Anyone else want to vomit when they see the U2 commercial for iPod?

[WilliamPitt]

I do.

I remember Boy, and October, and War, and Under a Blood Red Sky. I remember lyrics, and even though I knew that 'The Edge' was just riding that same E-esqe cord into the dirt, they got away with it because it was good music.

I don't even recognize those assholes anymore.

[Swamp Rat]

1. Almost as bad as when I saw Willie Nelson do a GAP commercial!

:puke:




edit: I forgot to mention that "the Edge" ALWAYS sucked. I could play an open 'E' chord before I even learned how to play guitar.

[Maat]

2. You're right as usual, W.P.

But just add it to the list of sell-outs we've been confronted with lately ... kind of discouraging.

[Catch22Dem]

3. I like it

But I'm one of those U2 fans with blinders. ;)

I watched a thing on Apple's site where Steve Job was introducing new products. Bono & The Edge came out and talked about why they were embracing Apple products. They said that it is important to embrace new technology, and they chose Apple because they don't ignore artistic concepts when designing their products. I agree, they go beyond the utilitarian aspect when making a computer and deliver something more akin to art. I've decided my next machine will be a Mac.

[Flying Coyote]

13. Mac? You'll be sorry

"Our giant computer corporation is soooo not, like, you know, corporate. Not like that OTHER giant computer corporation. Really, we're artsy and shit, and if you are too, you'll pay one-and-a-half times as much for a computer that can't run 99% of the software you need. At least there will be a DIFFERENT zillionaire laughing all the way to the bank with your hard earned dough, right?"

Seriously - I was an Apple loyalist for a decade and a half but being a computer professional I could no longer afford to cripple myself that way.

Now I still keep a Mac around, but its only to test the rendering of web pages - because there are so many glitches unique to their @#$% browser.

[St. Jarvitude]

18. Sorry, but if it's a glitch in Safari

It's a "glitch" in khtml. And that means a glitch in Konqueror. Which is 100% W3C standards compliant.

Sure, it's Apple's browser that's "glitched" :eyes:

[realisticphish]

29. look

i have a user friendly system, i paid less than 1000 for it, its fast, powerful, stable, and i can use Unix if i need to. sounds good to me


:hippie: The Incorrigible Democrat

[chiburb]

106. Yawn.

Usually it's the Mac users that act so smug and know-it-all...
1st time I've seen it in reverse.
Welcome to DU (I think)!

[politicat]

128. You'll love it. Ours are the best investments we ever made.

Standards compliant, so we don't have to worry about those other corps that don't believe standards apply to them; we can't catch 99.9% of the viri, adware, spyware, etc that's out there so no playing the Norton Anti-virus game every day; a fast boot, a fast shutdown, stable as Uluru (Ayers Rock) and the software - but for games - is comparable or better than the MS side of the house. We're running OS X, and would not consider going back to 9. OS X is, to me, Unix with a functional GUI. Games? Get an Xbox. :P

The price wasn't even significantly more expensive, but then again, we bought laptops. That's all we have anymore, as it happens. 2 years ago, we paid 2500 for my 15 in. maxed out Pbook. To get a Wintel laptop with the same equipment (a DVD burner, wireless card, 60 GB HD, 15 inch screen, firewire) would have cost 3100 at Dell or 2700 at HP. So my machine was cheaper than the comparable Wintel version. (That 15 inch screen and the DVD burner were the deal breakers.) If you're looking at a desktop, sure, you can buy a very inexpensive machine, but what you're not getting is testing. I know that every component of my machines is designed and developed to work together. That's not true at all for a low end Wintel machine, which is one reason they crash frequently. Higher end machines on the Wintel platform have that, but then you're getting back up near the expense of an Apple. You get what you pay for.

When I bought my first apple laptop, an iBook, I paid 1200 for it, and could have gotten a Toshiba that did about the same for about the same. (My reasons for going apple were 2 fold - MS donates money to both political parties; Apple donates only to the Democrats; and my brand-new, still under warranty, top of the line, XP running desktop PC ate 60K words of a manuscript... and I lost 20K of words when I reverted to the backup. That machine went back to HP.)

But do remember that the whole Apple versus MS versus Linux is a religious argument. It's not based in any real objective study because everything is anecdotal. For every disgruntled, apple hating PC user, there's a Linux user calling up daemons on MS people and an Apple user using the forces of the white fruit to destroy the MS hegemony. You think PC people are vitriolic about apple users, you should see the flame wars over flavors of Linux.

