Yeah, yeah - U2 are shoite but...

old hippy · 27-09-2013 10:14AM #1

They do have some damn fine tunes. Just heard "Pride" on the wireless and it still sounds awesome as it did when first released. The hipsters decided years back (circa '85, iirc) that U2 were naff and bloated. But I never quite agreed. I think the rot set in much later. They were still baking good sounds in the 90s and even Passengers was a brave attempt to do something different.

Do you have a grudging respect for U2 and is there a tune they do that, goshdarnnit, you (rattle and) hum along to?

biko · 27-09-2013 10:19AM

Yeah when I first heard them I loved them. All albums up to Achtung Baby are good.

But for an Irish person to say they like U2 is like for a Swede to say they like ABBA - it's just not done.

OU812 · 27-09-2013 10:19AM

Lot of stuff I don't like, lot of stuff I do. Some of their lesser known stuff is brilliant.

Hate the last album. Listened to it a dozen times to try to get into it, & bar the remixed "I'll go crazy", it's ****e. The last couple of albums have been difficult to get into actually. I don't know if that's just me getting older or they're trying to hard to be relevant.

I'd like to see a return to the days between Unforgettable Fire & All That You Can't Leave Behind, which was their golden era, Particularly Joshua Tree/Rattle & Hum which are seminal to me.

Not too fond of the first three albums although theres some classic tracks, they're noway near as good as the publicity machine would have you believe & October in particular did not age well.

Ash.J.Williams · 27-09-2013 10:22AM

i'm not a fan at all, but they are/were as good as they made out! they're bleedin brilliant, same goes for the likes of kevin shields and gerry leonard we should be proud of our music exports!

TheBellJar · 27-09-2013 10:22AM

There were hipsters in '85?

Brendan Flowers · 27-09-2013 10:22AM

No grudge and lots of respect for them. Their new music has gone downhill a lot but my god can they perform a brilliant live concert! Hopefully they're back in Croker again in the next few years.

ruthloss · 27-09-2013 10:23AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnD6ojjA0OA

zega · 27-09-2013 10:23AM

Bono is a pint-sized tax shy smug prick.

Sugarlumps · 27-09-2013 10:23AM

Bullet the blue sky is a cracking tune.

Filibuster · 27-09-2013 10:24AM

People dislike them because in real life they are smug arseholes. Always trying to stick their nose into the current noble cause. They want governments to raise taxes but refuse to contribute themselves. Like ruining the Croke Park concerts by stopping them midway and giving a 15min lecture on third world poverty. Fcuk off Bono you dickhead..

hfallada · 27-09-2013 10:25AM

I love how Bono threw Ireland under the bus this week talking about our low corporate tax rate. Maybe it was to justify his lack of tax paying in Ireland

Collie D · 27-09-2013 10:26AM

Used to be a fan but reckon they should do an REM and call it a day now to be honest. Agree with Sugarlumps. "Bullet the Blue Sky" is awesome and sounds great live.

Hopefully the other "Biggest band in the World" - Coldplay also decide to pack it in too

Brendan Flowers · 27-09-2013 10:26AM

zega wrote: »

Bono is a pint-sized tax shy smug prick.

I'd still be willing to bet that Bono pays a hell of a lot more taxes to the Irish Government than any of us here.

Sunglasses Ron · 27-09-2013 10:30AM

Their 80's material is largely flawless. Some decent 90's stuff. But as for the last 15 years or so, apart from the odd good lead single, meh.

Mind you, I did love this relatively recent collabo (and I wouldn't be into Green Day at all)

And yet when I saw them live in 2010 they didn't do it :mad:

nelly17 · 27-09-2013 10:31AM

I'm in two minds about U2, as individual musicians they are really quite average - music by numbers type of stuff. But in this instance the sum is definately greater than the parts. They do have some cracking tunes though but sadly I think those creative glory days are gone for them now and they would release any drivel and keep milking that cash cow (who would'nt?).

tigger123 · 27-09-2013 10:32AM

Always thought Zooropa and Pop were the most interesting work, love those albums.

lee_baby_simms · 27-09-2013 10:35AM

U2 are like Gay Byrne. Forgotten but not gone.

They've been freewheeling musically for decades. This recent quote from Bonjo might be a good summation of the bands problem.

In a recent TV interview with Gay Byrne, Bono talked about how people need to get over any “warm, fuzzy feeling” they might have about the band. They’re a business, he insisted.

Systemic Risk · 27-09-2013 10:36AM

Brendan Flowers wrote: »

I'd still be willing to bet that Bono pays a hell of a lot more taxes to the Irish Government than any of us here.

You do know how tax works income right?

force eleven · 27-09-2013 10:38AM

They've had longevity I'll give them that. Also, Bono was solely responsible for an horrendous mullet craze in my school c 1984-86.

nelly17 · 27-09-2013 10:40AM

--Kaiser-- · 27-09-2013 10:40AM

I'll let these speak for themselves

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxG2UWhvXJI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3O1Ap41ptU

General General · 27-09-2013 10:41AM

tigger123 wrote: »

Always thought Zooropa and Pop were the most interesting work, love those albums.

Nooo... Zooropa is surely where they lost the run of themselves & let down their fans by not producing an album like The Joshua Tree or The Unforgettable Fire...

Y'know, the kind of U2 fans who get overly caught up in their fan-ny-ness of U2.

Brendan Flowers · 27-09-2013 10:41AM

Systemic Risk wrote: »

You do know how tax works income right?

Go on, enlighten me so...

Irish Guitarist · 27-09-2013 10:43AM

Some of their early songs were good. Staring At The Sun in my opinion was the best from their later period. I haven't felt like actually playing one of their albums in years though.

RikkFlair · 27-09-2013 10:43AM

old hippy wrote: »

They were still baking good sounds in the 90s and even Passengers was a brave attempt to do something different.

Your Blue Room is a fantastic piece of music. A big fan of their 90s experimental period, not too gone on their return to big stadium friendly tunes of the 2000s.

Aglomerado · 27-09-2013 10:43AM

There are some songs that I would class among my all time favourites, like;

All I want is You
Pride
When Love comes to Town (with BB King)
Angel of Harlem
The Sweetest Thing
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Out of Control
Where the Streets Have No Name

Bono annoys the shyte out of me, but I still have to hand it to him and the others for creating some great songs!

Robbo · 27-09-2013 10:46AM

TheBellJar wrote: »

There were hipsters in '85?

Tight jeans, bad jumpers and wonky haircuts. 98% of the population qualified.

tigger123 · 27-09-2013 10:47AM

General General wrote: »

Nooo... Zooropa is surely where they lost the run of themselves & let down their fans by not producing an album like The Joshua Tree or The Unforgettable Fire...

Y'know, the kind of U2 fans who get overly caught up in their fan-ny-ness of U2.

Outside of those albums and parts of Achtung Baby I've always found their music a bit boring and straight. I felt at that time with the music sounding as it did and the epic nature of their live shows they were pushing the boat out, trying something new and succeeding. I ha ve massive respect for that. Plus the songs on those albums are incredible.

Cee-Jay-Cee · 27-09-2013 10:49AM

I actually like their music, I just don't like them especially Bonzo, the arogant self righteous pompous prick.

Filibuster · 27-09-2013 10:51AM

Brendan Flowers wrote: »

Go on, enlighten me so...

Bono paid no tax in Ireland until 2006 as he was exempt under the artist tax scheme. Then when they changed the rules of the scheme, U2 moved their operation to Holland.

Brego888 · 27-09-2013 10:55AM

Their 80's stuff still holds up really well.
The intro to streets is epic.

Yeah, yeah - U2 are shoite but...

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