cnn.com: U2 tends to remind me of middle-period Who: two bands whose pretensions are usually undercut -- beneficially -- by punkish roots and crack musicianship.
The Who managed to avoid the ponderous pitfalls of Pete Townshend's big concepts by simply playing the hell out of "Tommy," "Who's Next" and "Quadrophenia."
Similarly, U2 has never shied from trying to sound like the world's most important band, but thanks to the group's chops, humor and self-knowledge, even a song such as "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" -- or a lyric as determinedly poetic as "Have you come to play Jesus/To the lepers in your head" -- avoid artistic affectation.
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The Who managed to avoid the ponderous pitfalls of Pete Townshend's big concepts by simply playing the hell out of "Tommy," "Who's Next" and "Quadrophenia."
Similarly, U2 has never shied from trying to sound like the world's most important band, but thanks to the group's chops, humor and self-knowledge, even a song such as "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" -- or a lyric as determinedly poetic as "Have you come to play Jesus/To the lepers in your head" -- avoid artistic affectation.
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more] 
