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Topic:
"I'm Wide Awake": The U2 Thread (Rerelease of Under a Blood Red Sky and Live at Red Rocks )
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malcolm-darth-am-i
Registered:
May '05
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Date Posted:
7/5/06 10:31pm
Subject:
"I'm Wide Awake": The U2 Thread (Rerelease of Under a Blood Red Sky and Live at Red Rocks )
- Date Edited:
9/9 7:12am (18 edits total)
Edited By:
Zaz
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Well My other U2 thread is lost. So here is a new one.
This is a thread dedicated to Rock Gods U2. Now U2 is undisputably one of the best bands of all time. Now I'm not saying there the best, but they are easily Top 5.
The thing about U2 is how long they have been around, 25+ years. Where other Rock bands are done, Guns N' Roses(They have their problems. We've been waiting on their new album for like 7 years now?) Beatles, (Before Lennon Shooting) and lots of others.
But the thing is they are ever changing. They went from 80s rock, to 90s Pop, to the 00s new Rock. But what really make U2 big are their Live shows. They are amazing live and just get you into it.
The major news though is their upcoming album. It is rumored to have around 25 tracks, some from scrapped from their previous album. And some new stuff. Now for their ever changing style you may think where are they gonna go? Since touring with Kanye West, they are thinking about experimenting with some hip-hop stuff.
I'll give you the Wiki Page on their upcoming album:
In April 2005, reports emerged that U2 have plans for a new album. According to Bono there are 24 songs that came out of the How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb album sessions, of which the band took 11 for their subsequent record. The Vertigo tour kicked off in San Diego on 28 March and has gone well into 2006 with several tour dates rescheduled for late in the year, so no plans to go back to the studio to record are known of currently. However this has not stopped some fans from speculating that a new album may be forthcoming in 2007, possibly even in late 2006. In the January 2006 edition of Q magazine, Bono said that the band were in fact working on a new album for 2006. Releasing a new album so soon after one as commercially successful as How to Dismantle... would not be without precedent for U2; in 1993, during a break in the massive Zoo TV Tour, U2 recorded what was to be Zooropa. The album was released only a year and half after their album Achtung Baby.
There has been some speculation that U2 may re-record their 1997 album, Pop for a tenth anniversary release. Comments made in mid-2005 by frontman Bono , indicate that this is indeed possible. Bono has stated that the biggest mistake the band has ever made was letting their manager book the PopMart tour, as it meant they had to rush to finish the Pop album.
After touring with hip-hop star Kanye West, Bono has stated that the band will "experiment" with new musical ideas with inspiration from hip-hop . It is not clear whether this means that U2 will try to adopt a hip-hop style, or whether Bono simply wishes to innovate to the same extent that he perceives hip-hop music doing.
Songs rumoured to appear on the next album are:
* "North Star" - a song from the How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb sessions that includes a guest organ appearance from Michael W. Smith. Smith has described in an interview that it is a tribute to the late Johnny Cash.
* "Lead Me In The Way I Should Go" - a contender for How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb first mentioned in the February 2003 issue of Grammy Magazine.
* "You Can't Give Away Your Heart" - a contender for How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb that was first mentioned in SPIN magazine.
* "Mercy" - one of the last songs to get cut from How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb. It was described in Blender magazine as "a six and a half-minute outpouring of U2 at its most uninhibitedly U2-ish." A demo version of the song from the recording sessions to How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb appeared on the Internet shortly after the album was released. Although raw and a work-in-progress, it has already won over many fans, prompting them to request its completion.
* "Love Is All We Have Left" - a song penned by Bono during his May 2006 excursion to Africa, of which he has said he "thought it was a Frank Sinatra song".
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stecm
Registered:
May '02
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Date Posted:
7/5/06 11:04pm
Subject:
RE: "With Or Without You" A New U2 Discussion Thread
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I really like U2's 90s albums (Yes, that includes Pop), and most of their 80s stuff, but the last two albums have been pretty disappointing for me. All That You Can't Leave Behind was pure disposable pop IMO, and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb was much better, but it's still lacking that undefinable something that made me really like U2.
Still, despite the last two, U2 is #1 on my last.fm page, and Achtung Baby is probably my all-time favorite album by any band. Everything just clicks on it for me, plus, I love the electronic sheen Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, and Flood added to the production.
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Rogue1-and-a-half
Title: Manager: Amphitheatre
Registered:
Nov '00
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Date Posted:
7/6/06 8:57pm
Subject:
RE: "With Or Without You" A New U2 Discussion Thread
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Michael W. Smith, huh? I love that guy; cool to hear him on a U2 album.
