REVIEWS:
U2 were huge. TOO huge in this writer's opinion. The popularity they garnered was unreal. People were revering Bono as some sort of god. Sure, he has a great voice, and occasionally captivating poetry, but most of their albums are far from completely enjoyable. And then they put out that Zooropa techno crap in 1993. Which is still by FAR the worst album I have heard yet by any band.
I've also decided to say a few good things about the band. The Edge is easily one of the more captivating guitarists of our time. Far from a technical tour-de-force, his guitar lines are most often arpeggiated textures rather than straight chords, usually fed through a Roland Digital Delay pedal. Suffice to say that nobody has sounded quite like him before U2, and certainly nobody since. Bono has fantastic range for a vocalist, but sometimes he tends to go a bit overboard with the Ahhhs. Adam Clayton is a good bassist, often wrapping basslines around the guitar at just the right time. I do however, detest Larry Mullen, Jr on the drumkit. He always seems to underplay, churning out boring drum tracks. And he usually sounds weak. Whether that is the mix or not is beyond me.
And I almost forgot. U2 have put out some great shit. Quite a bit of classics that will no doubt be around for a long time. If you buy the greatest hits album, (reviewed at the bottom of this page) you WILL NOT be disappointed. That album is easily one of my favorites. It's too bad that the studio albums are far too inconsistent for my taste. Oh yeah, U2 are from Ireland. Like you all didn't know that. Original band names: Feedback and The Hype. Dave Evans [The Edge] (guitars), Paul Hewson [Bono] (vocals and the occasional rhythm guitar), Adam Clayton (bass), Larry Mullen Jr. (drums).
--Pat D.
(Pat D.'s review)
As I've stated before, my humble opinion on U2 is that they make a couple of classic songs per album, and then give a half-assed effort the rest of the way. This album, at least, not too many people disagree with me on. The only truly great song on this album is "I Will Follow" which despite the incessant overplay of "With Or Without You" remains the defining U2 song. But other than "Another Time Another Place", this album really grates on me. Bono is his usual crooning self, but the way he sounds in particular on this record really gets to me. Maybe its because he just entered puberty (J/K he was like 19 or 20 at the time), or maybe he learned to tone it down later on, but it gets bad on some tracks. Oh yeah, and the lyrics blow too. But Bono would get a LOT better at lyrics on the later studio cuts.
Right from the start, it was obvious these four Irish lads, intended their first album to be a really grandiose, bombastic statement. U2's debut is filled to the brim with huge booming choruses, important sounding arrangements and lyrics, and a vocalist who really believes in all of it. The confidence the band exhibits on this first album is indeed stunning, and even if their overall sound isn't anything new, the powerful combination of various punk and new wave influences (along with Edge's echoey guitar tone and Bono's unique vocals) makes for something spectacular. Throughout Boy, though, it seems that they have a bit of trouble consistently coming up with songs that do justice to their powerful sound, and apart from a couple of major exceptions, that would be a usual problem throughout their career. But the best out of this material shows enough high quality that quite a few people even consider this to be the strongest effort they ever came up with.
It all starts off with what can definitely be called one of their quintessential anthems in "I Will Follow", which has Edge's guitar, a great hook, and Bono's vocal power in all its' glory. It's direct enough that it could be the only song you might notice here on first listen, but it's definitely a deserved classic. Great use of bells amongst it all, too. The rest of the first half actually isn't anything to overlook either. "Twilight" makes great use out of the guitar echoing and creates a really mysterious atmosphere, and "Out Of Control" nearly one-ups both of them in conviction - it may be a really simple tune, but the power of it just completely wins me over.
The true gem of the side, and of this effort, in my opinion, is "An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart". Yeah, I know it's listed as two separate songs (with the last part occupying less than two minutes out of the eight minute running time), but the way it's connected, you can't tell me the ominous guitar that first appears in the intro and builds effectively throughout the song doesn't merge perfectly with the revelatory, childlike beauty of its' magical ending. The hook may take a couple listens to really get into, but the mood is something special, and after "Bad", it may be my second favorite song of their career. Too bad it has to be followed by the completely hookless rocker "Stories For Boys" and the non-descript short beauty of "The Ocean". Damn U2's inconsistency.
The side does pick back up with the minor gem "A Day Without Me", which has a great riff, energy, and the immortal opening line 'starting a landslide in my ego' (Bono's philosophy, pretty much), but alas, the last three tunes on here slow the momentum of the album down considerably. None of them are actually bad, but "Another Time Another Place" is pretty darn standard compared to similar efforts, "The Electric Co." doesn't have much going for it apart from its' speed and the way Bono actually sings 'electric co.' instead of 'company', and "Shadows And Tall Trees" is a nice, but ultimately not too special, 'atmospheric' ballad to close the album off with. The more notable songs on here, though, are almost enough for me to give this an 8. As it is, this is a really high 7, and a fine, if not always adequate, kickstart to a great band's career.
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(Pat D.'s review)
Here we go again. The twin classics on this outing are "Rejoice" and "Gloria". Pretty much everything I said above applies here, and dammit, I TRY to hear something else good every time I listen to these two albums, but the other songs just don't cut it. Pretty much the only thing I got for my $18 were those two songs. Well, if you can't tell, I'm running out of things I can say about October, because I've said them all for Boy! Pretty much interchangable, these first two. Save your $20 for some of the later releases, unless you're a Bono freak.
This is basically more of the same. The U2 style still sounds fresh and highly energetic on October, but there seems to be something missing in the rushed feel of the songwriting. There are more forgettable moments here than previously, and the melodies, while still strong, lack power and significant impact, especially towards the end of the album, where the material gets dull to the extreme, but that's for later. Again, it's easy to see that Bono and company are trying to make some grand statement, but they just don't have the melodic ambition, emotional depth, or anything resembling varied moods yet. Nevertheless, there certainly isn't a total loss of inspiration throughout the entire thing, as there are a few keepers throughout. The opening track, "Gloria", like previously, is quite a celebrated hit single. I confess I don't love it as much as I should, as it seems to be a somewhat lesser attempt to open the record on a huge anthemic bang like with "I Will Follow", but it does have enough power to captivate the whole way through.
