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  1. Originally posted by fastcars:I was 22 when "Joshua Tree" came out. I remember the first song I heard on the radio, "With Or Without You", right then I knew there was something special about that song. Then the beautiful intro to "Streets", Then I realized there was something special about the album. I remember buying the cassette tape before heading out on a car trip down the Oregon Coast. My wife and I listened to it over and over again. I still think of that trip every time I hear "Joshua Tree".

    Back on topic, that being said; "Invisible" is not quite as classic as "Joshua Tree" songs, but still like it better then "Boots", "Vertigo" or "Elevation".

    wow ... how big is U2 that make a trip so special to remenber many years later !!
  2. Originally posted by BelgianBono:[..]


    Disagreed...
    But we should ask the older members : when the Joshua Tree came out, did you instantly know that it would become an all-time classic ? And that songs like WOWY and Still Haven't Found would become what they are now ?


    I'm inclined to go with Sergio here and in the case of JT - there was a belief that it would be masterpiece even before it came out - well certainly in the UK at least. There was an appetite for a new U2 album and this was solidified after the first listen of the first 3 tracks. I'd argue there has never been a stronger 3 opening songs on an album.

    I'm not saying that the new album will be anywhere near JT or even AB but there are parallels to be drawn: anticipation of a U2 return, reaction to a lukewarm previous album, uncertainty on their ability to 'dream it all up again', pre-album hype. It's all there so now the songs will dictate whether it can be classed as a masterpiece.

    Will it be? who knows but what I can argue is that the initial signs are very positive. I'm very excited...


  3. Indeed. It is de facto being treated as a single, with video etc.... but no CD, so it really officially isn't. And if it is just one song on the album, I am also really excited - it is a very good song.

    OL is also an extra album track, not one of their best, but good too.

    Still can't quite believe that of the 30 odd songs they've been working on since 2006 or so - excluding NLOTH songs - only 6 or 7 are finished... it may be 6 or 7 plus Invisible and OL, but that's still not a lot!

  4. Bahaha I know but that's besides the point But I did like Foster for a bit but then it got extremely overplayed here to the point where I was over that band for a good while. Now with fresh ears and distance I can listen to the new songs without worrying about them getting on my nerves xD
  5. Originally posted by PEDRO67:[..]


    I'm inclined to go with Sergio here and in the case of JT - there was a belief that it would be masterpiece even before it came out - well certainly in the UK at least. There was an appetite for a new U2 album and this was solidified after the first listen of the first 3 tracks. I'd argue there has never been a stronger 3 opening songs on an album.

    I'm not saying that the new album will be anywhere near JT or even AB but there are parallels to be drawn: anticipation of a U2 return, reaction to a lukewarm previous album, uncertainty on their ability to 'dream it all up again', pre-album hype. It's all there so now the songs will dictate whether it can be classed as a masterpiece.

    Will it be? who knows but what I can argue is that the initial signs are very positive. I'm very excited...

    Absolutely. I wasn't even born when TJT came out but from what I've heard, read, and been told by my parents (who were huge fans by that time), it was an INSTANT masterpiece. Instant chart success, instant media praise, instant audience recognition. The opening 3 of course had a lot to do with it, but there's also that underrated second part of the album, with gems like OTH, Mothers, RHMT, etc. And the beautiful RTSS of course, another instant classic despite not being a single.

    Albums like Pop are a different matter, it received really lukewarm critics when it was released and many fans despised it, but it's now widely regarded as one of their best collections of songs... But that only happens in 1 out of... 100 albums? Most often it's the other way round, an album comes out and is appreciated as a masterpiece, and then it a) stays as a masterpiece forever, or b) it slowly fades because it doesn't stand the pass of time too well.


    Coming back to the argument that started this whole discussion:

    Originally posted by kris_smith87:
    I think it's kind of unfair to stack Invisible up with those songs since we haven't even had it for a month yet. (...) We love these songs because we've had so much time with them. (...) I can see it becoming a favorite.


    If Invisible was a masterpiece (or was to become one, like some songs from Pop) we would have noticed already. It's a good song, an appropiate way to put themselves back under the public eye again... But it's not a masterpiece. Not even close.
  6. It also works the other way around too many news outlets and the hype machine called NLOTH a classic and yet by 2010 it became synonymous with being a disappointment.
  7. Much of the "disappointment" tag was put there because the album didn't sell as much as they hoped to (even when it did sell huge)
    Although a good amount of songs aren't that great (SUC, Crazy Tonight, UC, GOYB)

    It's a shame, as there are good songs there, MOS being the best example IMO
  8. the Joshua tree was an instant masterpiece, I was 17/18 when it came out..... but remember that in those days there was only radio hype. I queued for the JT outside a record store. These days with internet/radio and U2 being so slick at media manipulation and hype generation it is an entirely different ball game. IMO invisible is going to be a legend, especially live :-)
  9. Hmm, I still kinda disagree...
    I think albums and songs can be received as great/good/ok/bad etc. when they come out, but that it takes years to know how well it survives time and therefore is a masterpiece.
    E.g. I think AM from the Arctic Monkeys is a brilliant album, I absolutely love it, but I don't know if it will still be brilliant after 10 years.

    I remember when Get On Your Boots came out, the majority of members here were very excited and said it was like nothing U2 has ever done before (because it was so fast), they done it again, instant classic etc. Only some months later that same majority was already bashing it.

    We must also consider we are big fans and therefore are more likely to exaggerate with our reaction to new material.


  10. You're not kidding...





    Originally posted by Andrew_C:omg omg omg omg omg omg, my house shook with that made bass, im soooo happy, proud to call u2 my favourite band, THEY R THE BEST, fuk the beetles, lz, RS.






  11. LOL

    Not going to lie I liked Boots a good deal when we first heard it in January 2009, but something that none of us can really predict is that "staying" power a song or album has. Just because something is a hit/smash right now does not guarantee it will be that highly regarded years or even months from now. And the subsequent tours, public reception, and the context of that entire bands catalog also influence it's legacy.

    Would JT and Achtung Baby be considered classic still if there was no Rattle & Hum, Zooropa or Pop?

  12. I was insanely excited to have new U2 material after so long and so many contradictory rumours, I admit it. Hype is a powerful (and double-edged) weapon. But I still had my doubts about its development, even that same day:
    Originally posted by LikeASong:I'm not really sure about the "live!" thing... I just love the song as it's now, I don't think that backing drums would be that great in a stadium

    I didn't have any doubts when the whole album leaked and I listened to Breathe or Cedars. Both STILL rank as masterpieces for me... While Boots has been degraded a lot, in fact I rank it as one of their worst songs ever now
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