Pcat

[FDRrocks]

4. Bono is the ultimate example of

a cool dude who just lost his flow somehow. I don't like the commercial, or the song even. I like the politics and all.

It could be worse, at least they aren't whoring for MS in some way.

[WilliamPitt]

7. *That's* the thing

It isn't that U2 is 'doing a commercial.' After I saw Jaguar use 'London Calling' in a car commercial, I pretty much inured myself to the idea of good music getting debased in advertisements. Don't even get me started on the whole Led-Zeppelin-selling-Cadillacs thing.

So it isn't that they did an ad. I can think of worse things than a cool band working with the Apple guys. It is that they did an ad with an absolutely brainless song that is apparently the best they can do now.

Uno
Dos
Tres
Catorce
Hello, hello
May I please go vertical
It's everything I wish I didn't know
But you give me something I can feel
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

What the fuck does that even mean, for fuck's sake.

:grr:

[FDRrocks]

28. It might be insanely cryptic

I really would expect more, lyrically, of U2. I thought I didn't understand the lyrics in the commercial, but didn't bother to look them up because I really have not cared about them since Joshue Tree.

I've seen the Led Zeppelin Caddy comemrcial, but not the London Calling thing. That is fucking atrocious. Do you know which band members signed onto that? They should've just dug up Joe and shat down his throat.

[WilliamPitt]

32. "They should've just dug up Joe and shat down his throat"

I just peed on myself a little bit. :)

I don't know whose decision that was. I saw the commercial twice, both times were somewhere back towards the end of the Clinton administration, but I could be misremembering. It made me want to buy a Jaguar, and then blow my own balls off.

[Susang]

38. It really helps when you get the lyrics right

Then maybe you can make a judgement on what they mean. :eyes:

Uno, dos, tres, catorce
(Turn it up loud, captain)

Lights go down
It's dark, the jungle is
Your head can't rule your heart
I'm feeling so much stronger
Than I thought
Your eyes are wide
And though your soul
It can't be bought
Your mind can wander

Hello, hello (¡Hola!)
I'm at a place called Vertigo (¿Dónde está?)
It's everything I wish I didn't know
Except you give me something
I can feel, feel

The night is full of holes
These bullets rip the sky
Of ink with gold
They twinkle as the boys
Play rock and roll
They know that they can't dance
At least they know

I can't stand the beats
I'm asking for the check
The girl with crimson nails
Has Jesus around her neck
Swinging to the music
Swinging to the music

Hello, hello (¡Hola!)
I'm at a place called Vertigo (¿Dónde está?)
It's everything I wish I didn't know
But you give me something
I can feel, feel

(Checking it)
(Shadows fall)
(She'll make it)

All this, all of this can be yours
All of this, all of this can be yours
All this, all of this can be yours
Just give me what I want
And no one gets hurt

Hello, hello (¡Hola!)
We're at a place called Vertigo (¿Dónde está?)
Lights go down, and all I know
Is that you give me something
I can feel your love teaching me how
Your love is teaching me how
How to kneel, kneel

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

[WilliamPitt]

40. OK, so I missed "I'm at a place called Vertigo"

The rest of the commercial is gibberish, and if you think the music and lyrics can hold a candle to their stuff from 20 years ago, you have odd taste in music.

[Susang]

42. The fucking song is called "Vertigo"

And yes, I am odd, thank you for noticing.

[WilliamPitt]

43. And angry, too

Decaf. We're talking about a commercial.

[Susang]

48. Damn skippy

There's a lot to be angry about these days. Bono isn't on shit list, I consider him one of the good guys.

[WilliamPitt]

51. I do too

I love what he has been doing. But I'm talking about U2, the band, and their music sucks ass lately, and that makes me sad. The fact that I see the suckage half a dozen times a day because of that commercial just twists the knife.

I was going to say something about the fruitlessness of barking rudely at your friends while engaged in regular conversations, but I decided you'd just get mad at that, too.

Get down with your angry self. Rage is appropriate in a thread like this. Or something.

[Susang]

54. You called them assholes, Will

My angry response came from the tone in your initial post, which seemed pretty "angry" to me. Or did I somehow misinterpret the word "asshole"? If so, my apologies.

BTW, I don't drink coffee. It gives you ulcers, you know.

[WilliamPitt]

89. Gasp! The horror!

:eyes:

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

60. ....

Re-read that post again Will. The one that reads "Decaf. We're talking about a commercial." Then re-read the original post you made. The one where you talk about vomiting over a commercial and you call them assholes.

