Note on the back of U2's "War"
Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 1:58 amSo I'm listening to the CD (which I must admit I love) in my car on the way home from work. I'm stuck at a long light so I pick up the CD case and read the following fascinating note on the back:
"U2 are from Ireland, though ther music falls well outside that country's established "showband" tradition. As Critic Mitchell Cohen has written: 'Like (fellow Irishman Van) Morrison's angry young Them, U2 has a lacerating approach and a gift for dark introspection.'"
I assume this note was added for the American release of the album, hoping to familiarize record buyers with the contents and thus avoiding the following undesirable scenario in the mind of a middle-American music fan who strolls into his local record store and scans the new releases rack:
"Ah, something from Ireland! Doubtless this music falls inside that country's established "showband" tradition. Irish "showband" music! Just the thing!"
Our unsuspecting consumer buys the record, takes it home, and well before the end of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" comes to the following conclusion:
"Why, this music falls well outside Ireland's established "showband" tradition! I daresay these lads take a rather lacerating approach! Not to mention all that dark introspection! Why wasn't I warned!"
Our disgruntled customer then angrily returns to the record store and demands his money back. As this scene repeats across the land the backlash prevents U2 from gaining more than a cult following in the States. They remain forever mostly and Irish phenomenon. Bono & the boys lose their growing fascination with the country that rejected them. There's no "Joshua Tree" or "Rattle and Hum" and certainly no need to reinvent themselves in the early 90's as ironicly self-concious pop satirists. The opening of the 21st century finds U2 touring small UK pubs and playing an occasional gig with the Chieftains or the Pogues.
OK, I'm really off on a tangent here, but it just cracked me up that someone thought people needed to be told that U2 wasn't Irish "showband" music (whatever the hell that is).
"U2 are from Ireland, though ther music falls well outside that country's established "showband" tradition. As Critic Mitchell Cohen has written: 'Like (fellow Irishman Van) Morrison's angry young Them, U2 has a lacerating approach and a gift for dark introspection.'"
I assume this note was added for the American release of the album, hoping to familiarize record buyers with the contents and thus avoiding the following undesirable scenario in the mind of a middle-American music fan who strolls into his local record store and scans the new releases rack:
"Ah, something from Ireland! Doubtless this music falls inside that country's established "showband" tradition. Irish "showband" music! Just the thing!"
Our unsuspecting consumer buys the record, takes it home, and well before the end of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" comes to the following conclusion:
"Why, this music falls well outside Ireland's established "showband" tradition! I daresay these lads take a rather lacerating approach! Not to mention all that dark introspection! Why wasn't I warned!"
Our disgruntled customer then angrily returns to the record store and demands his money back. As this scene repeats across the land the backlash prevents U2 from gaining more than a cult following in the States. They remain forever mostly and Irish phenomenon. Bono & the boys lose their growing fascination with the country that rejected them. There's no "Joshua Tree" or "Rattle and Hum" and certainly no need to reinvent themselves in the early 90's as ironicly self-concious pop satirists. The opening of the 21st century finds U2 touring small UK pubs and playing an occasional gig with the Chieftains or the Pogues.
OK, I'm really off on a tangent here, but it just cracked me up that someone thought people needed to be told that U2 wasn't Irish "showband" music (whatever the hell that is).