Are you going to do an album by album discussion? I'd be up for that.
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I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself.
A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough
Without having ever felt sorry for itself.
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malcolm-darth-am-i
Registered:
May '05
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Date Posted:
7/7/06 12:32am
Subject:
RE: "With Or Without You" A New U2 Discussion Thread
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Good Idea Rouge.
I'll have it up after I listen to the album tonight. I'll start with Boy, October and War. So listen up.
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Benny_Blanco
Registered:
Jul '02
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Date Posted:
7/7/06 9:35am
Subject:
RE: "With Or Without You" A New U2 Discussion Thread
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I really, REALLY love U2 - they`ve been my favourite band ever since "The Joshua Tree" was released - and I`ve seen them live twice, BUT I just don`t like "Atomic Bomb" at all! I`ve even tried to make myself like it by playing it over and over, but it just doesn`t work! Anyone else feel this way?
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Alba gu Bráth I aim to misbehave. http://www.thedees.co.uk/# You understand the meaning of the word foreboding? As in, badness is happening RIGHT NOW.
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malcolm-darth-am-i
Registered:
May '05
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Date Posted:
7/7/06 11:13am
Subject:
RE: "With Or Without You" A New U2 Discussion Thread
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With parts yes. But Atomic hold my favorite U2 song, City of Blinding Lights. But I hope they go into a different direction with the next album. And I look forward to the Tour. I've been on the waiting list since forever.
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malcolm-darth-am-i
Registered:
May '05
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Date Posted:
7/7/06 12:01pm
Subject:
RE: "I Can't Believe the News Today" U2 Discussion Thread (Currently Discussing Boy, October and War
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I'm gonna start with Boy and October and War.
Boy and October(1980-1982)
 -Boy
U2 released its first international single "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" in May 1980 and released its first album, Boy the following October. It was met with critical praise and is considered by some as one of the better debuts in rock history. Despite Bono’s unfocused, seemingly improvised lyrics, Boy has a definite theme – an examination of adolescence touching on fear over sex, identity confusion, death and uncontrollable mood swings. The album gave the band their first hit single, "I Will Follow," which remains a fan favorite to this day. Boy's release was followed by U2's first tour beyond Ireland and the United Kingdom. These early live shows nevertheless helped demonstrate U2's potential, as critics noted that Bono was a very "charismatic" and "passionate" showman, reminiscent of a young Rod Stewart .
The album art seen at left is the United Kingdom album cover. American officials thought the cover communicated gay undertones and changed the image for the U.S. release.
The band's second album, October, was released in 1981 . The album contained spiritual lyrics with Bono, The Edge and Larry being committed Christians and made little effort to hide that fact. The three band members had joined a religious group in Dublin called "Shalom," which led all three to question the relationship between the Christian faith and the rock and roll lifestyle. While the Bible has remained a major source of inspiration for Bono’s lyric writing, October is U2’s only overtly religious album and is generally held to be among their least successful work.
War
In 1983, U2 returned with apparently a newfound sense of direction and the release of their third album, War. The album included the song "Sunday Bloody Sunday," which dealt with the troubles in Northern Ireland using religious imagery and what many considered as forceful and almost rebellious lyrics. The ability to use a range of powerful images, taking a song initially about sectarian anger, and turn it into a call for Christians to unite and claim victory over death and evil, proved to many that the band was capable of deep and meaningful songwriting. When some Irish-Americans tried to misrepresent the song as a rallying call for the Provisional IRA Bono responded with what became one of his most recognizable phrases, notably the performance on the live EP Under a Blood Red Sky - "this song is not a rebel song. This song is Sunday Bloody Sunday." Furthermore, as captured in the concert film Rattle and Hum, during the performance of the song on November 8, 1987, the day after the IRA bombing in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, in which 11 people were killed during a Remembrance Day service, Bono denounced the violence in Ireland and the Irish expatriates who supported it. Unlike the style and emotions conveyed by other musicians in the early 1980's, many saw in Bono anger and passion that were palpable, especially as demonstrated by his blunt assertion "**** the 'revolution'!"
The album's first single, "New Year's Day", was U2's first international hit single, reaching the #10 position on the UK charts and nearly cracking the Top 50 on the US charts. MTV put the "New Year's Day" video, directed by Meiert Avis, into heavy rotation, which immediately launched U2 to the mass American audience. For the first time, the band began performing to sold-out concerts in mainland Europe and the U.S. on their subsequent War Tour. The image of Bono waving a white flag during performances of "Sunday Blood Sunday" would immediately become a familiar sight. U2 recorded the Under a Blood Red Sky EP on this tour and a live video was also released, both of which received radio and MTV play and helped expand the band's audience.
