i like their 80s output but for me Achtung is their best no questions asked.
I would unhesitatingly say that the 90s were the better decade for U2. I know Pop gets a lot of grief, but it is a fantastic record and I don't think there's a bad song on it. Achtung Baby is maybe my favorite left turn a band has ever taken sonically. And sandwiched in between is Zooropa which, while not without hiccups, has some of the best songwriting of their decade in Stay plus an out of the blue Johnny Cash before Cash had made his comeback. Just a great run for a band.
i like their 80s output but for me Achtung is their best no questions asked.
I would unhesitatingly say that the 90s were the better decade for U2. I know Pop gets a lot of grief, but it is a fantastic record and I don't think there's a bad song on it. Achtung Baby is maybe my favorite left turn a band has ever taken sonically. And sandwiched in between is Zooropa which, while not without hiccups, has some of the best songwriting of their decade in Stay plus an out of the blue Johnny Cash before Cash had made his comeback. Just a great run for a band.
Decade wise it’s a close call but I would generally give it to the 80s on volume alone - Boy, War, Unforgettable Fire, and Joshua Tree are all fantastic albums. I wasn’t crazy about October or Rattle and Hum, but that’s a very solid batting avg. - Agreed everything 90s is very good with Achtung Baby being the top dog, but not sure it rises as a whole decade to their 80s output.
The last few decades were also good mind you, though I am in the extreme minority to say that All That You Can’t Leave Behind is a dud. Boring. I get people clamored for a “return to form” but it’s more like if Pearl Jam tried to make another Ten but made Lightning Bolt instead. Everything after that, largely, I still really enjoy, especially How to Dismantle… and No Line on the Horizon.
i like their 80s output but for me Achtung is their best no questions asked.
I would unhesitatingly say that the 90s were the better decade for U2. I know Pop gets a lot of grief, but it is a fantastic record and I don't think there's a bad song on it. Achtung Baby is maybe my favorite left turn a band has ever taken sonically. And sandwiched in between is Zooropa which, while not without hiccups, has some of the best songwriting of their decade in Stay plus an out of the blue Johnny Cash before Cash had made his comeback. Just a great run for a band.
Decade wise it’s a close call but I would generally give it to the 80s on volume alone - Boy, War, Unforgettable Fire, and Joshua Tree are all fantastic albums. I wasn’t crazy about October or Rattle and Hum, but that’s a very solid batting avg. - Agreed everything 90s is very good with Achtung Baby being the top dog, but not sure it rises as a whole decade to their 80s output.
The last few decades were also good mind you, though I am in the extreme minority to say that All That You Can’t Leave Behind is a dud. Boring. I get people clamored for a “return to form” but it’s more like if Pearl Jam tried to make another Ten but made Lightning Bolt instead. Everything after that, largely, I still really enjoy, especially How to Dismantle… and No Line on the Horizon.
dude yesss i also hate All That...felt like those guys just wanted to have a number one album and made a very boring and safe pop album. Im a huge fan of Atomic Bomb and No Line, this is being the last time they experimented well.
I know it’s all about the time you hear a thing. But achtung baby.
It’s got absolutely no right being as good as it is.
They could’ve just stopped there. They did in a way in terms of being a band.
They became a brand after that. You can come at them for many things but not that one. It’s a perfect record.
i like their 80s output but for me Achtung is their best no questions asked.
I would unhesitatingly say that the 90s were the better decade for U2. I know Pop gets a lot of grief, but it is a fantastic record and I don't think there's a bad song on it. Achtung Baby is maybe my favorite left turn a band has ever taken sonically. And sandwiched in between is Zooropa which, while not without hiccups, has some of the best songwriting of their decade in Stay plus an out of the blue Johnny Cash before Cash had made his comeback. Just a great run for a band.
Decade wise it’s a close call but I would generally give it to the 80s on volume alone - Boy, War, Unforgettable Fire, and Joshua Tree are all fantastic albums. I wasn’t crazy about October or Rattle and Hum, but that’s a very solid batting avg. - Agreed everything 90s is very good with Achtung Baby being the top dog, but not sure it rises as a whole decade to their 80s output.
