Bask
I don't quite know how to say this without sounding stupid or sappy, but U2 really strikes a chord with me deep within my being. They can somehow tap into something that no other band can. But with that said, I've been pretty frustrated/annoyed with the direction they've taken the last few years. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb was all right, but now two years after its release I couldn't tell you the last time I felt like listening to it.
Luckily though, there's this "Window in the Skies" business. I can't put my finger on it, but this song rips into me like a lot of their other recent stuff hasn't. Every aspect of it impresses me. This song coupled with the rough version of Mercy gives me plenty of hope.
If I were to say that I thought this video is "neat" then that, my friend, would be a colossal understatement.
Feel free to download the big, pretty version of it here if you so wish.
Luckily though, there's this "Window in the Skies" business. I can't put my finger on it, but this song rips into me like a lot of their other recent stuff hasn't. Every aspect of it impresses me. This song coupled with the rough version of Mercy gives me plenty of hope.
If I were to say that I thought this video is "neat" then that, my friend, would be a colossal understatement.
Feel free to download the big, pretty version of it here if you so wish.
11 Comments:
Nice. I don't like music videos normally, even with U2, but that is impressive. and the editing... I can't imagine how many man hours it took to get that right.
I guess i would have to agree about Atomic Bomb. Besides Miracle Drug and City of Blinding Lights, it wasn't all that strong. Still better than Pop or Zooropa in my book, but nowhere near All That You Can't Leave Behind.
Nice. I don't like music videos normally, even with U2, but that is impressive. and the editing... I can't imagine how many man hours it took to get that right.
I totally disagree with both of you about Atomic Bomb. There are some amazing songs on that record. It came out in 2004 and I still listen to it all the way through now, sometimes multiple times a day. Maybe it's just me, or maybe some of the songs speak to something personal in me, I don't know. Regardless, I love the album.
Nice video too. I thought the same thing as the King about the editing. I would have hated to be that editor.
I don't think the difficulty of the editing could really compare to the amount of time and effort it took to come up with all that footage. I think that's the most impressive thing about the video.
Personally I think that Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own is the only song that's up to snuff there. And I might include City of Blinding Lights and Original of the Species on a good day.
I'm struck by how you ranked the 4 albums you mentioned, Jason. If I had to do it, I'd place them like this...
1)Achtung Baby
2)Joshua Tree
3)War
4)Pop
5)All That You...
6)Zooropa
7)Unforgettable Fire
8)Boy
9)Rattle and Hum
10)October
11)Atomic Bomb
I'd put them this way:
1 Joshua Tree
2 All You Can't
3 Unforgettable Fire
4 Achtung Baby
5 Rattle & Hum (for Heartland alone)
6 war
7 atomic bomb
8 october
9 pop
10 boy
11 zooropa
the obvious objection would be my choice of Unforgettable Fire up so high. I think it's because people only think of Pride and forget about Bad, Homecoming, Elvis, etc. They achieved a simplicity in that album (Promenade, MLK) that easily set it above their crowded productions in the later 90's.
I don't know. Maybe i need to revisit Zooropa. It's been a long time.
No, that's not an obvious objection. Numbers 5-8 on my placement are pretty flexible, I could definitely put UF higher.
The Zooropa album's always worth a revisit for Stay, Dirty Day, and the 4:43-6:23 section of Zooropa.
I've been tiptoeing around the opining on this blog, attempting to restrain my bewilderment of select statements, particularly Jason's initial comment. Every time I read back over the discussions, I feel the need to at least stir up a little friction.
I'm not saying that you can't make comparative statements about All That You Can't Leave Behind and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, but I will suggest it is altogether unnecessary. I'll come to Trent's aid and say you and Jason have been too hard on Atomic Bomb in this wise. In fact, I was surprised by both making the remark about "City of Blinding Lights" being the only or secondary example of substance on the album, when said song seems to me to be the most musically and lyrically impotent of the lot! From a Casey Casum or, I suppose, a Rick Dees perspective, I can see how you may choose City over more mature and inspiring choices like "Crumbs from Your Table," "Yahweh," or "One Step Closer". And how you could you omit "Miracle Drug" from mention?
I thank you for turning me on to "Window in the Skies" and I appreciate your comment about "Mercy," as it has fast become one of my favorite songs of all time.
