Did U2 Really Rip Off the Bunnymen?

[DivaDiana77]

Now I loooooove the Bunnymen and have from the momen I heard them, but Mac is just not as engaging as Bono. He's too post-punk for that. He closes his eyes when he sings. The EATB lyrics are too cryptic and morose for American tastes, so they hardly charted. They were just starting to pick up when things ended, but they were also getting a little more melodic. They got into a couple of movies that produced solid hits for others and had they been in another or if they had another track in addition to People are Strange on Lost Boys, it might have gone differently in some ways. But still, Bono is, well, engaging even if he's preachy. He gets that audience to sing along and light their cell phones. If Mac worked the audience a little more... If he showed more of the fun personality like he did some of the time. I mean, come on, he looked like he was having a blast with the Seven Seas video. U2 has anthems that everyone sings along with. If EATB did that, they would be a different band and style of music. NO THANKS. I love them just they way they are. Nosiy, complicated and slightly psychedelic.

Just my 2 cents.

[withahip]

EATB are not too morose. The popularity of Radiohead disputes that argument.

The rest, though, seems quite plausible.

[fat cherry]

though theres not much arguing with some of the artwork on their (U2) latest album - the one with four blokes standing with their backs to the camera.

[DivaDiana77]

EATB are not too morose. The popularity of Radiohead disputes that argument.

The rest, though, seems quite plausible.

Well, didn't Radiohead come later? Perhaps after/with grunge? When the Buns were really making hits in Britain, what came over here and was popular was far more inane like A-ha (at least one song), Duran Duran (yeeeeeccccchhhh!!), Human League, Wham, Pet Shop Boys, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, ABC, Spandau Ballet. New Order had a few hits, but that was because even though the words were morose, you could still dance to it. Even then, early Spandau Ballet didn't make it, nor did early Adam and the Ants.

I can only speak for LA really and, at least on KROQ, the buns got alot of play from way back to Rescue. Never Stop was on all the time and I distinctly remembered these songs though I have heard them for 20 years or more. Good music sticks in your head.

[tonywojo]

Well, didn't Radiohead come later? Perhaps after/with grunge? When the Buns were really making hits in Britain, what came over here and was popular was far more inane like A-ha (at least one song), Duran Duran (yeeeeeccccchhhh!!), Human League, Wham, Pet Shop Boys, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, ABC, Spandau Ballet. New Order had a few hits, but that was because even though the words were morose, you could still dance to it. Even then, early Spandau Ballet didn't make it, nor did early Adam and the Ants.

I can only speak for LA really and, at least on KROQ, the buns got alot of play from way back to Rescue. Never Stop was on all the time and I distinctly remembered these songs though I have heard them for 20 years or more. Good music sticks in your head.

have u finishe?
d?

[Mr. Brian]

Did U2 Really Rip Off the Bunnymen?

No

[DivaDiana77]

have u finishe?
d?

Most likely, yes. Unless I wasn't clear about American (bad) tastes at the time.

:)

[fat cherry]

When the Buns were really making hits in Britain,

was that in some parallel universe?

[withahip]

Exactly. The Bunnymen were selling out shows in the US during the 80s.

I think Diva is creating the past how she wants it to be rather than how it actually was.

[black francis]

In her defense I do that with my life

[withahip]

Don't we all? I know where she is coming from. I used to think because so many of my fav bands in the 80s came from the UKN that was all anyone there listened to.

[DivaDiana77]

Don't we all? I know where she is coming from. I used to think because so many of my fav bands in the 80s came from the UKN that was all anyone there listened to.

At my jr high/high school we all listened to the same radio station pretty much. We felt the "British Invasion" more because of that radio station. I knew that other people liked other things because my same age cousin had COMPLETELY different taste for Top 40 pop whereas mine was mostly post-punk. But yeah, the Buns were charting in England and Europe.

[Lancashire Fusileer]

You wouldn't have thought so if you listened to UK radio back then, I remember it being all fucking Wham & Spandau Duvet or whoever they were... you had to wait till after 6-7pm mostly to hear owt good.

[DivaDiana77]

You wouldn't have thought so if you listened to UK radio back then, I remember it being all fucking Wham & Spandau Duvet or whoever they were... you had to wait till after 6-7pm mostly to hear owt good.

KROQ put all the music that was hot from Britain into their format, and things that were odd and unusual. Video shows were also hugely popular, so anything with a video got played, early on it was the Brits who excelled at making videos, with Duran Duran hogging the market. Even the Buns got in on that a little bit featuring exotic, sunny Iceland in one and going to Brazil for another.

I remember hearing and seeing quite a bit of them early on--though not always catching on it was them.

[Mr. Brian]

I remember friends of mine visiting England once in the mid 80's and they told me that right off the bat they met this Siouxie Sioux looking girl. Now in the suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio USA in the 80's you did not see that at all and they just assumed she was into the same music like Bunnymen, Smiths, Siouxie Sioux obviously, etc. They thought "this is great!" and proceeded to chat it up with her. Turns out she was into Madonna, Prince and Wham and all those pop acts. I guess by then the mainstream had co-opted that look somewhat.