The Album Review Club - Week #142 - (page 1874) - Strange Times - The Chameleons

[BlueHammer85]

Some people like them however and they do put a good live show on.

bit of a understatement that.

It's cool to hate on U2 like any 'big' group or artist nowadays but i say they're up there with the greatest bands and their live shows are pretty epic. I've only seen them once about 10 years ago at the 02 and it was just superb, hit after hit.

 

[bennyboy]

bit of a understatement that.

It's cool to hate on U2 like any 'big' group or artist nowadays but i say they're up there with the greatest bands and their live shows are pretty epic. I've only seen them once about 10 years ago at the 02 and it was just superb, hit after hit.

Your next nomination then.lol.

 

[BlueHammer85]

Your next nomination then.lol.

they have been a consideration a few times.

 

[hallsteve62]

U2?
Whatever you’re into.
I’m quite serious when I say they were shite and could not play. Larry was the best musician of the lot, having learned drums in the Artane Boys Band (Look them up).
He was also the most normal of the lot. The Hedge and Bonehead were into some sort of religious born again something or other tripe.
It was something like 50p to see them in the Dandelion Market on a Sunday afternoon and we had no interest in paying in to see them.

However, they were persistent and by the time Sunday Bloody Sunday came around they had an on stage act that America embraced. See live at Red Rock on YouTube and you’ll see what I mean. They definitely captured something and Paul McGuinness, saw this and his management of the band saw them concentrate on breaking America.

The Unforgettable Fire is a good album and as an America-centric follow up, they absolutely nailed it with The Joshua Tree.
I’ll admit it’s a great album, but it kind of went to their heads in my opinion and they never equalled it while seeming to want to replicate the American appeal.
I never really listened to any of their stuff after that.

Some people like them however and they do put a good live show on.

I'm not a massive U2 fan although I've seen them a couple of times. Salford Uni in 1981 (iirc) was the first time. I think The Joshua Tree was such a great album that they made a concious decision not to try and repeat it leading to the more experimental sounds to be found on Achtung Baby.

 

[BimboBob]

I liked early U2, I think Boy and War are my favourite before they started going a bit wanky.

What am I getting from my first listen?

A bit of vocal Teardrop Explodes, a bit of rhythmic Sisters of Mercy, A bit of early U2 guitar, A lot of early Cure, a bit of early to mid Simple Minds, a smidgeon of Smiths, a bit of This Mortal Coil...all sort of squeezed in to a record I'm finding very familiar due to the above but also very samey due to the songs structures.

I'm thinking this is more of a mid 80's gothish record than a precursor to the Britpop explosion.

 

[mancity2012_eamo]

bit of a understatement that.

It's cool to hate on U2 like any 'big' group or artist nowadays but i say they're up there with the greatest bands and their live shows are pretty epic. I've only seen them once about 10 years ago at the 02 and it was just superb, hit after hit.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate them at all.
I’m merely stating that they couldn’t play back in 1978-early 80’s.
They had something however and self belief was part of it. I saw them twice in Croke Park in the mid 80’s and they were great.

There were better Irish bands/musicians before and since but U2 were superbly managed to the world position they attained. But they themselves made good use of the success each album progressively provided for them.
Brian ENO and Daniel Lanois were brought in for The unforgettable Fire and production values were significantly improved. The band as a whole learned from the experience placed in their hands. They appreciated what they had at their disposal and grew with it.
Steve Lilywhite produced War, Boy and October before Unforgettable Fire, so not too shabby either but, this was a step up.

I lost interest after the mediocre Rattle n Hum. It just seemed like the band saying, right we’re on the gravy train here in America and that’s more important than anything else.

Joshua Tree was their zenith for me. Artistically, certainly. Monetizing that became more important and nothing new came from them after as far as I’m concerned.

 

[mancity2012_eamo]

I liked early U2, I think Boy and War are my favourite before they started going a bit wanky.

What am I getting from my first listen?

A bit of vocal Teardrop Explodes, a bit of rhythmic Sisters of Mercy, A bit of early U2 guitar, A lot of early Cure, a bit of early to mid Simple Minds, a smidgeon of Smiths, a bit of This Mortal Coil...all sort of squeezed in to a record I'm finding very familiar due to the above but also very samey due to the songs structures.

I'm thinking this is more of a mid 80's gothish record than a precursor to the Britpop explosion.

That Petrol Emotion too?
Perhaps.