New Album Discussion 9 - Larry needs new arms, ba rum pa pum pum

[wolbersu2]

I'm afraid this is the first u2-album I'm not thrilled about. The first two tracks a dull, exactly as I expected. Hope there will be some surprises, but listening to 40 songs or maybe 10 in a row will be very, very dull.
Simple Minds did an acoustic album and... was very dull too.
We want an energetic U2, with loads of guitar or an quiet album with new songs like SOA with layered sounds!

 

[Irvine511]

I listened to it a couple more times, and I think what’s bugging me is that they are highlighting the cracks, there’s something about the “and you giiiive and you giiiive” that draws attention to the strain in a way that’s kind of … both showy and ugly, frankly. Whereas Pride seemed wise and comfortable with itself.

But this could all be me. I spent a lot of time in high school in the 90s driving around blasting my mixtapes and repeating the last 90 seconds of WOWY over and over and over. It’s such a titanic moment, you’d think he could level buildings with that high note.

 

[Achtung Ya'll]

Both of these suck and make me want to cancel my pre-order. They are not fun or original. They're just slow meandering watered down versions of the originals. Like something you'd hear at an open mic night.

There's no imagination to these "re-imaginings"

 

[ndmaxfield]

Both of these suck and make me want to cancel my pre-order. They are not fun or original. They're just slow meandering watered down versions of the originals. Like something you'd hear at an open mic night.

There's no imagination to these "re-imaginings"

I'll confess that I cancelled my 4LP pre-order after hearing Pride.

 

[deltau922]

Curious to hear all of these songs exactly once, the way I was curious to see Jordan on the Wizards.

 

[digitize]

WOWY sucks, I’ve done better karaoke performances

Especially sad for a song with a brilliantly haunting studio recording and several incredible live versions

 

[digitize]

Like seriously, do these guys just have nobody around them who could say “you know there’s nothing even remotely interesting or cool about this, just the novelty of you being old?”

At least PITNOL has a kind of cool ending! This is just pointless!

 

[DukeDalton]

This project would be fine, if they had released it in the middle of the pandemic and called it "The Bedroom Tapes".

There is no way they are riding into Vegas on the back of this album. Right? Right?

 

[Scorpionac]

It sounds like Bono forgot how to sing the song lol. Of course he didn't, he's been singing it for 30 plus years, but the attempts to add variation into the melody of a song that is burned into my brain don't work. I just want him to sing it. It's not fun hearing him skirt around and subvert the drama of the original vocal just for the sake of "different." The fact that it's basically acoustic and he's older would be difference enough instead of this weird "Songs of Neutering" approach. The part that really got me was when he sounded like Chris Martin on the line "I can't live."

To be positive for a moment, I do like the lower register. That's fine with me. I really liked it on Book of Your Heart and Love is All We Have Left, too. I'm glad to hear it again. But messing up the phrasing of classic songs and deliberately sounding weak and frail aren't cool.

 

[Fano]

Both of these suck and make me want to cancel my pre-order. They are not fun or original. They're just slow meandering watered down versions of the originals. Like something you'd hear at an open mic night.

There's no imagination to these "re-imaginings"

Wholeheartedly agree, bloody awful songs, they have butchered 2 of their best songs.

 

[Scorpionac]

Also, I'm sure it's been pointed out already, but why is every photo on the cover from the Pop album cover photo shoot except for Bono's? Lol

 

[dan_smee]

The polar reactions to both these songs have been fascinating.

I really didn’t expect anything worse than “I’m so used to the original, so I don’t care for it” with this one. There is so much going on in the atmospherics, it’s layered, it builds, there’s a decent pay off. How people can say Bono’s voice isn’t good is beyond me - it’s different over time, sure, but the man is nearly 63 and for his age, he really has incredibly range and control. His timbre is improving as his youthful energy subsided.

Just fascinating.

 

[Hollow Island]

Incredible range? Huh? His his range isn’t incredible for by age, and his timbre certainly hasn’t improved.

His youthful energy subsided decades ago, I’m not sure what that has to do with his diminished voice. I still like it but he’s a shadow of what he was. Which is fine. He’s 63, smoked and drank, and sang with terrible technique back in the day. We don’t need to buy into U2 PR that his voice has improved in any way or that this project has anything to do with “youthful energy” subsiding. That energy subsided decades ago, and 1/4 of these songs were recorded by men in their 50s.

 

[mikal]

For me, it's hard to have an emotional opinion in any direction. I just think this is a fun project, that's all.

 

[Hollow Island]

There’s not a lot going on with “atmospherics” either - they’re just there, and they’re unremarkable. Kind of like this version of WOWY. It’s fine but pointless, unless the point was to highlight that the singer’s voice is shot and that then original is a masterpiece. It also shows how terrible the industry standard for pop song mixing is. The vocals and music are completely unintegrated.

