Good God ALL THAT YOU CAN'T LEAVE BEHIND is brilliant!!!

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cobl04

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Inspired by the uplifting thread, where I expressed me fondness for this album, I felt a need, no a duty, to tell everyone. This is my favourite U2 album because it is so uplifting. It really makes me angry that some people think that it (and HTDAAB) are U2-by-the-numbers because they aren't. They may be some similar mannerisms, but so what? They are both sensational albums. If U2 was copying themselves, they'd makes songs likes 'Where The Streets Have Names' and 'I Found What I Was Looking For'. Give the albums a chance to grow on you. I listened to Achtung Baby for about as fortnight non-stop, no other U2 song during that time (not even COBL) and that's what got me into it. I was disappointed to break the bond. Give these albums a chance.

Anyway.

Beautiful Day - Absolutely amazing, especially live. This song is one of the most uplifting songs because it's just so happy all the way through. And the lyrics paint a picture of goodness coming through bad - 'the heart is a bloom, shoots up through the stony ground...'

Stuck - So underrated. This is very very uplifting as well, with a terrific flasetto outro. This always cheers me up as well, if I can sit through the intro. 'It's just a moment, this time will pass...'

Elevation - Great rocker, energetic, and improves so much live. So easy to sing along too, which makes it even more enjoyable. 'A mole, digging up my soul...'

Walk On - Has to be the single most uplifting song ever, everything about it is great, I loved it on Slane as they walked off. I love when the guitar kicks in after the intro. 'All that fashion, all that you make, all that you build and all that you break...'

Kite - I read out the lyrics to this song when we spread my grandfather's ashes on the weekend. This was the first song I listened to when he passed away, and it is so beautiful, it makes me cry. 'I'm a maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan, I'm not a child...'

In A Little While - Hated it at first, but now love it. The third verse/bridge is so emotional, and makes the song even better. 'A man dreams one day to fly/a man takes a rocketship into the skies/he lives on a star that's dying in the night/and follows in the trail the scatter of light..."

Wild Honey - So uplifting and so much fun it sounds like they had a good time recording this. Was it ever performed live? I don't know why people knock this. 'If you go there with me, wild honey, you can do just what you please, wild honey...'

Peace on Earth - I have always liked this. The chorus is sung so well, and the lyrics are very meaningful. 'Jesus sing this song you wrote, the words are sticking in my throat...'

When I Look At The World - Also so cruelly underrated, the guitar is so good, as is the chorus but the best part is the third verse/bridge. This is really amazing. Was it preformed live? 'I can't wait any longer, I can't wait till I'm stronger...'

New York - I hated this too at first but now I love it. I love the quiet then the 'new york, new yooooork' part. And the verses are great to sing too. Plus it just sounds great. 'In the stillness of the evening, when the sun has had it's day, I hear your voice a-whispering, come away child, new yoooork...'

Grace - This does not deserve all the criticism it gets. It is the weakest track, but it does have it's moments. The 'she carries a world on hips' to 'because grace makes beauty of ugly things' is really nice. It is sung well, and the music is soothing, like a lullaby. 'And when she goes into work, you can hear her strings because grace finds beauty in everything...'

The Ground Beneath Her Feet - My version has it, and while it's not exactly uplifting, it's in my top 10 U2 songs. It's such a good song, sung well, guitar and rhythm great, and when it explodes at 2:30 is awesome. Have a listen to the instrumental, it's fantastic. 'For what I worshipped, stole my love away, it was the ground beneath her feet...'

What's not to like about this album? It is simply amazing. Considering I hated it first and now I love it is good. Officially my favourite album.

All you All That you Can't Leave Behind (and 2000 era) lovers come and discuss. Yes, the 2000 era deserves to be recognised as its own, not the 80's.
 
You love In A Little While now? Quite a turnaround:p It has always been one of my favourite tracks on the album...you are right its a sevrely underrated album...and as you said it is great for a pick me up when you're down.:up:
 
ATYCLB is a brillant album

Beautiful Day- 4.5
Stuck- 4.5
Elevation- 4.5
Walk On- 5
Kite- 4.5
In A Little While- 4.5
Wild Honey- 4
Peace On Earth- 4.5
When I look at the world- 4.5
New York- 4.5
Grace- 3.5
TGBHF- 4.5

As I said the album is brillant not one bad track, and Walk On is easily in my top ten songs, deserves the rank as my 4th favourite U2 album
 
COBL_04 said:


New York - I hated this too at first but now I love it. I love the quiet then the 'new york, new yooooork' part. And the verses are great to sing too. Plus it just sounds great. 'In the stillness of the evening, when the sun has had it's day, I hear your voice a-whispering, come away child, new yoooork...'