[MADem]

73. Isn't that one of those "trendy" nightclubs

...with the red rope and the asshole who tells you that you aren't sufficiently trendy to get in??? There's one in Boston on State St, and one in Canada too. Who the hell knows which one he was babbling on about? Could there possibly be one in a Spanish-speaking nation as well? Hola!! Uno, dos, tres cervezas, por favor! (I have no upside down exclamation point, sorry!).

[Rufus T. Firefly]

86. What's with Bono's counting?

He says "Uno, dos, tres, quatorze..."

So 1, 2, 3 (Spanish) and then 14 (French).

WTF?

[Phillycat]

91. No, "catorce" is Spanish for 14...which still doesn't make any sense.

But at least it's all in the same language. :)

[NashVegas]

100. Who Says It Has To?

Maybe they just felt like it.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

125. A lot of people "felt like" voting for *

But that doesn't make them any less dumb. Just like the lyric.

[slestak]

118. probably so it wouldn't sound like "Wooly Bully" n/t

[emulatorloo]

84. Why don't you reserve judgement until the WHOLE Cd comes out

agreed Vertigo is lame.

but maybe it will work in context, and maybe the rest of the songs will be great.

[DS1]

85. I think it's a song about ending a bombing run in an F15

They've always been anti-war :shrug:

[Fenris]

5. Anything past those 4 records you mentioned makes me vomit.

Joshua Tree included.

[PretzelWarrior]

52. oh my god. a feckin' "PURIST". ever see Hi Fidelity? if not, DO>

you are a music snob. because they suddenly got some decent in studio work by hooking up with Brian Eno and the masses caught on..you cut loose of them to keep your "I liked New Order when they were nobody" street cred.

Seen a million of you. All vainly going down the same path trying to be "different". YAH!

[asthmaticeog]

66. Disliking wretched bullshit doesn't make one a snob.

[PretzelWarrior]

71. large portions of Joshua Tree, Rattle and Hum..not wretched bullshit

I know of what I speak regarding people who are "in the know about their music".

Hey, I don't like "It's a Beautiful Day". But I'm not going to divorce myself from U2 because of it and not give their new music a chance. You deny yourself if you do so.

There are some bands deserving of the labels people lay out there about "Sellouts" and "Has-beens".

Rolling Stones? Oh yeah.

Bob Dylan? WAY BEYOND GONE.

The Cure? PULEEZE. fighting for relevance.

but just because music ends up getting popular doesn't mean it is bullshit.

[asthmaticeog]

72. Popularity isn't what makes it bullshit.

U2's albums before Joshua Tree were plenty popular.

[name not needed]

127. Admit it, Europe is your favorite band of all time!

You can try to hide it, but we all know you dance around your living room listening to The Final Countdown when nobody's around! :P

[Fenris]

74. No. In fact I hate most people like that.

I don't make any claims like that, as I was not alive then. My basis for disliking the Joshua Tree and any thing other than War, Boy, October, and Under A Blood Red Sky is that I simply don't like those records. I think they're shit. So what? It's personal taste, not snobbery.

And it is only coincidental that I dislike most of Brian Eno's music and productions.

[Wat_Tyler]

81. With the deepest respect, you're being idiotic.

Furthermore, you're being massively judgemental about the tastes of others. Hey. Here's a revolutionary idea. Maybe Fenris just doesn't like U2's post Unforgettable Fire output? Sure, that output includes The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby and Zooropa, but it also includes Rattle and Hum and Pop.

It's not just the snobs you have to watch, it's the reverse snobs too.

[Wat_Tyler]

82. I'd say The Unforgettable Fire is a work of genius.

[Phillycat]

101. agreed!

[mr blur]

105. Actually, those 4 make me vomit too

Doesn't make me a musical snob though, just because I can't stand all that whining, po-faced, pompous drivel.

[Reverend_Smitty]

6. Yeah it sucks that they have "sold out"

but dammit if those new iPods aren't shiny and cool...man I gotta gets me one. Yeah I know I'm a slave to capitolism too

[PretzelWarrior]

67. yeah. sell outs. pretty soon they'll be putting out U2 lunchboxes

some people crack me up. They can't stand "commercialization" of our life...but they head to the vintage stores to buy OLD SHIT that was originally marketed to the masses. Now its KEWL cuz it's not the latest rage.

Oh well. How bout them Beatles? THose goddam puketards let a CARTOON about them be made. Every song of theirs after Abbey Road just SUCKED.

