Best Ever Albums

Re: Best U2 Album Opener

RoundTheBend — Sat, 16 Feb 2019 18:27:55 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/16/2019 23:27

LebowskiRams wrote:

I've heard maybe two songs by U2, where should I start?

My experience with people talking about what they like about U2 there's probably 5 camps (chronological order):

1) Post-punk
This is the stint of albums from Boy to Under A Blood Red Sky. If you like straight forward post-punk music, start here.

2) Americana/Eno/Ambient
If you like ethereal Enocafication mixed with a tinge of blues/americana, but mostly just the unique sound U2 created, start here. (The Unforgettable Fire to Rattle and Hum).

3) The Dark 90s
This is the sound of U2 chopping down the Joshua Tree as per Bono. It's a time of self doubt and self-mockery (both of the band and society at large). It culminated with the Pop-Mart Tour where the final phase of evolution was consumerism and their tour or album release party started at a K-Mart. A bit more electronic. (Achtung Baby through Pop)

4) "return" to RAWK (totally kidding, not sure what to call this... but it was like their second coming or something and got a new generation of fans)
You've bound to have heard Beautiful Day and Vertigo. If those jam with you, this period likely will jam with you. (ATYCLB through HTDAAB - maybe through No Line On The Horizon... but that might belong in 5)

5) Why, good lord, why are you still making music (or - hey we can be on the radio now)
This is the last two albums they made. Mixed reactions here.

So I suppose it just depends on which of those seem most appealing to you.

Most people are going to agree that Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby are their best albums, with a healthy competition of War or Boy for those that only like them as a Post-Punk band.

Re: Best U2 Album Opener

LebowskiRams — Sat, 16 Feb 2019 16:38:38 GMT

Author: LebowskiRams

Posted: 02/16/2019 21:38

I've heard maybe two songs by U2, where should I start?

Re: Best U2 Album Opener

TimeLion — Sat, 16 Feb 2019 10:42:21 GMT

Author: TimeLion

Posted: 02/16/2019 15:42

If there is one thing that U2 does well, it is starting out. In small doses, they function as energizing self-indulgence. It’s only after several tracks that their sanctimonious posturing begins to wear thin, like unnecessary exclamation points on capitalized text.

Re: Best U2 Album Opener

hestiacarrow1994 — Thu, 14 Feb 2019 22:26:06 GMT

Author: hestiacarrow1994

Posted: 02/15/2019 03:26

Beautiful Day (All That You Can't Leave Behind)

Re: Best U2 Album Opener

Anonymous — Thu, 14 Feb 2019 07:29:07 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 02/14/2019 12:29

Yeah, we can triple that list and it will still sound as uniform. Let's observe by comparison how The Edge, with one instrument, generates more distinctive variety, and how production highlights what he creates (production is always crucial in its choices)
I believe that the expression indie music correspond to a reality, with some common traits. When you step back a bit from listening to music, these characteristics become even more visible.
I tried above to sum up the general feel of those records (granted, I could have used the words teenage angst, it’s the same idea). I could add that production and songwriting play a major role. For example Nirvana’s Nevermind has teenage angst but a “wide open” production (you’ll say I’m being cryptic again!) and a solid songwriting that don’t make it another indie record.

This website (that I like very much) has a tendency to call all-time classics some fairly good indie records like Funeral.
However, I try to have discernment, and I find very touching and beautiful when an indie band raises its game and achieve greatness. An obvious example is MBV with Loveless. My opinion is that Funeral is extremely far from that: despite a long list of instruments, it’s a uniform record. They should have hired Steve Lilywhite! (but the songwriting is also uniform…again: just compare with the Joshua Tree!)

Re: Best U2 Album Opener

RoundTheBend — Thu, 14 Feb 2019 00:09:13 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/14/2019 05:09

How many indie kids does it take to screw in a light bulb.

Dude, you don't even know.

Re: Best U2 Album Opener

AfterHours — Wed, 13 Feb 2019 14:55:01 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 02/13/2019 19:55

Yann wrote:

sethmadsen wrote:

AfterHours wrote:

sethmadsen wrote:

:lol:

Indeed.

