Miscalculation getting into the tub and slammed my foot on the metal runner that holds the glass shower doors. My two toes are mangled and they REALLY FUCKIN HURT!
It was so bad...get this...so bad yesterday morning I FORGOT to check U2 tour dates. Mom came over and buddy taped them and I took a vicodine. Kidlet is home today ill as well, just got back from the doctors office with her and the grocery store for food. That is why I have been MIA on the blog world. But apparently my mom picked up my fallen standard and posted a comment over at Matt's. Cause that is what families, yo.
Reading a book I am quite digging right now. It is called The Singer and I am really getting a kick out of it. It is a mystery story searching for a lost singer from the Punk/Goth/New Wave era London. Circa 1981. The author was a music journalist during that time period and she name checks like a mofo. Plus all of her chapter headings are lyrics or song or album titles from seminal punk, goth and new wave bands. Chick has a hard on for The Sex Pistols, Siouxsie and Sisters. No Bauhaus though....odd that.
Off to check in on folks and elevate my grape colored toes. Youch.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Monday, March 09, 2009
Friday, March 06, 2009
No Line On The Horizon - Fan Review Part Deux
Welcome back peeps. Today we take a look at songs 7 to 11.
Number 7 is Stand Up Comedy. I LOVE this song. It is Kidlet's favorite song on the album as well. To me this song is the most Achtung Babyesque of any of them on the album. It is also the song that to me is the least typical Edge guitar playing. Seriously this is not Streets guitar. It far more fuzzy. I likes it. Closest we get is during the chorus. Love the lyrics on this one and once again Bono pokes fun at his detractors. Kidlet likes the hooks in the song and the juxtaposition between the staccato delivery of the lines and their subject matter. I get that. I dig that too.
"I got to stand up and take a step
You and I have been asleep for hours
I got to stand up
The wire is stretched
In between our two towers
Stand up in this dizzy world
Where a lovesick eye can steal the view
I’m gonna fall down if I can’t stand up
For your love"
"Stand up, this is comedy
The DNA lotto may have left you smart
But can you stand up to beauty
Dictator of the heart
I can stand up for hope, faith, love
But while I’m getting over certainty
Stop helping God across the road like a little old lady"
I love that line!
"Stand up to rock stars
Napolean is in high heels
Josephine, be careful
Of small men with big ideas"
Song 8 is Fez - Being Born. This is probably the hardest song on the album to quantify and easily the most Brian Eno influenced. It sounds like Eno. Bits and pieces of Edge's guitar peek through here and there but I think this is a song you have to listen to and decide on your own if you like it. I do, particularly on headphones. Warning...It will zone the hell out of you. And I LOVE the birdsong in the intro. And the fact that said birds shit on Larry's drum set amuses me too.
At 9 we have White As Snow which to me is the heaviest song on the album thematically. The melody is based on a Traditional hymn O Come O Come Emmanuel. The song gives us the last random thoughts of a dying soldier. Edge's acoustic guitar is lovely. Rolling Stone called it "mostly alpine quiet" and I completely get that analogy. It's a hushed song and very beautiful. The tempo builds mid song and then quiets back down. Lyrically it is compelling. 26 years down the line, the angry young man who wrote Sunday Bloody Sunday is taking a more introspective look at the casualties of human nature. It's a fascinating and fairly clear eyed look at the state of mankind, all the more so in the middle of an album whose Christian themes lean so strongly towards the state of grace. It is by no means the loudest song on the album. Or catchiest. Or the most accessible. But musically and lyrically it is the crown jewel in my opinion. Bono my man you have redeemed yourself from the Mole In A Hole infamy.