I'll leave the album-rating to you guys to squabble over, as it really has no point in the first place; at least, that is, not a point like there is in rating the Hollywood super-hunks.
I've been trying to think of a way to express my absolute disagreement with this discussion for a while now. Thanks to Drew for finally saying what I've been thinking.
What really shocked me was Jeremy listing this record as the worst U2 record of all time. Are you serious? Like Drew, I'm not going to get into ranking them, because frankly, it's a purely subjective thing that we will never all agree on. But to say that it is their poorest work is a fallacy.
Anyway, I do agree that Window in the Skies is an amazing song. I just wish you could purchase it without buying the 'U218' collection of singles. iTunes won't let you buy it individually. If anyone knows where to get it, let me know.
Also, if we're ranking Hollywood super-hunks, then I vote for Leo DiCaprio.
Here are the reasons for it being at the bottom of my list…
Vertigo – one of their more lyrically trite songs in my opinion. I’ve always preferred Native Son which - although I disagree with it - at least had something to say. (And I wish they’d kept more of the guitar stuff when they made the transition to Vertigo.) I read they scrapped the Native Son lyrics when Steve Lillywhite came in to produce and replaced them with the more single-worthy lyrics of Vertigo. And that exemplifies my beef with the album as a whole I think. It gives me the feeling that they’re trying too hard to appeal to the masses, rather than trying to push themselves musically. They didn’t care about being too weird in the 90s. That’s the impression I get anyway. So back to Vertigo specifically, I lost what appreciation I did have for the song when someone pointed out the similarity to Sonic Youth’s Dirty Boots. Despite all of this I should point out that the song does rock live.
Miracle Drug – I know you think very highly of this one, Drew, but I almost always skip it when I’m listening to the album. Lyrics sound clunky to me and the chorus makes me cringe. Sorry, it just does nothing for me. I do have to admit that it’s pretty sharp when Edge takes over at the 2:45 mark, but not sharp enough to keep this song from being my least favorite on the album.
Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own – Nothing bad to say here. Hard to knock a song this personal about a guy’s late father anyway.
Love and Peace or Else – I like it fine.
City of Blinding Lights – Yeah, I can’t really argue with its lyrical impotence, but musically it’s pretty classic U2. I like it, sue me.
All Because of You – If Bono hadn’t been so lazy with the chorus, this would probably be my favorite track.
A Man and a Woman – I like it fine.
Crumbs From Your Table – Sounds like they slightly altered the music from Walk On and made it about Africa. Don't like it.
One Step Closer – I could take it or leave it. Seems more like B-side material to me.
Original of the Species – Pretty good.
Yahweh – I like it fine. Especially the live version (reference the Chicago Vertigo DVD).
I don’t hate the album by any means and I wouldn't necessarily say it's their "poorest work", but it definitely does the least for me. It's all subjective anyway, as you Trent said.
By the way, Trenton, I ordered the Window in the Skies single (CD2) online today. It's got a live version of Kite that's supposed to be amazing (I've heard it's on par with the Bad performance at Live Aid). The Best Buy in Tyler might have it (no Best Buy in Casper) and if not then Tower.com has it for $6.99
I can't believe the phrase "Hollywood super-hunks" has been used twice in the comments without the name Hasselhoff attached to it.
I don't think anyone here will debate the lyrical emptiness of "Vertigo," but I agree with your stance on "Native Son" completely.
I'm sure we'll never see eye to eye on "Crumbs," but maybe your perception of it has been altered because of the political connection with Africa. I actually never knew it was written for that reason, but it hardly changes the song's brilliance. Like you said about "Native Son," even though you may disagree, it's still good stuff.
Overall, I get the impression that some folks weren't ready for the flight from Bono's poetic, metaphorical style lyrics for the generally more brutally transparent ones in Atomic Bomb. But that's just me.
Also, whilst making mention of unreleased songs in the era of/between All That You Can't Leave Behind and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, I'd like to mention a little song called "Flower Child" in all of its eternal sweetness. Just a beautiful piece of songwriting there.
On the super-hunks front, I'm having a hard time figuring out what to do with Steve Guttenberg in my top 10.
Post a Comment
<< Home