Although I'm a little surprised in seeing the similarities with those tracks. I'm not getting an ambient feel or as much of a tight rhythmic thing going on from Arcade Fire and from U2 I'm not getting a dancing orchestra or such solemn emotion (U2's emotion is probably something like bursting from introspective -trapped in the mind mixed with wanderlust).

I mean maybe I'm not looking at the generality you are looking from? 30k feet instead of runway?

I agree with you for the most part. Funeral has doses of U2 but I dont think anyone would truly confuse it as a facsimile.

Neighborhood #1 features a very similar vocal and melodic progression, epic crescendo-into-further-crescendo/structural development as U2's quintessential torch-bearing/power pop works such as One, or to a lesser degree, Streets Have No Name (which I wasnt directly comparing it to; may have been confusing as theyre each openers), only Arcade Fire being somewhat more emphasized and driven. So there are differences of course, otherwise I wouldnt rate/rank them differently. The main one being Edge's more contemplative, shimmering, eerie guitar work (probably their best asset) while Funeral is more "eclectic", less metaphysical, its sound dancing or searching and connected to childhood nostalgia, the memory and loss of this, and a sense of danger/suspense. The other main difference is Funeral (instrumentally, rhythmically) is closer to the punk edge exhibited in U2s earlier work such as Boy, than the more contemplative and "spiritual" sound of Joshua Tree.

As you alluded to, I was comparing them generally, employed within Arcade Fire's sound as a further development from it (can hear it in Power Out, Crown of Love and Rebellion too), but by no means a carbon copy or even particularly derivative.

Awesome clarification/insight. Thanks.

To me Funeral does not take off from indie realm, despite an interesting Heroin-like rhythmic progression in one song, but the rest is definitely not "eclectic". I feel the same old sort of "mistrust towards the world" typical indieness, song after song. Whereas The Joshua Tree is grandiose from beginning to end (in my opinion) and reached a wider audience without compromise.

Don't think I am tracking with exactly what youre trying to say but I think you would have an uphill battle demonstrating that Funeral is less eclectic than Joshua Tree (if that's what youre saying), as Funeral is certainly the more diverse/range-y/eclectic work (diverse/eclectic doesnt necessarily mean "better").

Regardless, either side of the argument is pretty boring and rather trivial to me, so if you disagree, its all good.

And lastly, I don't really feel Funeral is especially eclectic compared to hundreds of other albums (from Todd Rundgren, to Capt Beefheart, to Zappa, to Mingus, to Carla Bley, to Primus ... etc) -- just more eclectic than Joshua Tree (and U2 in general).

A look at the personnel/instrumentation and listening for all of them can give you a better idea of this:

Arcade Fire – production, string arrangements, engineering, recording
Win Butler – vocals, 12 string electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, synthesizer, bass
Régine Chassagne – vocals, drums, synthesizer, piano, accordion, xylophone, recorders, percussion
Richard Reed Parry – electric guitar, synthesizer, organ, piano, accordion, xylophone, percussion, double bass, engineering, recording
Tim Kingsbury – bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar
Howard Bilerman – drums, guitar, engineer, recording
William Butler – bass, xylophone, synthesizer, percussion
Sarah Neufeld – violin, string arrangements
Owen Pallett – violin, string arrangements
Michael Olsen – cello
Pietro Amato – horn
Anita Fust – harp
Sophie Trudeau – violin (track 7)
Jessica Moss – violin (track 7)
Gen Heistek – viola (track 7)
Arlen Thompson – drums (track 7)

Re: Best U2 Album Opener

Anonymous — Wed, 13 Feb 2019 05:44:36 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 02/13/2019 10:44

sethmadsen wrote:

AfterHours wrote:

sethmadsen wrote:

Awesome clarification/insight. Thanks.