"Where I came from there were no hills at all
The land was flat, the highway straight and wide
My brother and I would drive for hours
Like we had years instead of days
Our faces as pale as the dirty snow
Once I knew there was a love divine
Then came a time I thought it knew me not
Who can forgive forgiveness where forgiveness is not
Only the lamb as white as snow
And the water, it was icy
As it washed over me
And the moon shone above me
Now this dry ground, it bears no fruit at all
Only poppies laugh under the crescent moon
The road refuses strangers
The land, the seeds we sow
Where might we find the lamb as white as snow
As boys we would go hunting in the woods
To sleep the night shooting out the stars
Now the wolves are every passing stranger
Every face we cannot know
If only a heart could be as white as snow
If only a heart could be as white as snow"
Breathe is the 10th song on the album and I love the intro. Drums, tamborine and cello start slow and build up speed until the piano and Edge's guitar break in. Bono's in his preacher robes for this song. And a confrontational preacher as well and he wants you to know he is not gonna buy just anyone's cockatoo. I love the lyrics to this song. Bono spits out some of the most obvious biblical versus of the album - sandwiched between lines about Ju Ju Men and Asian Viruses. As I pointed out above, to me the religious theme of this album the state of grace. I am not sure if Bono means to urge us to find it or question it or a little bit of both.
"Every day I die again, and again I’m reborn
Every day I have to find the courage
To walk out into the street
With arms out
Got a love you can’t defeat
Neither down nor out
There’s nothing you have that I need
I can breathe
Breathe now
16th of June, Chinese stocks are going up
And I’m coming down with some new Asian virus
Ju Ju man, Ju Ju man
Doc says you’re fine, or dying
Please
Nine-oh-nine, St. John Divine on the line, my pulse is fine
But I’m running down the road like loose electricity
While the band in my head plays a striptease
The roar that lies on the other side of silence
The forest fire that is fear so deny it"
The album closes with Cedars of Lebanon and this is another song that is a grower. It samples a bit of an Eno song which sums it up in many ways. This is another one that has Brian's fingerprints all over it. Bono is doing the near talking vocals in this one. It's a sneaky little song. Bits of the lyrics will get stuck in your head and more than any other song this one drives home to me that we are not talking a sunny shimmery album here.
"The worst of us are a long drawn out confession
The best of us are geniuses of compression"
What I like best about this song is the end. No I am not being a smart ass, I like that fact that one minute it is there and the next minute it is gone. Boom. Done. I think Mr. Hewson is making a point by leaving us so abruptly with these lines,
"Choose your enemies carefully
‘cos they will define you
Make them interesting
‘cos in some ways they will mind you
They’re not there in the beginning
but when your story ends
Gonna last with you
longer than your friend"
All things considered I really really love this album. Tremendously. Thematically I feel it has a great deal in common with War and sonically I hear a whole lot of early 80's pre Joshua Tree U2 in this album. And I LIKE it!
Rolling Stone gave it 5 stars and while I may agree with that in 5 years for now I will leave the 5's with Achtung Baby and Joshua Tree and give this one 4 1/2 Starrs !
Oh and rumor alert. A companion album is due out late 09/early 2010 and Bono's eyeliner? Well apparently Bono is in the midst of character creation ala The Fly and Mr. MacPhisto. Who will he be this time? I am hearing rumblings of Elvis Presley's Imaginary Brother Jesse. That is so very very Bono. Bet Larry is pissed!
Oh and for the concert tour? Think bigger than Zoo Tv and think Spaceships.....
May the Force and U2 Be With You
U2 on Letterman Wednesday Night....I'll Go Crazy
Number 7 is Stand Up Comedy. I LOVE this song. It is Kidlet's favorite song on the album as well. To me this song is the most Achtung Babyesque of any of them on the album. It is also the song that to me is the least typical Edge guitar playing. Seriously this is not Streets guitar. It far more fuzzy. I likes it. Closest we get is during the chorus. Love the lyrics on this one and once again Bono pokes fun at his detractors. Kidlet likes the hooks in the song and the juxtaposition between the staccato delivery of the lines and their subject matter. I get that. I dig that too.
"I got to stand up and take a step
You and I have been asleep for hours
I got to stand up
The wire is stretched
In between our two towers
Stand up in this dizzy world
Where a lovesick eye can steal the view
I’m gonna fall down if I can’t stand up
For your love"
"Stand up, this is comedy
The DNA lotto may have left you smart
But can you stand up to beauty
Dictator of the heart
I can stand up for hope, faith, love
But while I’m getting over certainty
Stop helping God across the road like a little old lady"
I love that line!