"I Fall Down" continues the more 'rocking' side of things, and it certainly isn't bad either, with a conviction-filled chorus and more great echoey Edge guitar, while"Rejoice" and "Fire" are similarly huge rocking attempt in that vein that manage to create impact through their distinct melodies and moods. Unfortunately, "I Threw A Brick Through The Window" is a little annoyingly bass heavy and wanders around aimlessly on its' plodding pace, even though the bassline itself is quite good. Even the second half starts off with the two best softer tracks (and maybe best cuts overall) - "Tomorrow" has a very moving and dramatic epic melody that builds up to a fine rocker, and the title track, while a bit too short to be truly classic, has a gorgeous piano intro that ranks as one of the band's most beautiful moments, and a very moving vocal portion.
However, the last four tracks on the album let an already weaker album than its' predecessor down somewhat. "Stranger In A Strange Land", "With A Shout", "Scarlet" and "Is That All?", while definitely not awful, are almost completely lacking in memorability and excitement. No significant vocal melody that I'm aware of, and the only things I can remember about any of these tracks are that one of them has a chant of 'Jerusalem', another repeats 'Rejoice!' over and over again, and for the first few listens, I couldn't even remember if the last track was a ballad or rocker (it's much like "Stories For Boys" from the last album, apparently, and that ain't a compliment). Final verdict? The first seven tracks on here all range from enjoyable to really good, and the last four are completely average (though mostly short) filler, which, in sum, makes it one of the band's weakest in my mind.
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(Pat D.'s review)
They got it finally. I enjoy most of this album immensely. Its just so unlike everything else U2 have done. War is such a dark album it leads you to wonder what occured after this recording that turned them into a bunch o' wussies. OK, that was harsh. I was just kidding. Oh yeah, thats right, I'm supposed to be critiquing songs now! "New Years Day" is THE finest U2 song ever made. Plain and simple, thats it. But wait, you say. Did he not just say "I Will Follow" was great? Yes, but that song is what defined U2 as a band, with Edge's trademark guitar sound. But "New Years Day" is the band's finest moment. Sharp, guttural, guitar playing that the Edge would never be able to match again, coupled with a chilling electric (Is it electric? Sure sounds like it) piano riff that remains in my head till this day.
Other highlights include the overpopularized drum and bass driven "Sunday Bloody Sunday", which despite its airplay, is still a great song. "Two Hearts Beat As One" is the other single, but I don't find it quite as interesting as the other two. "Like A Song" is the best of the rest, and sometimes I prefer that track to "Sunday". The other songs are pretty good, but nothing really spectacular. I do however find "40" excruciatingly dull though But once again, I come to the conclusion that U2 gave a half-baked effort to certain songs on this album. It just so happens that there are a couple of outstanding songs here, and a couple of good solid tracks, that separates this from the others.
U2's third album War is a solid, emotional, and musically tight effort that contains quite a few of their best songs, with the first side in particular being a very consistent one. The anti-war anthem "Sunday Bloody Sunday" is a classic, with that drumbeat, riff and Bono's electric vocal performance, while "Seconds" is another rhythm-oriented track with a pretty decent hook. "New Year's Day" features a chilling piano part and stunning Edge guitar dynamics for Bono to sing off of, delivering another stunning performance - I almost agree with Pat D. in saying this could be the finest U2 song, but that in my opinion comes on the next album. The rest of the first half includes a fantastic rocker "Like A Song" that runs a gamut of emotions (anger, hope, love, sadness, etc.) in the music and vocals and the beautifully dark string-dominated side closer "Drowning Man".
The second half falls off somewhat, though, which is why War doesn't quite live up to its' classic status. Sure, it starts out with an awesome singalong "Like A Refugee", which has an irresistible bassline and vocal chant, but the hit single "Two Hearts Beat As One" seems kind of half-baked to me, kind of a weaker redo of "Sunday Bloody Sunday". "Red Light" and "Surrender" are dull and fairly unmemorable lengthy songs, but War manages to close strongly with another excellent ballad, the closing live favorite "40". It's definitely an inconsistent mix of material, no question about that, but it's the highlights that really make this album worth it.
I’ll certainly agree “New Years Day” is the best U2 song ever. Nothing new from me on that one. I love it. It isn’t a truly perfect song, but it as close as the band ever came, which is pretty darn close. From there, “Sunday Bloody Sunday” is also great, and I’m pretty sure you all know that one too. Then there are some other standouts like “Like A Song,” “Drowning Man,” and “40.” All of these have great melodies and work as some of the band’s finer material. Especially “Like A Song,” which is probably even better than “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” and the second best on the little album. However, those drums at the beginning are really annoying. Luckily a great guitar line saves it all and then some. And the drums get less and less annoying as the song progresses, although the ending sort of boosts the annoying factor back up some. Oh, well. It is still a great song.
So now let’s look at where they screw up on this one. Well, there are not a whole lot of bad songs on here. “The Refugee,” “Red Light,” and “Surrender” all miss the mark, though. It really isn’t as if they’re terrible or anything, just disappointingly mediocre. They don’t have the feel or inspiration of the best on here. I guess that might be what to expect. After all nothing is perfect. Well, nothing U2 did anyway. As for the other two songs, “Seconds” and “Two Hearts Beat As One,” they’re pretty good. Nothing special enough to add a point or so to the album (that would make it a 10, and U2 albums don’t get 10s) but I think that they’re a pair of good songs. War is an excellent album with a few flaws that don’t hurt the overall quality too much at all. My recommendation is to buy it as soon as possible, after a search for a fairly low price. And, if you can buy this anyway; it is certainly worth your money.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
This was U2's first live effort, and it was recorded during various shows on their tour for their breakthrough effort War. It's an impressive performance, with the sound quality being very good, the energy of course being high (with Bono's presence, how could it not be?) and every album track performed rivaling the originals in terms of quality. Under A Blood Red Sky also contains a couple songs not on any of their official albums, including their first single "Eleven O' Clock Tick Tock" (not bad for an initial effort) and "Party Girl" The rest of the set contains some of the band's most anthemic tunes of their early years, especially the band defining "I Will Follow", the opening "Gloria", the catchy and amusing "Electric Co." and the closing emotional ballad "40", which includes a powerful crowd singalong near the end.
