U2 - Pop
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Free Music Notes for Pop
Free Music Review: U2's most unique since "October"
Hit: 4 Stars
Even though some might say that U2 was trying to cash in on the "Electronica" phase that was sweeping our country in the mid to late 90's, I say that U2 took the electronica sound, and added their own style to it, and out came a totally unique record. It is the best and most unique sounding album they did, since their excellent sophomore album with 1981's "October" This is really a great album, and even though there are some songs here that are clearly filler, Seven of the twelve tracks really shine. U2 combined some great Electronic sounds, but they just didnt use beats and synths. The also used "Real" instruments in combination with the "synthos" which make for a pleasent treat of "Bowie" ilke material. This is not to say that they were innovators or created anyting that hasnt been done before, but what they did, as U2 always does, was try not to sound stale from album to album. Sometimes it works (Zooropa) sometimes it fails (the horrid Actung Baby) but this is a solid work, and the last solid album that U2 has done to date. And for sixty cents (used) its a steal!Free Music Review: Umm...
Hit: 3 Stars
Not one of their best, IMO, but what are you gonna do? For me this was nowhere man's land, from a group of artists who are very self-assured and focused. Listening to it feels like a record label at work.Free Music Review: A new sound for U2 ...
Hit: 3 Stars
In my opinion, this is the weakest cd from U2 since their first two albums. Few good cuts like "Discotheque", "If God will send his angels",
"Staring at the sun", "Gone" and "Wake up dead man". The other tracks are a bit dissapointing for me, I understand that some might like it a lot but I don't...Sorry ...but I still like this band a lot.
Free Music Review: A flawed gem is still a gem!
Hit: 4 Stars
Pop has all the elements of a groundbreaking record: vision, sound, songwriting, and the ambition to think outside of the box and redefine how music is made for the next generation. Pop should've been the Bitches Brew for rock music -- the perfect melding of electronica and post-punk rock, woven with sounds from eras past, present and future. The songs are great but the record falls somewhat short of expectations because of poor mixing or incomplete or hurried arrangements. If they had taken another 6 months with this record, we would be talking about it instead of 'Joshua Tree', 'War', 'Achtung Baby' and 'All That You Can't Leave Behind' as U2's definitive masterpiece. That said, this is still a landmark record of the 90's, and U2 has proven that they can do what most bands can't.
The band has recognized some of the original recording's shortcomings and have issued remixes and newer versions of some of the songs. The version I loaded to my computer and burned to CD-R for the road has what I think are the best versions of the songs.
1. Discotheque: a perfect combination of a rock anthem with electronica beats. Though the version on the CD is very good, the new mix on the best of 1990-2000 is outstanding. Even more ambitious and equally catchy is the 8 minute dance remix which appears on the CD single and relies mostly on an ambient keyboard and house beat.
2. Do You Feel Loved? - My favorite track on this CD. The original version is great. Bono sings with a grim desperation and Adam Clayton provides a great bass line over a Larry Mullen electronic/rock fused beat. Edge provides his classic riffs with a darker, processed, yet human feel. The U2 sound blends very naturally in the techno/electronica context on this sound.
3. Mofo - Perhaps the most ambitious and successful experiment on this CD. Mofo is truly wild techno rock that few bands have been able to achieve. The original version is excellent, but the way they performed this one live is outstanding. If you can find a live version of it, put it on your mix. The Mofo remixes also have some great takes on this song.
4. If God Will Send His Angels - This track sounds hurried and over-produced. Bono needed to pare down the lyrics, and it sounds like they came up with several different riffs and tones for this song, but did not actually reach agreement on how they wanted the final product to sound. The underlying song, however, is very good. It is a moderate to slow ballad that has a country feel despite the electronica keyboard, beats and guitar effects. I wish they would remake this one.
5. Staring at the Sun - The second single from the record. A very good song which was remixed on the Best of 1990-2000. The best version of this song, however, is the acoustic version they performed live on the Pop Tour which is on a CD Single (`Please'). With the electronics stripped away, we hear the great harmonies of Bono and Edge and the underlying essence of this song. A great take.
6. Last Night On Earth - U2 released this as a single and I never understood why. The writing and hooks are incomplete. Even though it is has the power of U2 rock anthem, this one needed more work. It is certainly no `Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me'.
7. Gone - Another real favorite of mine. The version on the Best of 1990-2000 is outstanding and more fully realizes its potential. There is much more clarity in the guitar playing and in Bono's voice. The subject matter, about a person who has had it easy for so long and doesn't know the meaning or value of anything and finds himself at a critical breaking point, is gripping. I'd take this song with any great U2 song.