"Stand up to rock stars
Napolean is in high heels
Josephine, be careful
Of small men with big ideas"
Song 8 is Fez - Being Born. This is probably the hardest song on the album to quantify and easily the most Brian Eno influenced. It sounds like Eno. Bits and pieces of Edge's guitar peek through here and there but I think this is a song you have to listen to and decide on your own if you like it. I do, particularly on headphones. Warning...It will zone the hell out of you. And I LOVE the birdsong in the intro. And the fact that said birds shit on Larry's drum set amuses me too.
At 9 we have White As Snow which to me is the heaviest song on the album thematically. The melody is based on a Traditional hymn O Come O Come Emmanuel. The song gives us the last random thoughts of a dying soldier. Edge's acoustic guitar is lovely. Rolling Stone called it "mostly alpine quiet" and I completely get that analogy. It's a hushed song and very beautiful. The tempo builds mid song and then quiets back down. Lyrically it is compelling. 26 years down the line, the angry young man who wrote Sunday Bloody Sunday is taking a more introspective look at the casualties of human nature. It's a fascinating and fairly clear eyed look at the state of mankind, all the more so in the middle of an album whose Christian themes lean so strongly towards the state of grace. It is by no means the loudest song on the album. Or catchiest. Or the most accessible. But musically and lyrically it is the crown jewel in my opinion. Bono my man you have redeemed yourself from the Mole In A Hole infamy.
"Where I came from there were no hills at all
The land was flat, the highway straight and wide
My brother and I would drive for hours
Like we had years instead of days
Our faces as pale as the dirty snow
Once I knew there was a love divine
Then came a time I thought it knew me not
Who can forgive forgiveness where forgiveness is not
Only the lamb as white as snow
And the water, it was icy
As it washed over me
And the moon shone above me
Now this dry ground, it bears no fruit at all
Only poppies laugh under the crescent moon
The road refuses strangers
The land, the seeds we sow
Where might we find the lamb as white as snow
As boys we would go hunting in the woods
To sleep the night shooting out the stars
Now the wolves are every passing stranger
Every face we cannot know
If only a heart could be as white as snow
If only a heart could be as white as snow"
Breathe is the 10th song on the album and I love the intro. Drums, tamborine and cello start slow and build up speed until the piano and Edge's guitar break in. Bono's in his preacher robes for this song. And a confrontational preacher as well and he wants you to know he is not gonna buy just anyone's cockatoo. I love the lyrics to this song. Bono spits out some of the most obvious biblical versus of the album - sandwiched between lines about Ju Ju Men and Asian Viruses. As I pointed out above, to me the religious theme of this album the state of grace. I am not sure if Bono means to urge us to find it or question it or a little bit of both.
"Every day I die again, and again I’m reborn
Every day I have to find the courage
To walk out into the street
With arms out
Got a love you can’t defeat
Neither down nor out
There’s nothing you have that I need
I can breathe
Breathe now
16th of June, Chinese stocks are going up
And I’m coming down with some new Asian virus
Ju Ju man, Ju Ju man
Doc says you’re fine, or dying
Please
Nine-oh-nine, St. John Divine on the line, my pulse is fine
But I’m running down the road like loose electricity
While the band in my head plays a striptease
The roar that lies on the other side of silence
The forest fire that is fear so deny it"
The album closes with Cedars of Lebanon and this is another song that is a grower. It samples a bit of an Eno song which sums it up in many ways. This is another one that has Brian's fingerprints all over it. Bono is doing the near talking vocals in this one. It's a sneaky little song. Bits of the lyrics will get stuck in your head and more than any other song this one drives home to me that we are not talking a sunny shimmery album here.
"The worst of us are a long drawn out confession
The best of us are geniuses of compression"
What I like best about this song is the end. No I am not being a smart ass, I like that fact that one minute it is there and the next minute it is gone. Boom. Done. I think Mr. Hewson is making a point by leaving us so abruptly with these lines,
"Choose your enemies carefully
‘cos they will define you
Make them interesting
‘cos in some ways they will mind you
They’re not there in the beginning
but when your story ends
Gonna last with you
longer than your friend"
All things considered I really really love this album. Tremendously. Thematically I feel it has a great deal in common with War and sonically I hear a whole lot of early 80's pre Joshua Tree U2 in this album. And I LIKE it!
Rolling Stone gave it 5 stars and while I may agree with that in 5 years for now I will leave the 5's with Achtung Baby and Joshua Tree and give this one 4 1/2 Starrs !