"Sunday Bloody Sunday", meanwhile, is given a much better production and it eliminates the often distracting violins and synths of the original, with a little more passion, and "New Year's Day", despite being cut about a minute short, retains a lot of its' power as arguably Edge's finest moment. Brian Burks of Creative Noise considers this the finest live album of all time - I'd definitely have to disagree with that, especially since it doesn't quite reach greatness on account of the slightly subpar quality of the two aforementioned non-album cuts, particularly the extremely stupid "Party Girl" (due to inane lyrics and crappy vocals), a candidate for the worst song in their whole catalog. Nevertheless, this album is pretty much a recommended buy for fans, since it's a fine document of the power of early U2 on stage.
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COMMENTS
[email protected] (Cole Bozman)
umm.. Nick, dear, "Electric Co." is also on Boy. oh, and as for the actual album: I like Adam Clayton's hilariously inept bass solo. (not that I could do any better) also, "40", previously just a hardly-noticeable song at the end of War, sounds a whole lot better here. and "Party Girl" does suck. finally, it's too short for a live album (barely 30 minutes long!). still, it earns a six from me, regardless of my general disdain for live albums.
[Author's note: Correction has been made. Shame on me for not fixing that earlier.]
(Pat D.'s review)
I was not happy the first time I bought this album, for it was the horrible CD sound that pissed me off. Apparently, whomever it was that remastered this was schooled in "How to screw up recordings 101 by Flemming Rasmussen". At low volumes, there is no bass or treble, and when you crank it, the distortion sets in, and there's still no treble. So, I went out and bought the gold $30 Ultradisc. Much warmer feel to the recording, and the highs were crisp. The next week, I visited my local used LP store, and got a copy on record for $3. Now, I have quite a decent turntable (Technics SL-1200MK2), but the record blew away both the crappy CD and the Ultradisc. So, needless to say, I wasn't in an altogether good mood when I first gave this album a listen all the way through. But to add to my misery of spending a total of $51 to get an acceptable sounding recording, I didn't like the album at all.
Sure, the hits "Pride" and "Bad" are great, both everything else was soon - to - become - typical - Bono - mystical - US nonsense. See, I'm a guy that has to hear a catchy riff to like a song, and well, no other song on this disc has one. Other than "The Unforgettable Fire". But "Pride" is fantastic. Probably the song that started the admiration of the Edge and his digital-delay guitar madness. A lot of U2 fans love this album, though, so don't just go on what I have to say about it.
The follow up to War is an extremely frustrating effort in terms of consistency. What we have here is half the material being nothing short of phenomenal, while the other half ranges from completely unlistenable half-baked crud to okay filler. It's the album where Bono's lyrical obsession with America starts (it would later culminate on Rattle And Hum) and Edge would start to experiment a bit more with guitar tones and keyboards. The album reaches its' highpoint in the shattering "Bad", which is a song that does so much with just two chords it really has to be heard to be believed - this is one of the songs where the hype of Bono's emotional vocal ability is justified to the maximum.
The extraordinarily catchy Martin Luther King, Jr. tribute anthem "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" proves that when U2 were on fire, they couldn't be stopped, the title track achieves brilliant atmosphere with keyboard backing, haunting melody, and more of a fuller sound than most U2 songs in the 80s, while the underrated opener "A Sort Of Homecoming" is a beautiful singalong and best suited for crowd interaction. The gorgeous closer "MLK", meanwhile, sounds like an eerily perfect intro to the next album's opener, "Where The Streets Have No Name".
The rest of the album, however, is about as rotten as the aforementioned songs are brilliant - the melodyless drivel of "Promenade" is about as half-baked a song as U2 ever wrote, "Elvis Presley And America" has no discernable riff or melody - just bad, unintelligible poetry going on for almost 7 minutes with a horrible mix to boot, "4th Of July" is a useless instrumental filler that doesn't do anything, "Wire" shows what can happen when The Edge's guitar technique becomes unfocused and Bono becomes annoying rather than powerful and the average "Indian Summer Sky" works more as a mood piece than a song. This is literally the most inconsistent album I've ever heard from any band, but it is well worth it for the highlights I mentioned - just be prepared to do a lot of track skipping.
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(Pat D.'s review)
This is about as close as U2 have come to actual greatness. Almost anyone (except hardcore headbangers, though even they might be closet Joshua fans) will enjoy this disc. And not just for the overplayed radio-staples, either. There are other great songs here, too. "In God's Country" has a downright beautiful Edge guitar riff and solo in it. "Trip through Your Wires" is, in my humble opinion, the second best song on the disc. A weird (for U2) bluesy harmonica solo starts the song, and the Edge's guitar comes in, and well, the rest is pure bliss. As for the singles, "Bullet the Blue Sky" is my favorite, and the best track on the disc. Hard hitting (U2 hard hitting? Will wonders never cease.....) guitars and drums make this one an irresistible spectacle.
You've all heard "With Or Without You", but has anyone noticed in terms of rhythm and overall feel, that track is quite similar to the Police's "Every Breath You Take"? Hmmmm.....Oh yeah, you've all also heard "Where the Streets Have No Name" , yet I still find that track desirable to listen to. I've always found "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" to be a trifle dull, but if you like it, there's another classic track. So why no 10? Because none of the other tracks are worth mentioning. If U2 would bother to fill up their albums with good songs, maybe they'd be worthy of the "god-like" statues they enjoy. But anyway, this is the one to buy, then War, then Achtung.
