Saint Nick
Lifer
- Jan 21, 2005
- 17,722
- 6
- 81
FuzzyDunlop
Diamond Member
- Jan 30, 2008
- 3,260
- 12
- 81
ya no kidding. I have four guitars, one classical electric, one aucoustic electric, one shitty electric that i bang around, and then my 09 American Fender Strat which I ?. With those guitars and a range of peddles I can make any sound that u2 makes.
it is a damn impressive list though
- Sep 29, 2000
- 70,150
- 5
- 0
Your theory has great merit, at least it's a possible reason why every artist gets worse with time. EVERY FVCKING ONE. I have already made a thread about this in the past. Every artist or group hits a peak, generally with their debut album or maybe the second one and from there just goes to hell. It's happened so many times with so many groups. Thinking of ones from the mid 90's immediately I think of stone temple pilots, collective soul, oasis, counting crows. These were real groups with major talent. Now? Nobody gives a sh*t.
That's rich, isn't it, coming from a guy who tours with 43 guitars and takes up an amusement park of 18 wheelers to do his shows. And is in one of the top few rock bands of all time.
It's not really surprising when you think about it. Most bands get signed and make a career on a batch of songs that were developed long before they were anything. The demos that form the first (and maybe second) album are culled from their body of work from roughly age 15-25. The most creative period of most people's lives. The most desperate period of their lives, as alluded to, when they had no other responsibilities and lived month to month on the floor of a storage unit.
Considering that, the debut album *is* the greatest hits album for most new bands, it's the best 10 songs they could come up with over the past 10 years, before they were famous. They blew their load right there, to get the record deal, and that's it. If you start with a lot of material in your cache, you might get 2 strong albums of it. That's the story of Oasis.
If a band continues to put out quality stuff (or even get better and show some growth/development) with their 3rd and 4th album and beyond, when they're getting older, have money, and are under pressure to deliver more hits, that's relatively rare and is the mark of a potentially great band.
ConstipatedVigilante
Diamond Member
- Feb 22, 2006
- 7,670
- 1
- 0
- Oct 10, 1999
- 31,320
- 12,833
- 136
todays bands need to realise that albums are no longer albums... singles are where it is at, people no longer flip the needle to the beginning and listen to the entire album in full while tripping balls... people today want it now, they pick their song and play... its about singles... and i hate to say that because full albums were amazing...
I listened to their last album after stumbling across some stellar reviews. Wondered what the fuck the critics were on. Never played a track from that album ever again.
I don't agree with that, not completely. It certainly helps (to actually be working to make it versus having already made it), and its a pitfall many bands have fallen victim to. Fact is, music today is a popularity contest and while people might still somewhat listen to a band that's been around a while, most people just focus on the newest stuff. The only way for a band like them to not fall off is to take an extended hiatus, or else completely reinvent themselves. If you keep making the same shit, people are going to tire of it. If you make the same shit, but not make it seem like the same shit, then its going to be obvious and is going to be shit to even the people that liked your other shit.
They're fools if they think they could maintain the popular megastar status that they achieved in the early 2000s. You can have that for a while, but it never lasts. It has never lasted for anyone, and never will. Enjoy it while it lasts and then move on.
When your last good song was written 20 years ago and everything you've done since has been actively annoying, and no one under 30 years old gives a fuck about the music you're trying to release, yeah, no one is going to buy your album.
You look at a band like Muse, who absolutely pummel U2 into the earth in every category (songwriting, musicianship, material depth, vocal strength, live performances), and its no surprise that U2's influence is steadily waning. U2 are SO BLAND and always have been. Even the decent songs from Joshua Tree are really pretty bland and tame, even by the standards of their day. Music today is ruled by extremes and drama. U2 offers neither. They play dentist-office music and the fact that they try to pose like "rock" stars has always been a joke.