The last few decades were also good mind you, though I am in the extreme minority to say that All That You Can’t Leave Behind is a dud. Boring. I get people clamored for a “return to form” but it’s more like if Pearl Jam tried to make another Ten but made Lightning Bolt instead. Everything after that, largely, I still really enjoy, especially How to Dismantle… and No Line on the Horizon.
dude yesss i also hate All That...felt like those guys just wanted to have a number one album and made a very boring and safe pop album. Im a huge fan of Atomic Bomb and No Line, this is being the last time they experimented well.
Also consider Pop a masterpiece.
All That You Can't Leave Behind definitely got swept up in the maelstrom of terrorism and a safe/hopeful pop album tinged with spirituality was quite a balm in my country. It produced some really powerful pop culture milestones (their super bowl halftime show was a pretty emotional moment). But looking back on it now, the record punched above its weight for sure. It has three or four great songs (even if Beautiful Day was played to death, it's a great song), but the rest is just OK. And I think it led U2 down a dark path of trying to be America's savior instead of just a prophet. The Hands that Built America was... errant.
was living in apartment on grand canal dock, right across from their studio and could often and regularly hear them working on what came to be No Line. That's another fantastic record. Wish theyd do that kind of exploring more often.
dimejinky99 wrote:was living in apartment on grand canal dock, right across from their studio and could often and regularly hear them working on what came to be No Line. That's another fantastic record. Wish theyd do that kind of exploring more often.
oh yeah i loove that one. I also saw them live on that tour, and the atomic tour, and both shows were mindblowing. I went to the golden circle on the atomic show and daaaaamn dude, what a band.
U2, hits me in the same way as REM.
I know both bands have their early material considered great, iconic even.
But I'm way more drawn to their 90's shift in sound.
Even if U2 was way more theatrical and bombastic than what I usually go for (ZooTV, The Fly, McPhisto, Batman PopMArt)... This was still the best U2 for me.
Last edited by Buby on Fri September 13, 2024 3:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
As a studio band, I probably much prefer REM. I came to them from similar places. U2 I started with their late 80s period and worked my way around, but it I think took a while. REM also middle period, but immediately hooked. Took me a while to go back due to how much I loved their stuff contemporaneous to when it came out though.
warehouse wrote:am i the only one who likes 'rattle and hum'? joshua tree>rattle and hum>actung baby is an incredibly run of albums.
i like the REM comparison but i think i just prefer REM. u2 should have followed them into retirement.
I like Rattle and Hum quite a bit but it is fairly up and down as an overall listen. All I Want is You, Angel of Harlem and Desire though, tremendous high points.
warehouse wrote:am i the only one who likes 'rattle and hum'? joshua tree>rattle and hum>actung baby is an incredibly run of albums.
i like the REM comparison but i think i just prefer REM. u2 should have followed them into retirement.
I like Rattle and Hum quite a bit but it is fairly up and down as an overall listen. All I Want is You, Angel of Harlem and Desire though, tremendous high points.
There are very few albums I would say this particular thing about but it’s a bad album with good songs - like when it’s damp weather outside and you feel hot and cold at the same time. There are some high points for sure, but the speeches and the interspersed live tracks just make it horribly disjointed and weirdly self important.
warehouse wrote:am i the only one who likes 'rattle and hum'? joshua tree>rattle and hum>actung baby is an incredibly run of albums.
i like the REM comparison but i think i just prefer REM. u2 should have followed them into retirement.
I like Rattle and Hum quite a bit but it is fairly up and down as an overall listen. All I Want is You, Angel of Harlem and Desire though, tremendous high points.
There are very few albums I would say this particular thing about but it’s a bad album with good songs - like when it’s damp weather outside and you feel hot and cold at the same time. There are some high points for sure, but the speeches and the interspersed live tracks just make it horribly disjointed and weirdly self important.
I find rattle and hum quite comforting. Greater than the sum of it's parts.
I have just read Bono's Surrender, did a full artist discog run and watched From The Sky Down. Gotta have respect to risk throwing it all to get it back again.
Joshua Tree to Achtung Baby was the sweet spot, even R+H. I saw the Love Town tour with BB King. It was amazing.
