It was also, in retrospect, the first of many films to be regarded as an unwitting real-life recreation of This Is Spinal Tap, Larry Mullen's tearful visit to Graceland sees him all but perform a raga rendition of Heartbreak Hotel by Presley's grave. The album is, of course, inseparable from Phil Joanou's humourless monochrome rockumentary of the same name, which tanked at the box office and was savaged by the critics (the New York Times, again, regarded it as an exercise in "pure egomania", one of the kinder remarks made). Take your pick from: "This is a song that Charles Manson stole from The Beatles - we're stealing it back!" "The God I believe in isn't short o'cash, MISTER!" and "Put El Salvador through the amp and see what comes out." There was pomposity: a brief list of Bono's onstage banter can remove the enamel from the teeth of even the hardiest U2 fan. There was hubris: Rattle And Hum was the album in which U2 appeared to be inducting themselves into their own Rock'N'Roll Hall Of Fame, jamming with Dylan and BB King, covering The Beatles, citing Hendrix and playing in the same studios as Elvis. it's stultifying, it says nothing, it is big and pompous and ugly." who want it to be like 1969 again", declaring that, "We hate it for exactly the same reasons Johnny Rotten said he hated dinosaur groups in 1976. each attempt is embarrassing in a different way." Neil Tennant, quoted by Chris Heath not long after Rattle And Hum was released, saw it as something only loved by "ghastly rock purists. The New York Times thought the album was "plagued by U2's attempt to grab every mantle in the rock'n'roll hall of fame. The Village Voice described it as "an awful record", bogged down with "half-baked, overweening reality" and "know-nothingism". One part studio album, one part travelogue, one part document of their 1987 world tour for The Joshua Tree, Rattle And Hum is used as Exhibit A for those who hate U2. Where every lighthearted jam session became a potential apostasy for the biggest band in the world. But it became one where every casual gesture quickly took on the mantle of grand Public Statement, where every stage aside became scrutinised, every note freighted with significance. It is an album that was supposed to be an off-the-cuff piece of simple music-making for its own sake. This, in a nutshell, embodies the prosecution's case against Rattle And Hum. OK Edge, PLAY THE BLUES!" It's followed by The Edge playing one of the most hilariously unbluesy guitar solos ever committed to tape. A man who was ready to take up arms against his oppressor"), and ends with Bono asking, "Am I buggin' ya? I don't mean to bug ya. It starts with a diatribe against "AparTIGHT", goes on to praise Nelson Mandela ("This is a song about a man who grew up in a little shanty town outside of Johannesburg. There's a speech that Bono makes during the outro of Silver And Gold, recorded live in Denver and included on the Rattle And Hum album. "OK Edge, play the blues!" A vainglorious bid to join rock'n'roll legends, or a misunderstood gem? Uncut Ultimate Music Guide JUNE 2009 - by John Lewis Turn on javascript to use the drop-down menus.
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