1. The Joshua Tree - only 'One' from Achtung Baby comes close to the first 3 tracks on TJT. And after 'One', there isn't even a song on AB that matches 'Running To Stand Still', one of U2's top 5 songs. The Joshua Tree, thus, has arguably 4 of U2's top 5 songs on its first half alone. And then the second half. This is where TJT turns from majesty to pure beauty with songs like 'One Tree Hill' and 'Mothers of the Disappeared', and of course, 'Red Hill'. And 'Streets' is the greatest opening of any rock album ever recorded, and possibly the greatest live song of all time (have you ever before seen 80,000 people all manage to agree on one thing? At a live U2 stadium concert, it happens every night).
2. Achtung Baby - From start to finish, it plays music at a very high level. Not quite to the level of TJT, individual song wise, but as an album never has U2 managed to put 12 songs together with such a perfect flow. 'One' is up there with 'Streets' as being arguably their best song of all time. And the rest of the songs have a certain hopeful melancholy, a continuity that binds the album together against all the soldiers of love...creating a sort of poetic call to arms - and finally a truce (though a broken truce, like L. Cohen's "broken hallelujah")...a truce with a sigh - on this battlefield of the heart known as Achtung Baby.
3. The Unforgettable Fire - More like a battle field of humanity this time, here's an album where Bono becomes not just a political conscience, but now a spiritual conscience for a generation. Far removed from anything going on at the time, this is the pure U2 album, the album that seemed to have the least influences. This is as close as we will ever get to U2, the essence. The title track, as beautiful as 'Running To Stand Still'. And 'Bad' sees Bono reaching his emotive voice. We can literally feel his emotion as it seeps into ours. And this is where, after the Live Aid performance, U2 grabbed a hold of our psyche in a way no marketing strategy would have ever been able to. And they were now ready to become the biggest band in the universe, as far as were all concerned.
4. Rattle and Hum - Criminally underrated by almost everyone. How could any album with the poetry and atmosphere of 'Heartland', the romantic grandness of 'All I Want Is You', the effortless 60s pop of 'Desire' and 'Angel of Harlem', the foreshadowing of God Part II', the earthiness of 'Van Dieman's Land', the angst of 'Silver and Gold', the plaintive tones of 'Love Rescue Me', with some top notch live performances, NOT be respected? U2 have not since been able to replicate the natural, effortless sounding heights of soul like they did on 'Angel of Harlem'. And Bono's voice was at its most flexible. He could sing in any way he wanted on this record, hitting falsettos in the same breath as a scream. To this albums credit, even the worst studio song on the album, 'Hawk-moon 269', would have U2 fans convulsing in ecstasy if released today. What an underrated album! Not to mention the lyrics are some of Bono's most poetic (while still remaining literal) to date. "....eyes in the moon of blindness / a river in a time of dryness / a harbour in the tempest" Wow.
Just realized this closes out my favourite period of U2 - 1984-1991.
5. ATYCLB - The first 7 tracks are the longest stretch of pure melody on any U2 album. What ranks this album ahead of Bomb for me is the feeling it gives me....yes, the joy. U2 were hoping to create joy on this album, and that's what they managed to catch like lightening in a bottle. A lot of sunlight, and a really good vibe. That feeling does tail off after 'Wild Honey', but if it hadn't, this would have given Rattle and Hum a run for its money for the 4th position, maybe even for the 3rd.
6. Zooropa - The title track is so different yet still surprisingly ecstatic. And that's what this album is about: surprises. That's what I loved about it when I first heard it. It was so different, I was left surprised, almost stunned. The falsettos are everywhere, the instrumentation is sparkly, the rhythms are daring. This is more like the real punk rock on Venus....but it's probably even farther out. Industrial soul pop from Saturn...or maybe Pluto (now that it's no longer considered a planet).
7. Bomb - The highest number of good songs on one U2 album. But that's just the problem I have with this album. They're all just good songs. None are great. Unlike others, I have no problem with the album's flow. This album has the best flow since Achtung Baby. But it's lacking a song like 'One' or 'Pride', or even a 'Mysterious Ways'. Some of the songs sound like they're being sung simply because they're meant to be sung, rather than because they had to be sung, if that makes any sense (ie, 'All Because of You', 'A Man and a Woman', 'Yahweh'...). The songs here are all very well composed, put together well in a technical sense, however they lack the magic I feel on earlier U2 records. Even ATYCLB had a certain magic on many of the tracks. It's the feeling I'm missing. And that might be my problem, not U2's. I might be able to relate to this album more when I am older...but I can't help but feel this music is a bit flat in some places. That said, U2 prove they are accomplished musicians on this album, and songs such as 'Vertigo' and 'Original of the Species' shine when played live. And I love 'Crumbs from your Table'.
8. Boy - 'The Electric Company' is like rock opera from the heavens meets punk rock. I love how the songs on this album all seem to run together...almost like it's all one song with the glorious heights and breaks of lows during adolescence. This album is pure ambition, and the energy that this creates is what drives the songs. This is the sound of U2 deciding to jump off the cliff - and believing so much they can fly, you decide to jump off with them.
9. War - Hardest rocking album to date, but not rocking out in the sense of "for rocking out, man." More like urgency. A political urgency, maybe even a necessity - the sound of 4 kids who had to take on the things they didn't want in their world. 'Surrender' is one of their most underrated songs, and a hint of what was to come.
10. Pop - A few great songs ('Please', Gone', 'Velvet Dress'...), but too often suffers from unrealized potential. Not even sure if it's unfinished. I think U2 had the right idea, but not the right ideas, if that makes any sense. I also think that this album marks the change in songwriting direction for U2. This sounds more like traditional songwriting than Achtung Baby or Zooropa, and I believe this album has more in common with ATYCLB and Bomb than the aforementioned albums. The chord progressions, the tempo even, all sound pre-laid, overly thought-out. This I suppose could be the result of the type of music they were recording, with loops and samples....which would create more of an intellectual recording process. I just feel that some of the magic is lost, and if it hadn't been so laboured, the album might've been what their original idea would have hoped for. Still, some beautiful moments on this record. The arpeggios in 'Velvet Dress' seemingly carry you to the ether with each note, and let you drop like a feather, back and forth, into some other form of existence. I just wish this kind of magic had been allowed to come to the surface more often.
11. October - Too bad it had to be last. There are some brilliant moments on this record, such as the title track. How did they write that piano part at such a young age? There is considerable depth and maturity to this record. More than Boy, but Boy's energy and vision takes it up the rankings. October also has the song where U2 found their quintessential "silver" sound. I'm talking about 'Scarlet', of course. So simple, restrained and beautiful. Would have been a much better closer than 'Is That All?'...unless U2 was into irony much earlier than we all suspected.
Many of my rankings change depending on my mood at the time. I'm sure they will change again depending on what albums I'm listeing to....
As for Passengers, I think if we include it, then we should also include The Million Dollar Hotel soundtrack. Both were collaborations with Brian Eno and in some senses the latter was even more of a U2 album with Daniel Lanois in the fold. I would rank M$H just above Passengers. 'Stateless' is U2's most evocative song since 'Heartland' (in other words, The Joshua Tree recordings).
It deserves, at least to show that the album is worthy and that is not so incomplete and average as I hear so many times...
update later not that you guys care.