These three albums are good. The best being War, and my favorite being October. And Boy is one of the greatest debut albums, and easily one of U2's most under estimated albums. They each have there own sound that's hard to describe. Some of the Lyrics, are great. And others seemed as the article above said, seemed ad-libbed. \
But the Drum and Guitar work on these albums were great and seemed like a sound that hadn't really been around before. The way Bono uses his voice.
But they did produce some of their best songs: I Will Follow, Sunday Bloody Sunday, New Years Day and some more. The thing that some of the song lacted was passion. With songs like "Sunday" he is very passionate and it produces a great song. I Will Follow as well, he puts his heart into it. While with others its not all the same.
With War the Drums are a big focus and you fell that throughout the album. While with Boy and October I fell the used the string instruments more(Guitar and Piano). And Bono uses his powerful voice to get through.
Now a big thing with music is song writing. And with their first two they had good writing, but with War they really took their time to write the music and lyrics. Which shows in how good the album is. Sorry to say I wasn't alive to see them Live back then. But from what I've heard they had the passion they have on stage today back then. And that's what made them famous I guess.
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yankee8255
Registered:
May '05
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Date Posted:
7/7/06 2:48pm
Subject:
RE: "I Can't Believe the News Today" U2 Discussion Thread (Currently Discussing Boy, October and War
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I love Boy, and it has one of my favorite songs, Out of COntrol. After seeing them live 7 times over the course of 16 years, they FINALLY played it live at a show I was at, in October 2001 in MSG , New York, as a final encore with firemen and cops on stage. It was awesome. Side 2 (I originally had everything through Wide Awake in America on vinyl) is a bot uneven, but still quite good overall.
Ocotber has its moments, I love the title song especially, and Gloria was the second video I ever saw on MTV (Hungry Like the WOlf being the first), a song that has sadly gone lost among older U2 classics. Still, very uneven, which makes sense given the story behind the albuum -- Bono's notes got stolen as they were about to start recording, so he had to rewrite everything. The notes turned up a few years ago in Oregon, BTW.
War is my favorite U2 album, largely for sentimental reasons. Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby are superior, in an objective sense, but I still remember cuing it up on my turntable the first time, I was transported. I love every song on that album, and 40 is still the best way to close a concert.
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A perfect world: a house in the Hamptons with two solaria and a horse named Prickely Pete,
Dr. van Nostrand as my primary care physician,
the O-OT legally available on DVD in a quality worthy of its greatness
and Luke the undisputed hero of Star Wars
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Benny_Blanco
Registered:
Jul '02
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Date Posted:
7/7/06 4:21pm
Subject:
RE: "I Can't Believe the News Today" U2 Discussion Thread (Currently Discussing Boy, October and War
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"October" I never thought that much of, until I listened to it a lot more - "Tomorrow" being one of the best tracks IMO. "Boy" again meant a lot more to me upon repeated listenings (I think me maturing helped as well) - "War" is just fantastic, SO many good songs! And they just get better with the live versions on "Under a Blood Red Sky", also making "Gloria" from "October" so many more times better.
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Alba gu Bráth I aim to misbehave. http://www.thedees.co.uk/# You understand the meaning of the word foreboding? As in, badness is happening RIGHT NOW.
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Benny_Blanco
Registered:
Jul '02
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Date Posted:
7/7/06 4:33pm
Subject:
RE: "I Can't Believe the News Today" U2 Discussion Thread (Currently Discussing Boy, October and War
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Jumping ahead, does anyone else think "Pop" is criminally underrated?
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Alba gu Bráth I aim to misbehave. http://www.thedees.co.uk/# You understand the meaning of the word foreboding? As in, badness is happening RIGHT NOW.
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malcolm-darth-am-i
Registered:
May '05
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Date Posted:
7/7/06 5:03pm
Subject:
RE: "I Can't Believe the News Today" U2 Discussion Thread (Currently Discussing Boy, October and War
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"Pop" was extremely rushed. And they even re did a bunch of Pop on the Best Of 1990-2000 album. But I haven't sat down and listened to it that much.
War, is an album with passion, and meaning. This is where Bono first began to develop his public opinion on current events. And it eventually lead him to help in the fight for Africa.
One of my favorite tracks from "October" has to be "I Fall Down" I love the harmony and melody. And the Piano I just love.
