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octobermagic

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Oct 27, 2004
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Hi all, I was just curious about something I was thinking about today and figured I'd throw it out there.

In the time U2 have been around, has anyone ever put out a better set of two albums back to back than The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby? I mean even to non ardent fans, these two albums have to be considered absolute classics. The only pair I could think of that could be a possible answer would've been Pearl Jam's first two albums.

Am I missing any, or were they they best?
 
Pick any duo from Rubber Soul/Revolver/Sgt. Pepper/White Album.

Edit: Oh, you wanted some contemporaries. Sorry. ^_^
 
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Not really. I see it as more of a quasi soundtrack/collection, if you will. I'm talking about proper studio albums.
 
R.E.M.: Lifes Rich Pageant & Document
or Out of Time & Automatic for the People

Radiohead: The Bends & OK Computer

Pearl Jam: (personally I prefer the one-two of Vitalogy and No Code--the first album is WAY too overproduced for me)

The Replacements: Let It Be & Tim & Pleased to Meet Me

Pavement: All 5 albums are classics

The Cure: Head on the Door & Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me

The Afghan Whigs: Gentlemen & Black Love & 1965

Bjork: EVERYTHING

Underworld: Second Toughest in the Infants & Beaucoup Fish

The Clash: First 4 albums through Sandinista

the list goes on...

(Wait, did you say BETTER than JT & AB? Oh, forget what I wrote above).

laz
 
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I dont think any surpass JT and AB as a combo but there are definitely some IMO that are equal to me at least in terms of staying power and meaning.

Radiohead - Ok Computer & Kid A
Oasis - Definitely Maybe & Whats the Story Morning Glory
Nirvana - Nevermind & In Utero (Incesticide was a compilation)
The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead & Strangeways...
 
Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet + New Jersey

Rush - Permanent Waves + the next album (I forgot if it was Power Windows or Moving Pictures)

Avril Lavigne - her first two albums

Cheers,

J
 
octobermagic said:
Not really. I see it as more of a quasi soundtrack/collection, if you will. I'm talking about proper studio albums.
Click to expand...


You cant just dismiss Rattle and Hum. Sure there where a few covers but it gave us unbelievable tunes like Desire, Heartland God Part 2 Angel of Harlem and All I Want is You!!

Theres no way you can skip from Joshua Tree to Achtung Baby, Rattle and Hum is there right where it should be:yes: :yes:
 
theedge111 said:



You cant just dismiss Rattle and Hum. Sure there where a few covers but it gave us unbelievable tunes like Desire, Heartland God Part 2 Angel of Harlem and All I Want is You!!

Theres no way you can skip from Joshua Tree to Achtung Baby, Rattle and Hum is there right where it should be:yes: :yes:
Click to expand...

Its still not a proper studio album, its a compilation of live tracks and some studio work.
 
bonosleftone said:


and was marketed as a soundtrack to a film...
Click to expand...


Very True, but 11 new tracks is pretty solid and standard for a U2 album. I just dont think you can say that Achtung Baby was recorded back to back with the Joshua Tree. They did Rattle and Hum, the Love Town Tour, and then went away "to dream it all up" again.
 
Yeah, you definitely can't skip Rattle and Hum. Just ridiculous.

For me, the best would be The Bends & OK Computer.
 
theedge111 said:



Very True, but 11 new tracks is pretty solid and standard for a U2 album. I just dont think you can say that Achtung Baby was recorded back to back with the Joshua Tree. They did Rattle and Hum, the Love Town Tour, and then went away "to dream it all up" again.
Click to expand...

Still though, The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby were both created entirely in studio. Rattle and Hum was created during the Joshua Tree tour. It's essentially a live album more than anything else.

Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby are pure studio albums and ALL unique material. Rattle and Hum is a hodgepodge and an entirely different kind of animal complete with covers and previously issued material. It shouldnt count in this regard.
 
