U2 at the BBC

rsvmark

on now and I have to say apart from the interviews, I am really enjoying the live music. A good reminder of exactly how unique and innovative The Edge is as a guitar player. 

jimmyguitar

It’s become fashionable to knock them recently which I don’t really understand. Bono has a big ego? Good! That’s what a lead singer should be like! They don’t sound like how they did 40 years ago? Good! That’s the sound of a band evolving and playing what they want to play. I think they’re great!

richardhomer

Absolutely agree - loving watching The Edge play. ‘With or Without You’ still raises the hairs on the back of my arms - they really can ‘do’ live based on this.

Might be time to drop the nick-names though - ‘Bono’ and ‘Edge’ don’t quite work at nearly 60 - and may be Larry should drop ‘Junior’ In favour of ‘Senior’?

At their best they are exceptional - my 15 year old son thought they sound like Coldplay....

breakstuff

At work at the mo,but got it on record so shall watch tomorrow.Glad people are enjoying it though.Not keen on the newer output so was a bit dubious,but looking forward to seeing it.

ICBM

jimmyguitar said:

It’s become fashionable to knock them recently which I don’t really understand. Bono has a big ego? Good! That’s what a lead singer should be like! They don’t sound like how they did 40 years ago? Good! That’s the sound of a band evolving and playing what they want to play. I think they’re great!

My problem is that they now sound like they did 13 years ago. They really haven't evolved over the last three or four albums, but just turned out the same sort of stuff with ever-decreasing inspiration - I haven't got the new one yet but it sounds like more of the same from the couple of tracks that have been on the radio.

I think they're great too, but I have to admit I am beginning to lose interest, at least in their new material.

I don't mind Bono's ego too much either, even though he can be a bit too pompous and self-righteous sometimes.

EricTheWeary

jimmyguitar said:

It’s become fashionable to knock them recently which I don’t really understand. Bono has a big ego? Good! That’s what a lead singer should be like! They don’t sound like how they did 40 years ago? Good! That’s the sound of a band evolving and playing what they want to play. I think they’re great!

I don’t really like them although I do agree with your comments. 

DulcetJones

I caught most of it too, I always like seeing them play live.  They sound great every time.  I saw them live on the "War" tour and it blew me away, few concerts have measured up to that one.

Funkfingers

Recorded it whilst I listened to something else on the radio.

ICBM said:
 They really haven't evolved over the last three or four albums, but just turned out the same sort of stuff with ever-decreasing inspiration.

I have to admit I am beginning to lose interest, at least in their new material.

I continue to be of the opinion that U2 peaked with The Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree. I cannot listen all the way through any album that they have released since.

Perhaps, I am actually more a fan of Eno and Lanois?

Fretwired

Funkfingers said:

Recorded it whilst I listened to something else on the radio.

ICBM said:
 They really haven't evolved over the last three or four albums, but just turned out the same sort of stuff with ever-decreasing inspiration.

I have to admit I am beginning to lose interest, at least in their new material.

I continue to be of the opinion that U2 peaked with The Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree. I cannot listen all the way through any album that they have released since.

Perhaps, I am actually more a fan of Eno and Lanois?

Have to agree .. I prefer the early albums.

robinbowes

EricTheWeary said:

I don’t really like them although I do agree with your comments. 

Exactly. I'm not a fan, by which I mean I don't listen to much of their stuff (never did, never have) apart from Joshua Tree which I played to death back in the day, but I like a lot of their songs, esp. the early stuff. they're clearly a great band and I would never knock 'em.

R.

ToneControl

jimmyguitar said:

It’s become fashionable to knock them recently which I don’t really understand. Bono has a big ego? Good! That’s what a lead singer should be like! They don’t sound like how they did 40 years ago? Good! That’s the sound of a band evolving and playing what they want to play. I think they’re great!

recently?
I can remember my sulky mate telling me that U2 had "sold out" around 1990
I tried to get an explanation of "selling out" that includes how come each album sounded so different to the last, and none of it sounded like pop songs.

ToneControl

ICBM said:

jimmyguitar said:

It’s become fashionable to knock them recently which I don’t really understand. Bono has a big ego? Good! That’s what a lead singer should be like! They don’t sound like how they did 40 years ago? Good! That’s the sound of a band evolving and playing what they want to play. I think they’re great!