BTW. iPods are VERY VERY cool. 1,000 songs....very light...go anywhere....long battery life.

I'd look into one if I were you.

[Reverend_Smitty]

8. Could be worse...

I mean the Beatles classic Revolution could be used to advertise Nike sneak...oh wait nevermind

[WilliamPitt]

...or 'London Calling' could be used to sell Jaguars

or Zepplein songs could be used to sell Cadillacs.

:puke:

[flamingyouth]

11. Yes, no irony there

:crazy:

[Fenris]

12. Often bands don't control how their music is used.

[WilliamPitt]

14. One of the happy sidelights of corporate consolidation

When you sign a recording contract, the company you're inking with has all these subsidiaries, and each one gets a piece of the action, including advertising subsidiaries.

I'm thinking of that line from the movie Almost Famous. Jack Black as Lester Bangs: "The war's over, man. They won."

[Fenris]

15. I think that was Philip Seymour Hoffman.

But you didn't hear it from me.;)

[WilliamPitt]

17. You're right

Somehow, I always get those two confused. :)

[Fenris]

10. Blame that one on Michael Jackson.

The bastard.

[oscar-something]

9. I think it's funny... they sing senseless things in spanish

[miss_kitty]

16. 1, 2, 3, 14!

you don't find that ultra Bono kewl? sheesh! :eyes:

:hi:

[Avalux]

19. Yes

and the song SUCKS. As you said, I don't even know who they are anymore.

[St. Jarvitude]

20. The only U2 album my dad has is "Joshua Tree"

And damn, does it ever suck.

He also has the "Best of: 1980-1990", but alas... the only song worth any salt on it is "Sunday Bloody Sunday."

So I'm kind of already turned off from U2. But I've heard awesome things about them... so I'm sort of interested in listening to some of their earlier work (pre Joshua Tree).

Could anyone reccomend me some stuff to try out?

[WilliamPitt]

22. Boy, October, War, Unforgettable Fire

in that order.

[St. Jarvitude]

26. cool beans. thanks (n/t)

[NuttyFluffers]

21. it could be worse, it could always be worse...

besides, if they don't sell out those songs the corps would just get a poor sap to do a second rate rendition of the song for a few seconds and loop that. this way they get the money and do what they want with it. besides, apple's a good company. solid products. can use just about anything (in case anyone forgot about MS emulations software). not an ultimate gamers machine, but who of you here are serious gamers, seriously? and if you were serious gamers you'd get multiple machines, and one of those would probably be a mac (they do have gorgeous conversions when they do come out -- yes, i hang around them 'serious' gamers... my life is an empty binary shell)

[WindRavenX]

23. WTF is with all the U2 hatred in this thread?

WTF is wrong with you people?!?!!? :mad: Bono is my GOD

[WilliamPitt]

25. Your God is very, very short

I saw him at the Dem convention. He comes up to about my chin, and I am not a tall person by any stretch.

Nyah nyah, your God is tiny.

:)

[frylock]

31. your god is tiny..

reminds me of that Nietzsche bit from Kids in the Hall. God is dead, and he was tiny! Or something like that.

[WilliamPitt]

33. I'm crushing your God

crush crush crush

[WindRavenX]

34. Will, I'm 4'11''

So he's tall to me. Then again, most men are tall comapred to me :P

[WilliamPitt]

37. I know Tall People, mind you, very Tall People!

I'll buy you a beer if you know the poem that line is from, and the person who wrote it.

[WindRavenX]

41. 'fraid not old sport

Care to reveal?

[WilliamPitt]

45. Paranoid - A Chant

by Stephen King, from Skeleton Crew.

:)

[WindRavenX]

46. bah

The last King novel I read was "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon".
BTW, how are you doing Will? Going to be in Boston for the next DU meetup? I owe you a beer for your fucking Sox...

[WilliamPitt]

49. Depends

If it is close to Thanksgiving, as I was seeing to be the case, I might be out of town for family stuff. We'll see.

[WindRavenX]

50. same here

Thanksgiving, I'm going to New Jersey. I'm hoping the meetup is after Turkey Day.

[Reverend_Smitty]

27. Will Pitt be hatin?

:evilgrin:

[PretzelWarrior]

53. well, I don't go that far...but Bullet the Red sky gives him some

mulligans. Jeezus. I love to watch how they handled FAME and FORTUNE and still put out a POWERFUL song like "One" or "End of the WOrld".

[Phillycat]

92. Or blue sky, even...

[PretzelWarrior]

108. LOL. yeah. there's that too. brain fart.

hahah.

