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  1. We touched ona good little discussion in another thread about U2 and their use of backing tracks in their music. Magnificent and Breather from the new album clearly feature sounds that aren't being played by the band. Is this tpp your liking or would you prefer the band to be truly live?

    Lots of U2 songs feature pre-recorded loops etc (Streets, Bad, WOWY, Kite, Beautiful Day but to name a few). Do you think the band are right to use pre-recorded elements in their shows to best replicate the album variants or should they go out there with their instruments and do what thay can.

    Personally, I don't mind it most of the time. Streets needs the organs (and they can hardly bring one on the road). The loop on Bad is pretty good but a bit too prominent at times. It's also important too note that backing tracks and stuff are sometimes essential in making a song resemble the album version (ala ZooTV and Popmart). As long as the majority is live I really don't mind though.

    Arguments for and against. . .
  2. Backing tracks and loops I have no problem with. I'm not connoisseur enough to pick out the difference most of the time (apart from the obvious) anyway, so I couldn't care less. As long as they sound good.

    Teleprompts on the other hand.......
  3. i doesn't border me ...in the 80's the youse all loops and backing tracks
    played from a huge taperecorder . in the 90's the keyboard parts where played under the stage so that's live for me and also in 00' they do ...i can't imagene one tree hill whitout the loops at the beginning also bad
    and much other songs
  4. If it give the same chills as the album does I don't care at all.
  5. I would prefer less backing tracks and so, after all they are human and they should do what they can with their instruments and efforts...
    It really doesn't bother me but Id prefer less technological backups
  6. I'm totally pleased as long as the four guys themselves actualy play/sing than just pretending to do so. If they use loops, samples and such to make the sound richer/broader etc I have no problem with that.
  7. Originally posted by loftarasa:I'm totally pleased as long as the four guys themselves actualy play/sing than just pretending to do so. If they use loops, samples and such to make the sound richer/broader etc I have no problem with that.


    Please make one more post. This has left you on 666.......


  8. lol, first I didn't get what you meant and thought you totally disagree with my answer!
  9. Aw man, at first it was topic filled with downloads of the backing tracks.

    I don't mind, the majority of them are very necessary.
  10. Doesn't bother me in the slightest - songs like Bad and With Or Without You place a lot of emphasis on the Eno-isms on the backing track, and from watching the videos on the Beeb so do Magnificent and Breathe. They're a part of the song, not just there for the hell of it.
  11. Been thinking about this one lately when watching video of other bands live using backup performers. I think some of the backing tracks are quite necessary (as mentioned with Streets, WOWY, Bad) but sometimes I wish there wasn't a reliance on them as much and the performance was fully live and not prerecorded in anyway.

    I wonder have they ever put serious thought to having keyboardist/other musicians join them on the road for live shows. I'm not saying they should become fulltime members and be involved in making the album but I think it would help live performance more.

    Also, anyone know of any shows where the backup tracks screwed up in anyway?


  12. The Bad loop from Popmart Santiago sounds all wrong
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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.