1/11/2024 0 Comments U2 discographyFor listeners aching for something more traditional, the yearning of ‘Please’ should satisfy them, as it’s a pleasant alternative to ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’. Adam Clayton lets the bass rip on ‘Do You Feel Loved’, invoking The Stone Roses at their jauntiest and most carefree. The bad tracks are bad, but there are some strong moments, not least ‘Discotheque’, which is a giddily inventive dialogue between songwriters Bono and The Edge. Think of Pop as a noble failure, as opposed to an indulgence the band should rightfully have abandoned midway through production. In its own way, Pop holds a flavour that’s as singular as The Unforgettable Fire, and although it isn’t as good as the 1984 effort, it does hold enough spark to merit a listen or two. The band’s most experimental work is also one of their more controversial, and tellingly, the band have been reluctant to venture into uncharted waters since. Nonetheless, there are moments of studio invention, not least the genuinely dazzling ‘The Blackout’, while ‘Love Is All We Have Left’ recalls the trappings of love with tremendous pathos. It’s the band as fathers, and although the songs are solid, the production is ropey, which begs the question of why they spent so much time producing a work that would have benefitted from a sparser recording schedule. But it’s also a bonafide narrative, letting the lyrics speak to the audience, as Bono addresses the gaps in his childhood, and praises the gifts his children give him. Released three years after Songs of Innocence, Songs of Experience was always bound to suffer from the comparison to the more textured prequel, and the album suffers from too many producers, robbing the album of a discernible marker by which to make its own. plays with admirable conviction, and luckily for him, the other three were able to match him by the time they recorded their underrated sophomore album. From the tom-tom rolls on ‘Twilight’ to the cymbals that are heard all over ‘Stories For Boys’, Mullen Jr. If the album can claim a hero, it’s Larry Mullen Jr., the band’s founder and most accomplished musician. Adam Clayton’s bass playing is pedestrian, and The Edge goes through a series of recycled riffs that gives the album an enjoyable, albeit unoriginal, flair. If they sound hesitant, it’s because they still haven’t harnessed their sound properly, but Bono does give it some backbone, particularly on the genuinely exciting ‘I Will Follow’. “And what a unique stage they’re building for us out there in the desert…We’re the right band, ACHTUNG BABY the right album, and the Sphere the right venue to take the live experience of music to the next level…That’s what U2's been trying to do all along with our satellite stages and video installations, most memorably on the ZOO TV Tour, which ended in Tokyo 30 years ago this Fall.This would be the worst if it was anything but their debut, but since it was the sound of four inexperienced lads from Dublin, we’ll give them a pass for effort. Bottom line, U2 hasn’t played live since December 2019 and we need to get back on stage and see the faces of our fans again. We don’t want to let people down, least of all our audience…the truth is we miss them as much as they appear to miss us…our audience was always the fifth member of the band. “The Sphere show has been in the works for a long time. In a statement, Bono, The Edge and Adam Clayton said: “It’s going to take all we’ve got to approach the Sphere without our bandmate in the drum seat, but Larry has joined us in welcoming Bram van den Berg who is a force in his own right. U2 fans worldwide can register here to receive more information about dates of the shows and on sale details once they are announced. His place will be filled by Bram van den Berg, from the Dutch band Krezip. The announcement also contains confirmation that drummer Larry Mullen Jr, will not take part in the shows, as he takes time out this year to undergo and recuperate from surgery. U2’s new shows at the Sphere, the state-of-the art venue that currently dominates the Las Vegas skyline, will be typically boundary-pushing for a group that have always embraced cutting-edge technology to enhance their live reputation.
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