I always have loved that song. It really does sound great! :love:
 
The Nice Mix of New York is brilliant though..i dont mind the album version.
 
Yep, brill album. One of my faves. Very spiritual, I find, and I'm not that sort of person. IALW is pure genius, as is Stuck (don't care what anyone says) and Kite.
 
Absolutely a GREAT album, with GREAT songs ...

These are my faves in particular ...

Beautiful Day :up:
Elevation :dancing:
Walk On :bow:
Kite :applaud:
Peace On Earth :heart:
When I Look At The World :hug:
New York :love:
The Ground Beneath Her Feet :drool:
 
Fantastic album. Wrongly criticized as 'weak' by people who think there's been nothing good since Pop or AB or JT or War. The only weak songs on it, IMO, are Grace & New York. Stuck isn't the most musically challenging song, but it's great because of its flow and lyrics. To fully appreciate the album as a whole, it may take repeated listening of the whole album straight through---but hey, that's what worked for me with JT many years ago when I thought the only good songs on it were Streets, ISHFWILF, and WOWY. I have since seen the light. :wink:

If I were to go through each song & give my praise, it'd take forever! Kite is the best. Beautiful Day is great if for nothing else than the fact that it instantly became a member of U2's most recognized/identifying core anthems.

As I've said...great album.
 
I am one of the people that sometimes criticizes ATYCLB and HTDAAB. But I only do that because I really loved it when I had no idea of where U2 would go next and they would release albums that were challenging and surprising. Now I feel like they are too reined in and that some of the surprise and experimentation is gone.

That said, I think they are great albums and I don't like people constantly saying that they are weak. They're not. I believe that the first half of ATYCLB is among the bands very best work.

Beautiful Day :drool: :drool:
Elevation :drool:
Walk On :drool:
Kite :drool:
In a Little While :drool: :drool:

While this may sound contradictory, but I am more upset by the bands direction and not the albums they make. I want them to make something completely unrelated to ATYCLB and HTDAAB now. But I will always treasure these two albums.
 
Terrific album, far stronger than The Bomb. Has all kinds of richness and depth, styles that vary greater than any other U2 album, and its loaded with sleepers like When I Look, Kite, and In A Little While.

Walk On is the best song they've done since 2000, hands down.
 
I think walk on is the best song they've released since ab. ALTYCLB is a truly underrated album, it has a lot of good songs, that may not be necessarily great, but good.
Beautiful Day
Stuck in a moment
elevation
walk on
kite
in a little while
wild honey
new york
:drool: :drool: :drool: :drool:
 
ATYCLB is definitely one of U2's best albums. Very melodic, indeed. I would only call New York a weak song. I'm not a big Beautiful Day lover either, but the rest of the songs on that album are :drool:
 
ATYCLB it's probably my #8 or #9 album but yeah, I still love it. It helps me many times and it has an huge message and feeling.

ATYCLB it's probably the most underrated album in this board.

My favourites? Walk on and Kite, top 10 songs for me. Walk on it's the best song of the 00's!!

I also love When I look at the world and New York (yeah! :rockon:)

I only dislike Stuck and Wild Honey, they annoy me :scratch:
 
The only truly weak spot, I've decided, is "Grace." Since it's the closer, that sort of leaves a bad taste in my mouth. You really have to start strong and end strong to make a classic album.
 
In the UK the closer is The Ground Beneath Her Feet, which is better, I think, but I do feel towards the end it tails off a bit, whereas with Bomb it remains fairly strong. I can't say which is better because I happen to think they're not very similar and they both have strengths and weaknesses.

I wish more people appreciated Stuck though - without that song I wouldn't be where I am now, maybe. That and Walk On. If I ever meet U2 they'll be getting big thanks from me! ;)
 
Underrated big time on this board. Better than Bomb imo. Still, can't hold a candle to Boy, War, JT, AB, Pop, etc.

Contrary to what people will say, Stuck is, imo, the best song on the record, along with When I Look At The World. Stuck might be the best/catchiest pure pop song U2 have ever written/recorded, despite the syrupy production.
 
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