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  1. Originally posted by LikeASong:Random U2 thought of the day:

    I can't see which part or parts of Zoo Station originated from Lady With The Spinning Head. Not calling Edge a liar, but..... You know?
    I always thought Lady With The Spinning Head went into The Fly and Ultra Violet.
  2. Edge came out with another statement about the song today.

    Turns out Lady With The Spinning Head also inspired I Will Follow, Sunday Bloody Sunday, one verse in Pride, and Coldplay's Viva La Vida.
  3. This is kind of complicated.. Lady with the spinning head was (if I remember correctly) released as a B-side on the "One" cd-single.

    Originally it was a demo recorded before the band went to Berlin, and had the working title of "Ultraviolet". This demo can be found on the stolen Salome tapes, with the bootlegger-given name of "Take you down".

    As far as I can hear the most obvious parts that spun off into or inspired other songs are:

    The Fly - Verse chord progression is the same, but the verses have slightly differet chords. You can hear Fly riff at some points, but then an octave (or 2) higher). Also, the break into the B-chord is the same as in the Fly, as well as an early version of The Fly guitar solo.

    Ultraviolet (light my way) - Apart from keeping the title there is not much direct similarity. Both verse chorus chord progression sound kinda similar but are different. Most similar is the brakedown at around 3:20 that became the intro of the released Ultraviolet. Funilly enough, in the kindergarten version that bit of "sometimes I feel like I don't know" is also further up in to the song, like in the demo.

    Wake up dead man - This is more of a lyrical thought that Bono had and is in this "Take you down" version. Musicaly there is no resemblance. Same lyrical thought is also heard in all the "blow your house down" jams.

    The fact that the band called "Lady with the spinning head" UV1, should sort of explain that they saw it as a precursor for the released UV, being Ultraviolet.

    However, musically I think that at least the original demo has more (musical) elements that inspired The Fly than anything else. Ultraviolet would be a good 2nd place.

    How Edge would say or think that it became Zoo Station is something I can't hear anywhere. Even the early versions of that song (kindergarten and From the sky down) do not sound anything similar in music or lyrics. Maybe he meant that other demo song called "Salome", which indeed has many similarities to Zoo Station.

    Thoughts?
  4. Originally posted by melon51:[..]
    This is kind of complicated.. Lady with the spinning head was (if I remember correctly) released as a B-side on the "One" cd-single.

    Originally it was a demo recorded before the band went to Berlin, and had the working title of "Ultraviolet". This demo can be found on the stolen Salome tapes, with the bootlegger-given name of "Take you down".

    As far as I can hear the most obvious parts that spun off into or inspired other songs are:

    The Fly - Verse chord progression is the same, but the verses have slightly differet chords. You can hear Fly riff at some points, but then an octave (or 2) higher). Also, the break into the B-chord is the same as in the Fly, as well as an early version of The Fly guitar solo.

    Ultraviolet (light my way) - Apart from keeping the title there is not much direct similarity. Both verse chorus chord progression sound kinda similar but are different. Most similar is the brakedown at around 3:20 that became the intro of the released Ultraviolet. Funilly enough, in the kindergarten version that bit of "sometimes I feel like I don't know" is also further up in to the song, like in the demo.

    Wake up dead man - This is more of a lyrical thought that Bono had and is in this "Take you down" version. Musicaly there is no resemblance. Same lyrical thought is also heard in all the "blow your house down" jams.

    The fact that the band called "Lady with the spinning head" UV1, should sort of explain that they saw it as a precursor for the released UV, being Ultraviolet.

    However, musically I think that at least the original demo has more (musical) elements that inspired The Fly than anything else. Ultraviolet would be a good 2nd place.

    How Edge would say or think that it became Zoo Station is something I can't hear anywhere. Even the early versions of that song (kindergarten and From the sky down) do not sound anything similar in music or lyrics. Maybe he meant that other demo song called "Salome", which indeed has many similarities to Zoo Station.