The Joshua Tree was U2's real breakthrough effort, and is regarded as one of the masterpieces of the 80s. I can pretty much agree with that - this time around all the songs are very worthwhile, with no wasteful filler that marred the last two efforts. The album sure starts off with a bang, with all the major hit singles and classic radio staples being covered within the first four songs. "Where The Streets Have No Name" showcases Edge's ringing guitar, Bono's singing and lyrics at their best, and the rhythm section driving the song, while "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is a nice, catchy gospelish with uplifting guitar work, the exceptional "With Or Without You" is very dark and poignant with a great bassline and "Bullet The Blue Sky" is quite a frightening, heavy political song with unsettling spoken word poetry. The first half, meanwhile, closes with another one of the band's most gorgeous songs, ballad "Running To Stand Still", due to the fact its' more stripped down, allowing for the more emotional aspects of the band to rise to the occasion.
"Red Hill Mining Town" weaves together affecting lyrics and a beautiful chiming riff for another classic, while "In God's Country" is a pretty good short rocker with a catchy melody and guitar part, a nice set up for the interesting, entertaining hard blues of "Trip Through Your Wires". "One Tree Hill", meanwhile, is a pleasant and moving tribute song to a deceased friend, with the final lines being sung in harmony as the song ends, 'like a river to the sea', and another one of the darker and forceful songs on the album, "Exit", has a quiet bassline buildup before the song gets progressively heavier and heavier, with great vocal wails throughout the song for added emotion. The album then closes out with the heartbreaking ambience of "Mothers Of The Disappeared", which lives up to its' title as a stunningly affecting prayer - the line 'hear their heartbeat' repeated throughout the song carries incredible weight. Overall, this is an essential purchase for anyone's 80s collection. I originally only gave it a 9, but just because I was a bit anti-hyped about it - it really is a pure classic.
The word for the day is overrated. I mean tremendously overrated. This album is incredibly dull. Now don’t label me as a metal head who just can’t appreciate milder music. That isn’t it at all. I love a lot of slow and mild songs and albums. The problem is that here on The Joshua Tree many of the tracks are boring, dull, and completely lacking life. You can see it beginning in “Where the Streets Have No Name.” The song is hardly bad, in fact I really do like it, but isn’t it obvious that the drive of a song like “Sunday Bloody Sunday” is gone? I really hate “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” and “Bullet The Blue Sky” isn’t that great either. However, “With Or Without You” is very good, even if a little overrated. “Running to Stand Still” and “Red Hill Mining Town” are my favorites on the album. They’re ballads, and unlike some of the others on here they are catchy and have fantastic melodies. They aren’t dull in the least. I love ‘em. Finally “In God’s Country” is another standout with probably the best solo on here.
It’s the rest that truly bore me, especially the final two songs on here, “Exit” and “Mother Of The Disappeared.” Heck, that could be one of the most boring album endings ever, and I don’t consider myself one to get bored in music very easily. These two are just awful. I know this is a very popular work and not something to knock on too badly, but dammit The Joshua Tree is one of these albums that for the life of me I can’t understand why people enjoy so much. I honestly believe that War is infinitely better. But I won’t tell you to buy that one instead of this since my opinion here is in the minority.
Update (12/28/02): I finally get it.
Being a quarter Irish, I am by law required to own some U2. As it is, I really don't mind, but I'd be lying if I said U2 was a personal favorite band of mine. I love Sunday Bloody Sunday and the radio standards, but nothing else excites me that much in all honesty. Also in all honesty, I have a tough time listening to all of this album. Part of that is because I adore With Or Without You and could listen to it ad naseaum. The other part is because nothing else quite measures up to it. Granted, it all starts off good enough with three excellent songs---Where The Streets Have No Names, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, and the aforementioned favorite. Each of these are U2 classics that deserve the airplay they get. However, we start to slide from there. I dislike Bullet The Blue Sky intensely. I really don't know why; it just annoys me. Sadly, nothing else is all that memorable for me. If it's not too slow or hard to hear, then I just don't like it. I bet my Irish kin's getting ready to kill me, so I'll wrap up--this has some great songs, and some not-so-great ones. Simple as that.
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(Pat D.'s review)
This will be a short, and possibly inaccurate review. Reason? Well, I used to have this album, but about 2 years ago I lent it to somebody, and they never returned it! From what I do remember, it was a decent part live/part studio album. It had "Bullet The Blue Sky" in a beautiful live performance, in some ways better than the original, so there's a definite plus. But the studio tracks are what give this album the good rating. "Desire" is a delightfully catchy arena stomper, that no matter how many times I hear it, never fails to keep me interested. "Angel of Harlem" is one of those U2 songs that you don't realize its U2 doing it until you read the title on the package. Horn-driven, and an exceptional track. The live tracks are OK, again, from what I remember, but nothing really special. Thus the seven.
Well, this was certainly an interesting move for the band to make after their hugest blockbuster all-time classic - they followed it up with a movie of their accompanying tour, along with a new album of half live, half studio material. Of course, the actual Rattle And Hum movie was pretty much regarded as an overblown disappointment (not that I've ever seen it), but the album itself certainly isn't bad. Most of the actual music on here, in fact, is just fine. The problem here is that it's a bit hard to sit through the double length 72 minute affair all the way through, since there are very few moments that qualify as classic - a lot of it is just 'good' quality; not really anything spectacular or anything awful. It does offer a neat insight of U2's America obsession being taken to ridiculous extremes like several tracks on The Unforgettable Fire, and there are also a few ridiculously stupid spoken Bono bits throughout a few of the tracks that you just have to hear for yourself.
As far as the new 'studio' songs go, probably the most notable of these are the three radio hits. "Desire" is a typically wonderful anthemic song here - direct and to the point, with quite an addictive stomping groove, guitar part, and a fine singable hook. The horn-filled Billie Holiday tribute "Angel Of Harlem" is nearly as good, and it has a lot of melodic and lyrical power to it, and the closing ballad "All I Want Is You" sort of shoots for the same panoramic mood as "Bad" captured so triumphantly throughout its' 6-1/2 minute length. It's not quite as classic, but it does work tremendously with its' understated beauty and gorgeous Edge guitar line. It's a very nice emotional tune, even if it's coda might be a little overdone. Fine vocal performance, though, and the music video really captures the overall sadness of it. There actually is an overlooked classic here within the studio tunes, though - the Edge sung guitar ballad "Van Diemen's Land", which may be a bit simplistic, but man, is it really ever captivating because of it. Excellent melody, and fine effective use of sparseness.