My problem is that they now sound like they did 13 years ago. They really haven't evolved over the last three or four albums, but just turned out the same sort of stuff with ever-decreasing inspiration - I haven't got the new one yet but it sounds like more of the same from the couple of tracks that have been on the radio.

I think they're great too, but I have to admit I am beginning to lose interest, at least in their new material.

I don't mind Bono's ego too much either, even though he can be a bit too pompous and self-righteous sometimes.

what band of 60 year olds doesn't stop evolving?

Zoolooter

ICBM said:

jimmyguitar said:

It’s become fashionable to knock them recently which I don’t really understand. Bono has a big ego? Good! That’s what a lead singer should be like! They don’t sound like how they did 40 years ago? Good! That’s the sound of a band evolving and playing what they want to play. I think they’re great!

My problem is that they now sound like they did 13 years ago. They really haven't evolved over the last three or four albums, but just turned out the same sort of stuff with ever-decreasing inspiration - I haven't got the new one yet but it sounds like more of the same from the couple of tracks that have been on the radio.

I think they're great too, but I have to admit I am beginning to lose interest, at least in their new material.

I don't mind Bono's ego too much either, even though he can be a bit too pompous and self-righteous sometimes.

I totally agree. Over the last four albums, apart from one or two songs there is nothing dynamic, urgent or inventive about them. Particularly the last two, very bland, very Coldplay. I'm a massive fan up to Pop. Just got to appreciate that they gave us Achtung Baby, one of the most groundbreaking and brilliantly albums IMO. 

breakstuff

I remember my best mate,in around 84/85,taking the piss out of me for being into U2,calling them 'a bunch of gays'.


His favourite band at the time?


Bronski Beat.  

richardhomer

breakstuff said:

I remember my best mate,in around 84/85,taking the piss out of me for being into U2,calling them 'a bunch of gays'.


His favourite band at the time?


Bronski Beat.  

In the interests of political correctness, Bronski Beat were a duo of gays....

ICBM

Funkfingers said:

I continue to be of the opinion that U2 peaked with The Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree. I cannot listen all the way through any album that they have released since. 

Perhaps, I am actually more a fan of Eno and Lanois?

Those are great albums, but I think they actually became more creative after that - for me, Achtung Baby is their best album, and there’s some very interesting stuff on Zooropa and Pop as well. All That You Can’t Leave Behind is a return to a simpler production style but has some great songs on it, including some of their very best. After that, not so much.

ToneControl said:

what band of 60 year olds doesn't stop evolving?

Robert Plant is a lot older than that, and he’s still musically evolving...

p90fool

It's easier for a solo artist to evolve though, he can indulge every whim without caring what anyone else thinks. 

Vibetronic

not a massive fan of their post-2000 stuff at all, and I know they're not particularly cool, but I love all their albums up to/including Zooropa.  @richardhomer - agree re 'With or Without You'. That was the song that got me into them and always gets me (on the other hand, my wife thinks it's one of the most boring songs ever, but I love it!)

rico

I enjoyed watching it but I thought the interviews with Cat Deeley were a bit cringeworthy and unnecessary. 

JezWynd

ICBM said:

Those are great albums, but I think they actually became more creative after that - for me, Achtung Baby is their best album, and there’s some very interesting stuff on Zooropa and Pop as well. All That You Can’t Leave Behind is a return to a simpler production style but has some great songs on it, including some of their very best. After that, not so much.

They were peaking around that time; Achtung Baby, the Zooropa tour. Youcan never write off a band of their calibre; there's always the possibility that they can deliver another stunning work.

impmann

richardhomer said:

breakstuff said:

I remember my best mate,in around 84/85,taking the piss out of me for being into U2,calling them 'a bunch of gays'.


His favourite band at the time?


Bronski Beat.  

In the interests of political correctness, Bronski Beat were a duo of gays....

Trio, actually... ;-)

I loved Achtung Baby and I think I was the only person to like Zooropa. However, this latest album (as with previous one) just seems to be more of the same of the mid-paced, disposable pop. I agree that they have evolved massively since the early albums but the last few have been dire, IMHO. Edge is still brilliant and I *TOTALLY* agree about Bono vs Ego, he's a great front man and yes he's still trying to find sunlight in the depths of his arsehole but he commands a crowd like few others.