Pre 1990 vs. post 1990

[shart1780]

So, which decade of their music do you prefer?

I personally like post 1990 ALOT better. I'm not saying it's techincally better music or anything... it's just more my style. The only pre 90's album I can say I really LOVE is The Unforgettable Fire. Don't get me wrong, The Joshua Tree is awesome, and Rattle and Hum has some darn good songs, but I don't really like the country/jazz/blues influence. I'm not a fan of punk much either, so their first three albums aren't exactly my favorites. I still love all of their albums though!!! WTSHNN, Bad and All I Want Is You are some of my favorite songs.

I just looooove every album since Achtung Baby... EVERY ONE. I think every one of their 90's albums is completely amazing. Achtung Baby is probably their best album ever. Every song is worth listening to and great live. Cool cool. Zooropa took some warming up to, but now it's climbing to top of my favorites list! I listen to it almost every night as I fall asleep. Pop is amazing too. A few of the songs are unfinished sounding... oh well. I love the album either way. ATYCLB is my favorite U2 album. You're probably just about to crucify me for saying that, but oh well, I don't care. It was the album that got me into U2 and has most of my favorite U2 songs (Stuck In a Moment, Elevation, Kite). I just love the uplifting tone of the album. Pretty relaxing too. I think Passengers and The Million Dollar Hotel soundtrack are great too!!! Vertigo's awesome, and I have no reason to believe HTDAAB won't be one of my new favorite albums!!

Which U2 era do you prefer?

 

[U2Kitten]

This is so hard right now because I am so much in love with the new song. But I must say I am a huge fan of the 80's and definitely prefer the 80's to the 90's. Achtung Baby rocked and I love Stay, but the 80's had War, UF, JT, Rattle and Hum, plus Wide Awake in America which I love, and Boy and October! That's a lot of good stuff, I have to go with the 80's! Second would be the 00's, love ATYCLB and Vertigo and I'm sure the rest of the album is great too!

 

[Axver]

Post-1990 U2 is mindblowingly amazing, but pre-1990 U2 puts the work of the nineties to shame. I'm somewhat disappointed that they ever changed for AB, even though I know that's what solidified their position as one of the greatest bands of all time. Pre-1990 was earnest, heartfelt, sincere, and ultimately both rocked and painted sonic landscapes. It represented everything I love, from the beauty of Heartland to the atmospheric nature of The Unforgettable Fire to the total rock of The Cry/The Electric Co. And quite simply, the music was BETTER. Achtung Baby can't even think of comparing to The Unforgettable Fire.

Everything about 1980s U2 was perfect. The best music made even better in their live concerts, especially on the War and Lovetown tours. Then the 1990s ... great songs, great concerts, but horrible setlists, nothing from the eighties, and it just doesn't stack up.

 

[Sleep Over Jack]

I think Unforgettable Fire has some blatant filler tracks, whereas AB has none, and also AB has probably the best music I'be heard on an album, the guitars sound amazing and haven't even dated..amazing production job.

 

[Axver]

I think Unforgettable Fire has some blatant filler tracks, whereas AB has none, and also AB has probably the best music I'be heard on an album, the guitars sound amazing and haven't even dated..amazing production job.

Got to disagree with you there. What would you consider to be filler on The Unforgettable Fire? In my opinion, it's the only U2 album with perfect flow. Promenade/4th Of July/Bad might as well be one song, and before anyone criticises EPAA, the fact it was recorded in a single take makes it an astounding piece of work worthy of respect.

AB, on the other hand, most certainly has filler - just go look at TTTYAATW and Ultra Violet! Filler if there ever was some.

 

[Sleep Over Jack]

No way is Ultraviolet filler..its a really strong song! highly memorable...as far as TTTYAATW, its works perfect as a bridge between Mysterious Ways and Ultraviolet.


Unforgettable Fire:


Indian Summer Sky sounds pretty dated, not much there to like, average to me, I don't like Wire either which I consider to VERY dated and featuring OTT Bono vocals and last, Elvis Presley' which doesn't add anything to the album. Barring those three, its a great album. (also to add, just cause Elvis Presley..' is a single take job doesn't mean its a great song and non-filler, when it comes down to it, to me, it is not impressive)

 

[dandy]

Everything about 1980s U2 was perfect. The best music made even better in their live concerts, especially on the War and Lovetown tours.

i couldn't agree more.

don't get me wrong, i love achtung, zooropa, and pop (and now vertigo) to bits. zoo tv and popmart were amazing tours. i'm a huge fan. i think the difference for me is that i fell in love U2 in the early 80s, somewhere between war and the unforgettable fire, and i still get that feeling listening to the old stuff (especially live).

 

[dandy]

Unforgettable Fire:


Indian Summer Sky sounds pretty dated, not much there to like, average to me, I don't like Wire either which I consider to VERY dated and featuring OTT Bono vocals and last, Elvis Presley' which doesn't add anything to the album. Barring those three, its a great album.

blasphemy!

