The New Album and running starts....

Knetsch, Robert ([email protected])
Fri, 8 Jan 1999 10:58:14 -0500

I got this theory of the albums that U2 have been doing for the past 5 or so
(not including the Best Of or R&H). Its the choice of their first song.
Think about it, from Joshua Tree to Achtung to Zooropa and Pop....what is
common about the first song on each of these CDs?

In my opinion, these songs all start off slow and the songs build to a
crescendo. Of course, WTSHNN is the best example of this....the music is,
shall I say, almost orgasmic as the organ soars quietly at the beginning.
Edge's guitar cuts in with its repetitive, rhythmic form, crashing and
screaming before Bono's entrance with "I want to run....". Larry's drums
accentuate the mood with the banging of a fluttering heartbeat. In one
interview, it was referred to it as the best opening in the history of
music. I am inclined to agree.

Whatever the case, it is as if u2 is trying to experiment with these
"running starts" on most of the next CDs. Zoostation, too, begins with a
halting, "running start" to the song before letting the beat take over
finally in a crashing exclamation of music. Zooropa with its quiet, gentle
piano carried by a low, pulsating drone that is soon beat out by a warbling,
crying guitar....skip Passengers because it was Eno's project, not U2's.
Then we have Pop with Discotheque which again starts off with a lonely,
sweeping guitar - rhythmic and rising, but only a shadow of the heavy beat
to come.

Any thoughts on this consistent musical approach? It makes me wonder if the
new album will also have one of these types of openings.

U2 is unpredictable, so I make no statement of fact. Only an observation.

Rob Knetsch

"Gotta Kick at the darkness, till it bleeds daylight"
        - Bruce Cockburn (also in God Part II)

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b2 on Fri Jan 08 1999 - 08:16:44 PST