 

[Rich79]

I feel like there's a lot of Fox Mulder syndrome ("I want to believe") going around regarding these vocals; but hey, everyone hears things differently than the next person. Bono is still my favorite, but these tracks are doing nothing for that legacy for me. I still am enjoying the whole project pretty thoroughly overall. I like the doors it might unlock for the last couple laps they have in them.

 

[dan_smee]

Incredible range? Huh? His his range isn’t incredible for by age, and his timbre certainly hasn’t improved.

His youthful energy subsided decades ago, I’m not sure what that has to do with his diminished voice. I still like it but he’s a shadow of what he was. Which is fine. He’s 63, smoked and drank, and sang with terrible technique back in the day. We don’t need to buy into U2 PR that his voice has improved in any way or that this project has anything to do with “youthful energy” subsiding. That energy subsided decades ago, and 1/4 of these songs were recorded by men in their 50s.

I mean - I can respond to something and remove context as well.

The youthful energy of his voice has been replaced by the warm timbre. He’s not really spent a lot of time exploring the lower register and bringing out the warm timbre. Bono’s youthful energy was always about passion and vulnerability and going for notes he probably couldn’t quite hit.

Not sure how you get to your conclusions sometimes. It’s like you don’t read things, decide what you think people mean and argue against your own misinterpretation.

Range. Yes. He still has the falsetto (see Beacon Theatre Beautiful Day). He pivoted in this song from the low register into a full voiced final 45 seconds or so. There are lots of 63 year olds from famous bands who’s voices are cactus.

Im also not saying his voice overall improved - I’m saying it changed and for his age, what he’s doing has it’s own value.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

 

[dan_smee]

There’s not a lot going on with “atmospherics” either - they’re just there, and they’re unremarkable. Kind of like this version of WOWY. It’s fine but pointless, unless the point was to highlight that the singer’s voice is shot and that then original is a masterpiece. It also shows how terrible the industry standard for pop song mixing is. The vocals and music are completely unintegrated.

There are at least 5 different guitar and synth tracks in there through the build up, each bringing a texture or feeling layer. Their “remarkability” is irrelevant. Lots going on refers to the care and attention it took to construct and plan and execute. Whether you like or find the result remarkable is taste and unarguable.

 

[dan_smee]

I feel like there's a lot of Fox Mulder syndrome ("I want to believe") going around regarding these vocals; but hey, everyone hears things differently than the next person. Bono is still my favorite, but these tracks are doing nothing for that legacy for me. I still am enjoying the whole project pretty thoroughly overall. I like the doors it might unlock for the last couple laps they have in them.

It’s funny because I feel like there’s a lot of people not being able to accept that different isn’t necessarily inherently bad. There’s objective and observable things that argue against statements like his voice is “shot”. It’s not wanting to believe because it implies that there’s nothing to believe in. It’s far simpler: it’s changed and some people don’t like it. That’s fine. It’s being intellectualised way too much.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Curious to hear all of these songs exactly once, the way I was curious to see Jordan on the Wizards.

this stung more than usual.

 

[Hollow Island]

I mean - I can respond to something and remove context as well.

The youthful energy of his voice has been replaced by the warm timbre. He’s not really spent a lot of time exploring the lower register and bringing out the warm timbre. Bono’s youthful energy was always about passion and vulnerability and going for notes he probably couldn’t quite hit.

Not sure how you get to your conclusions sometimes. It’s like you don’t read things, decide what you think people mean and argue against your own misinterpretation.

Range. Yes. He still has the falsetto (see Beacon Theatre Beautiful Day). He pivoted in this song from the low register into a full voiced final 45 seconds or so. There are lots of 63 year olds from famous bands who’s voices are cactus.

Im also not saying his voice overall improved - I’m saying it changed and for his age, what he’s doing has it’s own value.

I think you’re talking about yourself, bud.

The warm timbre didn’t replace youthful energy. You’re just paraphrasing the ad copy. The so-called youthful energy has been gone for almost 40 years, and Bono spent plenty of time from his late 20s onward “exploring the lower register.” His range is pretty much gone compared to what it was, and it’s what it should be given his lifestyle and technique.

 

[deltau922]

Feels like they’re re-recording 40 songs except with an inferior singer. And instead of electric guitar there’s an acoustic guitar, instead of a bass there’s an acoustic guitar, and instead of drums there’s a hand slapping the front of an acoustic guitar.

 

[BEAL]

There are at least 5 different guitar and synth tracks in there through the build up, each bringing a texture or feeling layer. Their “remarkability” is irrelevant. Lots going on refers to the care and attention it took to construct and plan and execute. Whether you like or find the result remarkable is taste and unarguable.

Yes that we can barely hear again because Bono is 99% of the mix. Even if his vocals were the strongest bestest of all time, i do like to hear the band too.

I’m not getting too bothered by this project. I’m happy they actually are releasing it vs the years of delay (tho maybe it was ready long time ago)

It’s more that U2s music since the Songs of have felt more of a Bono project with a backing band.