You look at a band like Muse, who absolutely pummel U2 into the earth in every category (songwriting, musicianship, material depth, vocal strength, live performances), and its no surprise that U2's influence is steadily waning. U2 are SO BLAND and always have been. Even the decent songs from Joshua Tree are really pretty bland and tame, even by the standards of their day. Music today is ruled by extremes and drama. U2 offers neither. They play dentist-office music and the fact that they try to pose like "rock" stars has always been a joke.
Chaotic42
Lifer
- Jun 15, 2001
- 34,946
- 2,096
- 126
The Boston Dangler
Lifer
- Mar 10, 2005
- 14,647
- 2
- 0
adairusmc
Diamond Member
- Jul 24, 2006
- 7,095
- 78
- 91
While I (and most people) consider the older U2 material exponentially better than anything past Acthung Baby, U2 is still the biggest and best rock band in the world. They shattered the ticket sales records on the previous tour, which in turn was broken by the Rolling Stones, then broken again by U2 on this tour. They don't make much from CD sales anyhow, but I'm sure it's a slight ego bruise....although having over 6 million people buy concert tickets for 1 tour makes up for it I'm sure.
I don't find myself listening to entire albums by U2 of anything done after Achtung Baby, but I definitely still listen to a few tracks from POP, Zooropa, ATYCLB, HTDATB, and No Line on the Horizon.
The live shows cannot be beaton IMO. I just went to the show in Phoenix back on Tuesday and it was the 4th time I've seen them....and the best one by far. Granted I didn't get to see the beloved Zoo TV tour, but this one was amazing.
As far as toting around all that gear goes, he actually uses a lot of it. The Edge will go through 18 different guitars during a show sometimes. The effects and sound are very important and he wants to replicate the sound of the songs that were used when they were recorded it originally. The Edge is one of the best guitar players ever, just because he doesn't have the "shred" style doesn't mean jack. He can bring as much gear as he wants, who gives a shit. They do so many shows and enjoy performing so much they like to mix it up and use different sounds once in a while from show to show. These comments about his gear smack of jealousy and misinformation.
Then again, Bono isn't my favorite band member...not even 2nd favorite and I completely get why people think he's a pompous ass. My biggest criticism of the band is not that they don't put out good music, it's that Bono doesn't shut the hell up.
I don't find myself listening to entire albums by U2 of anything done after Achtung Baby, but I definitely still listen to a few tracks from POP, Zooropa, ATYCLB, HTDATB, and No Line on the Horizon.
The live shows cannot be beaton IMO. I just went to the show in Phoenix back on Tuesday and it was the 4th time I've seen them....and the best one by far. Granted I didn't get to see the beloved Zoo TV tour, but this one was amazing.
As far as toting around all that gear goes, he actually uses a lot of it. The Edge will go through 18 different guitars during a show sometimes. The effects and sound are very important and he wants to replicate the sound of the songs that were used when they were recorded it originally. The Edge is one of the best guitar players ever, just because he doesn't have the "shred" style doesn't mean jack. He can bring as much gear as he wants, who gives a shit. They do so many shows and enjoy performing so much they like to mix it up and use different sounds once in a while from show to show. These comments about his gear smack of jealousy and misinformation.
Then again, Bono isn't my favorite band member...not even 2nd favorite and I completely get why people think he's a pompous ass. My biggest criticism of the band is not that they don't put out good music, it's that Bono doesn't shut the hell up.
You cannot replicate the sound, you might come close enough for people who aren't really into the music side of U2...but you cannot replicate it.
TRENDING THREADS
-
Discussion Zen 5 Speculation (EPYC Turin and Strix Point/Granite Ridge - Ryzen 9000)- Started by DisEnchantment
- Replies: 25K
-
Discussion Intel Meteor, Arrow, Lunar & Panther Lakes + WCL Discussion Threads
- Started by Tigerick
- Replies: 23K
-
Discussion Intel current and future Lakes & Rapids thread- Started by TheF34RChannel
- Replies: 23K
-
-
Facebook
Twitter