The Breakdown: Genesis, Led Zeppelin, Nine Inch Nails, Opeth, U2
Published November 20, 2007
U2 - The Joshua Tree Magical Ultra Super Special Deluxe! Edition: 20 years ago, all I wanted was for people to just stop talking about U2. Oh my God, they were everywhere. My best friend, he'd been brainwashed, plastering his room with posters and hand-drawn replicas of their albums. The song he and his girlfriend called "theirs" was "With or Without You." I couldn't bring myself to tell them it wasn't really all that happy of a song, kind of like how people dedicate the Police's "Every Breath You Take" to loved ones not realizing it's actually about an obsessive stalker. People don't want to hear that, they have to learn some things on their own. But I digress.
20 years ago, all I wanted to do was ignore U2. I let the band click with Achtung Baby and it's been a slow climb ever since then. I'm thoroughly in the "fan" category now, and I fully acknowledge that The Joshua Tree absolutely is one of the best albums of the '80s, if not the best. I'm obviously not alone, hence this special edition. Two CDs - the remastered album on one, non-album tracks on the other - and one DVD with a full concert, a documentary, and a couple videos, packaged in a very elaborate box with a 56-page hardback book. If you don't buy this version, you're really kind of wasting your time - you're really missing out on something special.
Oh, and my friend? He married that girl - and their song changed to Tracy Chapman's "The Promise." Much better choice.
![Y34RZ3R0R3MIX3D / [CD/DVD Combo]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31CaXD-Gu9L._SY90_.jpg "Y34RZ3R0R3MIX3D / [CD/DVD Combo]")
- The Breakdown: Genesis, Led Zeppelin, Nine Inch Nails, Opeth, U2
- Published: November 20, 2007
- Type: News
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Alternative Rock, Music: Hard Rock, Music: Metal, Music: News, Music: Rock, Music: Video
- Part of a feature: The Breakdown
- Writer: Tom Johnson
- Tom Johnson's BC Writer page
- Tom Johnson's personal site
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Yes, Brian, I did. I think you missed the point - it wasn't a normal concert. It gave us Damnation and a small representation of a regular concert after that.
I like Ghost Reveries, but it definitely does not stand up to the earlier material. For them stretching out into, I guess, "proggier" territory, it's a good album, but something's missing. Blackwater Park, on the other hand, is an amazing piece of work. I hope someday they'll dig out some archival live material to release from that tour.
Ahha...I guess I just don't feel that Lamentations isn't a "normal" Opeth show just because they cover alot more of their melodic material.
I can understand that if you[in general] missed their earlier work live that could be a little upsetting when watching Lamentations. But, like you said its an amazing release and I was wondering how they would reproduce it in a live setting.Obviously, they came through as usual.
I think Ghost Reveries is missing the passion that they once had for creating real Dark & Gloomy Death Metal. Plus, the production was heading more towards capturing what they sound like in the raw. Not necessarily live but without all the effects. It's possible that Mr. Akerfeldt is getting tired of playing Death Metal. Martin Lopez has some health issues & left the band along with Peter Lindgren,so, I don't forsee an album of Blackwater capacity being released again... BUT, I'm not knocking them.
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Opeth may have started Lamentations by running through the whole Damnation album but they still do songs from Deliverance as well as Blackwater Park which offer some killer growling from Mr.Åkerfeldt. Honestly,did you watch the entire DVD?
I personally feel that if you missed Still Life & Blackwater Park live then you really haven't seen Opeth in all of its "Glory". Ghost Reveries really doesn't hold up very well against that material,though, seeing Opeth in concert is always a treat.