HTDAAB: Better than JT?

[dabiggestu2fan]

To me the standings are as follows

1. AB (listen about 4-6 times a month for many years now) 10/10
2. JT (listen to maybe 2 times a month) 9.5/10
3. HTDAAB (currently listen to 100+ times this month!) 9/10
4. Ratle and Hum (listen about once every 2 months) 9/10
5. POP (listen about once every few months) 8/10
6. Zooropa (listen maybe once every 6 months) 7/10
7. ATYCLB (same as Zooropa) 7/10
8. War (lately been listening to about 2 times a month) 7/10
9. Unforgetable Fire (once in a while 1-2 times a year) 6/10
10. Boy (hardly listen to it only when in mood) 6/10
11. October (never really got into this album yet) 6/10

There is how they are currently ranked for me. As you can see HTDAAB is in my top three but AB and JT still beat it even by a hair!

 

[Macfistowannabe]

Lets see...

I love both The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby and they are classics, but...

As far as the production on this album, it's better than anything else, probably with the help of all the best U2 producers involved. All That You Can't Leave Behind was a good album, but for non-fans, they might've thought of it as "soccer mom music" or whatver, because of all the ballads, and what not. I identify with the fans that wanted How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb to be the record in 2000, but they probably had to take the mainstream approach to get back on top.

This record wasn't as hard and grungy as Achtung Baby, but I knew not to be so foolish as to expect that. If I would compare it to any other U2 album, I would think it's similar to The Unforgettable Fire - very free with guitars, effects, and musically free-spirited. I think it's WAY better than UF because it's not so blurry, and song after song is INCREDIBLE. No songs I feel the need to skip.

The Joshua Tree was a great record for its time, and the production was good for its time too. But the album every four years rule has put enough pressure on the band to make the best record possible, and the time spent on this record was well spent.

Achtung Baby is awesome, no doubt there are no-skip songs on it. I probably just don't have a taste for all the tapping in it, but other than that, beautiful.

How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb has to be the most tasteful U2 album to date in my opinion. WOW! I am amazed.

 

[dabiggestu2fan]

only song i skip in ab
is
TTTYAATW
once in a while

 

[dARKSTAr64]

I don't want to pull out the "I've been a fan since" thing, but as awesome as AB is, JT is U2's defining recording and always will be. People seem to forget that U2 appeared on the cover of Time and Newsweek magazines on the same week after JT was released, both are not music mags. JT changed the sound not only of U2, but music. All of the sudden, there were all of these bands that seemed to be trying to imitate the sound that U2 captured on JT. As we get farther away from the Joshua Tree years, a lot of perspective is lost especially from fans who only know the band from AB forward, Pop forward, etc; and what JT meant to music in general is lost. It was the first great rock album since Springsteen's "Born in the USA" and really came at a time when music felt dead. Similiar, and this is the only comparison that seems to fit, to how Nirvana's Nevermind came out and revitalized a musical form that was on life support.

That is why, even though I love AB to pieces, it can never hold the top spot for me. Music wasn't in the same sad shape it was when JT came out. It didn't surprise me that they had another classic in them; it didn't surprise me when Bomb came out cause I knew another classic was in them. I know that another classic is in them now, and still yet another. Though it was like mkjc said, JT is U2's Sgt. Pepper. Maybe AB is U2's Rubber Soul (which is a classic, and a wonderful compliment to AB) and maybe Bomb will be U2's Abbey Road or something. However, the only one that changed music was Joshua Tree. From bands that copied the sound, to bands that tried to copy the feel of their concerts, to bands that tried to incorporate what they saw as the 'roots rock' feel of U2. And that is exactly what made AB so great, was that it was SUCH a departure from what we had heard on JT and R&H. If there wouldn't have been JT, U2 wouldn't have made AB, Zooropa, etc. It's that simple.

I'm not trying to be condescending here, but I've been a fan (a US fan, so probably fans from other parts of the world see their evolution differently) since I heard U2-3 on local college radio way before Boy came out, and this is how I see it and why I see Joshua Tree as absolutely and undeniably their greatest recording.

 

[jick]

Just rechecked this thread a started now...

WOW!

So many passionate replies and so many varying replies.

HTDAAB beats JT but not AB.

HTDAAB beats AB but not JT.

HTDAAB is right up there with AB and JT.

AB and JT are untouchable but HTDAAB is right in the next tier.

I honestly expected a resounding "No, HTDAAB can't touch JT and AB" but that's not what I got. Despite the varying replies, I guess the verdict is clear... HTDAAB makes a strong case and only time will tell.

Thanks for all your contributions and replies.

Cheers,

J

 

[Aardvark747]

Just rechecked this thread a started now...

WOW!

So many passionate replies

Isnt this always the case with replies to your threads Jick?!

 

[jick]

Isnt this always the case with replies to your threads Jick?!

Hmm ... I should have qualified it to "passionate replies with reason."

Most of my threads get "passionate replies with all passion and zero reason."

Cheers,

J

 

[JulioArca]

What is the horrid song??

Oh and by the way, I was just thinking today that, although it will take some time to tell, HTDAAB certainly has the potential to surpass both JT and AB (my current favourite). The telling will really be with I consider the "meaty" tracks of the album. Every LP has the few good songs, a catchy single or two but its the quality of the latter half of the album that really makes it or breaks it for me. We'll see!!

This is a very good point. JTs second part is slightly overrated imho, whereas the last 3 songs on AB and POP are brilliant songs that you won't find in the charts, but show a different side to u2.

As for the Bomb, the first part is tremendous and catchy, Im still 'working' on the second part in order to compaer with my two favourite albums, AB and POP.