Re: Best U2 Album Opener

RoundTheBend — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 21:29:49 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/13/2019 02:29

craola wrote:

From a technical standpoint, U2 generally play pretty “safe”, which is a pretty big reason I’m less impressed with them now than I was as a 16-year-old. That said, Where the Streets Have No Name is kind of cool in that it transitions from 6/8 in the intro to 4/4 for the “song", which is something I doubt Arcade Fire have ever dared to do. I’m pretty sure everything on that Funeral album is 4/4, at the very least, and I can’t think of anything Arcade Fire that isn’t. While I probably like Funeral better than anything U2 has done, I can’t say that Arcade Fire are overachievers, and outside of their first two albums, I don’t find much interesting about them. Granted, a 6/8 intro to a song isn’t life-changing, but it’s still kind of cool. Also, playing off those Memory Man stereo delays (sometimes referred to as the ping pong delay) is so soothing. Ah, and those synth pads at the beginning, which I’ve always assumed were Brian Eno, are so cool.

Ha… all that said, I think it’s obvious enough I voted A Sort of Homecoming. Streets is a great track, but it’s tired on me a little, and judging by live shows lately, the band and the fans are also past it… but the main reason I chose A Sort of Homecoming is that it is a great song (like Streets), but it sets up expectations that are consistent with the rest of the record, while Streets is pretty different than the rest of the album, which generally has a more Americana vibe to it (a la Rattle & Hum) or something (outside of a two or three tracks). My runner ups are Gloria and Zoo Station. I think every opener after Zooropa pretty much sucks. I like Pop pretty well too... but Discoteque is trash. Beautiful Day is obnoxious. Vertigo is a tragical comedy or a comical tragedy. Joey Ramone, et al (i think i'm missing one) so disappointing.

Eh.... you know what? No Line has kind of a cool melody, but the record sucked so bad that it's hard to get on board with that track. There were maybe three tracks on that record that I liked? Sad state of affairs for a band that really was one of the coolest things ever in the eighties and nineties.

Pretty much.

I really like the intro of A Sort of Homecoming for some reason, it has a very short almost jazz/improv vibe to it as does the rest of the song in some subtle ways. Something tells me the band likely couldn't perform nearly half that album live anymore not because it's too complex, but I'll bet a lot of it was improv.

Re: Best U2 Album Opener

RoundTheBend — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 21:26:59 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/13/2019 02:26

Michael1981 wrote:

Yeah, I have to agree. Can't think of a smoother alt rock song off the top off my head anyway! I'm surprised Zooropa (the album) doesn't have more of a following. Maybe it does, Idk. I think of it as a really cool arty sort of album. Pretty fun too.

Indeed. 90's U2 often is not well understood.

Re: Best U2 Album Opener

RoundTheBend — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 21:25:49 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/13/2019 02:25

AfterHours wrote:

sethmadsen wrote:

Awesome clarification/insight. Thanks.

Re: Best U2 Album Opener

craola — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 10:52:36 GMT

Author: craola

Posted: 02/12/2019 15:52

From a technical standpoint, U2 generally play pretty “safe”, which is a pretty big reason I’m less impressed with them now than I was as a 16-year-old. That said, Where the Streets Have No Name is kind of cool in that it transitions from 6/8 in the intro to 4/4 for the “song", which is something I doubt Arcade Fire have ever dared to do. I’m pretty sure everything on that Funeral album is 4/4, at the very least, and I can’t think of anything Arcade Fire that isn’t. While I probably like Funeral better than anything U2 has done, I can’t say that Arcade Fire are overachievers, and outside of their first two albums, I don’t find much interesting about them. Granted, a 6/8 intro to a song isn’t life-changing, but it’s still kind of cool. Also, playing off those Memory Man stereo delays (sometimes referred to as the ping pong delay) is so soothing. Ah, and those synth pads at the beginning, which I’ve always assumed were Brian Eno, are so cool.

Ha… all that said, I think it’s obvious enough I voted A Sort of Homecoming. Streets is a great track, but it’s tired on me a little, and judging by live shows lately, the band and the fans are also past it… but the main reason I chose A Sort of Homecoming is that it is a great song (like Streets), but it sets up expectations that are consistent with the rest of the record, while Streets is pretty different than the rest of the album, which generally has a more Americana vibe to it (a la Rattle & Hum) or something (outside of a two or three tracks). My runner ups are Gloria and Zoo Station. I think every opener after Zooropa pretty much sucks. I like Pop pretty well too... but Discoteque is trash. Beautiful Day is obnoxious. Vertigo is a tragical comedy or a comical tragedy. Joey Ramone, et al (i think i'm missing one) so disappointing.

