DevilsShoes
War Child
These three albums are percieved as U2's 'lesser' efforts. But which do you think is best and why?
October, R&H And Pop: The Best?
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Galeongirl
Galeonbroad
Pop, the songs are just so different for me.. I really like the album, even tho some of the songs improved live (gone, Mofo)
Reggie Thee Dog
Blue Crack Addict
October is kinda all over the place. Rattle and Hum is great in spots, good in others and just blah in the rest. Pop could've been great, and thematically might be their best album, but it falls short in some really glaring instances (I don't care how many people claim to love "Miami" it's 'different' at be best and just odd, period).
I think if you had to pick an album that had the biggest hits, it's Rattle and Hum, if you had to pick and album that held up together the best it's Pop...but I think you throw all three up and pick between them all and you could come up with a compelling argument for any one of them...well maybe not October so much...
I think if you had to pick an album that had the biggest hits, it's Rattle and Hum, if you had to pick and album that held up together the best it's Pop...but I think you throw all three up and pick between them all and you could come up with a compelling argument for any one of them...well maybe not October so much...
popacrobat
Rock n' Roll Doggie FOB
I think overall Pop stands up pretty nicely with most of their highly regarded albums - the songs themselves and not necessarily the studio efforts. I think Discotheque, Mofo, Please, Wake up Dead Man, Gone and Staring at the Sun are some of their better songs, plus an excellent rocker (especially live) in Last Night On Earth and some good funky songs in Do You Feel Loved and Miami. All comes down to personal taste, but Pop is held in a very high regard to me - certainly better than October or Rattle and Hum.
nathan1977
Rock n' Roll Doggie
In U2 by U2 one of the guys -- Larry? Bono? -- says that there are no unfinished songs on Rattle and Hum. "They are as they were meant to be." That, coupled with the fact that the production value is amazing -- a huge step up over Joshua Tree -- makes this the best of the three for me.
rihannsu
Refugee
Actually if you look only at the new songs on Rattle and Hum I think it stands up much better than Pop. Sure it's not original sonically but considering how recently they dove into these genres of music they did an excellent job of making the sound their own. That album in particular convinces me that U2 can jump into pretty much any genre they want and make a credible album in it. The problem with Pop is it is a bit too much of a multiple personality album. They didn't reach the point of seamlessly adopting the various element into a cohesive whole.
Dana
Dana
POP is not only the best of those 3, it is U2's best album to date. That is not to sell the other 2 short. October to me is just Boy on a slightly lesser scale and Rattle & Hum is just a good bit of nostalgia. POP is perfection. I can listen to almost all U2 albums from start to finish, but POP is an album which I love from start to finish; all others have a song or two I could take or leave.
Zoots
Blue Crack Supplier
As much as I'm tempted to rave about Pop, I have to say all 3 albums that you mentioned are really good! I guess Rattle and Hum is a bit of a mess with the haphazard tracklisting but like Dana mentioned, the studio tracks are top quality when put together! I cannot imagine why these would be perceived as their "lesser" efforts. The last 2 albums fit that definition a bit more, even though I do like them.
purpleoscar
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
Hawkmoon 269 
shaun vox
New Yorker
"Rattle and Hum" kicks ass. maybe bono's best vocals ever!
if anything atyclb and bomb are u2's "lesser efforts"! or weakest album.
if anything atyclb and bomb are u2's "lesser efforts"! or weakest album.
intedomine
Rock n' Roll Doggie FOB
PoP is the best in my book. U2 at their most visionary, and while the album is much maligned by many fans and critics alike and the band itself, it's 60minutes f sheer gobsmacking excitement and cracking individual tunes.
October I find to be a gloriously cohesive record both lyrically and sonically.
Rattle & Hum is U2's worst album I reckon. The decent songs (Heartland, Angel, Desire) are undermined by some of U2's poorest recordings (God Part 2, Love Rescue Me), and while it should be viewed primarily as a movie soundtrack, the whole part-live, part-studio, part-covers is something I find difficult to listen to.
October I find to be a gloriously cohesive record both lyrically and sonically.
Rattle & Hum is U2's worst album I reckon. The decent songs (Heartland, Angel, Desire) are undermined by some of U2's poorest recordings (God Part 2, Love Rescue Me), and while it should be viewed primarily as a movie soundtrack, the whole part-live, part-studio, part-covers is something I find difficult to listen to.
phillyfan26
Blue Crack Supplier
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- May 7, 2006
- Messages
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1. October
2. Rattle and Hum
3. Pop
2. Rattle and Hum
3. Pop
LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
Pop is the best and most exciting of those. R&H would be awesome with the live tracks removed, and I love about half of October.
October - C+
Rattle And Hum - B
Pop - A
October - C+
Rattle And Hum - B
Pop - A
Gonna Run 2 U
New Yorker
I think I would choose the Rattle and Hum DVD over any other U2 release...Performance level at its peak and one of the main reasons why I fell in love with U2.
October is good for being sick of the same old U2 (funny because its an early release), Pop kinda gets me goin before I go out on the town, Rattle and Hum is for reflection.
