U2- From The Sky Down (documentary)

madtheory

I think this is only available with the uber box set of Achtung Baby. Get to see it. Great insight into why:
(a) They've stayed together and pretty consistently made great music for so long.
(b) They're the best band in the world.

It shows you their particular creative process, and the work of their team (Eno, Flood, Lanois, Herlihy, Corbijn etc. etc.) Best quote from Eno "they're extremely kind to one another".

SonasRec

It's on RTE player here:

http://www.rte.ie/player/#!v=1140987

Shown on RTE2 on Patricks day. Worth a watch alright.

Denalihighway

+1

not to get the auld debate going, but i can never understand the antipathy shown towards this band. leaving aside the tax ****e and Bono's soapbox stuff obviously. how people can disregard the back catalogue is simply beyond me.

their good material is too extensive to go into. seen them a few times and they're good live too.

i found it very human, very honest. especially the parts when they played the tapes of the raw creative process involved with the achtung baby stuff. and its great they look after each other etc...four mates.

oh to have all those lads contributing to pre-production though - its like a separate band altogether. serious stuff

madtheory

Ya, Bono attracts a lot of begrudgery. Fact is they made it because of luck, hard work and self belief- characteristics not typical of most Irish. The tax thing is the typical bull**** that we Irish love to gripe about. Most people have no idea how the system works, and fail to realise it's for the country, which is ALL of us (see current household tax griping). U2 do pay income tax, they have to because they all live here! They're on the highest band, obviouslt. They have however, moved the publishing company to Holland, because it's cheaper taxwise. And they've given several million to music education over the last few years. Plus they have employed a large Irish crew, most of whom have been with them for years.

TroutMask

I think they're a wussy band and they suck. They do not rock. Midnight Oil were a similar style, but 20 times better. If they didn't have an army of extra musicians hiding under the stage playing arranged parts and/or 75 extra taped tracks blended in with the live feeds they would be terrible live. I can't wait to get off this computer and take a degausser to the pile of U2 cassettes sitting on my shelf - Grrrr! :mad:

Denalihighway

if you post like a child, we'll just assume you're a troll amigo...

TroutMask

Well, as you can see from my other posts, I'm not. I just hate U2 and I genuinely think that they are one of the worst, most pretentious bands of all time. That's not trolling - that's my view!

madtheory

TroutMask wrote: »

I can't wait to get off this computer and take a degausser to the pile of U2 cassettes sitting on my shelf - Grrrr! :mad:

Cassettes? How long have they been on the shelf? Must be a severe source of anger for you. Poor thing. Why would you keep something you dislike?

TroutMask

They're originals - so it must be a long time now. Kinda like the first one in a weird way - though I think this is more because of Steve Lillywhite than down to anything U2 do.

ZV Yoda

I've been an on-off U2 fan for years... they're a superb live act & have written some amazing songs. Having said that, it they've released some shyte too. I think their last album was rubbish, but loved Atomic Bomb. Anyway...

I'm constantly amazed how they remain so successful as songwriters and a live act when none of them are partcularly gifted musicians.There's a real "whole is better than the sum" aspect to the band.

I watched the documentary a while back. It seems they were about to jack it all in when all of a sudden they hit on the chords for One. Now, I'm no guitar genius, but that chord progression has been used a million times before - yet that it seems to have hauled them back from the brink and resulted in One.... which led them to finishing the album and introducing them to a whole new audience.

All off the back of 4 chords. Amazing really.

kippy

ZV Yoda wrote: »

I've been an on-off U2 fan for years... they're a superb live act & have written some amazing songs. Having said that, it they've released some shyte too. I think their last album was rubbish, but loved Atomic Bomb. Anyway...

I'm constantly amazed how they remain so successful as songwriters and a live act when none of them are partcularly gifted musicians.There's a real "whole is better than the sum" aspect to the band.

I watched the documentary a while back. It seems they were about to jack it all in when all of a sudden they hit on the chords for One. Now, I'm no guitar genius, but that chord progression has been used a million times before - yet that it seems to have hauled them back from the brink and resulted in One.... which led them to finishing the album and introducing them to a whole new audience.

