Originally posted by ELIZIUM:[..]
Didn't you know bono is god and will never die!
Originally posted by ELIZIUM:[..]
Didn't you know bono is god and will never die!
Originally posted by Fly40:[..]
Yes but Mick is Satan!
Originally posted by RattleandHum1988:No, they won't reinvent themselves - they don't need to.
I think what a lot of people tend to forget whenever this question comes up is that U2 didn't only reinvent themselves for artistic purposes after the Lovetown tour. It was that they were starting to see "the end" from a critical standpoint. Rattle and Hum was panned, as was the Lovetown tour (at least in their eyes), and they were not only creatively bankrupt, they were worried they were on the verge of being actually bankrupt as well. They didn't see a future both artistically and commercially, and they needed to change that (keep in mind U2 really only started to make money post-Joshua Tree - I'd wager they were still very conscious of money at that stage in their career - in fact I think Larry still lived at home at this point...but I could be wrong).
I also don't think it would happen because the music world just isn't the same anymore. There isn't a global shift in taste or anything like that. It's so damn easy to listen to and find new music, there are avenues for EVERY kind of music. Radio and singles barely matter anymore to 99% of musicians. Hell, even those who are ON the radio barely make squat in terms of record sales, etc. In 1990, U2 were worried that their 80s sound would be left in the dust of a new, industrial, electronic music age. They needed to change because they didn't see a future for their music in the new climate. There was a cultural shift happening. The only major shift we're seeing now is Rock dying. I don't see U2 trying out hip-hop.
These days? I don't think U2 fears any of those realities. They're U2. What I mean by that is that they'll always sell tickets, they'll always have listeners, etc. They aren't fighting for survival anymore, and they're also happy musically with what they're doing.
It's not as though it was and would be purely an artistic decision, there was a perfect storm of things that brought Achtung Baby and "90s U2" to fruition - it wasn't just "hey we're bored let's try something new".
Nah, in their time off I think they'll write and write and write, and eventually we'll get an album that doesn't sound too different from their other albums post 2000.
My biggest hope is that they do try to evolve it a bit - say, use Andy Barlow exclusively as a producer (won't happen) because his songs on SoE had U2 sounding the freshest they have since Pop. But, at this stage, I just want U2 to write and release great songs like Little Things. Little Things doesn't sound like "U2 reinvented", it sounds like U2 as they've been - and it's fucking great (Barlow-produced by the way).
Originally posted by EthanD:I don't think the band have a lot left to say and that's why I think there will probably only be one more album. I can't see a huge departure in sound at this point but hopefully they can let go of that whole "designing songs to be hits" mind set. They could release their best song ever and it still won't get as much penetration as Vertigo/Beautiful Day so why not just make the music they WANT to make? We will all still be there at the live shows.