But the numbers alone say that its not a "live album" There are more studio tracks than live and covers combined. Its a U2 album, all be it alittle different.:)
 
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Smashing Pumpkins- Siamese Dream and Meloncollie and the Infinite Sadness (Pices Iscariot was a outtakes/b-sides album)
Radiohead- The Bends and OK Computer
Third Eye Blind- Self titled and Blue
For U2 I'd vouch for Boy and October or October and War
R.E.M.- Monster and New Adventures in Hi-Fi (Monster started the hard rock sound, and NAIHF honed it).
 
theedge111 said:
But the numbers alone say that its not a "live album" There are more studio tracks than live and covers combined. Its a U2 album, all be it alittle different.:)
Click to expand...

I agree. Aside from this, I think of it in the context of how U2 didn't just go from Project A to Project B with no steps in between. Even if you don't consider Rattle and Hum a "real" album in the traditional sense, it was another stepping stone between The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby.

That said, JT and AB are both phenomenal albums that stand among some of the greatest albums ever made, and for U2 to have made them within such a short span of time is quite a feat.
 
other back to back releases that were both huge commercial hits and criticly acclaimed durring u2's career that i can think of...

eminem- the marshall mathers LP & the eminem show
pearl jam- ten & vs.
michael jackson- off the wall & thriller & bad
prince- 1999 & purple rain
REM- out of time & automatic for the people

that's about all that i can think of... sure britney and n'sync and all that crap had huge commercial back to back sales, but they weren't exactly blowing away the critics... well... maybe britney was doing some bl... never mind.
 
U2_Muse said:


I agree. Aside from this, I think of it in the context of how U2 didn't just go from Project A to Project B with no steps in between. Even if you don't consider Rattle and Hum a "real" album in the traditional sense, it was another stepping stone between The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby.

That said, JT and AB are both phenomenal albums that stand among some of the greatest albums ever made, and for U2 to have made them within such a short span of time is quite a feat.
Click to expand...

Thanx Muse :)
 
theedge111 said:
But the numbers alone say that its not a "live album" There are more studio tracks than live and covers combined.
Click to expand...
Not to mention that, if you compare bootleg versions of some of the performances (especially "All Along the Watchtower" and "I Still Haven't Found...") with the ones on the album, you'll wonder how much of the "live" tracks was done in a studio too.
 
bonosleftone said:


and was marketed as a soundtrack to a film...
Click to expand...

It was? :huh: Hmm...how did I miss that? I even got the album, but I never remember the film. Either that or it wasn't all that memorable to me. When I read people talking about it, I just figured it was something done later (when I wasn't so into them). Hmmm....

Really great back to back studio albums?

Art of Fighting's Wires and Second Storey

not well known, but wonderful work.
 
I have to go with Oasis(difinitely maybe and what's the story..) and R.E.M.(out of time and automatic for the people)
But, those weren't so good and sold as good as jt and ab.
And you must dissmiss Rattle and Hu(n)m becuse it is a joke!! no really, it was made wright after JT in like 5 minutes. Sooo, Joshua and Achtung are BEST BACK TO BACK ALBUMS.

I have a question: How come that U2 and REM made their best album in the begining of nineties(not sure when was Automatc for the people made) and they cooperated after it??????
Isn't that curious??? 2 greatest rock bands in present time!!!

And what's best about it, it's the timing. Freddy Mercury died in 1991, so Queen eliminated themselves from the list of greatest rock bands now.
 
I think Rattle and Hum is amazing.... It's the Rubber Soul of U2. It has great new songs at the time, awesove live tracks, and Edge's singing rules. He sings greatly.

SMB
 
These are the 2 best album from these bands IMO:


Pink Floyd: The Dark Side Of The Moon & The Wall
Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin III & Led Zeppelin IV
John Lennon: Plastic Ono Band & Imagine
Travis: The Man Who & The Invisible Band
Genesis: A Trick Of The Tail & The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
Yes: Close To The Edge & Fragile
Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel III & Us ( or Up )
Radiohead: The Bends & Ok Computer


:cool:
 
-Matchbox Twenty (Yourself or someone like you AND mad season)
-Oasis (Be Here Now AND Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants [the masterplan will not be counted])
-Travis (The Invisible Band AND 12 Memories)
-Tom Petty (Echo AND The Last DJ)
 
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