Classic or Dud: U2

pop is generally at its best when it's at its most processed so i really wish they'd had the time to make most of the arrangements denser, throw drum loops everywhere, etc. like on the first three tracks, really make their late 90s ~electronica~ album or whatever

They had no time. They wrote under a tour deadline.

I remember a Spin article from the time where they admitted they were rushed. And a few years before that Edge admitting that a lot of Zooropa was unfinished, particularly mentioning Dirty Day’s mix fluffing the dramatic “The days run away like horses over the hills” climax.

You probably can tell Dirty Day is one of my absolute favorite U2 songs.

Zooropa is their masterpiece imo

zooropa is prob my favorite u2 album outside of boy yeah. "some days" and "dirty day" are incredible

"Stay (Faraway So Close!)" is one of my karaoke jams

zooropa is absolutely their best

Yeah Bono should only record vocals when he has a cold

Agreed on Zooropa as best album.

"Dirty Day" is fantastic - good use of a drone, and also that the main chordal interruption to said drone is actually the only bit with Eno (a bit like how the three most metallic songs on Achtung are the three without any Eno credit) (another contradiction I think is Bono's vox there are the most Pop-foreshadowing).

Favourite song is "Lemon" and I wish they'd done the full thing live rather than just the single edit.

"Lemon" single edit certainly loses something. It's a quiet epic

extremely late to this thread but as a Zooropa truther this latest turn warms my heart

Good interview with Bono here:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/10/24/magazine/bono-interview.html

Every once in a while he does one of these, where he plays good sport and sort of takes the abuse while cleverly subverting the appearance of self-awareness to his (more or less) rhetorical advantage.

I want the whole band to know that I for one know NLOTH was meant to be them getting their art rock on again (flawed though it is).

The art rock aspect was not the problem. It's (at the very least) flawed because they wimped out on that promise.

Precisely

It’s a very good album despite the flaws. I think the iTunes album is really good as well, obv they fucked up the release so much though. If they’d just gone the traditional route and maybe dropped a song or two its legacy would be better. Unlike the much lesser followup it sounds like a respectably uncool and occasionally subtle album. I guess it says a lot about me as U2 fan that I still find some positives in Songs of Experience but the only thing SOE has on SOI is it not being slipped into everyone’s library. Their strengths (1984-1997) were their more artsy endeavors, and even several tracks found on Rattle and Hum managed to be pretty great in that vein.

yep. for such an ambitious group their career has been marked by several crises of confidence.

What the, Bono was not naturally black haired?!

https://scontent-ord5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/323437554_876775090039239_2210211909803804679_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5cd70e&_nc_ohc=FjxHdajU2WcAX-jK6a2&tn=bnunni0g8BRzxpO7&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-1.xx&oh=00_AfAoUoc8kOcJ2OvnRkMvad5RCPRwhKDQnbdhRJEXh-klDQ&oe=63CBBAEC

Wow, he looks so much better without the dye job.

lol, he looks like the Irish poet he's always fancied himself!

I just want to call him pappy now that I see the deep wrinkles streaming from his eyes and that distinct mouth/jawline he's got. I'm glad he's embracing the look and idea of being an old man. Kind of wish he had done that much earlier.

into silver fox bono <3

Should see Adam Clayton these days, he’s gone full bearded troubadour.

also a fan

lookin' good bono!

he looks fantastic, hope he keeps it that way

As seen out the car window this morning:

https://i.imgur.com/T7JmrE9.jpg

So the big news of course last night was U2's official announcement of their Las Vegas money printing venture, but the small print is that Larry will indeed be out. Replacement is some dude named Bram van den Berg.

Bram van 3000

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bram

That trailer is fucking cringe

your most important local news story the world must know about

I think the only U2 concert without all 4, to date, is one in Japan (?) when Clayton was hungover (?).

So this is a different ball game really. Makes U2 rather more like the Stones, Cure, or other band where lineup is variable.

I don't know more about the tour.

That was Sydney in November 1993, the day before the Zoo TV film was done (my fav concert film EVAH)

Kinda wish they'd just have retired from touring instead of replacing Larry. It's quite astonishing how long they've gone on with just the four of them and a bit sad to break that streak

I'd rather they'd just wait til Larry's well, and skip over the idea of a Vegas residency anyway.

My guess is with this also being kind of the big launch event for the Sphere thing is that there was a lot of legal wrangling to make it happen and it's probably really difficult for U2 to back out or postpone at this point. But yeah, I've never seen U2 and probably never will, but no Larry is a big bummer.

Yeah I didn't realize he was only undergoing surgery and plans to rejoin. They definitely should have waited for him, not like they need the money

Are there musical reasons for wanting Larry there, or is more about tradition and personnel continuity?

I like Larry and Adam fine bit (speaking as a drummer and occasional bass player), I think their parts are replicate. I would not say that of the other dudes

* but

** replicable

That's probably not wrong but, as noted above, it's exceedingly rare for a band to keep all of the original members this long into a career and it's a shame they couldn't wait a few more months or whatever for him.

I haven't seen the band live in 15 years but I imagine a younger drummer can probably add a lot more energy than Larry nowadays. I was only thinking of the continuity

Though I do think Larry's drumming in fantastic and distinctive on War and some of their early songs

Have to agree with the doubters here!

Inclined to say U2 without Larry Mullen Jr shouldn't happen, as long he's alive.

After this run they should have another Vegas run that is just Larry and three other guys.

Larry Mullen Jr. and the Drifters live in Las Vegas

Kinda wish they'd just have retired from touring instead of replacing Larry. It's quite astonishing how long they've gone on with just the four of them and a bit sad to break that streak

It really is impressive. What other band has managed to perform with the same exact group intact for 40+ years? I don't think there's anyone even close.

Up until the other year ZZ Top would like to have a word.

Larry Mullen Jr.'s U2 Experience

xp Ah, of course - seriously regret missing their show at the Beacon back in 2012. (Wanted to go but didn't have enough money at the time.)