Oh and rumor alert. A companion album is due out late 09/early 2010 and Bono's eyeliner? Well apparently Bono is in the midst of character creation ala The Fly and Mr. MacPhisto. Who will he be this time? I am hearing rumblings of Elvis Presley's Imaginary Brother Jesse. That is so very very Bono. Bet Larry is pissed!
Oh and for the concert tour? Think bigger than Zoo Tv and think Spaceships.....
May the Force and U2 Be With You
U2 on Letterman Wednesday Night....I'll Go Crazy
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
No Line On The Horizon - A Fan Review In Many Parts!
Cause there is no way I can do this in just one post. No how, no way.
I hold to my initial take on the album. Very much reminds me of Unforgettable Fire with a healthy dash of the dark 90's AB, Zooropa, and Pop boys.
Initial thoughts on the album as a whole. THANK YOU!!! To whoever gave Adam Clayton's bass a Viagra. Cause Adam is the backbone of this album with a mighty assist from resident band Pretty Boy, Larry Mullin Jr. on drums. *Smooches, Larry*
There is not a typical U2 anthem ala Beautiful Day, Streets, etc on this album. I kinda like that. There are stadium sing-a-longs, to be sure. We will get to that, but this album is not afraid to be somewhat dark and much more done for their enjoyment than Top 40 radios.
That was an issue for me on the last album. Bomb felt really disconnected. Not simply the songs themselves not jelling (which they didn't) but somehow disconnected from both the band AND their fans.
There were songs on there I really like a lot (COBL, ABOY, Vertigo, LAPOE) but the album did not really connect with me. It felt oddly impersonal for an album dealing with Edge's daughters illness and the death of Bono's father. This one is speaking to me much much more.
The title track opens the album. No Line On The Horizon is one of my favorite tracks on the album. It's up tempo yet introspective. And really textural. Sounds awesome on head phones. And how can you not like a song written from the perspective of a traffic cop on Rue du Marais.
"I know a girl with a hole in her heart
She said infinity’s a great place to start
Oh
“Time is irrelevant, it’s not linear”
Then she put her tongue in my ear
Oh, oh"
The Edge is 100% the Edge here and yet it is against a backdrop of synths in the verses (Eno I am sure) that recalls The Cars of all people to me. Excellent drum line through out with LM giving us his hard and sharp military drums again. And yeah Bono yodels. Those in shock at the yodeling Bono should really go check out Boy, October and War.
Second song is Magnificent and it is indeed that. This is as close to the stadium anthem as I think we get. Well of the Streets, Beautiful Day variety rather than the Mysterious Ways variety. Meaning I think this one has legs and yet it is not a Hosanna kind of song for all that it is up tempo. Like most of the songs on the album there is a darker undercurrent to it. Thanks again must go to Adam Clayton and his driving bass lines. GO ADAM GO!! Once more we get the keyboards (will.I.am no less) and guitars winding around each other and they work really well. Love the lyrics,
"I was born
I was born to sing for you
I didn’t have a choice
But to lift you up
And sing whatever song you wanted me to
I give you back my voice
From the womb my first cry
It was a joyful noise
Oh, oh"
Vocally, Bono is totally on here. In fact vocally I think he is stronger on this album than he has been since Achtung Baby. Love love love the slide sound on Edge's guitar over the hush of Bono's voice during the break, leading back into the trademark sounds of Bono's "Rodeo yells" (credit Fricke on that description) and the chimes of the Edge's guitar. My favorite song on the album so far.
Third track is Moment of Surrender. I have to say when I first heard the vocals on this song the hair on the back of my neck went up. This is the voice of a young man waving a white flag and proclaiming that he is not about to sing a rebel song.
As a long looooong time fan I have to say I MISSED this voice. This is the vocals of Boy, October, War and Unforgettable Fire. This is the voice that sang Out of Control and An Cat Dubh and Gloria. And then it merges into later Bono tones. It's like a vocal history lesson on the band. Seamlessly done and the funny part is the musical intro reminds me of So Cruel from Achtung Baby and as an overall it reminds me strongly of The Passengers album (which I happen to really love) ala Miss Sarajevo and Your Blue Room. It's a near perfect compilation song to encapsulate the band's entire career. It is also yet another song that features some fairly heavy lyrics:
"We set ourselves on fire
Oh God, do not deny her
It’s not if I believe in love
But if love believes in me
Oh, believe in me"
Chalk it up as another of my favorite songs from the album and it is a LONG one, clocking in at over 7 minutes yet it does not wear out it's welcome. This one I like more and more each time and I find myself hitting replay after it finishes.