 

[Saracene]

In terms of individual songs, I much prefer the 90s - they wrote some of their best and strongest songs then. I can't say though that I love any of their 90s albums as a whole work - Zooropa and POP are hit-and-miss for me and I only listen to half of AB. On the other hand I absolutely adore Unforgettable Fire and Boy, and the rest of the 80s albums have great moments too. True, Unforgettable Fire has songs that may not be strong if taken individually, but what I love about it is this magic atmosphere and flow they weave together.

 

[rivergoat]

don't get me wrong, i love achtung, zooropa, and pop (and now vertigo) to bits. zoo tv and popmart were amazing tours. i'm a huge fan. i think the difference for me is that i fell in love U2 in the early 80s, somewhere between war and the unforgettable fire, and i still get that feeling listening to the old stuff (especially live).

Amen! }~ I had to take the War album out of my vehicle, everytime I play it, I get speeding tickets! Nothing else makes me feel so young and and hopeful and FREE... it's like a second childhood on one little disc.

Got to disagree with you there. What would you consider to be filler on The Unforgettable Fire? In my opinion, it's the only U2 album with perfect flow. Promenade/4th Of July/Bad might as well be one song, and before anyone criticises EPAA, the fact it was recorded in a single take makes it an astounding piece of work worthy of respect.

Amen again! (and it's not even Sunday...) }~ The Unforgettable Fire is the most cohesive of all their albums. Achtung, Baby! also flows very well, though each song takes on a completely different character from the one preceding it. That's the only reason I'd rate it second to The Unforgettable Fire.

But having said all the above, when it comes right down to it, my favorite U2 era would have to be post-1990. I guess it's just that as the years go by, they continue to not only amaze me, but also seem to change right along with my own musical tastes. It seems I can never get into different moods without U2 banging on my door and handing me a new album, new music that fits my lifestyle. Maybe it's because U2 is just a figment of my imagination - of course they'd change with me!

goat

};p~

 

[Axver]

No way is Ultraviolet filler..its a really strong song!

"Baby, baby, baby, light my way" sounds like a boyband song to me. I simply don't like it. The start is promising, it feels like it's about it explode ... and then it peters out into a song that just hints at the boybands that cropped up later on in the nineties.

as far as TTTYAATW, its works perfect as a bridge between Mysterious Ways and Ultraviolet.

While I find it to be a bit of a fun, silly song you can just relax to, on the whole I prefer the serious side of U2 and TTTYAATW should have been a b-side in my opinion.

Indian Summer Sky sounds pretty dated, not much there to like, average to me

I have to totally disagree there. I think Indian Summer Sky is a brilliant work that hints at what was to come - the start looks forward to Streets, while the overall feel of the song points towards Bullet. Brilliance.

I don't like Wire either which I consider to VERY dated and featuring OTT Bono vocals

Maybe I'm just having a stupid moment, but OTT? And I love Wire - the ending gives me chills every time. Now ... swing away.

and last, Elvis Presley' which doesn't add anything to the album. Barring those three, its a great album. (also to add, just cause Elvis Presley..' is a single take job doesn't mean its a great song and non-filler, when it comes down to it, to me, it is not impressive)

I have always admired Elvis Presley And America simply because it was done in one take - I feel if they had refined it and featured a more polished Bono, it would have been filler, but leaving it untouched gives a fascinating insight into the recording progress and Bono's lyrical creativity. I think it's a work of brilliance.

Originally posted by Saracene
what I love about it is this magic atmosphere and flow they weave together.

I completely agree. The album flows so beautifully it is astounding.

 

[Matthew_Page2000]

Ultraviolet hints at the boybands to come??
Probably the strangest statement ever posted to Interference and that's saying SOMETHING.

I love AB and UF. UF hits me a little harder because it's the album that really converted me into a U2 maniac circa '85 or so.
But it does have filler. Indian Summer Sky is a painfully average attempt to channel The Talking Heads.
Wire rocks but doesn't roll. 4th of July is all atmosphere and no song. Bad (my favorite U2 song) barely hints at the power it would take on in concert.
Elvis Presley and America is an awful, awful song that I actually love to pieces. But loving it doesn't make it a great song.

Achtung Baby is damn near flawless. It is (by far) U2's most consistent and powerfull album.
It's ok to like UF more than AB but you're kidding yourself if you think that it is objectively better than AB.

 

[Axver]

Ultraviolet hints at the boybands to come??
Probably the strangest statement ever posted to Interference and that's saying SOMETHING.

Think what you will, but if I didn't know the song and heard "baby, baby, baby, light my way," I would pick it as a boyband, not U2.

But it does have filler. Indian Summer Sky is a painfully average attempt to channel The Talking Heads.

I grew up on the Talking Heads and U2 and I see no similarity between either bands generally or through Indian Summer Sky specifically.

4th of July is all atmosphere and no song.

I don't feel it can be considered in isolation. Without Promenade and Bad, it is nothing.

Achtung Baby is damn near flawless. It is (by far) U2's most consistent and powerfull album.
It's ok to like UF more than AB but you're kidding yourself if you think that it is objectively better than AB.

