defend the indefensible: RATTLE AND HUM by U2

Geir, you're crazy, Pop was great if a bit inconsistent. The next album was the first time U2 took a step back and retraced their previous sound, instead of doing something new within their style.

Then again, you don't care for Purple Rain, either, so I don't know why I'm even trying to argue my point here.

I think the best thing on POP might be 'Mofo'.

Is there a thread about POP, the U2 LP?

Doing something new is rarely a good thing. Plus U2's two 00s albums are different from their 80s in that they rely less on Bono's voice and The Edge's guitar playing and more on melodies and anthemic singalong choruses. The U2 of the 80s were never even remotely as melodically strong as they were on those albums. The influence from Britpop had a huge positive influence on U2 in that it taught them to rely more on writing strong tunes and less on the backing track and performance.

Then again, you don't care for Purple Rain, either

Not the song, no, but the album is ace.

And "Mofo" was the worst track on "Pop" and the best example of what was wrong about that album.

Doing something new is rarely a good thing.

As The Beatles demonstrated all through their career.

I'll agree that "Mofo" was the worst song on Pop, no contest there. But "Elevation" is much, much worse.

Doing something new is rarely a good thing.

I'll take doing something new and failing over treading water on the same sound almost every time. What U2 were doing in the '90s was infinitely more interesting than their '00s work. And I won't deny there are a few strong songs on their last two albums, but there is no exploration to be had, no risks to be taken, no height from which to fall. The songs may be structurally well written and catchy, but they reveal themselves almost entirely on the first listen and are not interesting beyond that in the least.

The best songs on Pop, for the record, are clearly "Do You Feel Loved," "Staring at the Sun" and "Please," all fucking great and among my favorite U2 songs, especially the latter two.

The Beatles were great not because they were doing new stuff but because they had the best melodies this side of Mozart.

I'll agree that "Mofo" was the worst best song on Pop

I want to see Geir and Vision talk at each other here.

I guess doing something new is maybe good if you're already doing something bad, and bad if you're already doing something good.

I don't think Britpop had any influence on U2.

Doing something new is good if you're doing something good already, but can do something new better.

I guess doing something new is maybe good if you're already doing something bad, and bad if you're already doing something good.

OTM

I don't think Britpop had any influence on U2.

Bono said himself in interviews around "Pop" that Britpop was an influence. Obviously it didn't influence tracks such as "Discoteque" or "Mofo" much, but the Britpop influence shines through in tracks such as "Staring At The Sun" and "If God Will Send His Angels" (the good songs on "Pop" that is)

hay guyz i took out all the live tracks and other shit and added in a b-side and reordered it. side 1 is more "country" or whatever, side 2 is the more rock stuff. no bono speechifying histrionics.

http://www.mediafire.com/?yj2tmiwzamx

thanks! I'll download this.

lol at pinefox -- or anyone -- calling Tennant pompous.

anyone see the You Tube RoseBowl show at the weekend? 10 million did so i assume 10 or so on her must have? anyone?

"Rattle & Hum" failed because the songs were generally too bluesy and not diatonic enough.

― Geir Hongro, Saturday, 27 September 2008 10:33 (1 year ago)

Rattle and Hum is a good title.

anyone see the You Tube RoseBowl show at the weekend? 10 million did so i assume 10 or so on her must have? anyone?

Ummm... I was actually *in* the Rose Bowl for the show if that counts.

Hattle and Rum. (If only 'hattle' meant something.)

"am i buggin' ya?" provided some MST3K chuckles, at least.
― Eisbär (llamasfur), Thursday, June 30, 2005 2:10 PM (4 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Hm, remind me where again.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, June 30, 2005 2:13 PM (4 years ago) Bookmark

"magic voyage of sinbad"

four-and-a-half years late, but there you are.

:D

also, i 2d custos' and shakey's suggestions that "Rattle & Hum" be given the Rifftrax treatment.

XD

Rattle and Hum is a good title.

― Mark, Tuesday, 3 November 2009 04:04 (3 months ago)

TS: U2 "Rattle and Hum" vs. XTC "Drums and Wires" vs. Sex Clark Five "Strum and Drum!"

four-and-a-half years late, but there you are.

Too kind of you.

