ATYCLB

digitize · 08-30-2008, 07:32 PM

Alright, I'm hooked. I started listening to ATYCLB a few minutes ago... I think I am converted. It is not my least-favorite album anymore.

It is amazing.

Screwtape2 · 08-30-2008, 07:35 PM

What's standing out on this listen?

Zoots · 08-30-2008, 07:38 PM

Haha! I remember this happening to me sometime in the past. I still prefer my alternate version though, to what we ended up getting.

digitize · 08-30-2008, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Screwtape2

What's standing out on this listen?

I'm not sure. I guess I'm realizing how much stronger it is than the sum of its parts...

thelaj · 08-30-2008, 08:48 PM

I always feel ATYLB is a very easy album to listen to. It doesn't challenge me in the same way as the other albums (both a good and bad aspect), but it slips into my consciousness and sounds good.

Aside from In A Little While (and to a lesser extent SIAMYCGOO), I find the whole album eminently listenable. My standouts are Beautiful Day, Kite, When I Look At The World & New York.

Rob33 · 08-30-2008, 11:50 PM

I absolutely love BD, Walk On, Kite, When I Look at the World, and New York on this record...and Stuck is also an awesome tune despite all the bad things people have to say about it...this album seems more complete than Bomb for me...it has similar things going on throughout the entire album that unifies it in some way.

beli · 08-30-2008, 11:56 PM

The Ground Beneath Her Feet is my fav on that album. Wild Honeys alright. The rest, not so much to my tastes. "Easy listening" is an accurate description.

goblues4427 · 08-31-2008, 12:17 AM

I personally can't put the CD in my CD player. Same goes with the Bomb most of the time (but that's another topic and for different reasons). For ATYCLB... it's not the music that bothers me. There are good songs on there. It's Bono's singing. On many songs it's SO weak it ruins it for me. When I say weak I don't mean "In a Little While." The voice is perfect for that song. It's one of the strongest songs on the album. It's songs like "When I Look at the World." A potentially great song but it falls flat because Bono can't sing the song for the life of him. And then there is the occasional lyric. Like in "Kite." The song is amazing... good lyrics, amazing musically, the vocals aren't even bad. Everything is going great until we get to...

"Did I waste it?
Not so much I couldn't taste it
Life should be fragrant
Rooftop to the basement

The last of the rock stars
When hip hop drove the big cars
In the time when new media
Was the big idea

That was the big idea"

It's so bad it makes me wince in pain. It's like they built up a great house and then burned it down at the end. It makes me feel taken.

On a better note. Since the remaster of October... I'm now officially in love with that album. I've never loved it as much as I do now. I don't think there is a single album out there that is more "U2 than that one. Certainly of their first 3. It's not over thought and overworked. Not so full of lyrics there isn't enough room for the band to play. It's just U2 being U2 at their rawest. I like it. Sometimes there's a lot more beauty in imperfection. It's certainly honest, true and real.

Screwtape2 · 08-31-2008, 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goblues4427

It's Bono's singing. On many songs it's SO weak it ruins it for me. When I say weak I don't mean "In a Little While." The voice is perfect for that song. It's one of the strongest songs on the album. It's songs like "When I Look at the World." A potentially great song but it falls flat because Bono can't sing the song for the life of him. And then there is the occasional lyric. Like in "Kite." The song is amazing... good lyrics, amazing musically, the vocals aren't even bad. Everything is going great until we get to...

"Did I waste it?
Not so much I couldn't taste it
Life should be fragrant
Rooftop to the basement

The last of the rock stars
When hip hop drove the big cars
In the time when new media
Was the big idea

That was the big idea"

It's so bad it makes me wince in pain. It's like they built up a great house and then burned it down at the end. It makes me feel taken.

I know. I completely agree about the singing. It is like spoken word.

He does the same thing on the ATYCLB outtakes. He sounded great on Million Dollar Hotel. What happened?

david · 08-31-2008, 12:26 AM

I think people couldn't handle the drastic change from POP to ATYCLB.. Much like people couldn't handle the shock of how the band changed from Rattle and Hum to Achtung Baby.

innocent_eyes · 08-31-2008, 12:32 AM

Always liked the album but one day it just clicked! The Peace on Earth intro could be a bit shorter/reworked, but other than that, love it.

