| Originally Posted by AdamWill BTW, I believe it's "may I please go vertigo", no? |
| Originally Posted by Dhw A lot of it seems like a no-win situations for artists, unless they don't lose their creative streak/muse/whatever. If a band or artist loses steam and starts to sound generic, they've sold out or have gone mainstream (U2). If a band or artist stays the same the whole time, they can get knocked for that (James Taylor). If a band or artist changes too much, they can lose fans and their output ends up being "too experimental" and sometimes "too pretentious" (Radiohead). My avatar might show my bias (Johnny Greenwood of Radiohead), but if any of those three is going to happen, I actually prefer the last option. If a band stays creative though, and still manages to have fairly widespread appeal, all the better (obvious standard: the Beatles...more relevant to this topic, U2's Achtung Baby was IMHO a welcome change in style and had some good stuff). That being said, I really have never understood why U2 has had so much mass appeal from the beginning, whether they stayed the same, went mainstream, or went experimental after. I think their good songs are few and far between, and the rest start to sound kind of homogenous (though something that can happen with any band where the vocalist is such a dominant presence...once again, refer to my avatar). I don't think their songs are particularly hook-filled (whether melodically, lyrically, or even just random surprises in the songs that make them interesting)...I think their lyrics are above-par (better than 3 Doors Down) but then there are examples like "Vertigo" that leave you wanting...I dunno...I just really have never understood the appeal at all. Add Bono's personality into the mix (I tend to think compassion and ego are mutually exclusive), and I just really cringe whenever I see them on TV or hear them on the radio, even when the songs are not all that bad. They're on my list of most-overrated bands ever...I really wish I could like them, as many of my friends (and ex-girlfriends...) do, but...nope 
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