New U2 album media circus / Bunnymen dropped

[Mr.Sparkle]

they stole his gravestone again?

Mr. Sparkle, Simon Reynolds' book on postpunk, "Rip It Up and Start Again," is quite illuminating. This chapter in particular: Glory Boys: Liverpool, New Psychedelia and the Big Music."

there's a great quote in it from Tony Wilson about U2 being ready to assume Joy Division's mantle:


"Two months after Ian died, U2 were brought around to my office at Granada TV by this plugger looking to break them in, and I remember Bono sitting on my desk and saying how incredibly sorry he was about Ian's death, how it had really hurt him ... how Ian was the number-one singer of his generation and he, Bono, knew he was always only ever going to be number two, and he said something else, something like, 'now he's gone, I promise you I'll do it for him.' Not quite that silly, but along those lines."

Uh, if that story is true, that's just embarrassing although believable since it concerns Bono.

Interesting that people thought U2 would assume Joy Division's mantle. It looks like those people were completely off the mark on that one, though. U2 sounds nothing like Joy Division. At least to me.

[Dave Smith]

JD over-rated.A very very good band but elevated to genius status following the obvious death.NO went on to survive then surpass them musically.The first U2 albums were quite stark,edgy,angular affairs.My liking for U2 waned with stetsons,country music then the album by album 'reinvention' and over production.The number of effects on the Edge's guitar are just preposturous these days.They can still come up with the odd great single though.But not at the moment.

[Dr Cheese]

Yeah, they might compare ... the Human League and ABC because they sound VERY similar

I'd just like to point out that I take great exception to this, the Human League and ABC sound nothing like each other.
Thankyou.

[guitarplayer on here too]

While the rest of the new U2 album isn't that breathtaking, I bet you if Mac had written "Magnificent", we'd be hearing how it was the "greatest song ever written" and it'd be part of the encore for all future Bunnymen gigs for all eternity. Of course, with the standard lyric change about Rafael Benítez added to the end.

[withahip]

An excellent read. I'm almost finished re-reading it.

Simon Reynold's got a site full of footnotes for the book:
http://ripitupandstartagainbysimonreynolds.blogspot.com/

Excellent site. Thanks.

[In The Margins]

"Bono ... knew he was always ... going to be number two ...."

How right you were B, how right you were.

[Mr.Sparkle]

I'd just like to point out that I take great exception to this, the Human League and ABC sound nothing like each other.
Thankyou.

OKKKKK, I give up. It's like I'm in some bizarro world.

[fat cherry]

hard to believe anyone who was into JD at the time would have heard Boy and thought, never mind, this'll do. Lyricall miles apart if nothing else. Boy sounds like its made up in the studio whils both JD albums come fully formed. Mind you, I'd still put JD in my 'not so easy listening' pile, or #make sure the sharp knices are locked away pile. Very good when I'm in a bad mood though (which is obviously fairly frequently in my case). I think Bonio's good at appropriating influences whenever it suits him - all part of his charm. Whenever someone pops their clogs he's there saying 'without [insert name of recently dead pop star] there wouldn't have been U2'. Might even be true in some cases.

[withahip]

hard to believe anyone who was into JD at the time would have heard Boy and thought, never mind, this'll do. Lyricall miles apart if nothing else. Boy sounds like its made up in the studio whils both JD albums come fully formed.

I'll wager that is the producer's doing.

[JackT]

hard to believe anyone who was into JD at the time would have heard Boy and thought, never mind, this'll do.

LOL

[black francis]

Apparently Jack did.

[fat cherry]

.The number of effects on the Edge's guitar are just preposturous these days.They can still come up with the odd great single though.But not at the moment.

does seem a bit sledgehammer to a nut just to make it sound a bit, well like a guitar really.Theres a bloke plays down my local now and again gets better sounds with just a marshall amp and a tendency to hit it now and again. Quite impressive when you see it.

[fat cherry]

i know i know, the old 'there's a bloke down my pub is better than that loser' thing. True though. And why is he still down my local pub whilst the edge is at wembley stadium standing in front of a rack of amplifiers that dont do much apart from look impressive. the eternal question. Perhaps I should start a new thread - bloke still down pub/U2 media circus and see how that pans out.

[moses (2)]

i know i know, the old 'there's a bloke down my pub is better than that loser' thing. True though. And why is he still down my local pub whilst the edge is at wembley stadium standing in front of a rack of amplifiers that dont do much apart from look impressive. the eternal question. Perhaps I should start a new thread - bloke still down pub/U2 media circus and see how that pans out.

Maybe he is the bloke who is rumoured to be playing under the stage at U2 concerts ...

[withahip]

Maybe he is the bloke who is rumoured to be playing under the stage at U2 concerts ...

Des Broadbery

Also invisible to the audience is keyboard programmer/technician and occasional player Des Broadbery, who has been with the band for 12 years. From the stage’s underbelly, he operates a sampler and keyboards. “A lot of what is on the album couldn’t be created live. I also play the lemon’s sound effects [during the show's encore] and the cartoon spaceship’s effects on the keyboard,” Broadbery explains. He also handles the show’s recorded material, including the opening song, “Pop Musik,” which plays as the band enters the stadium, and the song “Daydream Believer” during which the Edge leads the crowd in karaoke sing-along. For the latter, Broadbery sends a feed of the recording out to O’Herlihy at the mix position, while the sound engineer handles Edge’s vocals, which are live.

http://www.u2exit.com/1997/11/popmart_a ... l_tour.php