Standouts for me are In a little while, kite, New York, When I look at the World, and The Ground Beneath Her Feet. Obviously love the 4 singles! I used to hate stuck, then one day, my friend, a casual U2 fan said it was great. So I gave it a few more serious listens and was floored! Love it now, one of U2's best ballads. Try listening for the piano parts in it. Simply brilliant!

last unicorn · 08-31-2008, 02:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beli

The Ground Beneath Her Feet is my fav on that album.

It's not even on my copy of the album.

Seriously, ATYCLB is probably the U2 album I listen to most regularely. I really feel like listening to this album a lot. I listen to it from start to finish and don't skip any songs. There may be songs on it that aren't so great, but the album itself is much more than the sum of its part. It's a very emotional album for me, a very universal piece of music. My favourites are Kite and In A Little While.

Bottle Bono · 08-31-2008, 02:31 AM

ATYCLB is the only Album to have two Grammy award winnning Records of the Year (Beautiful Day, Walk On) on it ever and it didn't even win the Album of the Year.

Why?

The rest of the Album is not strong at all.

Stuck in a Moment is another classic.

But it really falls away after that. Listening to this album, is the first time I have actually thought U2 i boring.

Too much elevator music. Sorry musac.

ozeeko · 08-31-2008, 02:55 AM

ATYCLB i feel is unique in the U2 catalog because they tackled mainstream music and actually made it somewhat interesting. It's easy listening, but what the hell, I look at it like another experiment. It wouldn't mean didly-squat if they didn't have a bunch of strong songs to experiment with, but luckily they did. Yea, Bono's voice is rough around the edges, but for some reason that doesn't bother me, probably because the melodies are great.

I agree with everyone about the Kite ending. That song was actually always my least favorite on the album. Not because it absolutely sucks, but because it sounds too forced. If anything it is the foreshadowing of the forced songwriting that would take place on Bomb, the pulling-on-the-heartstrings approach that results in them trying way too hard to sound emotional. But it's a half-decent tune, I'll give it that. Atleast it's listenable.

Screwtape2 · 08-31-2008, 03:16 AM

I think I'd like ATYCLB more if Elevation wasn't on there because it feels so out of place like Sunday Bloody Sunday on TUF or HMTMKMKM on Passengers.

08-30-2008, 07:32 PM	#1
digitize Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 7,526 Local Time: 12:46 PM	ATYCLB Alright, I'm hooked. I started listening to ATYCLB a few minutes ago... I think I am converted. It is not my least-favorite album anymore. It is amazing.

08-31-2008, 12:26 AM	#10
david Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid Premium Gold Member Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: southern california Posts: 4,741 Local Time: 10:46 AM	I think people couldn't handle the drastic change from POP to ATYCLB.. Much like people couldn't handle the shock of how the band changed from Rattle and Hum to Achtung Baby. __________________ The more of these I drink the more Bono makes sense.. - Bean from the KROQ Breakfast with U2.

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08-30-2008, 07:35 PM	#2
Screwtape2 Blue Crack Addict Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Omaha, Nebraska “With Screwtape on Kettle Drum and Wormwood on Harpsichord!” Posts: 18,109 Local Time: 12:46 PM	What's standing out on this listen?

08-30-2008, 07:38 PM	#3
Zoots Blue Crack Supplier Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: the great beyond Posts: 36,847 Local Time: 07:46 PM	Haha! I remember this happening to me sometime in the past. I still prefer my alternate version though, to what we ended up getting.

08-30-2008, 08:48 PM	#5
thelaj Refugee Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Liverpool, UK Posts: 2,394 Local Time: 05:46 PM	I always feel ATYLB is a very easy album to listen to. It doesn't challenge me in the same way as the other albums (both a good and bad aspect), but it slips into my consciousness and sounds good. Aside from In A Little While (and to a lesser extent SIAMYCGOO), I find the whole album eminently listenable. My standouts are Beautiful Day, Kite, When I Look At The World & New York.

08-30-2008, 11:50 PM	#6
Rob33 New Yorker Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 3,151 Local Time: 10:46 AM	I absolutely love BD, Walk On, Kite, When I Look at the World, and New York on this record...and Stuck is also an awesome tune despite all the bad things people have to say about it...this album seems more complete than Bomb for me...it has similar things going on throughout the entire album that unifies it in some way.

