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Topic ClosedWhat do prog fans think of U2 and REM?
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The Dark Elf View Drop Down
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Points: 13049 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: What do prog fans think of U2 and REM?
    Posted: December 24 2016 at 21:25
U2 up to War, and REM up to Document.
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Points: 652 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 24 2016 at 21:19
For me, U2 is good when they work with Brian Eno. Their most important albums were produced by him. I don't think their late work is as good as their first records, one of their most recent songs sounds too much like a Coldplay song, which also sounds like a Foo Fighters song (And the three songs are in the same scale)

REM is fine. They're pioneers of alternative rock. They were influential to that sound, a more personal type of rock. I don't listen to their music too much, they are not my cup of tea for now.
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Points: 2223 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 23 2016 at 06:34
Big U2 fan right up through Achtung Baby, although I have to say one listen of Pop and I was ready to dump every single album of theirs I owned. What a total sell-out. However, I got over it.
 
Unforgettable Fire is an astonishing album, never gets old.
 
I really like Automatic for the people but otherwise am pretty meh about REM.
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Points: 1884 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 23 2016 at 04:44
In the past "Joshua tree" by U2 and "Up" by REM time after time. 
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Points: 2601 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 23 2016 at 04:44
I have and quite like Achtung Baby. I have liked their songs and most albums in part.

The grandstanding Bono got on my wick at times but more so the unbelievably over rated Edge as guitarist. Take away his delay pedal and he is nothing. As a band they are scarcely there and have to rely on actual song quality. Once that goes, and it has, then so do they.

I thought it was very ironic that one of the world's most popular pop groups actually were resented for giving an album away by uploading it to people's phones. All any one had to do was copy it to a computer or delete the files. But that's the essence of how pop music is seen now. Placed on a level as a bunch of folders. The magic has gone. Imagine this sort of thing pre-web. Ungrateful proles.

REM... probably like some hits. Once they started having them. The sort of thing people I recall who were not into heavy or progressive music found their intellects stimulated. Prog for the punks.




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Points: 20604 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 23 2016 at 04:03
Originally posted by Man With Hat Man With Hat wrote:

Pass.

This.
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Points: 36 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 22 2016 at 19:01
I am not in love with either, but each have great albums. Achtung Baby and Automatic For The People come to mind.
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Points: 8581 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 22 2016 at 11:02
On the meh list.

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Points: 30850 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 22 2016 at 10:53
Excellent, both.
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Points: 20029 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 22 2016 at 05:59
Originally posted by BaldFriede BaldFriede wrote:

Not too fond of either. Not because they are not prog though; I like a lot of non-prog. But I consider them to be lukewarm. They don't take any risks.


I don't know. U2 downloaded their last album to most of the known world whether they wanted it or not and REM said "f*ck" on some of their songs.
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Points: 5111 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 19 2016 at 16:23
I can't bear anything to do with Bono and his messiah complex. Rattle & Hum the nearest U2 got to a decent record.

The first five R.E.M. albums were good to excellent, rapid descent into utter pap after that.
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Points: 20623 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 19 2016 at 14:46
I used to listen to them both back in the day......and I like the early albums by both bands but I don't play them anymore but occasionally here them on the fm radio stations.
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Points: 2163 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 19 2016 at 11:12
Can't stand anything I've heard from REM. One of those bands that I just can't abide/

As for U2, I like a few of their earlier songs but that's about it
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Points: 2360 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 19 2016 at 09:05
REM were a really good band who made some of the best albums of all time.
U2 have a few good albums but over time have developed more and more into pretentious corporate rock.
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Points: 206 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 18 2016 at 16:07
I like most of REM and U2's first five albums, after Joshua Tree they  became quite lukewarm to me.
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Points: 3654 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 18 2016 at 13:00
The very beginning of U2 was fresh & exciting (I saw them live in 1984 Big smile)

Success quickly turned them to a boooooooring band, IMO

REM never were very exciting, really, just good to hear in the car radio (or as pool/beach ambient music)
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Points: 383 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 18 2016 at 12:18
I'm a pretty big fan of both, but both seriously fell off in quality--the songwriting suddenly got boring--in the 2000s in my opinion.  Still, they had very good, 15 to 20-year runs leading up to that.

Automatic for the People is my favorite REM album.  The Unforgettable Fire is my favorite U2 album.
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Points: 10261 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 18 2016 at 11:47
Originally posted by AFlowerKingCrimson AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:

Originally posted by BaldFriede BaldFriede wrote:

Not too fond of either. Not because they are not prog though; I like a lot of non-prog. But I consider them to be lukewarm. They don't take any risks.

But doesn't music that take risks put them into the prog category? Maybe you like the Church or the Cure. I can't think of that many non prog bands who take risks. Maybe my definition of prog is different.

I like Inner City Unit.









Edited by BaldFriede - December 18 2016 at 11:53


BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue.
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Points: 37575 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 18 2016 at 11:45
First three albums from U2 where very good, the forgetable fire was okay but after that I really cannot abide them.

REM... meh... 
What?
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AFlowerKingCrimson View Drop Down
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Points: 18244 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 18 2016 at 10:56
Originally posted by BaldFriede BaldFriede wrote:

Not too fond of either. Not because they are not prog though; I like a lot of non-prog. But I consider them to be lukewarm. They don't take any risks.

But doesn't music that take risks put them into the prog category? Maybe you like the Church or the Cure. I can't think of that many non prog bands who take risks. Maybe my definition of prog is different.
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