[Phillycat]

116. Unless you were talking about "Under a Blood Red Sky".

:)

[PretzelWarrior]

126. nope. I meant Bullet the Blue Sky. song about US in El Salvador

off Joshua Tree .... just had a momentary lapse and you pointed out the song I was referencing when I came up with that.

[frylock]

24. never was a fan of u2, never will be one..

but I want to vomit, nonetheless. You can't sit down and watch any sporting event without seeing that shit at least 53 times. ENOUGH ALREADY!! QUATORCE, QUATORCE, FUCKIN' QUATORCE!!!!!!!!

[GingerSnaps]

30. U2's talent left them right after War

:puke:

[PretzelWarrior]

57. be honest. you probably have Lionel Richie and ELton John CD's

and you're bagging on U2 music after WAR? maybe you should tell us how exactly their talent left them? YOu mean they sounded a bit more polished and not like a guy with a great voice backed up by a middling band with screamingly listenable lead guitar?

hooo boy. you guys hit a nerve! LOL

[GingerSnaps]

68. I bet you own Frampton comes alive and Air Supply's Greatest Hits

No, I do not own any Lionel Richie or Elton John Cd's :puke:

I stopped spending my cash on U2 after they became corporate owned.

[coloradodem2005]

35. I like the song.

[WilliamPitt]

39. Yeah, but the air is thin where you are

:P

[Pithlet]

36. I was just talking about that earlier today

with my husband when we saw it for the millionth time. It did make me want to vomit at first, but now it just makes me feel sad. I remember when, too. I know people need to make a buck, but it's painful to watch. You and I are close in age, and people outside of that range don't always understand what U2 was for many of us. Freshman year of high school, when Joshua Tree came out... When you remember that the way we do, it's harder to stomach I think.

[PretzelWarrior]

44. uh-oh. here's where we part ways. I'm an Ipod AND U2 fan

yes...I thought they were "THE" band back in the day during War with Pride, Sunday Bloody SUnday, New YEars Day, 40, I will Follow, etc.

BUT COME ON!!!!

You should love Apple if for no other reason than they are constantly surviving despite all the doomsayers who predict Microsoft dominance forever.

I believe the free song from iTunes is a good idea. I just finished loading even more music onto my iPod....wow. It is so cool. So mobile. My tunes are there for me with no discs, great sound...

Oh well. to each his own. Their song "Kite" from All that you can't leave behind is one of my current favorites. After endless play.

Plus, I just attended a speaking engagement by Bono discussing African AIDS, poverty, debt relief, etc. D.A.T.A. is a great group. He is a sincere rocker. No doubt about that.

Bono is like John Lennon. Even when they do/did some things that are self-serving..they get a mulligan considering how great they've been and every so often they pleasantly surprise you.

[WilliamPitt]

47. I am both an iPod fan and a U2 fan

I love my iPod, but there is a good reason why all the U2 on my iPod is from a long, long time ago.

[PretzelWarrior]

56. the only ones I hate them for are ZOOROPA and PopMART

went to that PopMart concert in Eugene, OR and was like WTF?

But come on...I realize 1992 might still be called "a long time ago" but who can deny the power of "One" or "Love is Blindess" on Achtung Baby...?

oh well. I just feel this powerful urge to defend U2 post 1985 LIVEAID. HAHAHHAHAHHAHAAA!!

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

55. Well I guess this is when being a non TV watcher is a good thing, I take

it?

As for U2, why all the hate? Assholes? Does every single song they put out have to be meaningful and politically important? It's just a song-- if you don't like it, don't listen to it.

I might point out that at least what U2 is hawking in the commercial has to DO with music/listening to music.

The Led Zeppelin/Cadillac thing just sounds like blasphemy.

If stuff is getting to people that much, turn the channel or turn the thing off.

[LordshipLadyship]

65. bras

U2 pushing something that at least remotely has to do with music is ok, he may use the big bucks he earns from it for his causes, who knows? It was Bob Dylan from my generation, in the Victoria's Secret ads that made me want to barf. :wtf: I didn't understand what the point was. Besides money and sex. ;)

[huellewig]

77. U2 wasn't paid for doing the commercial.

But they do get a part of the U2 iPod revenue.

http://news.com.com/Gates+vs.+Jobs+The+rematch/2100-1027_3-5452014.html

"Speaking just after the event, Bono, U2's lead singer, said the band was not charging Apple a penny to be in the ad. (The band says it had turned down as much as $23 million to use its music in other commercials.) In its three-year life, the iPod has achieved such "iconic value," Bono said, that U2 gets as much value as Apple does from the commercial, by promoting its music and the new Red and Black U2 edition of the iPod, for which the band gets royalties."