Rattle and Hum wins.
October is good for being sick of the same old U2 (funny because its an early release), Pop kinda gets me goin before I go out on the town, Rattle and Hum is for reflection.
Rattle and Hum wins.
Vlad n U 2
Blue Crack Addict
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- Messages
- 28,386
A tie between Rattle and Hum + Pop. 
Definitely Rattle and Hum. Sure, most of the live tracks are expendable (except 'Helter Skelter' -- that really is a perfect opening), but the new songs (9 of them -- enough for a new studio album) are ALL great. In particular, "Van Diemen's Land", "Desire", "Hawkmoon 269", "Angel of Harlem", "God Part II", and "All I Want Is You" are 5 or 6 of their best-ever songs (you certainly can't say that about the other two albums we're discussing). Personally, I absolutely love "Love Rescue Me" too, but I know most of you hate it so I'm not going to try to change your minds.
October is good. I can never fault an honest, rockin' hard U2 recording. But its songs aren't up to par with the U2 of the late 80s (not even close, actually).
Pop is good too, but there's just something wrong with it. No matter how good the individual songs are as compositions, and no matter how much I analyse it, I can't articulate the problem. But there's something wrong with it.
October is good. I can never fault an honest, rockin' hard U2 recording. But its songs aren't up to par with the U2 of the late 80s (not even close, actually).
Pop is good too, but there's just something wrong with it. No matter how good the individual songs are as compositions, and no matter how much I analyse it, I can't articulate the problem. But there's something wrong with it.
cobl04
45:33
Good thread 
This is what we need more of 
For me, it's Pop. I loved Pop pretty much from the moment I heard it. No dud tracks really, I've even come around to Miami (helps that the live versions are astronomical) and The Playboy Mansion. There's substance to it, and something to find with every listen. Very redeeming. And as a footnote, I've never seen the supposed "problems" everyone on here seems to associate with it
Rattle and Hum has some wonderful tracks on it, such as God Part II, Heartland, All I Want is You, but overall not that great, even the studio tracks on their own. Still worthwhile, but I rarely, if ever, listen to it as an album.
October meanwhile is fantastic. Very underrated, especially Stranger in a Strange Land, which in my opinion is right up there with best songs of the first few years. Falls down a little (pun intended) towards the end with a few clunkers, but given the circumstances that surrounded its release, it came out pretty well
This is what we need more of For me, it's Pop. I loved Pop pretty much from the moment I heard it. No dud tracks really, I've even come around to Miami (helps that the live versions are astronomical) and The Playboy Mansion. There's substance to it, and something to find with every listen. Very redeeming. And as a footnote, I've never seen the supposed "problems" everyone on here seems to associate with it
Rattle and Hum has some wonderful tracks on it, such as God Part II, Heartland, All I Want is You, but overall not that great, even the studio tracks on their own. Still worthwhile, but I rarely, if ever, listen to it as an album.
October meanwhile is fantastic. Very underrated, especially Stranger in a Strange Land, which in my opinion is right up there with best songs of the first few years. Falls down a little (pun intended) towards the end with a few clunkers, but given the circumstances that surrounded its release, it came out pretty well
Last edited:
morgan1098
War Child
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2006
- Messages
- 700
1. Pop
2. October
3. Rattle and Hum
2. October
3. Rattle and Hum
rihannsu
Refugee
Pop was a hard one for me to get to like. Both the album and the performances. I finally figured out that a big part of the problem was the fact that it is really in your face. I was really uncomfortable with Bono's persona for this tour because that aggressive, boxer, wrestler, gangsta thing is not something that sits well with me on anyone and it was especially disturbing with Bono. It was like a glimpse of what Bono would be like if he really was as egotistical an asshole as some say he is. It wasn't the kind of evil he played with for MacPhisto but more like the mindless aggression of street thugs. After a long period of time just listening to it over and over though it finally settled and what's funny is that it sounds like a totally different album to me now. I can remember how uncomfortable and uneasy it sounded in the beginning but it doesn't sound that way to me now. But I still think for just sheer quality of song, the new songs on R&H are better than Pop or October.
Dana
Dana
An Cat Gav
Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
It's between Pop and October for me. October has two of my fave U2 songs ever: Tomorrow and Gloria, it also has I Threw A Brick which became one of my favourite live tracks. It has a lovely innocent and naively hopeful quality about it, it's also more than a little bit about God, which appealed to me a lot when I was at school. For me the positives outweigh the negatives.
Pop wins thoigh, it has Mofo, Wake Up Dead Man and Gone, three of U2's best songs. Although the album clearly wasn't finished, what it was trying to achieve was immense, I love it how it is, I hope they don't go back to re-record it, God knows how it would be butchered.
Rattle and Hum has great original songs, and as S Vox says, Bono's vocals are among his best, lyrics were good too, but I can't stand some of the live efforts, Helter Skelter was quite good, but Pride was not good at all.
POP!!!!!!!!!