All off the back of 4 chords. Amazing really.

You know what they say about 4 chord songs......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpB_40hYjXU

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

madtheory

ZV Yoda wrote: »

It seems they were about to jack it all in when all of a sudden they hit on the chords for One. Now, I'm no guitar genius, but that chord progression has been used a million times before...

That's kinda the point though, isn't it? The chord progression is only a small part of it. As you said, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts- the guitar sound, the room, tempo, rhythms, accents, the echo on the kit, the mics used, the desk, Berlin, time of day/ night, the mood everyone was in, etc. etc. etc.

woodsdenis

Thanks for the heads up. Watched it last night. One of the best music docs have seen. Saddens me to see the typical begrudgers on here. Simply, there would be NO Irish music industry without them. They focused record companies and others to the fact that there was talent here. They created hundreds of jobs
in music and video production and touring. On top of all of that, they are extremely nice people.

ZV Yoda

madtheory wrote: »

That's kinda the point though, isn't it? The chord progression is only a small part of it. As you said, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts- the guitar sound, the room, tempo, rhythms, accents, the echo on the kit, the mics used, the desk, Berlin, time of day/ night, the mood everyone was in, etc. etc. etc.

Yeah, that's exactly my point - it was the simple chord progression that kicked it all off. They'd already been in the studio jamming away for ages, then all of a sudden it just came together & they wrote an absolute classic song out of it.

I saw a similiar U2 documentary years ago about the making of the Unforgettable Fire (one of my favourite albums of all time - I love the drum sound on that album!). Eno sums them up perfectly at the start of this clip. Shows they really haven't changed how they approach songwriting after all these years - still jamming together until they come up with something that works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VvU_0hbTNE

krd

woodsdenis wrote: »

Thanks for the heads up. Watched it last night. One of the best music docs have seen.

Yeah. That was incredibly revealing. They left a lot of stuff that they might have otherwise edited out. I had heard about Bono's song writing technique years ago - the gibberish words etc... but never seen any of up til now.

Most music documentaries are absolute kock. They're so carefully stage managed, and edited, for the sake of the band's image, you really don't get an insight into the process.

There were really surprising bits in the documentary. I surprised to see how much stress they were under with the Joshua Tree - and how they felt they weren't really up to it musically. They never showed the sloppy side of it before. I love the bit where Bono is backstage bitching about the roadies "You don't need a phd in fcuking stagecraft to see what I was doing"

The bit in the dingy rehearsal room above Claddagh Records was an eye opener. I always imagined them doing their stuff in the ballroom of some stately home.

The funny bit about Edge tuning at full volume - usually it's the drummer driving every up the wall doing the Phil Collins drum solo when the rest of the band are trying to talk about chord progression etc.

Saddens me to see the typical begrudgers on here. Simply, there would be NO Irish music industry without them.

U2 are undeniably great, even if you don't like their music.

On top of all of that, they are extremely nice people.

I think that may have been the only way they actually succeeded. And I believe they really cared about their music. I've played music with a few people - and mostly they're really pathetic. Their interest isn't really music - they have some silly idea of becoming celebrities - they'd drop all their pretensions and jump at a chance to be in the cheesiest boyband if Louis Walsh made them an offer - they want to be in the Big Brother house. They're bolloxes - they work against the other musicians - they have the worst kind of narcissism.

Young bands in Ireland have never sounded better - purely in terms of having better production. Good instruments and equipment are easier to come by than ever. But they mostly suck. It might be that the people in these bands really suck at being people.

