Is it a coincidence that the single was posted on the band’s site right after their appearance at the inauguration pre-game show?<\/p>\n
You know who was really good at the pre-game show?\u00c2\u00a0 JOHN MELLENCAMP!<\/p>\n
Yes, I’m a fan John.\u00c2\u00a0 Run that through your twisted little paranoid brain.\u00c2\u00a0 To see you there with just an acoustic, albeit supported by a guitar player and a band in the pit featuring your one time drummer Kenny Aronoff, made me feel all warm and fuzzy.\u00c2\u00a0 That a guy from the heartland with no connections singing what it’s like to be a real American can go all the way.\u00c2\u00a0 Not only with a supermodel, but the American public.\u00c2\u00a0 Still, no matter what stunts you pull, the mainstream no longer cares about you.\u00c2\u00a0 If you want to grow your career, do it from the inside out, motivating the fans you do have, not inconsiderable in number, rather than putting out press releases trumpeting your political statements.\u00c2\u00a0 Press releases are to be ignored.<\/p>\n
And James Taylor…\u00c2\u00a0 Liked that you played that crazy electric guitar.\u00c2\u00a0 But John Legend is blander than you are.\u00c2\u00a0 And don’t we all hate that girl from Sugarland for some reason we just can’t put our finger on?\u00c2\u00a0 Great song choice, but the performance hit me more intellectually than emotionally, and that’s not the way you do it in rock and roll.<\/p>\n
Bruce?<\/p>\n
Utterly laughable.\u00c2\u00a0 Sure, "The Rising" may be lyrically appropriate, but sometimes you’ve got to seize the moment.\u00c2\u00a0 Which called for an acoustic version of "Born To Run", with the walls eventually opening to reveal the full E Street Band.\u00c2\u00a0 As for "This Land Is Your Land"…\u00c2\u00a0 Where was Arlo Guthrie?<\/p>\n
Loved Stevie Wonder.\u00c2\u00a0 He can still play that clavinet.<\/p>\n
As for U2…<\/p>\n
Another great song choice!\u00c2\u00a0 They were doing it the way you’re supposed to, just the four of them, without backing tapes, Edge filling up the sound.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s just that outside, it’s hard to feel the music, even the edgiest band usually sounds flat, and it’s even worse if you’re appearing in daylight.\u00c2\u00a0 Still, gave me goosebumps.\u00c2\u00a0 But I didn’t love Bono being all things to all people.\u00c2\u00a0 Supporting both the Israelis and the Palestinians.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s more complicated than that.\u00c2\u00a0 Like how do we categorize Hamas, are they a terrorist group?\u00c2\u00a0 Bono knows the answer, but he needs everyone to love him.<\/p>\n
As for the second number…\u00c2\u00a0 I was thinking for a minute it was going to be "I Will Follow".\u00c2\u00a0 Alas, it was one of the substandard new numbers.<\/p>\n
And speaking of substandard…<\/p>\n
Famously, Ian Anderson and Chrysalis subjected Jethro Tull’s 1987 album "Crest Of A Knave" to focus groups.\u00c2\u00a0 Listeners decided what songs ultimately appeared on the record, which turned out to be a huge success.\u00c2\u00a0 (And won the heavy metal Grammy, beating out Metallica.)<\/p>\n
Am I a believer in research?\u00c2\u00a0 Not really, not in rock and roll.\u00c2\u00a0 It’ll tell you where you’ve been, but not where you’re going.\u00c2\u00a0 But if your goal is to have a hit and be famous…<\/p>\n
"Beautiful Day" and "Vertigo" may have been cheap shots, playing to the last row, but at least they worked on that level.\u00c2\u00a0 You got ’em on one listen.\u00c2\u00a0 Maybe didn’t love ’em, but didn’t mind hearing them again.\u00c2\u00a0 Whereas "Get On Your Boots"…<\/p>\n
You’ve got to go back to "The Fly".\u00c2\u00a0 The initial single off "Achtung Baby".\u00c2\u00a0 Truly left field.\u00c2\u00a0 But featuring crunchy, explosive guitar sounds.\u00c2\u00a0 And possessing an anthemic feel.\u00c2\u00a0 This was a track made for the darkness of a club.\u00c2\u00a0 With sweetness in the middle for sex in the bathroom.\u00c2\u00a0 It got better with every listen.\u00c2\u00a0 And you wanted to hear it again.\u00c2\u00a0 If for no reason than it sounded nothing quite like anything else you’d ever heard.\u00c2\u00a0 They could have led with "Mysterious Ways", even "One", but U2 did not play it safe.\u00c2\u00a0 But they led with a killer.\u00c2\u00a0 God, catch Adam Clayton’s bass.\u00c2\u00a0 And Bono’s vocal.\u00c2\u00a0 That was one thing that was truly impressive yesterday, Bono Vox’s voice.\u00c2\u00a0 In an era where no one can truly sing anymore, he can.<\/p>\n
But "Get On Your Boots" sounds too garagey, without the soul that is evidenced in "The Fly".\u00c2\u00a0 And the chorus would make George Martin laugh.\u00c2\u00a0 There’s a bridge, but it’s not as catchy as the one in "I Want To Hold Your Hand".<\/p>\n
But maybe this is just the cred track.\u00c2\u00a0 The one for the fans.\u00c2\u00a0 But how many people have actually heard this?\u00c2\u00a0 That’s the problem with spending months in the studio, you lose your perspective.\u00c2\u00a0 You hear tracks so many times you don’t realize that someone who’s not invested might be thrown off with one listen.<\/p>\n
Maybe it’s the audio quality.\u00c2\u00a0 Maybe if it were richer, on a big system…<\/p>\n
But if more people were allowed to hear the track before release they’d bump up against the dreaded piracy issue.\u00c2\u00a0 But maybe U2 could have taken a risk, a la Radiohead.\u00c2\u00a0 Let the AUDIENCE pick the single!\u00c2\u00a0 Truly go Web 2.0, getting people involved.\u00c2\u00a0 They’ve already got their own iPod, never mind iTunes commercials. Isn’t it time to test the limits further?<\/p>\n
You’ve got Perez Hilton trumpeting the success of Kelly Clarkson’s new cut, saying it’s already gone to #12 on iTunes, and calling "Put On Your Boots" CRAPTASTIC!\u00c2\u00a0 Sure, who gives a shit about what Mario Lavendeira says?\u00c2\u00a0 Oops, more music consumers than are paying attention to the "New York Times", "Rolling Stone" and so many of the usual suspects.\u00c2\u00a0 Furthermore, Perez’s readers are ACTIVE!\u00c2\u00a0 They forward his posts to others, they create buzz.\u00c2\u00a0 And it’s hard to get the stink off something he condemns.<\/p>\n
Which only matters if you need to be king of the world Perez inhabits.<\/p>\n
Well, historically, in the twenty first century, U2 has.\u00c2\u00a0 So, this is not good.<\/p>\n
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