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  1. Posting in the Vertigo vs Native Son thread got me thinking, and knowing that their How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb album, well certaintly Vertigo was a throwback to punk, even down to the cover art, they obviously went in with that intention.

    However, and this isn't a negitive thought, alot of that album sounds very polished, if you listen to some of the demo versions of songs, and know the band use the studio as an instrument as such, half finish songs, but complete them in the studio, alot of the times completely reconstructing songs, are they too polished?, there doesn't seem to have that rawness about them with their first 3 records.

    Would U2 be able to pull off an album or a sound by just hitting the studio, laying down the tracks, and walking away, the Atomic Bomb record was made for the live stage, you can hear that with Vertigo, Love & Peace, All Because Of You etc etc, but did they over produce it in the end, to make sure the mainstream wasn't forgotten about?

    Discuss.
  2. Originally posted by Stu:Posting in the Vertigo vs Native Son thread got me thinking, and knowing that their How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb album, well certaintly Vertigo was a throwback to punk, even down to the cover art, they obviously went in with that intention.

    However, and this isn't a negitive thought, alot of that album sounds very polished, if you listen to some of the demo versions of songs, and know the band use the studio as an instrument as such, half finish songs, but complete them in the studio, alot of the times completely reconstructing songs, are they too polished?, there doesn't seem to have that rawness about them with their first 3 records.

    Would U2 be able to pull off an album or a sound by just hitting the studio, laying down the tracks, and walking away, the Atomic Bomb record was made for the live stage, you can hear that with Vertigo, Love & Peace, All Because Of You etc etc, but did they over produce it in the end, to make sure the mainstream wasn't forgotten about?

    Discuss.


    Probably, but why would they ? If they're going to make an album they should use the studio to accomplish what they couldn't do by just "laying down tracks". U2 are a big, bombastic band and their music follows suit, the stripped down thing doesn't suit them that well.

    And to me their first three albums are nowhere near as good as their latter albums which relied heavily on studio advantages.

    You always have their Rick Rubin album to look forward to anyway, if you're not a fan of polish and studio treatments.
  3. I mostly agree with the last comment. The last three albums have no "bad" songs - they've all been put together quite nicely - where each of the early 80's albums have a few clunkers. However, I prefer War to anything they've done in the past decade.
  4. Originally posted by vanquish:[..]

    Probably, but why would they ? If they're going to make an album they should use the studio to accomplish what they couldn't do by just "laying down tracks". U2 are a big, bombastic band and their music follows suit, the stripped down thing doesn't suit them that well.

    And to me their first three albums are nowhere near as good as their latter albums which relied heavily on studio advantages.

    You always have their Rick Rubin album to look forward to anyway, if you're not a fan of polish and studio treatments.



    Fair call, me personally, i also prefer the better produced Unforgettable Fire compared to the first 3 albums, have always MUCH preferred the live versions, especially Red Rocks of tracks compared to the studio versions of songs such as Sunday Bloody Sunday, I will Follow, New Years Day, 11 O'Clock Tick Tock etc etc.

    It just intersted me, especially with the HTDAAB cd. and having that "punk" theme, knowing that punk is very raw, very energetic, very rough, maybe thats why they went with Rubin to record, to get an even edgier raw kind of sound.

  5. If I´m not mistaken, Adam said once that they wanted very raw, straight forward stuff with Rubin but then they felt that their music needs the textures and little colors behind. I think that´s very interesting....
  6. I don't know if their studio work is too polished, but I think their live shows are getting that way. There's something to be said for the messy, organic spontaneousness of a really great rock gig, and I think the more U2 choreograph and plan their shows down to the last step, they're losing that.
  7. Originally posted by NLOTH_Victor:If I´m not mistaken, Adam said once that they wanted very raw, straight forward stuff with Rubin but then they felt that their music needs the textures and little colors behind. I think that´s very interesting....


    U2 has always been using that and they cant make tracks without it. Also I think on NLOTH some tracks sound pretty raw (NLOTH, MoS, Cedars) and others (too) polished: Magnificent, Stand Up.
  8. Even though i'll be a U2 fan to 'the nursing home' - i agree with sonia_lastrega, a bit,
    in that the band is a little too choreographed and stuck with click tracks, edge's loops and keyboard sonix.
    Case in point - when they, practically, couldn't stop ONE in Barcelona (6.30.09), they weren't
    in sync and bono was snipping at his ear piece hoping this click track, the sound board (joe o'herlihy) and
    the band all coincide SOON [ i know that was the first show but... ]!!
    Hey, from 1979 to now - joe o's gig sound average is best in the world though!

    It would be great just to see them walk up, plug in, set the snare trap and hi-hat and GO...RAW! ;-)
  9. Originally posted by guam: Even though i'll be a U2 fan to 'the nursing home' - i agree with sonia_lastrega, a bit,
    in that the band is a little too choreographed and stuck with click tracks, edge's loops and keyboard sonix.
    Case in point - when they, practically, couldn't stop ONE in Barcelona (6.30.09), they weren't
    in sync and bono was snipping at his ear piece hoping this click track, the sound board (joe o'herlihy) and
    the band all coincide SOON [ i know that was the first show but... ]!!
    Hey, from 1979 to now - joe o's gig sound average is best in the world though!

    It would be great just to see them walk up, plug in, set the snare trap and hi-hat and GO...RAW! ;-)


    Well said, I agree!

    Maybe at some point they'll get back to do little, more intimate arena shows again where they consider having a go at this again. But then again I don't think so.
  10. I don't know if"polished" is the word. Bono certainly has a raw guitar playing, Edge has always used fx and echo...

    Nevertheless, I agree they're over synched with all the tech stuff. I'd rather have them playin' new solos and/or different arrangements (like they did on RTSS at Zoo Tv) than tryin' to catch up new lights with the same old songs.
  11. Originally posted by thunderbolt:I don't know if"polished" is the word. Bono certainly has a raw guitar playing, Edge has always used fx and echo...

    Nevertheless, I agree they're over synched with all the tech stuff. I'd rather have them playin' new solos and/or different arrangements (like they did on RTSS at Zoo Tv) than tryin' to catch up new lights with the same old songs.


    but actually these tecniques have been used by them since TUF tour when they started to need it.. and even in ZooTV they were used a lot and same in Popmart, watch Daddy´s Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car or Mofo...

    I like them doing this, practicing hard to synch etc because they are trying hard to translate it well to the concert.

    But since elevation they´ve been overdoing it a bit. Stuck in a Moment doesn´t need the little strings when it´s live, Elevation there is this weird flute or smth, Bday has the intro that Edge could do differently to even give it more fun and it also has the back voices for the chorus, the same of what happens with Unknown Caller.

    I mean, in some songs it´s necessary (Kite) but some others it´s not. And in the songs that there are keyboads they could invite Terry Lawless upstage.
  12. I think its more of a problem of over-thinking stuff as well, like the last album. They try way too hard nowadays. I miss the time when they had the faith in their abilities to release an album in a quick period of time, and not promote the hell out of it to see it on the charts.
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