Have you ever liked U2?

greendom

I remember seeing them on "The Tube" in the early 80s performing in concert in Gateshead I think. I'd never heard of them before and I was struck by their energy and thought they were great. Bar the odd song or 2 I've never really taken to them since.

AnonoBoy

Latchy wrote: »

Like their early stuff like Gloria , I Will Follow , New Years Day , up to Pride ,Streets Have No Name ,Still Haven't Found , With or Without You , Beautiful Day and the Joshua Tree's a great album . I never got into Bono.inc/ save the world stuff but they will always be one of my top fav bands

Early stuff?

CSU

U2's music is like going to the finest Chinese Restaurant in town and ordering a chicken curry + chips.

Booooooooooooring!

Appleguy

Over 7 million people saw them during the 360 tour. Somebody must like them!

hidinginthebush

veryangryman wrote: »

Theyre pretty cat these days to be honest. Ive liked nothing since Vertigo and even then not so great

I did love that day out at Slane many moons ago though. Ireland beating Holland and U2+Moby FTW!

Absolutely awesome day!

Angron

Not particularly. I don't hate them really, but it's just not the sort of music I like or will listen to.

hatrickpatrick

Not only are they my favourite band, while I adore the old stuff No Line on the Horizon is my favourite album by them, of which "Breathe" is the best song IMO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxO3Zrp5aFE

Ahoy hoy

While their music today is nothing like the 80s to the early 90s, it sure is a lot better than the stuff that is out there today.

Latchy

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Early stuff?

I put 'up to ' in my post :rolleyes: although I could have put ' their later stuff like ' after

th3 s1aught3r

Liam Gallagher said he has never met a U2 fan. Or someone who admitted it I guess

Run_to_da_hills

Out of Control, Joshua Tree and Beautiful Day album probably the only U2 stuff I would listen to, anything else from them would give me a headache.

wandatowell

That gold best of they released years ago was fantastic IMO,

Blackpitts

I love them! oone of the reason I'm in Ireland is because of U2.
When I was a kid i had this sort of magic idea about Dublin, which is still true if I forget about the celtic tiger, D4 people and the scumbags in the city centre.
U2 are still able to get me excited when I see them live, although I don't like their last 3 or 4 albums.
I wish they could take a break from the politics, the live acts, the fare trade economy and go back to their roots, so they can deliver another master piece like The Joshua Tree or Achtung baby.

mike65

bonerm wrote: »

I think the problem with them is (like the Rolling Stones) once they started to focus on being a huge live band that their actual studio work went to shít and never recovered.

Basically they were good up until Achtung Baby in 1991. After that everything became a little hollow and repetitive, like they're deliberately crafting their songs for the live performances in front of large crowds of sheeple who love easy to remember tunes about nothing.

Even the uninitiated could stick on their best of's 1980-1990 and 1990-2000 and hear a world of difference between the two decades.

+1 to this, U2 is now a machine designed to make as much money from as many people as possible and touring/Tshirts on an Enormo-Tour are much more profitable than selling actual songs. The Stones last decent studio album was sometime around 1978-80. Subsequent releases became increasingly haphazard and less popular and yet live they went from strength to strength.

stovelid

Bono irritates me.

I do like a lot of their music though but (actually unrelated to me not liking him) you could take Bono out of most of it and it actually wouldn't much difference to me.

gracehopper

There is a lyric in one of the songs on their new album: "Stop helping god across the road like a little old lady" The minute I heard bono sing that I turned the album off and have not listened to it since. Over produced, under written, pure ****e!

Liked the Joshua tree and actung baby and a few other songs along the way. Always liked the edge as a guitar player. great use of effects. What he can do he does well.

Went to see them for the first time for the 360 tour and was bored to be honest. They didnt serve drink on the pitch so it was like going to a childs birthday party, that resless feeling where you just want to sneak away without being seen.

walshb

Musically they are good. They finally got the act together. Some good tracks, some very good ones. BUT, they are not what I would call giftred or natural musicians. They work at it. Simlar to say Ken Doherty in snooker. Ronnie is natural, fluid and gifted. Ken is good, and works to be very good.

U2 compared to bands like Queen or The Beatles, well, there is no comparison in the musical sense. Those two bands were natural, gifted, effortless.

A lot of the recent U2 stuff is quite poor. They were simply getting by on their reputation.

smokedeels

no

AnonoBoy

Latchy wrote: »

I put 'up to ' in my post :rolleyes: although I could have put ' their later stuff like ' after

Not in the version of the post I read you didn't. Perhaps you edited it after I quoted it. Apologies.

Although your post seems to have vanished now so I can't tell.

Micky Dolenz

Moved from AH.

Sonics2k

Honestly never liked them.

I've always found their songs to be the same thing over and over, with essentially the same Riffs and beats for the last 20 years at least.

That and Bono just annoys the hell out of me.

InTheTrees

Come on now I hate them now just like everyone else but back in the begining they were great. They were really really good.

Thats how they got where they are today.

But they lost the hunger and got fat.

starlit

I like U2 more so the old stuff but I like the new material they are coming out with.

vampire of kilmainham

i liked there old music in the 80s early 90s but cant stand them now but im sure they dont care what we all think there worth millions.:eek:

Malice

So my question is - have you ever actually liked U2 at some stage or have you always hated them?

Anyone with working ears should be able to appreciate the quality of some of U2's early stuff. Even some of their later (1990+) stuff is still well worth a listen (Mysterious Ways, Electrical Storm, Hands That Built America, Until The End of The World, One).
I don't know how someone could hate a band that produced high-quality music like that.

On a side note has anyone ever been to a wedding where One has been played? It's happened to me twice and each time I've cringed. Beautifully simple song it may be but suitable for a wedding? I think not!

InTheTrees

Yeah, late 80's early 90's was okay. The best songs have been played to death though. I still have "one" on my ipod for when i feel maudlin...

But thats all. We went and saw them play last year and it was just a big light show and cool looking scaffolding. I was amazed by all the advertising and sponsors. It was like a football match.

ricero

i like them and no matter what people say they are one of the greatest bands ever. there amazing live aswell

Nolanger

They were the band the kids in school who weren't big into music liked.

Dudess

I think they've some absolutely brilliant stuff from the start up to Zooropa in 1993. After The Joshua Tree though, for me, cracks started to appear, and while they continued to make some very good music over the next few years, Pop was the final nail in the coffin. That's not to say they haven't done the occasional good song since Zooropa, but much of their output is really, really bland and samey.
I do think Bono has a great voice though (it sounds amazing on his duet with Clannad, In A Lifetime) and I like The Edge's guitar style. It's simple, but sometimes simple is good.

Latchy

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Not in the version of the post I read you didn't. Perhaps you edited it after I quoted it. Apologies.

Although your post seems to have vanished now so I can't tell.

No probs . In my first post I had the line ' I liked their early stuff like Gloria etc ' up to ' Beautiful day . In reply to you I went to edit my post to highlight 'up to' but it wasn't there So I posted same again just to highlight it .