A pause here to address certain themes on the album as a whole. Fans will recall Mr. Bono Man talking about how Bomb was the bookend to Boy. But to me, the first three songs of this album are much closer to being an answering statement to the 18 year old who wrote those songs. Magnificent to Out Of Control, Moment of Surrender to I Will Follow and No Line On The Horizon to Shadows and Tall Trees. Just a thought. Feel free to call me crazy.
Song 4 is Unknown Caller. It's funny because the chirps and beeps at the beginning are getting so much press. No one mentions that the repeated guitar refrain is the same as Walk On!! Not that I mind as it sounds completely different in this context. Especially when we get Falsetto Bono chiming in. Much has been made of Bono using Mac Speak like Force Quit, move to trash, etc. WTF people. Does the man live in a vacuum? Are we old farts not allowed to be influenced by new ideas and technologies and incorporate them into our worlds? I like this song. I like the call and respond vocals and the obligatory "Oh Oh's." It's a good U2 song. Not a great one, but a good one. Which beats the hell out of a lot of other bands. And it will grow on you. Trust me.
"I was right there at the top of the bottom
On the edge of the known universe
Where I wanted to be
I had driven to the scene of the accident
And I sat there waiting for me."
On song 5 Bono shares that "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" which to me sounds oh so very All That You Can't Leave Behindish. Seriously, it would fit on that album perfectly. Right after Stuck In A Moment or so. This one will get the people (please God let me be one of them) on their feet at the live shows for sure. It is to me the most U2ish (trademark) song on the album. And given that they are my favorite band I have no problems with that. Bono answers his haters on this one as well. Cause you know how fashionable it is to be Anti-U2 in general and Anti-Bono in particular. We are not rewriting musical history with this one but with the Sturm und Drang of the rest of the album an uncomplicated sing along is nice.
"Every generation gets a chance to change the world
Pity the nation that won’t listen to your boys and girls
‘Cos the sweetest melody is the one we haven’t heard
Is it true that perfect love drives out all fear
The right to appear ridiculous is something I hold dear
Oh, but a change of heart comes slow."
# 6 and the last song I will discuss for this post is Get On Your Boots. Oooh so controversial. You either love it or hate it and I think which side you fall on depends on how you took the cutting down of the Joshua Tree that was 90's U2. Yeah it's Vertigo light and it did have me concerned that I was gonna get HTDAAB part 2. But taken in the context of the album as a whole (remember when that was the point?!) it works. And it works well! It's frivolous. It's silly. It is a song that is winking knowingly much harder than anything U2 have done since Mr. MacPhisto (Faust Rest His Soul) put down his microphone. And plopped, as it is, dead center in the middle of this album, I FREAKIN LOVE IT. They still can have a wink and a nod not so much at themselves but at the public persona of "U2."
"You free me from the dark dream
Candy floss, ice cream
All our kids are screaming
But the ghosts aren’t real"
I leave you with U2 singing Magnificent from the rooftops =)
I hold to my initial take on the album. Very much reminds me of Unforgettable Fire with a healthy dash of the dark 90's AB, Zooropa, and Pop boys.
Initial thoughts on the album as a whole. THANK YOU!!! To whoever gave Adam Clayton's bass a Viagra. Cause Adam is the backbone of this album with a mighty assist from resident band Pretty Boy, Larry Mullin Jr. on drums. *Smooches, Larry*
There is not a typical U2 anthem ala Beautiful Day, Streets, etc on this album. I kinda like that. There are stadium sing-a-longs, to be sure. We will get to that, but this album is not afraid to be somewhat dark and much more done for their enjoyment than Top 40 radios.
That was an issue for me on the last album. Bomb felt really disconnected. Not simply the songs themselves not jelling (which they didn't) but somehow disconnected from both the band AND their fans.