I really do not understand all the fuss about Achtung Baby. Brilliant album? Of course! No doubt about that. But U2's best? Not at all. I do not feel it is consistent - it jumps all over the place - and as far as powerful, the earnest sincerity of the eighties wins out there.

 

[isabelle_guns]

I like both the 90's more than the 80's

 

[GibsonGirl]

Wow, I find it amazing that so many people view "Indian Summer Sky" as filler! It's one of my favourite songs! Hell, the name of my website is derived from the lyrics!

But, as always, this all just comes down to individual taste. Getting to the point of the original post now...

Personally, I find this question extremely hard to answer. In the 80's, the emotion that U2 poured into their songs was unbelievable. 90's U2 still had emotion, but they had a certain coolness about them. I love the emotional songs and the "cool" songs equally, for the most part.

But if I was forced to choose, I'd probably end up going with pre-90's U2, despite the fact that Achtung Baby is my favourite album of all time. I love the raw energy on the first three albums, the spirituality on October, and the atmospheric sound of UF. JT - what more can I say? As for R&H, I think it's okay, but I'm not overly fond of some of the influences in it. It's probably the U2 album I listen to the least.

I still think their 90's work is amazing though. I love EVERY SINGLE SONG off AB. Zooropa's good too (though I must say, I really don't like "The Wanderer" no matter how hard I try to get into it). I also love Pop. Some of the songs sound unfinished, but they're still good. Believe it or not, "Miami" has actually grown on me over time. Love the bass in it. ATYCLB is the album that got me hooked, so I love that one too.

Oh hell. This is too hard, I'm just walking around in circles. I'm much better at maths, so here we go:

80's U2 =
90's U2 =

Therefore:

80's U2 = 90's U2

 

[david]

If you really like U2 you wouldn't have to choose. It's not like chosing between two different bands, it's one band that made all that great music, so just enjoy the whole thing.

 

[popacrobat]

i love it all.

 

[indra]

80's U2 hands down. Don't care for R&H all that much either, but the rest of the decade was pretty good. Don't like 90's U2.

 

[shart1780]

80's U2 hands down. Don't care for R&H all that much either, but the rest of the decade was pretty good. Don't like 90's U2.

You don't like 90's U2???? You mean you like 80's better right??

 

[Layton]

I'll go with 80's by a nose over 90's because I think they grew more during that decade. Here's a weird twist, though. I think the early 90's was U2's creative peak. AB/Zoo TV/Zooropa was the best roll they've been on so far. During the second half of the 90's they kind of petered out. They also didn't release much material relative to the 80's so overall it's the 80's.

 

[indra]

You don't like 90's U2???? You mean you like 80's better right??

I mean I don't like 90's U2. Period.


Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm weird and a grouch.

 

[shart1780]

I mean I don't like 90's U2. Period.


Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm weird and a grouch.

Man I feel sorry for you.

 

[indra]

Man I feel sorry for you.

Don't.

Well, if it makes you happy to, go ahead. But disliking 90's U2 doesn't make me unhappy, so there's nothing to feel sorry about. Lots of music out that does work for me.

 

[indra]

And the weird and grouch part was more for y'all than for me (I figured you think that anyway, so might as well beat you to it).

 

[Layton]

I mean I don't like 90's U2. Period.

You don't even like anything off of Achtung Baby?

 

[indra]

You don't even like anything off of Achtung Baby?

Nope. Really disliked Achtung Baby. One of the few albums I bought, listened to for a while, then sold. Never did like it.

 

[Axver]

If you really like U2 you wouldn't have to choose. It's not like chosing between two different bands, it's one band that made all that great music, so just enjoy the whole thing.

Hm, no, I often do think of them as two different bands that are yet somehow the same. I still have not acquired the 10 January 1990, Rotterdam concert though, because that was the end of my favourite U2 and I'm not sure I could bring myself to listen to it.

 

[Dr_Macphisto]

Achtung Baby is brilliant, but I don't think it flows as well as the world seems to think. The transition from One to Until the End of the World is appauling

 

[ponkine]

Hola amigos I prefer the 80´s, with all those extraordinary songs ( Sunday Bloody Sunday, I Will Follow, Bad, Pride, WTSHNN, With Or WIthout You, A Sort Of Homecoming, MLK, Running To Stand STill, IHFWILF, Desire, All I Want Is You, New Year´s Day, Gloria, etc, etc )
Also the energy on every concert performed during that decade was something truly AWESOME, specially on those were Bono´s voice was on top form
Bono´s white flag was something gives me breath and beliefs in my young spirit.
The 90´s wasn´t bad, with Zoo TV and great albums like Acthung Baby or Pop, but 80´s were better, no matter Bono´s mullet, who cares that, the MUSIC is the only important thing !!!!

 

[jick]

In 1987 they made an album called The Joshua Tree (not sure if everyone here is old enough to remember that). It's been downhill for U2 since then.

Cheers,

J