That’s what this feels like initially. Maybe the other songs take off more or have little more power to them. WOWY feels like an outtake

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

For me, it's hard to have an emotional opinion in any direction. I just think this is a fun project, that's all.

agreed. but i've been told that my opinion is wrong about this, so yours might be wrong, too.

The polar reactions to both these songs have been fascinating.

I really didn’t expect anything worse than “I’m so used to the original, so I don’t care for it” with this one. There is so much going on in the atmospherics, it’s layered, it builds, there’s a decent pay off. How people can say Bono’s voice isn’t good is beyond me - it’s different over time, sure, but the man is nearly 63 and for his age, he really has incredibly range and control. His timbre is improving as his youthful energy subsided.

Just fascinating.

the best thing about all of this is that nobody has to actually listen to it. the originals? they still exist. they're merely reimagined alternate takes. in no way is the band saying "here - this is how we want you to listen to this now. delete all other versions and only use this now." yet a lot of people seem to be taking it that way, which is both fascinating and baffling at the same time.

bono's voice is good - but, uh, yea - he's old now. his voice is going to crack. the only way to avoid his voice cracking is to autotune the imperfections out of it.

i'm with you on the quality of this track - as an alternative take. does it approach the magic of the original? good god no, but i'm going to go out on a limb and say that the band kinda knew that would be impossible and wasn't trying to accomplish that.

it's not perfect. i would have liked the song to go on a little longer. the abrupt ending throws me off. i wish they would have extended it.

i also agree with whoever tossed out the missed opportunity to mix in some of the elements to the song's live performance that were never on the original... shine like stars being the most glaring and obvious thing when it comes to with or without you.

but, and i said this before, i like that there's more going on in the background and think that bodes well for the future - specifically regarding The Edge. i'd love to see more 80s Edge vs. 90s Edge going forward, to be honest. more 4th of july than mofo, if you will. and i think this is a nice step towards that. and i'm sure a person or two will be mortally offended by me saying that, but i really don't give a shit lol

 

[Scorpionac]

I'm not all that bothered about the project. I expect there will be two or three tracks that I love and put on repeat. Maybe even ten I can sort into a coherent "album." I like the originals too much to get into this, I think. Hopefully the band doesn't expect to get a hit from releasing a single of acoustic "Get Out of Your Own Way" feat. Bono Pretending To Be On His Deathbed.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Yes that we can barely hear again because Bono is 99% of the mix. Even if his vocals were the strongest bestest of all time, i do like to hear the band too.

I’m not getting too bothered by this project. I’m happy they actually are releasing it vs the years of delay (tho maybe it was ready long time ago)

It’s more that U2s music since the Songs of have felt more of a Bono project with a backing band.

That’s what this feels like initially. Maybe the other songs take off more or have little more power to them. WOWY feels like an outtake

i would argue that an outtake is exactly what it's supposed to sound like, but i've been told that this can't be the case because they've done some marketing things, so i could be wrong here.

 

[Hollow Island]

It’s funny because I feel like there’s a lot of people not being able to accept that different isn’t necessarily inherently bad. There’s objective and observable things that argue against statements like his voice is “shot”. It’s not wanting to believe because it implies that there’s nothing to believe in. It’s far simpler: it’s changed and some people don’t like it. That’s fine. It’s being intellectualised way too much.

A shot voice can still be enjoyable to listen to. A shot voice can still be fine, or even good. "Shot" is used as a word to compare a voice to what it was, and his voice is obviously very degraded from what it was. There are no "objective and observable" things to support an argument that isn't the case.

 

[Hollow Island]

i would argue that an outtake is exactly what it's supposed to sound like, but i've been told that this can't be the case because they've done some marketing things, so i could be wrong here.

It's supposed to sound like an outtake ?????

My god, new levels of U2 related derangement have been reached. These are very polished recordings. They dont sound like outtakes, and they're not supposed to sound like outtakes.

 

[Rich79]

It’s funny because I feel like there’s a lot of people not being able to accept that different isn’t necessarily inherently bad. There’s objective and observable things that argue against statements like his voice is “shot”. It’s not wanting to believe because it implies that there’s nothing to believe in. It’s far simpler: it’s changed and some people don’t like it. That’s fine. It’s being intellectualised way too much.

All I know is this version of WOWY wasn't intellectualized enough to my taste.

We're all agreeing Bono doesn't have what he used to, but I don't think he doesn't have "it" anymore. I just feel he used his weathered/aged voice less like a fine wine here and more like "Aw, grandpa wants to sing grandma a love song at the grandkid's wedding reception and can't quite do it the way he did at his wedding. Turn off Kool & the Gang's 'Celebration'.
We need to hear this!".

I personally love trying something different and I'm glad this isn't just recycling the original. What I don't enjoy is just making it different for the sake of being different and this one feels a little more like that to me (subjective, I know).

I feel like all the "hits" ones might fall into this territory. I could see them starting this project and at some point thinking they had to fill it with more familiar songs if they wanted it to be marketable; which would leave them in a "well, what do we do with this one?" spot on several tracks.