8. Miami - A lot of people hate this track. I am not a hater, but it did require a lot more work. A techno track filled with tape loops and guitar samples, but it falls short of some of the tracks on Zooropa like `Daddy's Going to Pay for Your Crashed Car' which had more polished writing and song development.
9. The Playboy Mansion - The record becomes delightfully unpredictable with this track. This is a perfect melding of country and electronica, with humorous and insightful lyrics about the playboy mansion as a cultural icon. Johnny Cash could've sung this one. There are plenty of nice hooks and melodies to keep you humming in your car.
10. If You Wear That Velvet Dress - a haunting, slow, bass driven ballad, with ambient textures and tasteful guitar hooks. Cowboy Junkies meet Massive Attack. A brilliant achievement.
11. Please - Another favorite of mine driven by Adam Clayton's active bass. The live version of this track which is available on the `Please' CD single is outstanding. Edge is more settled on the guitar parts for this song, and his playing takes this song to another level.
12. Wake Up Dead Man - For anyone who has expressed disgust with those who kill in the name of religion, this song is for you. The version on the CD is badly overproduced, but the song somehow survives. I would love to see the band remake this song in an acoustic format.
Pop has its flaws, but it is still one of the best records of the 1990's and one of their most compelling efforts. Twenty years from now, Pop will be remembered as one of their most inspired efforts.
Free Music Review: Exprimental Pop
Hit: 3 Stars
"Pop" is clearly a fascinating album, since it's both exprimental and fammiliar, both lightweight and serious and both dark and joyful, which is perhaps the problem with it aswell. Released in 1997, in an era where it was popular to mix Rock with Electronica. Radiohead did it with "Ok Computer" which was an groundbreaking album, Madonna with "Ray of Light" one year later, But U2 did it first when "Pop" was released in early 1997. But this album is only partly exprimental, since only a couple of songs are infleunced with techno, the others are songs with a serious context, often slow and deals with classic U2 issues like war, politics and salvation. This is perhaps one of the most unusual U2 albums, but if you give it sometime you'll most certainly find a few goldmines. As always the music is wonderful and there are good melodies and plenty of worthwile riffs from The Edge. But the four members weren't satisfied with the end result and wanted a diffrent mix, a few songs were later remixed and sound completely diffrent. It's impossible to say wether the album would have been better if it had been released later, but it had already been pushed back from late 1996 and with further time in the studio it may never have seen the daylight at all. Alright, let's discuss the songs.
The first song "Discoteque" is among those songs that are more lightweight and got techno influences, although it's just on the surface and it's still classic rock we're talking about. It was the first single and reached #1 on the Uk charts, in US only #10. The Edge's riff here is memorable. "Do You Feel Loved" and "Mofo" are both fastpaced electronica rock songs. The latter was written to Bono's mother. Next song "If God Will Send His Angels" is completely diffrent, it's a slow song that seem to deal with faith and god's will. While it's a good song lyrically, it lacks a good hook. "Staring at the Sun", is perhaps the best song of this album, Edge contributes with a distorted guitar riff aswell as Bono making some unforgettable lyrics. The song reached #3 in the UK, but with a diffrent mix it could have been even better. "Last Night On Earth" is equally good. I think it deals with a young girl that got lots of dreams she wants to fulfill and lives like it's the last night on earth. It was a single and reached #10 in UK. "Gone" is rather slow and deals with how fast rock stars get rich and how guilty they feel for earning so much for so little as Bono expressed it. No single, but a good song. "Miami" another exprimental song with electronica infleunts. Then two slow songs "The Playboy Mansion" and "If You Wear That Velvet Dress". "Please" a single aswell, #7 in Uk that deals with the turbulence in Northern Ireland. In the video there was a beggar with a sign with the words please around his neck. I tend to remember the video more then the song. "Wake Up Dead Man", Bono's plea to Jesus to wake up again and save the world, The song is also slow.
Overall, It's quite hard to judge this album actually. There are a few standouts, a few growers and some forgettable songs aswell. Lyrically it's great (as always) and some of the Electronica infleunts are right on the spot aswell. But songs like "Miami" are just terrible and some of the slwer songs, even if they have interesting lyrics goes into one ear and out of the other. Perhaps it would have been better if all songs were rough fastpaced electro songs so it felt like one concept, perhaps Edge was right that they needed more time to mix it?. It's hard to say, but it could have been much better, that is for sure. It's fascintaing to listen through it though, U2 like most great rock bands always expand their music and they always comes up with new ideas. It may not always work perfect and we do have lots of expectations from band like U2, but it's interesting to hear a record so diffrent from everything else they recorded. For me this is a good, not great album that is too uneven to get more then 3 stars, but if you're a fan of the band I would still recommend it since there are plenty of great songs of this album afterall.