Best U2 Album Opener - Music - Forums : Best Ever Albums

RoundTheBend
I miss the comfort in being sad

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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?

AfterHours

Gender: Male
Location: originally from scaruffi.com ;-)

sethmadsen wrote:

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.
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theblueboy

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?

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.

craola
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Location: pdx

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.
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RoundTheBend
I miss the comfort in being sad

Location: Ground Control

AfterHours wrote:

sethmadsen wrote:

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.

RoundTheBend
I miss the comfort in being sad

Location: Ground Control

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.

RoundTheBend
I miss the comfort in being sad

Location: Ground Control

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.

Yann

Gender: Male
Location: France

sethmadsen wrote:

AfterHours wrote:

sethmadsen wrote:

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.

AfterHours

Gender: Male
Location: originally from scaruffi.com ;-)

Yann wrote:

sethmadsen wrote:

AfterHours wrote:

sethmadsen wrote:

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)
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RoundTheBend
I miss the comfort in being sad

Location: Ground Control

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

Dude, you don't even know.