08-30-2008, 11:56 PM	#7
beli Blue Crack Addict Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: In a frock in Western Australia Posts: 15,336 Local Time: 01:46 AM	The Ground Beneath Her Feet is my fav on that album. Wild Honeys alright. The rest, not so much to my tastes. "Easy listening" is an accurate description.

08-31-2008, 12:17 AM	#8
goblues4427 The Fly Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 35 Local Time: 12:46 PM	I personally can't put the CD in my CD player. Same goes with the Bomb most of the time (but that's another topic and for different reasons). For ATYCLB... it's not the music that bothers me. There are good songs on there. It's Bono's singing. On many songs it's SO weak it ruins it for me. When I say weak I don't mean "In a Little While." The voice is perfect for that song. It's one of the strongest songs on the album. It's songs like "When I Look at the World." A potentially great song but it falls flat because Bono can't sing the song for the life of him. And then there is the occasional lyric. Like in "Kite." The song is amazing... good lyrics, amazing musically, the vocals aren't even bad. Everything is going great until we get to... "Did I waste it? Not so much I couldn't taste it Life should be fragrant Rooftop to the basement The last of the rock stars When hip hop drove the big cars In the time when new media Was the big idea That was the big idea" It's so bad it makes me wince in pain. It's like they built up a great house and then burned it down at the end. It makes me feel taken. On a better note. Since the remaster of October... I'm now officially in love with that album. I've never loved it as much as I do now. I don't think there is a single album out there that is more "U2 than that one. Certainly of their first 3. It's not over thought and overworked. Not so full of lyrics there isn't enough room for the band to play. It's just U2 being U2 at their rawest. I like it. Sometimes there's a lot more beauty in imperfection. It's certainly honest, true and real.

08-31-2008, 12:32 AM	#11
innocent_eyes Refugee Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 1,183 Local Time: 12:46 PM	Always liked the album but one day it just clicked! The Peace on Earth intro could be a bit shorter/reworked, but other than that, love it. Standouts for me are In a little while, kite, New York, When I look at the World, and The Ground Beneath Her Feet. Obviously love the 4 singles! I used to hate stuck, then one day, my friend, a casual U2 fan said it was great. So I gave it a few more serious listens and was floored! Love it now, one of U2's best ballads. Try listening for the piano parts in it. Simply brilliant!

08-31-2008, 02:31 AM	#13
Bottle Bono Acrobat Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 497 Local Time: 12:46 PM	ATYCLB is the only Album to have two Grammy award winnning Records of the Year (Beautiful Day, Walk On) on it ever and it didn't even win the Album of the Year. Why? The rest of the Album is not strong at all. Stuck in a Moment is another classic. But it really falls away after that. Listening to this album, is the first time I have actually thought U2 i boring. Too much elevator music. Sorry musac.

08-31-2008, 02:55 AM	#14
ozeeko Refugee Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 1,403 Local Time: 05:46 PM	ATYCLB i feel is unique in the U2 catalog because they tackled mainstream music and actually made it somewhat interesting. It's easy listening, but what the hell, I look at it like another experiment. It wouldn't mean didly-squat if they didn't have a bunch of strong songs to experiment with, but luckily they did. Yea, Bono's voice is rough around the edges, but for some reason that doesn't bother me, probably because the melodies are great. I agree with everyone about the Kite ending. That song was actually always my least favorite on the album. Not because it absolutely sucks, but because it sounds too forced. If anything it is the foreshadowing of the forced songwriting that would take place on Bomb, the pulling-on-the-heartstrings approach that results in them trying way too hard to sound emotional. But it's a half-decent tune, I'll give it that. Atleast it's listenable.

08-31-2008, 03:16 AM	#15
Screwtape2 Blue Crack Addict Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Omaha, Nebraska “With Screwtape on Kettle Drum and Wormwood on Harpsichord!” Posts: 18,109 Local Time: 12:46 PM	I think I'd like ATYCLB more if Elevation wasn't on there because it feels so out of place like Sunday Bloody Sunday on TUF or HMTMKMKM on Passengers.