[Pithlet]

75. Led Zeppelin may not be complicit in the Cadillac thing

Artists often don't own the rights to their own songs; even the very successful ones. Paul McCartney couldn't do a damn thing about Nike using "Revolution" to sell sneakers, because Michael Jackson owns the rights. He's been fighting him to get them back for years. He doesn't get a dime; not that he needs it. It's a screwed up system.

Being a non-tv watcher probably helps. It really does ruin a song to hear it over and over tied in with a product. I hate it.

[asthmaticeog]

58. I have to dissent here.

I'm with you on Boy, October and War. I also really dug The Unforgettable Fire. They've never equalled those records*. "Vertigo" is the first U2 song I've actually liked since those records. I'm actually really surprised that after what, 18 or 20 years now, they've finally written another song I can dig.

* In 1986, I spent most of the summer in the Middle East, and the only tapes I brought with me were Boy and October. Those albums will forever remind me of the Pyramids, King Solomon's Mines, Jerusalem, and an oasis -- yes, an honest-to-goodness oasis -- in the Golan Heights, near Syria. Not bad. Not fucking bad at all.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

59. OMG that is totally freaking me out!

In 1986, my husband was in the Middle East, the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, to be exact, and he brought those two tapes with him. He always used to tell me those songs always make him think of that time and place.

That is TOO freaking weird.

He was with a NATO peacekeeping force as part of the 101st Airborne.

[asthmaticeog]

61. I was a teenaged Jewish tourist.

Your husband wins.

On edit: The title of this post could be a truly rancid B-Movie.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

62. Why does he win?

He was only 18 himself!

[asthmaticeog]

69. He was there doing peacekeeping work for NATO.

I was there being a retarded decadent American kid thrilled to be in a country where there was no drinking age. So he wins. :)

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

104. Retarded decadent American kid

you are cracking me up. If my husband could get hold of some liquor while he was in Egypt, I have no doubt he was drinking it. Mostly he said he was saddened by all the litter everywhere, he imagined the pyramids to be rather pristine and they weren't. Ah well. I still think it's weird you and he were in the same part of the world at the same time and had only those two tapes.

And yes, the title of that last post could definitely be a rancid B-movie title. Throw in retarded, too.

[asthmaticeog]

112. So what's he listening to ... RIGHT NOW?

I wanna see if it's the same as me! That'd be spooooooky!

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

114. he downloads tons of music so I'm not sure

but I did hear him listening to that "Detachable Penis" song the other day.

Rammstein? Are you into Rammstein?

[helnwhls]

63. I ignore it.

[Ann Arbor Dem]

64. Never liked them, don't know that I ever will...

Their music has always been mediocre to my ears. The pious, holier-than-thou attitude hasn't helped. Same with Sting (music and attitude). The Police were great, though!

[Politicub]

122. I can't stand Sting

I don't quite know why, but he has always inspired revulsion in me. Some love him though, so go figure.

U2 is OK. I don't fault them for selling out. It seems like most acts usually do. It's the holier than thou attitude that gets me.

[MADem]

70. I realize that the fellow has done a lot of charitable work, BUT

...I lost my respect for that bunch during the post-911 Superbowl Halftime performance. As the band played, and the crowd screamed like a bunch of teenyboppers at a Beatles concert, the names of the dead scrolled on a huge screen behind the stage. At the end, Bono flashes open his "Joe Cool" jacket which was LINED WITH THE AMERICAN FLAG. How lovely--his armpit stink on the representation of our nation.

I was disgusted, and flabbergasted. I sat there wondering what the families of the dead must be thinking. All that cheering and yee-hawing, while the names of their loved ones scrolled across that screen--tasteless in the extreme. Ever since that self-serving Superbowl performance, I get an ugly feeling whenever I see them.

And I am not impressed that Bono can count to four in Spanish. I can't fathom what that gratuitous opening to the song has to do with anything--does he expect sales to increase in Spanish speaking countries, or what?

I also find it odd that only the U2 people are "important" enough so that you can see their faces in that commercial. The ones doing the hard work of dancing about like a ninny are mere silhouettes--obviously not worthy of showing us their visages.