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redsabreanakin
Registered:
Feb '05
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Date Posted:
7/7/06 5:11pm
Subject:
RE: "I Can't Believe the News Today" U2 Discussion Thread (Currently Discussing Boy, October and War
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Joining the fray here. One of my favorite bands of all time, however; I do like what I like....and I just didn't care for the period between Achtung Baby and All that you leave behind. Just to much of a departure for me. If they Experiment with a hip-hop sound that may be it for me..and just stick with their old stuff. I hate hip-hop,rap, or whatever you want to call it....sorry my opinion but I'm allowed to have one. There's no reason for a rock band to go that route. That is truly awful news to hear..that they are thinking about doing that.
I was going to list my favorite albums..but I'll stick with the idea you have going here.
1)Boy: one of the best debuts from a band..not the best..but one of them. For a bunch of guys who barely knew how to play at this point..the sound, songs and energy are fantastic. Even today when they sing it live.."I will follow" is just awesome. It's a crowd favorite..always will be.
2)October: glad to see someone up there sees this as their favorite also. It's a totally underrated record and didn't deserve the poor sales it got. The edge's playing on this gets me pumped all the time.
3)War: not really my favorite..(and i'm in the minority there..most people like this one a lot)It's good though..While I like "New years day" My favorite song on the album is "surrender" once again in no small part due to the edge's playing.
Great thread
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"you always were a cunning linguist; James"
"of course..no sense in going off half cocked"
"keeping the british end up sir!"
"well? providing the collars and cuffs match"
"you'll just have to decide how much pumping is needed"
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DVader316
Registered:
Feb '00
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Date Posted:
7/7/06 5:12pm
Subject:
RE: "I Can't Believe the News Today" U2 Discussion Thread (Currently Discussing Boy, October and War
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Benny_Blanco posted:
Jumping ahead, does anyone else think "Pop" is criminally underrated?
In some ways, yes. I also think that 'Zooropa' doesnt get nearly the attention that it deserves, even though there were a handful of singles off of it.
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Currently Reading: Empire by Orson Scott Card
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malcolm-darth-am-i
Registered:
May '05
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Date Posted:
7/7/06 5:48pm
Subject:
RE: "I Can't Believe the News Today" U2 Discussion Thread (Currently Discussing Boy, October and War
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redsabreanakin posted:
If they Experiment with a hip-hop sound that may be it for me..and just stick with their old stuff. I hate hip-hop,rap, or whatever you want to call it....sorry my opinion but I'm allowed to have one. There's no reason for a rock band to go that route.
I kinda fell the same. If they go a hip-hop route I will be force to ruin a goo microwave in which I would kill the CD. I also can't imagine Bono rapping.
If they do it will be a Rock R&B song. With Kanye and other doing the Hip-Hop. I wouldn't be surprised if they do songs like One ft. Mary J. Blige. That's the only way I could See them doing Hip-Hop type stuff. And they will also add some song put on the cutting room floor from Atomic.
But I can't really fell them doing hip-hop. A friend of mine really loves U2s Achtung Baby-Pop and doesnt really like there new stuff. Where I'm in the same boat as you and love their old stuff.
Also your opinion is welcome and I love it.
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redsabreanakin
Registered:
Feb '05
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Date Posted:
7/7/06 6:10pm
Subject:
RE: "I Can't Believe the News Today" U2 Discussion Thread (Currently Discussing Boy, October and War
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Well, I'm assuming, as you said; it wouldn't be a total hip hop/rap thing..but even just experimenting..or coming up with the same music as rap..just really turns me off. I guess they can experiment all they want to..they've earned the right...but they tried with this their 90's stuff..and (for me) it didn't work out to well. A lot of fans missed their rock origins..In my view only Led Zep (with Led Zep 3) and The Beatles (sgt. pepper for one) were really able to go into different areas musically and still keep their fan base..this doesn't work for most bands. I goofed up top..I may have given the impression that I didn't like "All that you can leave behind" I think I said "up to" that album; but anyway.....truth is I love it..but I'll wait til we get to that record.
-----signature-----
"you always were a cunning linguist; James"
"of course..no sense in going off half cocked"
"keeping the british end up sir!"
"well? providing the collars and cuffs match"
"you'll just have to decide how much pumping is needed"
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Obi-Wan_Skywalker_29
Registered:
Mar '03
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Date Posted:
7/7/06 7:14pm
Subject:
RE: "I Can't Believe the News Today" U2 Discussion Thread (Currently Discussing Boy, October and War
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I really think Beautiful Day is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. No pun intended, I just couldn't think of a better word to describe it.
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