The other studio songs aren't quite as spectacular, but there's still something pleasurable about each of them. Well, except maybe "Love Rescue Me", which just doesn't contain enough melodic and lyrical excitement throughout pretty much its' entire length, but the other ones are good. One of them is actually pretentious enough to be a sequel to a John Lennon song ("God Part II"), but it works better than you might expect. Filtered through a Bono perspective, the lyrics are interesting, and the melody is different enough to stand out on its' own. The duet with blues guitar great BB King is decent, with a striking and uptempo chorus, and the bass-heavy and haunting "Heartland" has captivating Bono falsetto to save a mostly dull song. And the 'I need your love...' refrain carries the repetitive "Hawkmoon 269" to majestic heights, even if still ain't that great.
As far as the live stuff goes, just like the studio tunes, the bag is a little mixed. The non-album "Silver And Gold" has kind of an interesting bombastic tension to it, but the two covers are hit and miss, with "All Along The Watchtower" being a hit (Edge's ringing guitar and Bono's vocals do the mystical lyrics justice) and "Helter Skelter" a miss (it very much lacks any kind of drive). The runthroughs of the hits, with the exception of "Bullet The Blue Sky" (which sounds a whole lot more explosive on here), are fairly straightforward - the gospel choir doesn't really add anything to "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", though "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" is still as hard-hitting as it ever was or will be. And there you have your album. It's interesting, though - who would have thought the band would have changed this drastically from their most 'rootsy' album to songs with :gasp: electronic elements? Read on for the results of that incorporation....
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COMMENTS
[email protected] (Andrew McQuillan)
All I Want Is You is so underrated and so is the video for it, which actually made me cry if you can believe that.
(Pat D.'s review)
There are some pretty good tracks on this album. And then there are some atrocious techno-crap that U2 would be experimenting with (unfortunately) for the next two albums. Let me say something right now. Bono, you are a good ROCK songwriter. So why the hell are you messing with techno when its plainly obvious that you and your bandmates have no clue how to write a decent song in that genre? WHY?!!!!!!!! Alright, anger aside, like I said, there are a couple a decent songs on Achtung. You've all heard the overblown "One" whose title U2 ripped off from Metallica. Well, now that I said that, I'm sure to get some e-mails telling me of all the songs made before 1988's And Justice For All that Metallica ripped off. But anyway, that said, U2's "One" is a decent song, but don't tell me in any shape or form that its better than Metallica's.
My favorite track on Achtung is the ever-popular "Even Better Than The Real Thing". Great catchy pop-song with a perfect Edge riff behind the chorus. The most popular single was "Mysterious Ways" which is OK, but not worthy of the round-the-clock rotation it received on MTV and radio. The song that DID deserve airplay and got none was "The End of The World" which like "Real Thing" is one of those catchy guitar-driven tunes. Finally, there's "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" which, despite the ridiculous title and nonsensical lyrics, is a pretty decent tune. But then the techno sets in. I hate "The Fly". It is neither catchy nor interesting, yet it gets a video on MTV. Makes no sense to me. And the other tracks are just as bad. But, Achtung is worth picking up for the above-mentioned great tracks. Just don't expect to play the entire CD over and over again. Unfortunately for U2, things got a lot worse after Achtung.
This was the point where U2 totally reinvented themselves musically, incorporating a lot of 'techno' and 'groove' influence and disposing their driven and anthemic, politically charged pop/punk side, as Bono preferred to concentrate more on 'introspective' lyricism. There's still a whole lot of emotion throughout, even when the backing music (most notably Edge's varying abstract guitar tones and drum beats) seems like it's too artificial. For the most part, the reinvention works to U2's advantage, as the actual songwriting is high quality - most of the songs have very memorable choruses and verse hooks. "The Fly", for instance, has simply beautiful chorus wails with organ backing and a cool technoish riff, the hit single "One" has a brilliant 'from the gut' performance by Bono, "Until The End Of The World" has powerful low register vocals to complement that nice Edge riff, while "Even Better Than The Real Thing" and "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" are excellent catchy pop tunes that benfit from compelling backing riffs in the verses and chorus.
Other songs rely on almost ambient instrumentation that make for Bono's powerful expression - "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" is sort of stripped down arena rock majesty, the closing "Love Is Blindness" is extremely effective with its' trance-like bassline and melody, and "So Cruel" is a very good orchestrated 'broken heart' love ballad. A lot of critics and fans cite this as U2's best, most creative and powerful album, but there are a few tracks that prevent me from feeling likewise - the weak opener "Zoo Station" is boring and unmemorable, "Trying To Throw Your Arms Around The World" suffers from banal lyrics and overwrought vocals, and finally, another popular single, "Mysterious Ways", is just bad techno to my ears with an extremely irritating chorus, and I've always despised it. Other than that, though, Achtung Baby is a solid effort.
Then came all the big changes, and I’m not too happy about most of them. Achtung Baby is widely considered to be the band’s second best album, and from the four I’ve heard I must agree. It still isn’t a classic. There are a whole bunch of great songs all over the place, but I have to get out some complaints first. “The Fly” is stupid techno crap, and “Mysterious Ways” isn’t a whole lot better. Oh, and “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” is even worse with absolutely laughable lyrics. Speaking of bad lyrics, how about “Until The End Of The World” with the line “In my dream I was drowning my sorrows, but my sorrows, they learned to swim” being one of the absolute stupidest lines ever penned? The music is ok, but I crack up every time I hear that line.
But I’m not going to be so negative without saying some of the good things about this album. I mean after all there have to be some good songs on an album I’m going to give a seven. “So Cruel” and “Acrobat” are pretty good, and, believe it or not I actually like “Tryin’ To Throw Your Arms Around the World.” It’s a good break from all of the techno crap. My favorite is the beautiful “Ultraviolet,” which is one of U2’s better songs. Although there is one thing for me to complain about. The bass line seems a little to similar to the one in “With Or Without You.” Oh well. The song still rules and I think it’s the best on the album.