I don't follow the general U2 bashing on ILM. But this album is overlong and actually rather bad. There are a few highlights ("All I Want Is You"), but generally it's way too Americana and also probably has the wrong producer. Jimmy Iovine was not the man they needed, and I guess they realized as they have never ever used him again afterwards.

contains favorite U2 song "desire"

I thought you'd love this, Geir: ugly white men playing melodies on guitars.

TS: U2 "Rattle and Hum" vs. XTC "Drums and Wires" vs. Sex Clark Five "Strum and Drum!"

by title:
sc5
xtc
u2

by music:
xtc
sc5
u2

i love two of these records to death.

though u2 did rebound rather nicely.

I thought you'd love this, Geir: ugly white men playing melodies on guitars.

"Rattle and Hum" is probably the least melodic U2 album of all. Extremely blues influenced, and the blues is boooooooring.

Don't mean to bug ya.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9NaIYULk6s

Saw this on bluray in hmv for a tenner, would I regret it?

For the most part yes.

man this movie is non-stop laffs

I'm putting that tenner to the test right now. Initial thoughts: this is a really odd thing, it's quite enjoyable and the music is actually pretty good, yet it's extremely ungaging. I'm now down to glancing at the screen once every couple of minutes. And yes, the only* bits that do stand out are the laffs - gawd, Bono writhing in front of a gospel choir while The Edge plays really quiet guitar is something to behold.

* not strictly true, the shots of Dublin are also quite nice but that's only because I know the place well enough to see how it's changed

I do now understand why people really, really hate U2, though

when my next door neighbor gets drunk he turns When Love Comes to Town up to 10 and hollers along.
not that i was ever going to like this record but still, thanks mark.

'unengaging' up there, not 'ungaging'

The 'Fuck the revolution' rant is good. If it really was a spontaneous response to events earlier that day, it's quite impressive.

Actually, whether it was spontaneous or not - let's not turn this into a salute to authenticity.

ugly white men playing melodies on guitars.

― Inculcate a spirit of serfdom in children (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Surely a problem with "God Part 2" is the lack of melody. Notice I didn't say *the* problem.

Then Play Long barely can defend U2, really: http://nobilliards.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/u2-rattle-and-hum.html

more like outright condemnation

I had never seen this video before today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1GLDGiLE4c

Tremendous. So thrilling.

I have watched RATTLE AND HUM a number of times but this contains footage not in the film. Very well edited.

The band all look so thin! It's not just that they were young, but perhaps that - as when you look at photos from the 1940s - people were generally thinner then?

BB King plays great lead guitar and there is good footage of him.

I like the way that The Edge is asked to play a solo in a blues song and just plays a long, reverby arpeggio with a blue note in it.

This record was much maligned and even I didn't think it compared to the band's best. But how does it compare to U2's output now? I think it seems quite classic.

A good modern blues song and it had the virtue of bringing the great BB King to the UK charts. He liked the song and played it with his own band for many years.

"Angel of Harlem" is still awful.

In fact, let's grit our teeth, and go through all the Hat Tips on Rattle & Hum:

stealing Helter Skelter "back" on behalf of the Beatles
dedicating The Edge's effort to poet John Boyle O'Reilly, and dissing him in the sleevenotes
sticking Dylan on inaudible Hammond on Hawkmoon 269 (and Honey Cone on backing vocals)
Dylan again / Hendrix on All Along The Watchtower, because there's no chance of bathos there
yuk, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For goes gospel with the New Voices Of Freedom
Hey, Sterling Magee, Bobby Robinson & Macie Mabins, would you like 0:38 on our bloated album?
the brass nerve of "for Billie Holiday" on Angel Of Harlem: how wonderful it would be to hear which curse words she would use if she heard it
Bono and Bob set the Bible to music and Bob does backing vox on Love Rescue Me
Ladies and Gentlemen, Mister BB King
of *course
Eno is doing keyboards on Heartland -- a song you forget while you're listening to it
"for John Lennon", because God needed a sanctimonious updating
hey, dead Jimi Hendirx, would you like 0:43 on our bloated record, on which the guitars are also quite good?
"put El Salvador through the amp"
and after the rattle, the hum: Van Dyke Parks on All I Want Is You
"thanks to Tim Buckley"?!
the Spinal Tap Gracelands moments

― A.C.M.E. (A.C.M.E.), Thursday, June 30, 2005 11:19 AM (twelve years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

^^ booming post

i like the movie a lot, don't know the album too well.

There's far worse U2 songs than 'Angel of Harlem' ... I don't mind it, personally.