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  1. Originally posted by yeah:[..]

    Yep, especially through headphones I sometimes have the impression that Eno just used a smoothing iron. a beep here a blup there, double-vocals everywhere...


    Only thing that 'annoys' me are the excessive use of 'oohs' and the double-vocals everywhere.
  2. Sorry folks, but although I am a diehard U2 fan from the very start, I am terribly disappointed. No line on the horizon: a symbolic title, because U2 is very much adrift. They forgot the songs! This are 'tunes' made from the head and not from the heart. This is an inferior Brian Eno album sung and played by U2. Eno's influence is far too great and as he has proved with David Byrne in another fiasco, Eno isn't in a very inspired step in his career.

    And believe me, until now I followed U2 in each new step they took. U2 rediscovered and renewed themselves several times, but each time it was a succesful adventure and musically they kept producing delicious songs. This time however they fail.

    The titlesong is not great but still O.K. 'Magnificent' is a background tune that strongly reminds of Kraftwerk. 'Unknown cellar' has a fine refrain, but the song isn't 'spontaneous' and that was a great quality of most of the former U2 material. Then there is the single: nicely done, but again, it doesn't catch me. Several effects and details, but no great U2 song. And finally, 'Cedars of Lebanon', clearly an Eno sound on which Bono put some phrases. And that's it. All the other songs are bad, really bad. As if Bono is running after the songs but can't catch them; the songs stumble into 4, 5 different directions without deciding what they want to be. This is much much worse than their 'Passengers' album.

    High time for U2 to 'reboot' and go back to basics: writing great, not too farfetched songs, straight from their heart and passion.

  3. Originally posted by bertderidder:Sorry folks, but although I am a diehard U2 fan from the very start, I am terribly disappointed. No line on the horizon: a symbolic title, because U2 is very much adrift. They forgot the songs! This are 'tunes' made from the head and not from the heart. This is an inferior Brian Eno album sung and played by U2. Eno's influence is far too great and as he has proved with David Byrne in another fiasco, Eno isn't in a very inspired step in his career.

    And believe me, until now I followed U2 in each new step they took. U2 rediscovered and renewed themselves several times, but each time it was a succesful adventure and musically they kept producing delicious songs. This time however they fail.

    The titlesong is not great but still O.K. 'Magnificent' is a background tune that strongly reminds of Kraftwerk. 'Unknown cellar' has a fine refrain, but the song isn't 'spontaneous' and that was a great quality of most of the former U2 material. Then there is the single: nicely done, but again, it doesn't catch me. Several effects and details, but no great U2 song. And finally, 'Cedars of Lebanon', clearly an Eno sound on which Bono put some phrases. And that's it. All the other songs are bad, really bad. As if Bono is running after the songs but can't catch them; the songs stumble into 4, 5 different directions without deciding what they want to be. This is much much worse than their 'Passengers' album.

    High time for U2 to 'reboot' and go back to basics: writing great, not too farfetched songs, straight from their heart and passion.




    Posting this in one thread is sufficient
  4. Fangroup 1: 'Please no more ATYCLB or HTDAAB stuff, get some new stuff!'
    Fangroup 2: 'Please get back to ATYCLB or HTDAAB'

    U2 will lose fans, and win fans on this one, I don't care by the way


  5. It's killing me; but I promised myself that I wouldn't listen to it until I get the physical
    copy of the album in my hands. I'm sticking to tradition & queueing up in Dublin at midnight on the 26th and I want to relish every moment of that experience - going in & buying the vinyl & boxset, then going home & opening it up - I'm even looking forward to the smell of the new album and poring through the liner notes while I take it all in in the best quality sound possible. Nostalgic, I know; but hearing a new U2 album is even more of an event now than it ever was.

    Reading all the gushing excitement here is sure whetting my appetite though!!
    Happy listening.

  6. Originally posted by Remy:Listened through it again through earphones last night in bed, and found out that there's so much to be discovered about this album. So many great sounds, it all blends perfect into each other. What an album, though some songs still have to grow a lot.


    Yes - and you don't want a great album to immediately sound great to you. Might take a few listens...

    Don't think it is overproduced, but I do think that, as for JT, the album is better than the band as it is now. This is where the 5th and th 6th U2 kick in, and where the 2 years of work start repaying.

