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Vertigo

Vertigo

Back in the day, I was a huge U2 fan, snagging any albums, singles, and b-sides that came my way.  I watched Rattle & Hum so many times, I lost count.  When I grew up, I wanted to be The Edge (until he shaved his head and grew the goatee, that is).  And I still consider their first 4 albums—Boy, October, War, and the sadly underrated and underappreciated The Unforgettable Fire—to be absolutely essential listening.

However, my opinion of the band cooled in recent years, especially after Zooropa came out.  The band, once so passionate and vibrant, seemed to be drowning in their own sense of irony.  Yes, I realize they were making a statement about pop culture’s superficiality and all that—but in the process, they became superficial themselves.  And yes, I also realize that All That You Can’t Leave Behind was supposed to be a return to the U2 of yore—but I just got so tired of hearing Bono yelp “Elevation!” and “It’s a beautiful daaaaaaaay!” that my enthusiasm was fairly dampened.

That being said, the new single “Vertigo” (actually, it’s been out for awhile) certainly has my curiosity piqued.  The track is a scorcher, the band is super-tight, and The Edge’s guitar hasn’t sounded so glorious in a long time.  In fact, a lot of things about the new album (How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, in case you hadn’t heard) have my curiosity piqued; *cough* Steve Lillywhite at the boards *cough*, these killer song descriptions (scroll down), and a rave review from The Sun (they give it 11 out of 10).

So why, oh why did the band have to do that horribly cheesy music video/ iPod commercial?  Okay, so the video itself isn’t that bad… but those damned dancing silhouettes are killing me!  It looks cool, as is the case with all of Apple’s marketing, but it looks they’re trying to give the song this hip party vibe, which feels a bit ill-conceived to me.

  • 8
  • Oct 14, 2004, 12:00am

Comments

  1. micah

    October 14, 2004 11:50pm

    stop me if i’m wrong, but at the beginning of that commercial, does he not count “1, 2, 3, 14” in spanish? i guess i just don’t get it.

  2. James

    October 14, 2004 11:50pm

    I heard it and was floored. I thought it was a lost master of yesteryear. They heard it was a new song and was happy.

    I liked their last album, except for the singles. My friend and I always hit the pubs around here and if it’s in the jukebox, we start to do it, U2 style.

    Oh, and I’m hoping to get you some reviews by tomorrow night. Hope that isn’t too late.

  3. Jason

    October 15, 2004 12:34am

    Not at all.

  4. dena wangberg

    October 15, 2004 12:27pm

    um, excuse me, but i like the ipod commercials… i think they’re fun, and they make me want to buy an ipod.

    also, i downloaded the vertigo single the day it was released on itunes, and have listened to it many times since.  i, too, am curious about the new album and aticipating its release.

  5. crunchee

    October 15, 2004 5:26pm

    apparently jason never heard pop.  an incredible rebound from zooropa, i’d say.  “do you feel loved?” is still a classic song, even if no one talks about it.

  6. Jason

    October 15, 2004 5:58pm

    I like the iPod commercials too… as iPod commercials.  As a music video, they’re kind of sketchy, and doubly so for a U2 video.  IMHO, of course…

  7. Shadrach

    October 17, 2004 5:32pm

    In response to the statement made by Micah.. i was thinking the same thing.. but he says “Once, Dos, Tres, Catorse” (forgive misspellings)..  He pronounces once as “oens” but anyway.. i believe what he says (and won’t be for sure until the album comes out) 11, 2, 3, 14.  So what’s the meaning of that?  who knows.  My wife came up with the following which sounds as good an explanation as any.. 11-2 = 9 & 14-3 = 11 so add the two.. 9/11 Don’t know why he would say that at this late date.. but you never know.. their last tour was in the middle of all of that madness.

    anyway, that being said, i have to say that EVERY U2 album ever made is Rock at its finest.  There’s those out there that say “the first 3 or 4 were their best, and the rest have been rubbish.  There’s some out there that say U2 hasn’t put out a good album since “Joshua Tree” 

    I say the following:  This band has been around for 26 years now.  Anybody that says that they’ve changed their styles from 1978-2004 is not a genius.  But to say a band has to have the same album styles throughout their career is a lunatic (any that argue i would bring up the great “Mortal” and a comparison of their albums “Lusis” and “Pura” )

    U2 is my favorite band ever.. any that say negative things about them, touch a nerve with me.  Any that say they’ve sold out, or become shallow, are not looking at the bands extracurricular lives.  While Tommy Lee is playing drums and redefining the term “getting boy band ass.”  Bono is working for the world.. aids in Africa, hunger and war in countries around the world, and becoming a hero to millions in an era that is sadly heroless.

    With U2, i suggest taking each album on it’s own.  Don’t compare what they did with Boy versus Zooropa.  Of course “I will follow” will not be on the same plain as “Stay” or “Numb” but each song is worth it’s weight in gold.

    As far as the itunes commercial goes.. it’s the first commercial ever to contain the music OR appearance of U2.  Why are they doing it?  i don’t know.  They do not have a Vertigo single out until November.. and their only means of selling their current single at the moment is itunes. (#1 on the itunes list.. just wanted to point that out).  But i think the commercial is absolutely, hands down the best commercial i’ve EVER seen.  I think the song is absolutely, hands down, a rocking single.. calling back to the days of boy/girl, out of control, and i will follow.  Ultimately.. I would most definitely, unequivocally rather watch a band promote their new album by making an awesome commercial, than have to witness them hype themselves with a “wardrobe malfunction” less than 2 months before their newest album release. (am i the ONLY one on this damn planet that didn’t see that for what it was??)

    So that’s my 2 cents and then some.  don’t slander U2.. they’re fecking pimps!

  8. Jason

    October 18, 2004 12:05pm

    Looks like Apple and U2 have even more in store for us.  Perhaps an early release of the new album via iTunes?!?

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