typhoon said:
I'd say Rattle and Hum is their worst album simply because the studio/live mix feels so sloppy. I think it would've been stronger if they, say, made it a double album with the studio and live parts on separate discs (even if it meant including some lesser studio tracks to fill out the studio disc).
Agreed... and what the hell they were thinking when they chose the live songs to include I have no idea. I understand they were all pretty sensitive about even having Sunday Bloody Sunday in the movie, but there were many great songs that for whatever reason didn't make the album - Streets, Exit
drool: ), WOWY... I guess they didn't want to make a "Joshua Tree Live" album, but that's essentially what Lovetown Tour was, y'know? Plus I would have taken any of those over, say, BTBS any day (Bullet doesn't seem complete to me...I can't listen to it unless it's the ZooTV version or beyond. ZooTV is best though...pure perfection. To me, BTBS didn't exist til ZooTV.)
Back to the original subject - I agree 100%. October, Rattle and Hum, and (I'm gonna get smashed for this one) The Unforgettable Fire are pretty mediocre for me, but they're still in my top 30 albums of all time, probably top 20. Every single album has at least a couple songs that blow me away. Also, I'm not sure if there's a single song that wasn't improved somehow live.
If you honestly think U2 has made a crap album, try comparing what you think is U2's worst album to the pop music of today. Even something that qualifies as "rock" such as Hoobastank... it'll put things into perspective a bit.