Reply #133: On Boy, U2 was out ahead of the pack, making hip, smart songs

[MadHound]

That entertained a person on a number of distinct levels, intellecually, emotionally, musically, etc. This led to their initial big success, because it wasn't formulaic crap of the day. But starting with October, and especially War, you could hear more and more pop pabulum creeping into their music, the same old formulaic crap that all of the other bands were churning out. By the early ninties with Joshua Tree, the transformation was complete, and they were nothing but another top forty band churning out the hits.

Also as time went by they became much more full of themselves, especially Bono. At first they were simply another working class band. But now they almost demand that you bow down before the almighty Bono and his back up band U2. Ptahh! This at a time when cutting edge bands like the Talking Heads were still, in many ways, out there on the bleeding edge, and weren't so full of themselves.

U2 had the potential to be a truly out of the normal, exhuding greatness band. This potential comes through in their first album, and on selected tracks on the next few albums. But as you progress through the years, you can hear where the money comes in and starts to corrupt them, as they put out ever more formulaic pop pabulum for the masses. And here they are now, selling I-pods and hobnobbing with members of the corrupt and bloody administration that we have. Somehow, I think deep down within their souls, the musicians that they were are aghast in horror at the suck ups to evil that they have become. Now that they've gotten the lucre they craved, perhaps they will allow their conscience to emerge again, and show us the band that U2 could have been if they hadn't been seduced by the dark side of rock and roll, and sold their souls for the filthy cash.