As for the more popular tunes, I never cared for “Even Better Than The Real Thing,” but “One” is nice, even if extremely overrated. Have you ever noticed that the word “one” is the second most popular song title ever? The only word I can think of that is more commonly used to name songs is “time.” Then there are bands like Bride who used both titles on the same album (Scarecrow Messiah). That should be illegal, shouldn’t it?
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(Pat D.'s review)
This review will also be very short. Two reasons this time. One, I play frisbee with this CD now, so needless to say it doesn't play very well on the old CD player. Two, I'd prefer to keep my mailbox under 1000 responses. So I will say this and only this as for opinion: This is the worst pile of shit I have yet to come across. The worst job of experimentation in music ever. As for fact: U2 switched gears completely for this record, moving towards the noise arrangements and manufactured drum-beats that is techno. I tried to keep an open mind when writing this review, but I can't find one freaking redeeming quality in this shitfest. If you are a techno-freak, you probably will still hate it, for it's BAD techno. Bono, if by some chance you come across this web-site, PLEASE go back to your old style. No songs mentioned? There's a reason. They all suck. Nothing to distinguish one from the other save the track when the Edge takes vocals. And no, I don't like "Lemon" (the lone single) at all. Ridiculous chorus if you ask me.
Apparently after Achtung Baby's mostly successful attempt at incorporating electronic elements into the songwriting, the band fell even more in love with that kind of thing on the next album. This effort actually began life as an EP, but when Bono and the gang realized how incredibly easy it probably is to do experimenting in this vein, it became a full length album rather quickly. And how exactly did the result turn out? Well, to start with, I think certain reviewers on this page here are hugely overreacting on just how low quality it is (sorry guys). Oh, don't get me wrong - I would never call this album a masterpiece, since it's easily the band's worst album ever, and most of it is pretty generic soundwise. But I just can't see how these songs are that similar to each other - most of them do have distinct melodies and paces (to both good and bad effect), and there are at least a few quite decent songs here.
For one thing, the title track is a nice catchy representation of the dance style here, with a neat bass groove in the verses and a fine energetic guitar-heavy ending (enjoy it, since there ain't much exciting guitar work here), even if it takes too long to get going. "Babyface" is also an OK ballad I guess, if only because the chorus really sticks in your head, and there's nothing really offensive about it. "Lemon" might have really obnoxious Bono falsetto vocals in the verses, but the music here has an entertaining disco vibe about it, and the chorus where Brian Eno (also producer here) sings is a beautiful moment here. And how can anyone deny "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)", the one song where they break away from the electronics totally? I'm not sure what a gorgeous classic U2 night ballad is doing here, but I'm glad it's there, since it's easily the best song on the album. Great guitar line and emotional chorus.
The rest of the album, though, is a lot weaker in comparison. Well, the closing track "The Wanderer", where Johnny Cash takes lead vocals for the whole song, is interesting, with a hypnotizing keyboard part running through it, and it's amusing to hear him sing Bono's lyrics, and "Numb" is engaging when it first starts (though that mantra-like chanting and guitar riff get really old after awhile). However, "Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car" is one of the worst songs in the band's catalog, a horribly stiff and tuneless techno borefest, "Some Days Are Better Than Others" is one of the most moronic and cliched songs I've heard in awhile (with awful lyrics), "The Last Time" is little more than a melodyless rewrite of "Stay", and "Dirty Day" is more of the boring and bland side of this formula. But despite those serious missteps, Zooropa isn't that bad, though not very good, either, so I really wouldn't recommend buying this album, but I'm not gonna call it one of the worst ever made or anything like that.
I went after this one because Pat D. gave it a zero and I was wondering if it really was the worst album ever (my current vote for worst ever is Limp Bizkit’s Three Dollar Bill Y’all$). So I went through this one for the sake of curiosity, and I wanted to add a little more detail about the album itself. This will be a hard task since it is true that they mostly sound exactly the same. But boy oh boy is this album DULL. It makes The Joshua Tree seem like War. I mean, this album really, really sucks. And I was never too huge on U2 anyway.
So to talk about a couple songs, er, well, uh, how about “Lemon?” Well, it does start out minimally catchy, but once those idiotic vocals begin the entire thing goes to hell. Then again there is the absolute crap entry called “Numb,” one of the WORST songs ever written. Oh, forget it. This is pointless. It is impossible to go through these songs. I mean, when “Daddy’s Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car” ends and “Some Days Are Better Than Others” begins I honestly have to check to make sure the repeat isn’t on. They're all the same!
Zooropa is a big old bore. There is no other way to put it. I can’t give it a 0 since there were a few isolated moments that were bordering merely okay, just like Three Dollar Bill. Even though it doesn’t quite dethrone Bill from my worst ever slot, Zooropa is still an absolutely horrible album. Although one thing was interesting. On occasion I find it fascinating to listen to extremely bad albums. The search for the worst album ever is sometimes almost as exciting as the search for the best. Call me crazy but if you have some extra hard drive space on your computer or twenty bucks that would have just gone to waste anyway, try something like this out. Hey, soon enough I’ll be listening to Calling All Stations or Camouflage.
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(Pat D.'s review)
Well, there's nowhere to go but up from zero, but Pop really isn't as bad (or as good) as some people say. Its an OK album, and for once U2 have written a catchy techno song in the first single "Discotheque". Bear in mind that I have this album copied on tape, and its not a very good recording. "Staring At The Sun" was the second single, and its also pretty good. "Mofo" is OK, but thats how most of the "good" songs on here are, just OK. No great songs, and some of the others, like "Wake up Dead Man" (now U2 are stealing from Megadeth?!!!!), are just plain horrible. I don't really care for this one, but its light years ahead of that Zooropa crap. I was expecting more from the band that bought us that exceptional "Hold me...Thrill Me...Kiss Me...Kill Me" single off of Batman Returns. Sure the drums were doctored, but that song had a cool guitar line and a freaky string-section orchestral ending. But Pop has not one song that fulfills this promise. But some songs are OK, so if yer a big U2 fan, pick it up, you might like it.
