I feel like I need to post some thoughts about the new U2 album. I’ve been holding off for a few reasons. One, I have only listened to it three or four times. Two, I don’t trust my early reactions very much, and I want to give some informed opinions. But let’s just throw all that aside and rush in where angels fear to tread. So here’s the tracks with some initial responses.
Vertigo: Some nice head-thrashin’ music, but nothing special. Is it just me or does this song make it sound like has Bono entered his William Hung stage?
Miracle Drug: Fine and all. If this is the weak point of your album, you’re in good shape. Unfortunately it’s not.
Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own: Far and away the best song on the album. Partly I’m influenced by the superb SNL performance, but nothing else on the album comes off as sincere as this one does. What All I Want Is You is supposed to be.
Love and Peace or Else: I like it. Funky. I like it funky. The answer to the title’s riddle.
City of Blinding Lights: This one is growing on me. I didn’t like it at first, but now I can hear it. Should be a highlight of the live show.
All Because of You: A weak song, but fits well on the album. Compare to Wild Honey.
A Man and a Woman: Feels like they pulled this one off the cutting floor of the Million Dollar Hotel soundtrack. They should have left it there.
Crumbs from Your Table: By this point, I’m pretty bored of the album. Two bad songs in a row. I recommend skipping these two.
One Step Closer: The second best song on the album. Good placement; it sets up for a strong finish. This one could be like The First Time; the more you listen to it, the more you find in its simplicity.
Original of the Species: Decent song. Is this supposed to reference Jesus as the New Adam?
Yahweh: Only confirms that this album is really the new October. Not only is the bridge to Vertigo lifted almost directly from the Boy/October sessions, but this song (and the whole album) has all the themes of October, but more fully developed. Also a better finish than Grace (but not as good as Love is Blindness).
I should say that after my first listen to this album, I was pretty disappointed. Mostly I was bored, and realizing that made me disappointed. Only when I went back and started listening to my favorites again did I get a feel for the album. Now I think it will hold up well against their best work of the last 15 years.
For more discussion, see Kevin, Neal, Andy, and the marcoe boys and gals.
Also, feel free to comment. It won’t show right away, because I’m still tampering with settings and such, but I’ll get them up quickly.
8 responses so far ↓
1 habib wrote // Dec 1, 2004 at 6:18 pm
I’ve already said my piece on marcoe, but I think I’d like to reiterate that most of these songs will be brilliant live. That’s not enough for an album with some embarrasingly weak moments (the intro to City of Blinding Lights, All Because of You, and the “doo-doos” at the end of Original of Species). The good thing is that this album makes ATYCLB sound like it was done by a really good U2 cover band.
Think about how these songs will sound live. People were down on POP and some of that work was spectacular live.
And I still contend that Pop is a more interesting album than this one.
2 habib wrote // Dec 1, 2004 at 6:26 pm
i posted once, and your blog ate it. I’ve already weighed in on marcoe, but I’ll put my 2 cents in here as well.
These songs will kick live. There are some embarrasingly weak moments, though: the intro to City of Blinding Lights, Bono’s “doo-doos” at the end of Original of Species, and All Becuase of you, which steals the ‘Worst U2 Song. Ever’ title from Somedays are Better than others.
The good thing is that after listenign to it for a while, HTDAAB makes ATYCLB sound like a really good U2 cover band. THis is the real mccoy. Is it as interesting as Pop? No. But it’ll do.
ATYCLB is the new Zooropa. Fun with a few good songs.
For them to make an amazing album, it’s got to be so weird, so uncharacteristic that everyone hates it for the first 3 months, then says “o…m…g…, why didn’t I hear that before?!!” (see: Achtung, Zooropa, Pop).
Did I mention that All Because of You is the Worst U2 Song. Ever? I think it’s even worse than their cover of All Along the Watchtower.
3 tpy responded // Dec 1, 2004 at 10:37 pm
Absolutely not, Peter. The worst U2 song of all time is without a doubt Some Days Are Better Than Others. Never has so stupid a song made the cut of a U2 album. At least Party Girl and the cover of Unchained Melody weren’t on an album. Heck, I can even forgive the ugly parts of Rattle & Hum because I see it as a collection of singles and not a real album.
4 Neal wrote // Dec 2, 2004 at 8:08 am
For things to really become favorites, they usually have to grow on me. With albums, there are usually a few good songs that bring me back, and then the rest of it really opens up. With ATYCLB, I liked a few of the songs first time through, and then the rest grew on me… except Wild Honey. It ain’t terrible, but it isn’t amazing either.
Funnily enough, I was going to call All Because of You the Wild Honey of this album, and thought better of it for some reason. Great minds think alike and all that. Heh, I’d also say there’s something in Bono’s voice that just grates me in the chorus.
Heh, I rather like Some Days Are Better Than Others… guess you left your great mind behind on that one, eh? ;)
5 habib said // Dec 2, 2004 at 8:39 am
it totally is the worst song. it’s got an alright chord progression (same way Some Days are Better than others has a nice and pretty bass line), and then all of a sudden we get to the chorus and wham! who let this guy sing?
6 habib said // Dec 2, 2004 at 9:16 pm
wild honey is a great song. the unsung hero of ATYCLB.
7 tpy added // Dec 3, 2004 at 10:26 am
Wild Honey is the kind of solid, non-single song that makes or breaks an album. Every U2 album has some great ones on it. The difference between the good albums and the greats is the quality of the mediocre songs. That’s what make Achtung the best album. Almost no weak songs (only So Cruel and maybe Throw Your Arms).
That’s what I meant when I said if Miracle Drug is the quality of your album songs, then you’ve got a great album. Wild Honey is a great non-single track, which is one reason why ATYCLB is a strong album.
And Some Days is exactly why Zooropa is not one of the greats. It’s got stupid lyrics, on the far shore from subtle and interesting. When Bono starts to sing the chorus, I cringe every time. Still nice parts to the song, but a failure nonetheless.
8 habib responded // Dec 4, 2004 at 12:54 am
i can buy that.
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