Eh.... you know what? No Line has kind of a cool melody, but the record sucked so bad that it's hard to get on board with that track. There were maybe three tracks on that record that I liked? Sad state of affairs for a band that really was one of the coolest things ever in the eighties and nineties.

Re: Best U2 Album Opener

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 09:13:11 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 02/12/2019 14:13

sethmadsen wrote:

Or cause it's amazing? It's got this soft dreamlike quality that then explodes into a dreamlike epiphany. Maybe the smoothest music white dudes in alternative rock have ever made?

Re: Best U2 Album Opener

AfterHours — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 01:56:51 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 02/12/2019 06:56

sethmadsen wrote:

Re: Best U2 Album Opener

RoundTheBend — Mon, 11 Feb 2019 23:37:26 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/12/2019 04:37

🤣

Indeed.

Although I'm a little surprised in seeing the similarities with those tracks. I'm not getting an ambient feel or as much of a tight rhythmic thing going on from Arcade Fire and from U2 I'm not getting a dancing orchestra or such solemn emotion (U2's emotion is probably something like bursting from introspective -trapped in the mind mixed with wanderlust).

I mean maybe I'm not looking at the generality you are looking from? 30k feet instead of runway?

Re: Best U2 Album Opener

AfterHours — Mon, 11 Feb 2019 23:23:54 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 02/12/2019 04:23

sethmadsen wrote:

AfterHours wrote:

Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) off of their masterpiece Funeral (2004) 😉

Whoops 😁

Serious answer: Where The Streets Have No Name (Joshua Tree)

🤣

Stupid tonal (or melodic) music all sounds the same. (Saying this both seriously [in agreement] and sarcastically [in disagreement]).

:lol:

🤣

Yep, I agree, there's some truth to that, particularly if we add "mainstream pop" to the statement. And especially formally and in the cadence of the chorus.

But what I was really referring to (halfway tongue in cheek) is Funeral having its share of doses of U2 (at their best), paricularly that opener ... but also in choosing it over any U2 song, alluding to its superiority. Though in a fun way. The explanation makes it less fun but oh well.. 🤣 Joshua Tree and Boy are "minor masterpieces" in their own right

Re: Best U2 Album Opener

RoundTheBend — Mon, 11 Feb 2019 23:13:29 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/12/2019 04:13

AfterHours wrote:

Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) off of their masterpiece Funeral (2004) 😉

Whoops 😁

Serious answer: Where The Streets Have No Name (Joshua Tree)

🤣

Stupid tonal (or melodic) music all sounds the same. (Saying this both seriously [in agreement] and sarcastically [in disagreement]).

🤣

Re: Best U2 Album Opener

AfterHours — Mon, 11 Feb 2019 23:04:45 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 02/12/2019 04:04

Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) off of their masterpiece Funeral (2004) 😉

Whoops 😁

Serious answer: Where The Streets Have No Name (Joshua Tree)

Re: Best U2 Album Opener

RoundTheBend — Mon, 11 Feb 2019 22:55:04 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/12/2019 03:55

Michael1981 wrote:

I went for Zooropa, but it's possible I'm just trying to be different

Or cause it's amazing? It's got this soft dreamlike quality that then explodes into a dreamlike epiphany. Maybe the smoothest music white dudes in alternative rock have ever made?

Re: Best U2 Album Opener

RoundTheBend — Mon, 11 Feb 2019 19:20:26 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/12/2019 00:20

Tap wrote:

u2 also open the compilation albums for the soundtracks of batman forever and lara croft:tomb raider

Fun fact for sure.

Would you like those included?

I often forget how decent a rock song Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me is... and I do like that remix of Elevation.

Especially this at 2:18-3:12 (even if the evil U2 thing is ridiculous) (which starts tomb raider):

Link

And this classic which starts Batman Forever?

Link