I find the whole ad campaign lame and contrived. But then, I am an old fart, and not cool at all, so what the hell do I know? I do not own an iPod, so the ad didn't work on me!

[UdoKier]

76. U2 Have been overrated since "With or Without You"

That was the moment they simultaneously sold out and "jumped the shark" for some reason, it took many Americans until the "Pop Mart" tour to notice, but apparently some of us are still picking up on it...

[Maestro]

78. Wow! All this hatred of U2

Jesus Christ people do entertainers have to live stark, near poverty existences just to get your respect. I am not debating the music, but man, there are many other bands out there that are downright disrespectful, undignified, thugs, no-talented hacks. U2 is not one of them. They were shocked by 9-11 and during the Super Bowl did what I thought was a pretty good tribute in U2's style. As far as the iPod commercial, some could argue that they have jumped the shark but Bono admits that the band makes insanely huge amounts of money and no entertainer should be paid like that but the man is doing what he can to give back to his community which is the world.

We have to remember that being in music today is very difficult and making money at it is even harder. So what if they are in an iPod commercial. I am more worried why the hell Bono can't count to four in Spanish; 1, 2, 3, 14? WTF?

[Wat_Tyler]

79. They're over. They've been artistically dead since Zooropa.

And now they shill themselves for the man. For a band as proud and as justified as U2 were once, this is pathetic. This is a band who risked bankruptcy by putting on the magnificent Zoo TV tour without a dime of corporate sponsorship. To see them selling crap for corporations is an insult to art.

[ScreamingMeemie]

80. I kind of like it. A lot even.

Not as good as Joshua Tree, but still okay. There is a lot worse out there....like say...I don't know..."Black Eyed Peas"...? :hi:

[DS1]

83. That song is below them. Or them at some point in time.

It's been a steady decline, kinda like the Smashing Pumpkins before Corgan pulled the plug.

[bleedingheart]

87. hee hee... remember they probably started the band to get laid

;-)

[Zomby Woof]

88. they have sucked since Achtung Baby

When you run out of ideas, just crouch your lack of them in glossy production and pretentious bombast.

And I ignore flames... I was a U2 fan starting in junior high with 'Boy'. They have sucked now for some time.

[RPM]

95. Achtung militates against the gripes posted here

1) In making Achtung, they completely eschewed the formula that had put them on the Cover of Time as "World's Biggest Band"; Short of retiring, making an artistic shift like that was the greatest risk they could take - hell as a Diehard fans my first thought upon hearing The Fly (first release off of AB) was "What the fuck is this trash?"; Generally selling out also includes continuing to pander to the audience with the same formulaic shit (see e.g. AC-DC, Springsteen); If they were still playing like they did on Boy, they would be lablled a fat bloated band with no creativity.

2) Achtung marked a shift from earlier records philosophically - Earlier songs seemed to focus anger at outside sources; Achtung (and many albums afterwards) seemed to be focused more internally; a shift from focusing on how the flawed world impacts me to how the flawed I impacts the world. Thus, at some level, newer albums may appeal less to people who loved the "angry at the world" material - and there are more than a few of those here at DU;

3) While songs may not have the mainstream appeal that they did on Boy, commercial popularity is largely irrelevant; Menudo sold like hell - now they are irrelevant - Rickey Martin, too.

4) I dont like the new ad, but hey that's life; I am glad they have it - otherwise i would have not known about the new album or song as i dont listen to commercial radio.

[JVS]

110. I knew I'd find you here

When I saw the ad my first thought was: wow, has U2 finally tasted of the selling out fruit?

[RPM]

111. they first sold out when they went on a major label

and a stadium tour.

oh wait - every major musician has sold out

[JVS]

117. Not David Lee Roth!

He never sold out :-)

C'mon, doing commercials is less than cool.

[RPM]

119. He never bought in....

OK, actually, he did as part of Van Halen.

In his defense, he sold, then renounced.

[JVS]

120. DLR's integrity remained intact because he never had the pretense

of artistic integrity

[RPM]

121. touche

he's just a gigolo

[Wat_Tyler]

90. Oi, Pitt!

Give Henry Rollins credit if you're going to steal his lines, huh? }(

[WilliamPitt]

97. LOL

To be fair, Rollins said the Edge was 'milking' that E chord...but yeah, you got me. :)

[Phillycat]

93. Huh. I like it.

I agree the lyrics don't make any sense. But I think it's catchy. I've alays liked U2, although the last few albums have been...only okay. But this new song gets into my head and stays there.