Pop wins thoigh, it has Mofo, Wake Up Dead Man and Gone, three of U2's best songs. Although the album clearly wasn't finished, what it was trying to achieve was immense, I love it how it is, I hope they don't go back to re-record it, God knows how it would be butchered.
Rattle and Hum has great original songs, and as S Vox says, Bono's vocals are among his best, lyrics were good too, but I can't stand some of the live efforts, Helter Skelter was quite good, but Pride was not good at all.
POP!!!!!!!!!
roy
Refugee
Apart from Love Rescue Me & When Love
Comes to Town all the remaining new songs off Rattle & Hum are classics IMO.
Comes to Town all the remaining new songs off Rattle & Hum are classics IMO.
Moser
Refugee
Three great albums, but POP stands tall among them all!
I rank them Pop, R&H, then October. I adore Pop, R&H has some really standout tracks, and October is my least favorite U2 album...
That doesn't mean it's bad though! I mean, one of those fabulous U2 albums has to be in the end spot, ya know?
That doesn't mean it's bad though! I mean, one of those fabulous U2 albums has to be in the end spot, ya know? 
elevated_u2_fan
Blue Crack Supplier
I agree with this assesment...
Jimmy Jazz
The Fly
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2004
- Messages
- 239
Rattle & Hum for me. Just the new studio tracks would be a really good album (maybe throw in A Room At The Heartbreak Hotel and Hallelujah Here She Comes for a nice solid 11 track album). The live tracks just make it feel overblown.
Pop is very close though, almost equal.
Pop is very close though, almost equal.
Salome
you are what you is
R&H has the best individual tracks
but I can't remember the last time I managed to sit through the entire album in one go
Pop has too many mediocre songs to be a contender
first 3 songs - great
last 3 songs - great
6 songs in between - great shame
I think its an eternal shame October doesn't end stronger than it does
but I love popping this album on
so many great songs
and a couple of good ones
so
1 - October
2 - R&H
3 - Pop
but I can't remember the last time I managed to sit through the entire album in one go
Pop has too many mediocre songs to be a contender
first 3 songs - great
last 3 songs - great
6 songs in between - great shame
I think its an eternal shame October doesn't end stronger than it does
but I love popping this album on
so many great songs
and a couple of good ones
so
1 - October
2 - R&H
3 - Pop
Zoots
Blue Crack Supplier
You think SATS and Gone are shameful???
kiwilad
Refugee
I think Rattle & Hum was the ultimate tall poppy album. Its live tracks were raw, edgy and powerful. Its new tracks were those of a band at the top of their game. They were different from JT, they were inventive, but they retained the lyrical and melodic punch which had sent U2 to the top of world music charts.
But they were just too U2 and, as history shows, people simply don't want too much of a good thing.
And, in hind sight, U2 got better. In my opinion, Achtung Baby is one of the greatest rock albums.
October, on the other hand, was unfinished. We know about the lost lyrics, and the 'are we still in a band or aren't we' turmoil. And those things took their toll, to my ear.
Having said that, there are few, if any, more powerful moments in any U2 albums than the one-two of Tomorrow and October.
And SIASL is brilliant...
POP. Well, I still can't quite get Pop. I'm envious of all you who can. There are a few songs I like, but for the most part the over production just makes me so frustrated I have to turn it off.
It's one of those albums that makes you wish you were there during recording, so you could say to the lads 'Hey, look, stop it with the post production'.
But it's not only that. For me, the basic kernel of the songs, the lyrics and melodies, just don't quite reach Bono's usual heights.
So R&H a clear winner for me...
But isn't that the glory of what U2 have done. So many people with such different favourites, but when we all come together at one of their gigs, everyone feels exactly the same way.
But they were just too U2 and, as history shows, people simply don't want too much of a good thing.
And, in hind sight, U2 got better. In my opinion, Achtung Baby is one of the greatest rock albums.
October, on the other hand, was unfinished. We know about the lost lyrics, and the 'are we still in a band or aren't we' turmoil. And those things took their toll, to my ear.
Having said that, there are few, if any, more powerful moments in any U2 albums than the one-two of Tomorrow and October.
And SIASL is brilliant...
POP. Well, I still can't quite get Pop. I'm envious of all you who can. There are a few songs I like, but for the most part the over production just makes me so frustrated I have to turn it off.
It's one of those albums that makes you wish you were there during recording, so you could say to the lads 'Hey, look, stop it with the post production'.
But it's not only that. For me, the basic kernel of the songs, the lyrics and melodies, just don't quite reach Bono's usual heights.
So R&H a clear winner for me...
But isn't that the glory of what U2 have done. So many people with such different favourites, but when we all come together at one of their gigs, everyone feels exactly the same way.
Salome
you are what you is
no, not shameful
but it's a great shame they never mentioned to almost reach its potential
Staring at the Sun live is the only U2 live acoustic that beats the crap out of the album version
and that's because the album version manages to butcher any potential the song has
Gone has some great lyrics, but musically there's not much about it I really can get into
though the Elevation live version was a lot better
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