ATYCLB - a year later...

[Saracene]

Well, for me it's been a year of discovering U2's back catalogue, and at the end ATYCLB is still my favourite album. I neglected it a bit for a few months, because I was busy discovering JT, POP, AB, etc., but now I'm back to my first love and I adore it more than a year ago,

ATYCLB doesn't have the ethereal majesty of JT, or the dark energy of AB, or the tasty weirdness of Zooropa, or the gripping confusion of POP. What it DOES have is some of the very best songs U2 have ever written, some of which have become very personal to me in a way that no other album's songs have.

 

[Achtung Bubba]

Originally posted by oliveu2cm:
After reading Achtung_Bebe's (i believe) analysis of NY i love that one too...

Close enough.

I thought the album was great from the first day, and it has somehow become even greater. It's aging like fine wine, with the events in Bono's life, the Elevation tour, and the terrorist attacks bringing even more out of the songs.

At least in my mind, it's moving from greatness to that higher pinnacle: perfection.

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- Achtung Bubba

I believe in truth, beauty, freedom, and -- above all things -- love.

 

[U2girl]

Originally posted by mug222:
How about the Stuck/Walk On/Kite/In a Little While/Wild Honey quintet?

[This message has been edited by mug222 (edited 10-23-2001).]

LOL. Yes!

Actually, to be honest, to me this is the only U2 album where i can't pick out a stand out song.
The "quintet" is amazing, and i can't forget the energy of BD, the softness of WILATW.

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"That's why i still love playing live in a rock'n'roll band. There's just this feeling of this thing could just about do anything..." - Edge

"Something inside said this could be everything in your life." - Bono

"U2 as a band does things no one else can do. I think that is a very powerful thing." - Larry

"Adam believed in the band before anyone did." - Bono

 

[Zoo Station]

What else can I say other than I am still listening to it every day a year after it has been released. I like it even more than when it was released and it is definitely on of the three U2 masterpieces (the others being JT and AB).

While obviously being a return to their 80s sound, it sounds fresh and has a modern sheen. It sounds like a mixture of mainly JT, some of UF (the synths and strings) and a slight bit of AB in certain aspects of the production.

However, it also has something new that U2 have not done before. It is a very pure, beautiful and uplifting album. The theme throughout is life can be bad but cheer up. It is certainly their most diverse album as well - there are epics/ballads (Walk On, Stuck, Kite, Peace On Earth), catchy "single"-type tracks (BD, Wild Honey, IALW, WILATW) and even some hard-rockers (Elevation and New York). I have also always liked Grace - it's a perfect way to end a classic album. There is a clear song-by-song quality that makes it a classic album and I can't find any weak links. A lot of the songs will go done as being amongst their best ever tracks which is incredible for a band who were at their peak in the late80s/early 90s. In fact the sales figures show they have returned to that peak.

The best tracks? BD - JT-era U2, wonderful song with Edge's guitar and Eno's synths in full bloom. Stuck - a new style of song for the band with Larry providing some of his best drumming ever. The tune comes first not the production. Elevation - Catchy, funkier, harder rocking U2 at their best. Walk On - a truly beautiful epic with one of the best guitar solos I have ever heard. Kite - A reminder of their old sound while sounding new at the same time. IALW - Old sound with modern production and hip-hop drum loop. New York - UF during verses meets AB during chorus. WILATW - arguably U2s best guitar solo ever.