    I'm not sure how Bono will sing these songs live - already out of breath in GOYB, which vocally is certainly not the toughest song on the album. Looks like it can be a great tour though, if they don't plan to overdo.

    This is a tricky point for them: Bono must accept that he's getting old - this doesn't mean that he can't still be great. But he has to find his own way as a 48 years older; otherwise he might quickly become a charicature of himself.

    This said, what an album - I wasn't expecting something that great. Kings, Killers, Coldplay, Oasis - all far behind.
  7. Originally posted by julienmurzi:[..]

    Yes - and you don't want a great album to immediately sound great to you. Might take a few listens...

    Don't think it is overproduced, but I do think that, as for JT, the album is better than the band as it is now. This is where the 5th and th 6th U2 kick in, and where the 2 years of work start repaying.

    I'm not sure how Bono will sing these songs live - already out of breath in GOYB, which vocally is certainly not the toughest song on the album. Looks like it can be a great tour though, if they don't plan to overdo.

    This is a tricky point for them: Bono must accept that he's getting old - this doesn't mean that he can't still be great. But he has to find his own way as a 48 years older; otherwise he might quickly become a charicature of himself.

    This said, what an album - I wasn't expecting something that great. Kings, Killers, Coldplay, Oasis - all far behind.


    Indeed, the vocal performance can be better. Bono needs to accept that his voice is different, and he might want to use it differentely, or adjust the songs to his capabilities.


  8. I thought it was 12 weeks. Well, they'll be filling in four jobs a fortnight, regardless.
  9. Originally posted by gavinfriday:The one dissapointment on this album is Moment Of Surrender. It isn't wat close to One or Bad from earlier albums. It is more a Crumbs From Your Table.
    It doens't sound anthemic, classic or whatever makes you warm or cold. It sounds as if the band tried real hard to compose a classic but didn't succeed, it is too long and a bit boring. Perhaps it could have been better or even perhaps it was better in an earlier stage but overproduced now, I don't know.
    However, all (!) the other songs have something defined U2-ish in them, lots of 'oo-oo-oohh' sounding choruses, chiming guitars. You can definitly hear Brian Eno's influence in all the song (incl. MoS) and that was missing on HTDAAB.

    Besides, finally we have another U2-album with a title song, and the coincidence is that it matches perfectly with the sound and mostly the atmosphere on earlier albums with a title song, i.e. October, Unforgettable Fire and Zooropa.

    I see this album really as The Unforgettable Fire of the 2000's and expect that it will be rated as such in the end.



    Hear, hear glad to see someone who isn't steamrolled by the hype, into believing it's the best thing ever.
  10. Originally posted by Remy:[..]

    Indeed, the vocal performance can be better. Bono needs to accept that his voice is different, and he might want to use it differentely, or adjust the songs to his capabilities.


    There was an interview with Tom Jones I was watching where the reviewer asked him if capabilites decrease with age. He responded "absolutely not", and remarked on how he was still able to break microphones, if he was recording with people who weren't used to the power of his voice.
    Which is pretty impressive for a 68 year old.

    The fact of the matter is that Bono has ruined his voice by his constant smoking, (and also being out of practice). All the telltale signs of the effects of smoking on a singing voice are there in his recent performances and recordings: breathlessness, lack of clarity at high range etc.


  11. : ))) That's the best part for me, or as someone said, Adam didn't play something correctly.

    I mean WTF, how do you know what they wanted to play and how they wanted it to rhyme? This is art, not math.

  12. For me it is a good album which is somewhere between POP and ATYCLB (personally).
    I also hear some great rythm and sounds which they used in 80s (especially on the first three tracks on the new album).

    GOYB marks the 2nd half of the album for me, where it is going more rock'n'roll.

    The last two songs need some more time for me to grow.
    Also I think that Cedars of Lebanon ends a little bit sharp. There could have been a better
    ending for this song and also as a closer of the album. I was listening to it and then it ends very unexpected. Anyway I will give it some time to grow on me.

    All in all I like it very much and for me they did something different to HTDAAB.
    It is nothing really new but yes it is more POP and ATYCLB plus some more rock.

    Thank you U2!
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Contribute to the U2 community with uploading photos or by telling us which shows you have visited.
Contribute to the U2 community with uploading photos or by telling us which shows you have visited.