Band Members:
Paul Hewson (BONO) - Vocals, guitar
Dave Evans (Edge) - guitar, backing vocals
Adam Clayton - Bass guitar
Larry Mullen Jr. - Drums
Producer: Flood
Background Information:
This was U2 attempt to introduce influences from different genres to their music, such as techno and dance, but don't be mistaken, none of the songs in the album would make you dance, it's still a rock album. As far as I'm concerned this is their best album to date. Why? Well, (in my own opinion) this album features Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton's best work. They create intricated rhytms that are perfectly coloured by the Edge's obscure lo-fi sounds and Bono's strong vocal performances.
Discotheque: The song starts low with some bass-drum kicks accompanied by some wierd sounding guitar in the background, building up until eventually the bass joins with a simple yet very effective line and the drums kick in fully. The rest of the song is pretty much straight-forward and Bono's lyrics are nothing too special, although they do include some fun chorus at the end of it. Overall I think it's a very good song to open a cd.
Rating: 4/5
Do you Feel Loved? This is one of my favorite songs in the album, it has a very catchy bass riff, and the guitar at the intro is really cool. Bono's lyrics are again nothing too special but the way he executes them is awesome. The Edge also do some good background vocals. One of the things that impressed me the most of these song is the drums, it has what seems to be like an endless layering of loops and drums, but yet they are done with such taste that it doesn't bother at all.
Rating: 5/5
MOFO: It took me quite a while to like this song, because it is just so repetitive, it seems that after ten seconds you pretty much heard the whole song, but when listened closely it has a lot of ear candy, specialy the drums and bass that do little fills and counter-runs that back-up nicely Bono's lyrics about his mom and family relations. All in all it's a song with a lot of energy.
Rating: 4/5
If God Will Send His Angels: This is much more of a typical U2 song, and it shouldn't be surprising given that this song (together with staring at the sun) where songs that remained from the Zooropa sessions (I read it in an interview of Bono somewhere). It features a nice bass line and great lyrics from Bono who wonders about human nature and what God is doing with us here. It's a nice song, but in contrast with the first three songs it seems a little out of place and lacking.
Rating: 3.5/5
Staring at the Sun: This song is loaded with political references, claiming that our indiference to the world's problems is not due to stupidity but rather to playing dumb. This song has some catchy guitar parts, and by the middle of the song it has a very nice bridge where the bass and Bono make a very goovy statement.
Rating 4/5
Last Night on Earth: This song starts off with a cool dissorted bass line that's very well complemented by the guitar scratchy/dry sound. The chorus is awesome, with the Edge replying to Bono creating a part full of tension, although in some parts it seems that Bono's voice fails a little and looses breath. But anyhow, this is another favorite of mine.
Rating: 4.5/5
Gone: The song starts with yet another cool bass line, very deep sounding, although it (the bass line) does bear a strong resemblance to Bullet the Blue Sky (Joshua Tree). Great lyrics by Bono, and the band just supports him wonderfully.
Rating: 5/5
Miami: An odd song, with a very industrial flavour to it. It starts with some cool lyrics accopanied by the guitar, where the Edge does a pretty good job once again. As cool as the beggining is, the song bored me a little bit, and bono seems to be singing a lot of cliches, like trying to be funny but not quite doing it. For me it's the worst song in the album.
Rating: 3/5
The Playboy Mansion: A fun song to listen to, featuring a catchy bass part with some clever wording by Bono.
Rating: 4/5
If you Wear That Velvet Dress: This is the slowest song in the album, and the first minute and half are just Bono singing about the moon with the Edge making strange noises, and although it's a very simple part, I love it. Then suddenly the bass and drums enter and the song just seems to take you somewhere else, it's so smooth yet so sexy. Great song.
Rating: 4.5/5
Please: In my own opinion, this is the best song U2 has ever made. Awesome driving bass line with a military drum beat underneath whilst Bono sings about this pathetic rich kid or something...it produces this extremely strange mood, and the suddenly the interlude arrives. The song stops and it's the Edge who takes over the task of pulling foward the song in the interlude, waiting, building up tension, until !BAM! the song just explodes. I love it.
Rating: 5/5
Wake Up Dead Man: Another cool song, with the band supporting Bono's attempt at rising a political conciousness in the listeners.
OVERALL RATING: 4.5
hope you liked it :thumb:
. It's by no means a *bad* album, but in my eyes, not quite as good as what U2 can do.
