Any "reviews" on the new U2 CD? (1 Viewer)

[Angelo.M]

Ted:

You probably ought to replace your Lame encoder with a more recent, "tuned" version. Currently recommended are 3.90.3 and 3.96.1, both stable versions; I use 3.96.1.

Go to RareWares and download one of these. Once downloaded, copy into your CDex directory. Replace any file that you are asked to replace. When you re-boot CDex, the encoder menu should reflect your updated Lame engine.

The "-alt preset standard" setting in 3.90.3 (now also known as "V2" in 3.96.1) generates VBR files with average bit rates in the ~200 kbps range. I find this setting transparent to my ear. When I encode in AAC, using iTunes, I use 224 kbps, also transparent to my ear.

 

[Ted Lee]

cool angelo...i'll do that!

i haven't really gotten into vbr as i (truthfully) have just been too lazy to experiment. besides, i only encode at 160 (the horror....)

 

[Ted Lee]

hey angelo .. no luck on the lame update. sent you a pm...

 

[Anthony Connor]

I am a long time U2 fan, and I really like it ,but I am easy to please.

Personally it seems very similar to ATYCLB, maybe not as rocky as, but pretty close.

I would have thought their back catalog would have been re-mastered by now.

 

[Sam E. Torres]

not as rocky as?...are we listening to the same album? it's a lot less mundane and easy listening than ATYCLB.

 

[Anthony Connor]

Correct me if I am wrong As I am often.....

I thought ATYCLB has a lot more "rock n roll" in it. Tracks such as Elevation, Beautiful Day....

Ok maybe your right

 

[Angelo.M]

For my money, HTDAAB is the stronger record, c/w ATYCLB. The new record soars a bit higher, and never really stalls.

 

[Angelo.M]

Ted, aka "The Ted":

I replied to your PM.

 

[Tim Hoover]

I haven't ripped the album yet, myself, but plan to dump it into Sonicstage soon for MD recording. I'll update if I have any problems with that...

 

[Brian L]

Anyone happen to see the show they did under the Brooklyn Bridge? I succumbed to temptation, and downloaded the EP of the show from iTunes, and I have to say that its a pretty solid performance.

Quick question for those that did see it: Is there a 2nd guitar player with the band? I have played the track "All Because of You" a few times, and its pretty clear that there is either a 2nd guitar, or they are using a backing track. There are some pretty heavy power chords throughout a lot of the track, and while those are going down, there's a second guitar playing some lead lines....can't see that being any less than 2 guitars.

BGL

 

[Michael Martin]

In some respects, it reminds me of ATYCLB, in that it starts out VERY strong, and then, 4-5 songs into the album, it seems to sputter. I love the first five tracks; they somehow "fit" together really well, and work awesomely as individually heard songs as well. Any takers on how many shows will use "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own" for emotional montages? The first five songs, for me, merge the best of the "early" (meaning "Boy" through "Joshua Tree") U2 spirit with great new U2 sound. So they feel sorta familiar without being old or boring.

But once you get past the epic "City of Blinding Lights," the album really loses steam. I've tried listening to these songs at least 3 times (though in the car and not as a single-session listen) and will try to hear them again, but they just don't hook my attention or heart.

 

[Chris Farmer]

I picked this up as my first U2 CD, and have really enjoyed it. Alternately catchy and haunting, I've been pretty impressed. For someone jsut getting into U2, where should I go next? They didn't have a real live album, so I did pick up both volumes of their greatest hits (the 2 CD versions of each, with a second disc full of B-sides). Where should I go next?

 

[Ted Lee]

chris - without question, you *must* get the joshua tree. i think many would define it as their seminal work. my other personal fave would probably be achtung baby.

but you did well to get the extended best of's -- especially the 1980-1990 collection. the b-sides are some of my favorite "alternate" U2 songs.

 

[Tim Hoover]

The Ted's reccommendations are spot-on...and for the #3 choice, go with Unforgettable Fire.

 

[Brian L]

If you have a DirecTV Tivo (maybe SA TIVO's too, I don't know), you may have gotten a download of some U2 propoganda.

Today at lunch I noticed I had their new video (All Because of You, shot from the flat bed when they did their tour around Manhattan...cool, but lip synched), the iPod Vertigo Video (for some preverse reason, I have yet to tire of that one), and about 5 minutes worth of interviews with Bono, Edge, and Larry.

Given the inclusion of the iPod video, its likely this was underwritten by Apple, but being an iPodder myself, I am OK with that.

BGL

 

[dpippel]

Another U2 recommendo is a release that seems to get lost in the shuffle for some reason: Rattle and Hum. IMHO this is one of their strongest records. Perhaps its format is what hurts it, as the CD is a mixture of live and studio material. That's never bothered me at all. It's a great collection of songs.

And speaking of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, I listened to it all the way through today for the first time. Gotta agree with the people who are critical of the audio quality - on my system it's pretty bad. Most tracks sound very compressed and undynamic. If this was an artistic decision I think it was a bad one. If it was a QC issue, well, I've heard many an MP3 that sounds better.

 

[Brian L]

Agreed on the SQ of HTDaAB.

I actually bought the iTunes download of Vertigo, and as expected did not think the sonics were anything to write home about (the tune rocks, though!). Then I bought the CD expecting to hear a better take, and find that at full resolution, it did not sound much better than the 128K AAC tracks.

As ar as SQ goes, I guess it goes to show that if the quality is not there to begin with, you have nothing much to lose when you rip.

I have been liking the music more with every listen, but it is let down by the SQ.

During the interviews that were downloaded to Tivo, either Edge or Larry commented (I am paraphrasing here!) that they were listening to some of the current bands like the Vines and the Strokes, and they felt that they could out-do them in terms that putting out solid a pop song (they were talking about Vertigo specifically). Seems like they also went the lo-fi right to some extent.

BGL