Song of the Day # 241 U2

 

U2 are all over the news right now. If you have an iTunes account, they left a free new album in it the other day. This may or may not have pleased you, as they are the ultimate Marmite band. It tends to be the case that hipsters don't like them those who are less so do. I find their back catalogue impossible to listen to nowadays, I haven't listened to a song of theirs out of choice for years, to sift out the good stuff from the bad (and there is good stuff I'm sure), as U2 for me as for many others are completely clouded over now by Bono's consistently vulgar and meritocratic behaviour over the last twenty years. It's difficult to think of the right word for him but whichever one I settled on would not be nice. He may have done some good but Rock stars should simply not be Political ambassadors in my view. It allows Politicians licence to behave as if they are Rock stars. Bono has always lacked the slightest grace or subtlety as his early, direct competitors, Julian Cope and Ian McCulloch were well aware.

 

So Bono stops me listening to U2. I'm not alone in this. However, last night, when I couldn't sleep, tossing and turning, this song came to my mind for some reason. From their first, and I'd say still most interesting album, when their pilfering, (and U2 have consistently been magpies of other people's ideas and effects, generally to their shame and detriment), was exciting because they created something generally new and quite strange out of it. Having woken, I'm listening to the album and it's generally exciting, fresh and odd. This particular song, An Cat Dubh has an unworldly, mesmeric quality that for me they seldom touched upon since.

 

 I suspect that most of all Bono would wish to be seen as having a great dreaming mystical poetic vision, of Van Morrison, Seamus Heaney, William Blake, figures he consistently locates himself next to at every opportunity. I'm afraid for me he's well wide of the mark here. U2, after making this evocative, dreaming, romantic, teenage debut when they were like us, became the most Worldly of bands, became nothing like us, outstayed all their contemporaries, made friends of Presidents, Prime Ministers and Corporate Chief Executives and for me started to make music that replicated emotion rather than conveying it. Not the kind of band for me. Never mind. I recommend Boy. I've had an enjoyable forty minutes listening to it just now.