There were songs on there I really like a lot (COBL, ABOY, Vertigo, LAPOE) but the album did not really connect with me. It felt oddly impersonal for an album dealing with Edge's daughters illness and the death of Bono's father. This one is speaking to me much much more.
The title track opens the album. No Line On The Horizon is one of my favorite tracks on the album. It's up tempo yet introspective. And really textural. Sounds awesome on head phones. And how can you not like a song written from the perspective of a traffic cop on Rue du Marais.
"I know a girl with a hole in her heart
She said infinity’s a great place to start
Oh
“Time is irrelevant, it’s not linear”
Then she put her tongue in my ear
Oh, oh"
The Edge is 100% the Edge here and yet it is against a backdrop of synths in the verses (Eno I am sure) that recalls The Cars of all people to me. Excellent drum line through out with LM giving us his hard and sharp military drums again. And yeah Bono yodels. Those in shock at the yodeling Bono should really go check out Boy, October and War.
Second song is Magnificent and it is indeed that. This is as close to the stadium anthem as I think we get. Well of the Streets, Beautiful Day variety rather than the Mysterious Ways variety. Meaning I think this one has legs and yet it is not a Hosanna kind of song for all that it is up tempo. Like most of the songs on the album there is a darker undercurrent to it. Thanks again must go to Adam Clayton and his driving bass lines. GO ADAM GO!! Once more we get the keyboards (will.I.am no less) and guitars winding around each other and they work really well. Love the lyrics,
"I was born
I was born to sing for you
I didn’t have a choice
But to lift you up
And sing whatever song you wanted me to
I give you back my voice
From the womb my first cry
It was a joyful noise
Oh, oh"
Vocally, Bono is totally on here. In fact vocally I think he is stronger on this album than he has been since Achtung Baby. Love love love the slide sound on Edge's guitar over the hush of Bono's voice during the break, leading back into the trademark sounds of Bono's "Rodeo yells" (credit Fricke on that description) and the chimes of the Edge's guitar. My favorite song on the album so far.
Third track is Moment of Surrender. I have to say when I first heard the vocals on this song the hair on the back of my neck went up. This is the voice of a young man waving a white flag and proclaiming that he is not about to sing a rebel song.
As a long looooong time fan I have to say I MISSED this voice. This is the vocals of Boy, October, War and Unforgettable Fire. This is the voice that sang Out of Control and An Cat Dubh and Gloria. And then it merges into later Bono tones. It's like a vocal history lesson on the band. Seamlessly done and the funny part is the musical intro reminds me of So Cruel from Achtung Baby and as an overall it reminds me strongly of The Passengers album (which I happen to really love) ala Miss Sarajevo and Your Blue Room. It's a near perfect compilation song to encapsulate the band's entire career. It is also yet another song that features some fairly heavy lyrics:
"We set ourselves on fire
Oh God, do not deny her
It’s not if I believe in love
But if love believes in me
Oh, believe in me"
Chalk it up as another of my favorite songs from the album and it is a LONG one, clocking in at over 7 minutes yet it does not wear out it's welcome. This one I like more and more each time and I find myself hitting replay after it finishes.
A pause here to address certain themes on the album as a whole. Fans will recall Mr. Bono Man talking about how Bomb was the bookend to Boy. But to me, the first three songs of this album are much closer to being an answering statement to the 18 year old who wrote those songs. Magnificent to Out Of Control, Moment of Surrender to I Will Follow and No Line On The Horizon to Shadows and Tall Trees. Just a thought. Feel free to call me crazy.
Song 4 is Unknown Caller. It's funny because the chirps and beeps at the beginning are getting so much press. No one mentions that the repeated guitar refrain is the same as Walk On!! Not that I mind as it sounds completely different in this context. Especially when we get Falsetto Bono chiming in. Much has been made of Bono using Mac Speak like Force Quit, move to trash, etc. WTF people. Does the man live in a vacuum? Are we old farts not allowed to be influenced by new ideas and technologies and incorporate them into our worlds? I like this song. I like the call and respond vocals and the obligatory "Oh Oh's." It's a good U2 song. Not a great one, but a good one. Which beats the hell out of a lot of other bands. And it will grow on you. Trust me.
"I was right there at the top of the bottom
On the edge of the known universe
Where I wanted to be
I had driven to the scene of the accident
And I sat there waiting for me."