Pop continues in the 'electronic' influenced direction of the last two albums, Achtung Baby and Zooropa, but unlike Achtung, there isn't much in the way of strong songwriting that prevents me from feeling a bit empty afterwards. There are some undoubtedly catchy songs, such as "Gone" (which has a beautiful chorus and awesome intro riff) the 'dance club' rocker "Discotheque", which has a very cool hook and danceable ending, the borderline hardcore electronica of "Mofo", which is quite addictive, the singles "Staring At The Sun" (more representative of their old style) and "Last Night On Earth", but overall, the songs here lack emotional depth or much of U2's signature sound - there's not anything here that hasn't already been done before.
The horribly hookless noise of "Miami" and the aimless "If You Wear That Velvet Dress" are the only real low points, but everything else is just 'decent' and not that spectacular. "The Playboy Mansion" has a nice hook but soulless background music and banal lyrics, "Do You Feel Loved" is an average techno rocker, the nice ballad "If God Will Send His Angels" has a good bassline and chorus but again is too cluttered with electronic elements, while the last two tracks, "Please" and "Wake Up Dead Man", are both promising songs marred by a specific defect - the former a repetitive bassline that seems totally out of place in the chorus, and the former a weak verse melody and contrived background music.
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(reviewed by Pat D.)
Yeah, I know. A ten for a U2 album. I look like a hypocrite now, eh? Well, there's a catch. For those of you with an IQ below 50, this is a greatest hits collection. And U2 HAVE made some phenomenal tracks over the years. And, of course, this being 1980-1990, none of that new wave Zooropa/Pop crap is on here. There's actually very little I can say about this album. Every song on this compilation is phenomenal, save maybe "The Unforgettable Fire". And I love the remix of "The Sweetest Thing". Now that's electronica done right, baybee.
Probably the best thing about this album is the much better sound quality. U2 remastered all of the old tracks from the original analog masters, and old songs spring to life with vibrance and energy that they lacked before. "Pride" in particular is a HUGE improvement over the original CD, and even sounds better than the $30 Ultradisc. You really cannot go wrong with this purchase. Sure, I'd like to see "Gloria" or "Bullet the Blue Sky" on here instead of "The Unforgettable Fire", but that's minor griping, and that song is OK. I just find it a bit odd that nothing off October was included.
Oh, and another thing. They put the lousy radio version of "New Years Day" on here. The version off of War is uncut, and in my opinion, far superior (except for the sound quality). The radio version clips the end of the song, and loops "I will be with you again". Which wouldn't be so bad if it had been edited with any competency. Which it wasn't. The song sounds so fake when that loop sets in. Those annoyances not withstanding, this is a fine addition to any rock collection. There, I did it. I gave a U2 album a great rating. That wasn't so painful, was it? Buy it.
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COMMENTS
PAT! YOU KNOW THAT I SOMETIMES LIKE YOUR REVIEWS BUT I DON'T LIKE YOUR ZOOROPA BASHING! I HEARD OF IT IN '93 DAMN IT! YOU ETHIER A PRINDLE( A DISGUSTING PERV!) OR GEORGE( BORING OLD FART) I DON'T GO INTO THESE GUYS ANYMORE I LIKE YOU GUYS BETTER WITH YOUR COLORS YELLOW MARKS THE 60'S GREEN MARKS THE 70'S ORANGE MARKS THE 80'S GRAY MARKS THE 90'S. ON TO THE U2 SONGS!
1.PRIDE: U2'S FIRST HIT. GUITARS RING. VOCALS RING.
2.NEW YEAR'S DAY: THE EDGE'S GUITAR'S RING RING RING! CHIKA CHIKA CHIKA! THEN LAUNCHES INTO A SOLO! THE EDGE'S IS NOT AS FLASHY AS SATRIANI OR BLUESY LIKE CLAPTON BUT HE PLAY'S LIKE HE WAS INFLUENCED BY FLOYD'S RUN LIKE HELL
3.WITH OR WITHOUT YOU: SYNTHS CHIRP AS BONO SINGS HUSHLY THEN RAISES!
4.SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY: TATATATA!TATATA! MAN! LOUD LIVE DRUMS! BONO SCREAMS! EDGE'S GUITAR SNARLS! THE PRODUCTION IS RAW CLEAR AND KINDA HAVE A LOW BUDGET FEEL!
5.I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR: LONG TITLE I SAW THE MOVIE RATTLE AND HUM WHERE THE BAND NEEDS A GOSPEL VERSION.
6.BAD: NO IT IS NOT THAT BAD. THE TALE OF DRUG ADDITION. IT HS BEEN A CONCERT STAPLE. I THOUGHT THE GUITAR SOUND THE EDGE PLAYED WAS IN A COMMERCIAL! BUT I DEGRESS. BONO DOES THE VOCAL DUTIES AND I LIKED THE WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDE AWAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SCREAMS! THE BEST.
7.WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO NAME: STARTS QUIET AS THE AN ORGAN SWELLS SOFTLY BUT THEN I HEAR THE EDGE! RING RING RING RING RING! CHICK CHICK CHICK CHIK CHIK! MAN! I LOVE THAT SOUND! IT 'S LIKE BELL'S RUNG LOUDLY! I LOVE THE VIDEO ! BONO AND THE BOYS PLAYING IN A CONCERT LET IT BE STYLE! THE BEST!
8. I WILL FOLLOW!: 1234 RING! TOOM TOOM TOOM! MAN! I LOVE THAT SONG: IT IS THE EARLY'S 80'S AND ROCK WAS SLUMPING! FOR U2 A SHOT IN THE ARM IN ROCK IS NEEDED! COLLAGE FANS FLOCKED TO SEE U2! MAN THE SONG IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ADDICTING! THE BEST. A FUCKING STAPLE!
9.THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE: YOU DID NOT METION IT VERY WELL THE TITLE HIT FROM THE 1984 ALBUM HAS THE FEEL OF BOTH A MYSTICAL JOURNEY AND A SYNTH POP HIT! SYNTHS CHIRP! GUITAR ECHOES! AND THE DRUMS POUND! BONO ALSO SINGS FALSETTO!