[Lerkfish]

94. I like the black ipod design, though..

but not a huge U2 fan, so no way would I pay extra for their laser-etched signatures.

[cmf]

96. Anyone else notice that it's the same tune as "You Keep Me Hangin On"?

That's what I hate about it. :grr:

[LSdemocrat]

98. I like the new song. Then again, I like cheesy pop music.

[ZenLefty]

99. Yeah.

But I've felt that way since the beginning. Never could stand those bastards.

And before anybody accuses me of u2-hatred, I'll save you the trouble and admit it. I hate u2. :hate: :hate: :pbbbbbt:

[Susang]

102. Hey, at least you're honest

None of this, "well, they were great while I was in high school and college, but they suck now that I'm over 30" shit.

[SiouxJ]

113. This is my favorite post on this whole ridiculous thread

lmao!

:yourock:

[Susang]

115. Thank you ma'am

I do my cranky best. ;-)

[mvd]

103. I think it's a great song!

I'm ideologically very different from many DUers when it comes to "they were good then, but bad now." I've loved everything U2's done. Including Pop. I thought that All That You Can't Leave Behind was another masterpiece, and it looks like the new one will be, too.

[lapislzi]

107. Will, you REALLY need to get out more

Why just the other day I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac.
;)

I happen to know you were a KID when Boy came out.

[JVS]

109. Cha-Ching!

[tjdee]

123. Doodly doodly dooo....can't hear you.....

Hello, hello........

:silly:

Love them up down and sideways. Love War, Love The Unforgettable Fire, Love Achtung Baby....Love all of them.

Vertigo is a simplistic song, but it's fun and it's funky. I like it.
It's about God/a lover. It's about how they're in place with lots going on (probably the club Vertigo), everything is artificial, except "You". At the end he says "You" teaches him how to kneel, which is why I assume it's about God. But, hey, it could be about his wife. Whatever.

And they're so not assholes, LOL. SO not.

[LTR]

124. U2 is still a breath of fresh air these days

They are inbetween newer faceless bands who recycle the same tired cliches and try their best to imitate crap like Creed and the geezer bands who dried up creatively years ago. U2 seems like the last rock band in existence.

As far as the I-Pod deal goes, doing commercials seems to be the new promotion these days. Let's face it, radio does a terrible job of breaking new music even from established artists, and MTV doesn't play much music anymore. VH1? Nothing but celebrity gossip shows last I checked.

Remember Sting's hit "Desert Rose" from a few years ago? Radio thought it was too weird, and wouldn't play it. MTV won't play anyone over 30 unless she has big tits. Where to go? He went to Jaguar and they turned it into a widely played 30 second music video. The result? The commercial made the song a hit, and stations that thought it too weird were basically forced to play it.

The whole rock n' roll commercial sponsorship controversy is blown out of proportion. Artists have been doing it since the birth of rock n' roll. Even the Beatles did it. It's not as bad as someone like Neil Young makes it out to be. Hell, the way artists get screwed in that industry, they're almost forced to. I do like the guerrilla way that Sting and U2 force radio's hand in bringing it to TV via commercials.

As far as U2 is concerned, here is their discography (minus most live recordings). Only a few bad apples in the bunch, which is a good track record.


Boy
October
War - The original trilogy. These are phenomenal recordings!

The Unforgettable Fire - A complete change in direction. Not as guitar driven. Lyrics get much deeper and moodier.

The Joshua Tree - Great album with no bad songs on it. One of those classic rock albums everyone seems to know from beginning to end.

Rattle and Hum - I love the grittier, harder, bluesier feel of this one. This is a pure rock n' roll record.

Achtung Baby - My favorite U2 album. A cool German feel to it, tasteful use of technology (though not excessive), and overall good songs.

Zooropa - From their best to their downright worst. This album really sucks, and it sounds mostly like Achtung Baby leftovers and half-baked concepts hurriedly thrown together. By U2 standards, it's a pretty shitty album.

Pop - Well, at least it's not as bad as Zooropa. But techno? U2 jumped the shark here.

All That You Can't Leave Behind - A pretty good album. Very upbeat. And best of all, they moved away from the excess of their last two albums.

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb - Yes, I have heard it (as have many net saavy U2 fans - the download of the not-yet-released disc is pretty easy to find). It's more stripped down than ATYCLB. I'll have to listen to it a bit more, but it is a collection of some really good songs. Oh, and it's not 11 versions of "Vertigo" - there's a lot of range here.


I also recommend tracking down any compilation featuring their many B-sides. There are some real hidden gems there.