On song 5 Bono shares that "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" which to me sounds oh so very All That You Can't Leave Behindish. Seriously, it would fit on that album perfectly. Right after Stuck In A Moment or so. This one will get the people (please God let me be one of them) on their feet at the live shows for sure. It is to me the most U2ish (trademark) song on the album. And given that they are my favorite band I have no problems with that. Bono answers his haters on this one as well. Cause you know how fashionable it is to be Anti-U2 in general and Anti-Bono in particular. We are not rewriting musical history with this one but with the Sturm und Drang of the rest of the album an uncomplicated sing along is nice.
"Every generation gets a chance to change the world
Pity the nation that won’t listen to your boys and girls
‘Cos the sweetest melody is the one we haven’t heard
Is it true that perfect love drives out all fear
The right to appear ridiculous is something I hold dear
Oh, but a change of heart comes slow."
# 6 and the last song I will discuss for this post is Get On Your Boots. Oooh so controversial. You either love it or hate it and I think which side you fall on depends on how you took the cutting down of the Joshua Tree that was 90's U2. Yeah it's Vertigo light and it did have me concerned that I was gonna get HTDAAB part 2. But taken in the context of the album as a whole (remember when that was the point?!) it works. And it works well! It's frivolous. It's silly. It is a song that is winking knowingly much harder than anything U2 have done since Mr. MacPhisto (Faust Rest His Soul) put down his microphone. And plopped, as it is, dead center in the middle of this album, I FREAKIN LOVE IT. They still can have a wink and a nod not so much at themselves but at the public persona of "U2."
"You free me from the dark dream
Candy floss, ice cream
All our kids are screaming
But the ghosts aren’t real"
I leave you with U2 singing Magnificent from the rooftops =)
Only Love Can Make Such A Mark
A Message For The Geritol Crowd
Music did not die in 1972. Or 1985. Or 1994. If you find nothing of value in current music then welcome to being your parents bitching about Elvis, The Beatles Haircut and that "damn racket" you call Rock n Roll. It's not the music, baby. It's you.
That is all. Mini rant.
Jeezus!!
At work super early. Coffee is made but I have no half and half until the Cafe opens. And as we all know, Starr refuses to abuse her coffee with sucky milk. So I am being tortured. I smell coffee. The whole office smells like dark sumatran roast and yet I am cupless. Dropless. Parched for my manna from heaven.
Cranky.
Watched the Letterman outtakes of U2. Anyone else notice Larry did NOT shovel snow? That ranks up there in the amusing Larry catalogue. Still topped by the refusal to take off his boots while in drag for the One video. Love how he looks at them all shoveling away...
Watch it fast cause they are getting yanked. Here is last nights show. U2 doing Magnificent - which is probably my favorite on the album. I LOVE the Edge on this one. Dates for U2 on Monday the 9th!
I still am fine tuning my review. Right off the bat I can tell you that it is Unforgettable Fire meets the Achtung Boys and I like this album far far more than their last.
Here is Monday nights show with the boys doing Breathe - another of my favorites.
Music did not die in 1972. Or 1985. Or 1994. If you find nothing of value in current music then welcome to being your parents bitching about Elvis, The Beatles Haircut and that "damn racket" you call Rock n Roll. It's not the music, baby. It's you.
That is all. Mini rant.
Jeezus!!
At work super early. Coffee is made but I have no half and half until the Cafe opens. And as we all know, Starr refuses to abuse her coffee with sucky milk. So I am being tortured. I smell coffee. The whole office smells like dark sumatran roast and yet I am cupless. Dropless. Parched for my manna from heaven.
Cranky.
Watched the Letterman outtakes of U2. Anyone else notice Larry did NOT shovel snow? That ranks up there in the amusing Larry catalogue. Still topped by the refusal to take off his boots while in drag for the One video. Love how he looks at them all shoveling away...
Watch it fast cause they are getting yanked. Here is last nights show. U2 doing Magnificent - which is probably my favorite on the album. I LOVE the Edge on this one. Dates for U2 on Monday the 9th!
I still am fine tuning my review. Right off the bat I can tell you that it is Unforgettable Fire meets the Achtung Boys and I like this album far far more than their last.
Here is Monday nights show with the boys doing Breathe - another of my favorites.
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