from Chrissie Hynde. I seem to remember SOD were brilliant too 🙂
Possibly a different Wembley gig. We had Utah saints, paul oaks gold and stereo mc's
Possibly a different Wembley gig. We had Utah saints, paul oaks gold and stereo mc's
1993
I meant the 1987 Joshua Tree tour, that was referenced a few times before - missed your post 🙂
Will just casually leave this here for Mr Woppit
Is that who woppit claim U2 stole their ideas from?
FFS they sound nothing alike, "the sound" just seem to be an uninspired amalgam of ideas stolen from all the more successfully 80's Indy bands. Achtung baby is much more original and far far far better done than anything they have to offer.
Quite like that Woppit! Reminds me (In a good way) of Echo and the Bunnymen - I like Echo and the Bunnymen!
I have been a long-term U2 fan - to a lesser extent now. Like many of their fans, I feel they have lost consistency and a lot of 'spark' since Zooropa. They have made reasonable albums e.g. Pop, AYCLB and the last record - which is a good pop rock album IMHO. However, I honestly think they are past their best and won't ever be what they were in the early to mid '90's. As a result, I don't expect to much from them and am comfortable with the idea that they have given me records I will play always.
I don't get the hate behind their music. They have a great drummer, a guitarist who is very curious and has helped expand the accepted sound of guitar and who incidentally can play guitar in a traditional way pretty damn well. As a band they spent the first 15 years of their careers evolving their sound album to album - more than most bands ever do... I think a lot of the dislike is actually because it's not 'OK' to like them and because of the public persona of Bono in particular...
I can understand disliking the band members because of perceived hypocrisy regarding tax, development (Things frankly I can't see as right either) etc... Let's face it though, they have given more and used their position more than most to promote great causes. Certainly, they have done far more than most of us have.
@ zippykona
Ah, yes. Quite.
I take your point. Or rather, Adrian's... *ahem* 🙂
woppit, is "the Sound" your old band?