Can we simply live in a world where people enjoy both bands? Or dislike both? Or like one and not the other? Any of these is fine. Like what you like.
I like U2, but their musical output hasn't elevated (a pun I couldn't refrain from) me much since 1997. Radiohead on the other hand have made compelling music for the past 16 years. I still like U2 though and despite Bono's annoying antics (especially lately), I can separate that and enjoy their music. From 1980-1997, that's a helluva band you got there.
I think the thing that separates them a great deal is their aspirations. Radiohead enjoy making music and doing things on their own terms. Record sales or Grammys never mattered to them much, if at all. U2, while certainly never a band to shy away from lofty and immense ambitions, seem to have this obsession with competing with other artists, especially since 2000. I for one, never cared for this approach or understood it much. I suppose one could say, you have to think big to achieve it. Unfortunately for U2, the quality of their music has not reflected their lofty ambitions. Sure, they won a ton of Grammys and sold many records, but they produced the most hollow and empty music of their career. And no, Grammys and record sales do not reflect quality. SOI was okay, still overly polished (too many cooks in the kitchen) but some decent tracks. On the flip side, I am very excited for Radiohead's new album and based on the potential list of songs that could be on it, it seems very promising. Who knows though?
