If HTDAAB had been released in 2000

[AEON]

It would have been considered an undeniable masterpiece by the critics who are lukewarm to it now.

Almost every review I read says that this album is better than ATYCLB, yet they rate it lower. It doesn't make sense. I wish people could just review the album as a self contained unit. I think they would find it much more enjoyable.

I think that this album and upcoming tour solidifies U2's place as one of the 3 greatest rock bands of all time (if they haven't already).

I have also noticed that many of the reviews focus on personalities and history and NOT on the music. Another annoyance.

U2 knows this is them at their best. Overall it seems the critics are giving this album an A-/B+. I believe the tour, the singles, and the general buzz of this album will have it remembered as an A+.

I also predict it will be their second best selling record after JT.

 

[rjhbonovox]

They did release it in 2000 but called it ATYCLB.

 

[rjhbonovox]

Maybe will be the second best selling of all time but will never ever rate above albums such as Achtung Baby or Pop or even Zooropa for that matter when the band were at their creative and inventive peak! Its U2 by numbers and I think they could do an album like this in their sleep.

 

[bono_man2002]

Australia would have missed A great tour....even though elevation was awsome and we missed that to. hehe.

 

[Matthew_Page2000]

Maybe will be the second best selling of all time but will never ever rate above albums such as Achtung Baby or Pop or even Zooropa for that matter when the band were at their creative and inventive peak! Its U2 by numbers and I think they could do an album like this in their sleep.

It took them two years to make this album. Thousands of fans are already loving it. Eventually millions of fans will love it.
As much as I love Pop the general consensus now is that it was one of U2's weakest albums. I'm forced to concede that the consensus is correct.
U2's Masterpieces. 1st Tier (in no particular order:
AB
JT

U2's Great Albums. 2nd Tier:
UF
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Zooropa
War

U2's Excellent Albums. 3rd Tier:
Boy
ATYCLB

U2's Good Albums. 4th Tier:
Pop
Rattle and Hum
October

This is just my opinion of course. Just like it's only you're opinion that there's anything wrong with Hut Dab.

 

[rjhbonovox]

Pop is a great album, innovative, inventive a slow grower of an album that if you listen to, and I mean really listen to, you can hear the immense quality. Now HTDAAB, while at the start I thought yeah not bad, at the end of two weeks I'm getting a bit bored of listening to the repeating choruses 3 times a song, in all the songs except the excellent Love and Peace Or Else. How many times does Bono have to sing "Oh you look so beautiful tonight" in one go and also All Because Of You which he repeats nine times in the song. Oh well just an opinion but U2 used to have more song craft than this obvious way of writing songs.

 

[AEON]

Just curious rjhbonovox - why do you seem so negative? I see you posting everywhere in this forum and most of them are jabs. I think we get it - you don't like the new album. Can you at least let the rest of us enjoy it and talk about favorite parts?

 

[Miggy D]

If HTDAAB had been released in 2000, Bono's singing on it would have been a lot different. Someone mentioned in another thread that it was only now that Bono has learned how to 'use' his new voice, and listen to how much better he sounds on this album than he did on ATYCLB. I think it would have been great to have that album in 2000, but I don't know if I could have dealt with Bono's singing style from that period.

 

[Dalton]

Pop is a great album, innovative, inventive a slow grower of an album that if you listen to, and I mean really listen to, you can hear the immense quality. Now HTDAAB, while at the start I thought yeah not bad, at the end of two weeks I'm getting a bit bored of listening to the repeating choruses 3 times a song, in all the songs except the excellent Love and Peace Or Else. How many times does Bono have to sing "Oh you look so beautiful tonight" in one go and also All Because Of You which he repeats nine times in the song. Oh well just an opinion but U2 used to have more song craft than this obvious way of writing songs.

From a musical standpoint POP is not that creative of an album. Sure they did something that was different for U2, but they didn't do anything original (as they did with JT and to a lesser extent AB). POP's song structure isn't innovative in the sense that King Crimson or Radiohead (OK Computer & Kid A) are innovative - it is innovative in the way Radiohead was on (Amnesiac) - underproduced and loose.

That being said, I adore POP. I enjoyed everybit of it (except for that horrid "MY MAMMY" bit). But the arguments that it is really inventive just doesn't stick.

 

[Axver]

Maybe will be the second best selling of all time but will never ever rate above albums such as Achtung Baby or Pop or even Zooropa for that matter when the band were at their creative and inventive peak! Its U2 by numbers and I think they could do an album like this in their sleep.

So you're trying to tell me that during the Pop era, U2 were more creative than they were during their creative peak, the JT era? Yeah, pull the other leg ...

 

[madonna's child]

I'm glad it wasn't released then. Despite all the crap people around here say about ATYCLB, it was the album that a lot of people needed after September 11th.

 

[Miggy D]

Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own would have been perfect for that time, as well as City of Blinding Lights....especially.

 

[Aardvark747]

Fully agree with the last two posts.

 

[roy]

Maybe will be the second best selling of all time but will never ever rate above albums such as Achtung Baby or Pop or even Zooropa for that matter when the band were at their creative and inventive peak! Its U2 by numbers and I think they could do an album like this in their sleep.

Zooropa is a great album if you ignore:

Zooropa,
Babyface,
DGPFYCC,
Some Days Are Better Than Others,
The Frist Time.

i.e. half the album.

 

[ZeroDude]

Zooropa is a great album if you ignore:

Zooropa,
Babyface,
DGPFYCC,
Some Days Are Better Than Others,
The Frist Time.

i.e. half the album.

All great songs there

 

[U2_Guy]

Pop is a great album, innovative, inventive a slow grower of an album that if you listen to, and I mean really listen to, you can hear the immense quality. Now HTDAAB, while at the start I thought yeah not bad, at the end of two weeks I'm getting a bit bored of listening to the repeating choruses 3 times a song, in all the songs except the excellent Love and Peace Or Else. How many times does Bono have to sing "Oh you look so beautiful tonight" in one go and also All Because Of You which he repeats nine times in the song. Oh well just an opinion but U2 used to have more song craft than this obvious way of writing songs.

Agreed 100%. The only songs that would make me buy this album if i were not a fan are Miracle Drug (i find it brilliant) and Love and peace. But watch out rjhbonovox, ppl will start to humiliate you. They will call you the "new Jick" too.

This forum isn't open (with notable, but few exceptions) to anything that isn't U2 (blind) praise.

 

[VertiGone]

Pop is a great album, innovative, inventive a slow grower of an album that if you listen to, and I mean really listen to, you can hear the immense quality. Now HTDAAB, while at the start I thought yeah not bad, at the end of two weeks I'm getting a bit bored of listening to the repeating choruses 3 times a song, in all the songs except the excellent Love and Peace Or Else. How many times does Bono have to sing "Oh you look so beautiful tonight" in one go and also All Because Of You which he repeats nine times in the song. Oh well just an opinion but U2 used to have more song craft than this obvious way of writing songs.

Rjhbonovox, i think you are a little confused. Pop is a good album. Just because it's U2 trying to do something new does not make it a great album. IMO, Pop is no better than the last two albums. What would have made it a great album are some hits in addition to the good songs. It is this drive for "hit" songs that were so lacking in Zooropa and Pop that has led U2 to make ATYCLB and HTDAAB. However, any true masterpiece has both the hits and the great album songs.