Zooropa is a great album, very fresh, very alive, a great pop concept album. However, better than The Unforgettable Fire, you say????
My ranking:
1. The Joshua Tree (3 classic songs in the canon of music - has left an imprint on the landscape of music culture)
2. Achtung Baby (1 classic song in the canon of music...a great, cohesive work)
3. The Unforgettable Fire (it has 'Bad'...and of course a classic song in the canon of music)
4. Rattle and Hum (passionate, and several U2 classics...Bono at his vocal and lyrical peak)
5. ATYCLB (a great feel good, sunny album, with a couple big songs)
6. Zooropa (brightly lit with excitment and possibility, it still sounds as fresh today as it did 13 years ago)
7. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (the most "good to pretty good" songs on a U2 album)
8. Boy (reckless, fearless, believing in itself more than it doubts - proving that innocence is more powerful than experience)
9. War (attitude, and a couple classic U2 songs go a long way)
10. Pop (there's a hole in the bucket, dear Paul, dear Paul....but some excellent work here despite it missing something)
11. October (the title track and 'Scarlet' hint at the genius of this young band)