10.THE SWEETEST THING: YEAH! A POP SONG THAT IS NOT TOO BUBBLEGUMMY! BONO SOARS! EDGE SOARS! THE MUSIC HAS A FEEL LIKE SOME 1969 POP HIT.
11.DESIRE: ON TO RATTLE AND HUM THIS SHROT BUT SWEET ROCKER SHOWS THE BOYS IN A ROCK MOOD!
12.LOVE COMES TO TOWN: BLUESY CLAPTON -LIKE SONG HAS B.B. KING!
13.ANGEL OF HARLEM: SOUNDS LIKE CHICAGO BLUES ON THAT ONE!
14.ALL I WANT IS YOU/OCTOBER: ENDING THE BEST OF WAS A SWEET LOVE BALLADS BUT ALSO ENDS ON A WEIRD NOTE SINCE THERE ARE NO TRACKS FROM OCTOBER I HEAR THE TITLE CUT. STRANGE.
ANYHOW THANKS PAT!
(Nick Karn's review)
U2 hinted that this album would be a return to their old style, and in many ways it definitely is. But more importantly, the band has figured out a way to merge the 'experimental' elements of their 90's sound with their unique, majestic and beautiful 80's one. The tones and rhythms of the former are still there, but only as a minor accentuation of the sound that never gets in the way. The most important factors that really make the songs come alive, though, are that the melodies are all good, often even great, plus the heavenly, vintage ringing guitar tone of The Edge is featured prominently on most of the songs, and Bono reminds us just how exceptional his vocals and lyrics were in U2's glory days. These positives leave an undeniable emotional impact on every song here, and all of them are well-written - as a result this is one of their most consistent albums, with hardly a weak track here at all.
Lead single "Beautiful Day" is a quintessential moment here to open the record, with all the aspects I mentioned in full force, featuring a positively wonderful bridge, but that's only scratching the surface. "Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of" may be the ultimate highlight (though hard to tell, since the song quality here is very even in a great way) - fine lyrics dealing with the burden of creativity ('I'm just trying to find a decent melody...'), the album's most incredible chorus melody, and a warm pop atmosphere. "Elevation" may be the best uptempo track of their career, being extremely singable and unforgettable, beating out a few fine predecessors in that department like "Discotheque" and "The Fly". "Walk On", meanwhile, is pure majestic bliss not heard since The Joshua Tree, with a refrain that brings the song to an incredible end.
"Kite", meanwhile, has all the majesty needed in order to live up to its' title musically, and "In A Little While" is a fine bluesy number that closes out the first side in a worthwhile fashion, completing one of the band's most successful stretches of songs, gaining momentum for the nearly as effective second half, which begins with the pretty, folkish tune "Wild Honey". "Peace On Earth", despite its' sort of trite title, is also highly melodic, and, well, peaceful, for lack of a better word. "When I Look At The World" is another quite good reflective number, "New York" really conveys the nighttime atmosphere of the city effectively in the music - starting off as a midtempo technoish ballad before breaking away as a hard-hitting rocker, and "Grace" brings the album to a beautiful stripped down conclusion. Overall, this record in my view lives up to its' 'comeback' status and more, as every single song here has a beautiful feel to it in some way or another, and definitely the closest thing there is to a 'representative' U2 album.
It's a beautiful day, folks. Lovely hot Texas weather, partly cloudy, a nice breeze from the south....ahhh. However, this is NOT The Weather Channel---this is MJA, dangit! I'm coming back now from a 2-month break from reviewing, and what better to come back with than U2? I used to dislike U2 actually. I thought there were kinda dull, to be honest. However, we all grow up, and our tastes in music do too. And now U2 is easily my favorite band of the past 20 years, and maybe my favorite band period. However, this is not all that odd---U2's got plenty of fans and affecionados. Yeah, call me mainstream.....
At any rate, this is their latest release, but you all know that. You know how it was a massive comeback that sparked a huge tour and a surge of new love for and interest in the band. It helped give Bono a platform to address world issues from, and U2 right now may be the biggest act in the world. Based on the music, it is no wonder why they became so big again. This one is moving, deep, and rich, but also optimistic, bright, and fun. Like the opening track says, "it's a beautiful day." Bono and the boys have bright outlooks on life, and it shows. I mean, how much more upbeat can you get than Beautiful Day? It's anthemic, but it unites in its sweeping sense of human optimism. Furthermore, the exultation of Elevation is simply wonderful. It's not just a lyrical thing, either----even the music feels like it's been washed in sunshine and recorded to be uplifting.
However, there is more to life than atmosphere. Fortunately, U2 recalled this, and accordingly, Bono's lyrics are refreshingly intelligent and relevant. The Edge's guitarwork is wonderful as always, and the good ole rhythm section is nice as well, even if I wish that Larry Mullen drummer character would play more like he did on War. Everything on this album works, and it works well. It's a great comeback by a great band.
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COMMENTS
I'm still letting this one grow on me, but right now i can say one thing: Thank GOD Bono and crew got their collective pompus heads out of their asses and went back to doing what they do well. I'm talking about ringing, delayed arpeggios and soaring vocals. None of that dance crap on Pop or complete songs of electronic noise on Zooropa.
Now, there still is an element of electronica here, but i'm going to go against everybody else by saying it is almost nonexistant compared to Zooropa and Pop, and MUCH better integrated. Almost to the point that the machines dont even seem like they're there. And man, i just cant get over what a perfect pop melody "Beautiful Day" is. So much so that i havent even given the rest of an album too much of a listen yet. What a great song that is! Hey, i'm Mr. Negative, but everytime i hear that song it makes me feel almost HAPPY. Almost happy to the point of accepting rapmetal's place in history. If that doesnt amaze the hell out of you, what will?
Right now, i'd give this album an 8, but bear in mind i havent listened to the ENTIRE album more than 3 or 4 times, so that rating may change if i ever get around to writing a review.
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