    Thoughts?
    Not sure how to describe it in words; the guitar strum pattern of Lady in the intro is similar to the guitar strumming on UV, right after "love it won't be long". Interestingly to me though, I'm a drummer first and foremost, so that's what I hear. If you listen to The Fly / UV / Lady in succession (not necessarily that order) there is beyond a doubt similarities in Larry's work, particularly his integration of the toms.
  5. Originally posted by mattfromcanada:[..]
    Not sure how to describe it in words; the guitar strum pattern of Lady in the intro is similar to the guitar strumming on UV, right after "love it won't be long". Interestingly to me though, I'm a drummer first and foremost, so that's what I hear. If you listen to The Fly / UV / Lady in succession (not necessarily that order) there is beyond a doubt similarities in Larry's work, particularly his integration of the toms.
    From a drummer's perspective that makes sense. Rythmically they're very similar, notes are different though. That Lady intro guitar reminds me even more No line on the horizon, the plot thickens :-)
  6. Originally posted by melon51:[..]
    From a drummer's perspective that makes sense. Rythmically they're very similar, notes are different though. That Lady intro guitar reminds me even more No line on the horizon, the plot thickens :-)
    To be fair, they are all U2 songs You can't blame them for sounding like them!
  7. Of course, you're right :-)

    Did you ever see that Youtube clip where 2 guys played loads of songs that have the chord progression D-A-B-G (In U2's case that would include at least With or without you, and Always) :-)
  8. Wait, found it, WOWY is included by the way.



    Btw, ever heard John Mayer with Waiting for the world to change and/or Heartbreak warfare? These are very similar to two U2 songs
  9. Originally posted by melon51:[..]
    Of course, you're right :-)

    Did you ever see that Youtube clip where 2 guys played loads of songs that have the chord progression D-A-B-G (In U2's case that would include at least With or without you, and Always) :-)
    (nitpicking: it's Bm, not B )

    The I-V-vi-VI progression is a staple in pop and rock music, the Axis Of Awesome didn't discover anything. I was doing CGAmF medleys way before these guys went viral - and many more had done it before me.

    Miracle Drug, In A Little While (partly), GOOYOW and The Best Thing are another notable examples of the D>A>Bm>G progression in U2's career. They've also extensively explored the "Gipsy progression" (Am>G>F>E or equivalent) and variants of the I-V-vi-VI like G>D>Em>C (The Wanderer and Winter spring to mind) or E>B>C#m>A (obviously Ultraviolet & Lady With The Spinning Head as we're discussing, but also Song For Someone and Every Breaking Wave if I recall correctly).
  10. Originally posted by LikeASong:[..]
    (nitpicking: it's Bm, not B )

    The I-V-vi-VI progression is a staple in pop and rock music, the Axis Of Awesome didn't discover anything. I was doing CGAmF medleys way before these guys went viral - and many more had done it before me.

    Miracle Drug, In A Little While (partly), GOOYOW and The Best Thing are another notable examples of the D>A>Bm>G progression in U2's career. They've also extensively explored the "Gipsy progression" (Am>G>F>E or equivalent) and variants of the I-V-vi-VI like G>D>Em>C (The Wanderer and Winter spring to mind) or E>B>C#m>A (obviously Ultraviolet & Lady With The Spinning Head as we're discussing, but also Song For Someone and Every Breaking Wave if I recall correctly).
    Haha,

    It is Bm for the guitar chords yes, for bass it is B

    I'm pretty sure these guys aren't claiming this as any discovery, they just grabbed a whole bunch of songs with that progression I think. They also cheat a little by at some point switching to songs that start with the Bm, although it is still these 4 chords.

    As for for nitpicking (in general) Both UV and Lady indeed have these E-B-C#m-A in parts in them, in UV's case the in the intstrumental/falsetto bit, but not the chorus. With Lady it's in the actual chorus, but starting with the C#m.

    The others are a bit different. Winter is G-D-Em-D-C, Song for someone is E-F#-G#m in the verse and E-B-F#-G#m after. Every Breaking Wave is A-C#m-E-B.

    But as you rightfully noticed, there is a jar of chords that they often use in identical or similar orders.
  11. Originally posted by melon51:[..]
    Haha,

    It is Bm for the guitar chords yes, for bass it is B

    I'm pretty sure these guys aren't claiming this as any discovery, they just grabbed a whole bunch of songs with that progression I think. They also cheat a little by at some point switching to songs that start with the Bm, although it is still these 4 chords.

    As for for nitpicking (in general) Both UV and Lady indeed have these E-B-C#m-A in parts in them, in UV's case the in the intstrumental/falsetto bit, but not the chorus. With Lady it's in the actual chorus, but starting with the C#m.

    The others are a bit different. Winter is G-D-Em-D-C, Song for someone is E-F#-G#m in the verse and E-B-F#-G#m after. Every Breaking Wave is A-C#m-E-B.

    But as you rightfully noticed, there is a jar of chords that they often use in identical or similar orders.
    Shame on me about Winter (although I reckon I have never cared much about that Viva La Vida-ish song to be honest). But yeah all valid points, in my defense I'll say I was speaking from memory and while at work
  12. All the non-musical people have checked out by now with all these letters and such. They probably didn't know you could hashtag a C