If you are a swivel eyed shit - that swivel eyed shitieness will come out in the music.

wonski

Thanks for RTE link to the movie, I do not regret using my very low download limit on this. Never was a big fan of U2, but always admired them for how good their sound was, and how they moved out from Irish background to International success...
Feel the need to defend them due to some comments - even if bad reviews were in the minority of this thread.
U2 are not great musicians, in terms of skills, but still they managed to produce a lot of good pieces, and hits over the years. Bono is, I believe, the one behind it, but, as you can see clearly in the movie, and in the history of the band, not the only one. It is just nice to see people working together for so many years without major breakdown.
As for them being poor on stage - at least they have balls to admit it. For me, it doesn't make any difference. I put the final product first, always. The CD in my car will tell the truth before i get to work, if i don't like it, i bin it. If i like it, i may go to see them live, but even if live performance appears to be poor, i keep my CD... and i keep listening to it.
I don't mind band using a loads of effects to make their music sound good, or to cover their weakness. As long as it sound good, i accept it, and would never expect live act to be the same quality. Personally to me going to a concert is just to show some grattitude for band, let them get few quids, and have some fun, instead of comparing it to records i listened before.
I am very proud of U2, what they have done so far was great, and - amazingly - RTE movie was great too. We have to give them some credit too, from time to time.

madtheory

I've seen them live and they were amazing. They connected with the audience. That has very little to do with musical skill- that said, what they can do, they do extremely well, like the Beatles.

krd

I never get this idea when people say U2 are not great musicians.

Or the Edge is not a great guitarist. He doesn't bend strings, he doesn't rip off Jimi Hendrix solos. He doesn't play dickless widdly guitar solos.

I think it's the same people who would say Steve Vai is a great guitarist - purely because he can play very fast.

Same people would say Gary Moore was a better guitarist than the Edge - Gary Moore rehashed done to death blues solos. Absolutely nothing new. He looked like a gurning cock, and I think that's what the attraction was.

The vast majority of guitarists do absolutely nothing new or unique with the instrument.


Playing a lot of notes faster, whether it's a guitar, drums, bass, or piano, does not make it good. Often it's really bad and it's just fakery.

Using a lot of chords for the sake of it, is also the same thing. Steely Dan were crap. When Thin Lizzy did Steely Dan rip-offs they were also crap too.

Van Halen were crap. And band, where the guitarist or singer had a perm, were crap.

Denalihighway

krd wrote: »

I never get this idea when people say U2 are not great musicians.

Or the Edge is not a great guitarist. He doesn't bend strings, he doesn't rip off Jimi Hendrix solos. He doesn't play dickless widdly guitar solos.

I think it's the same people who would say Steve Vai is a great guitarist - purely because he can play very fast.

Same people would say Gary Moore was a better guitarist than the Edge - Gary Moore rehashed done to death blues solos. Absolutely nothing new. He looked like a gurning cock, and I think that's what the attraction was.

The vast majority of guitarists do absolutely nothing new or unique with the instrument.


Playing a lot of notes faster, whether it's a guitar, drums, bass, or piano, does not make it good. Often it's really bad and it's just fakery.

Using a lot of chords for the sake of it, is also the same thing. Steely Dan were crap. When Thin Lizzy did Steely Dan rip-offs they were also crap too.

Van Halen were crap. And band, where the guitarist or singer had a perm, were crap.

+1

while I appreciate technical virtuosos...i get bored of them really quick unless they're doing something i find interesting/melodic.

i'd listen to a guy doing something simple, nice and original on a piano/guitar/drum way before a guy widdly-widdlying away up and down a fret-board. i don't disregard it obviously...cuz that's just stupid...but it doesn't do anything for me.

different strokes.

to get back on topic. U2 may not be virtuosos technically but they have made some beautiful music.

As a songwriter/composer, for my tastes, I rate Edge among the top guitarists.

Its funny that Bono's gibberish scratch VOX during pre-pro on 'One' came out in the documentary too. Not everyone's cup of tea but I often use this in writing lyrics. My belief is that music should always be enjoyed as a sensory aural pleasure first and foremost. I think really, pure music (as such) should really have no lyrics at all as they're are a distraction. Hence the holistic/euphoric properties of classical and instrumental music. But I enjoy much of these distractions.

By doing this he makes sure everything fits phonetically/sonically etc and then later he moulds lyrics around them. Not always with great success but with great success where 'One' is concerned IMO.