When exactly did U2 start going downhill for you?

[petethechopp]

Amen to Beautiful Day!!

After POP and PopMart, I kinda thought they were done!! But Beautiful Day proved me wrong. I think it might not be an overstatement to say that Beautiful Day saved their careers and their legacy.

 

[indra]

For me, it was after Joshua Tree. I kinda liked Rattle and Hum, but some of it was just annoying. Nothing they've done since has moved me like the early work. I won't say they are horrible, but what U2 does just doesn't do it for me all that much. Interestingly, when I now go back and listen to the albums I do love of theirs, I enjoy them a lot, but I'm not sure if any of them were released now (new, that is), that I would buy them.

 

[anitram]

I guess when Larry posted the sign at school is when shit started to roll downhill for me.

 

[Bono's shades]

To me the "peak" U2 years were from 1983-1993. That doesn't mean everything after that has been crap, it's just that my enjoyment level hasn't been as consistent.

 

[Windmilllane]

They will never, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER go downhill for me..

 

[RickFly]

they have never gone down hill for me. it my book they will always be climbing that one tree hill.

 

[Miggy D]

Jick, you must be an awfully bored man.

 

[beLIEve]

I tried to take the subjectivity out...

This is such a complex question, and rather than answer it with my opinion, let's look at the facts. Assuming album sales is a good, factual indicator of a band's success, and I think it is in U2's case, since 25 years is not a "Fad", consider the following table:

Worldwide sales "estimated" U2 albums:
Year # Sales(M) Ave Sales/Album
Boy 1 3 3.0
October 2 3 3.0
WAR 3 8 4.7
Blood Red Sky 3 8 5.5
Unforgettable 4 8 6.0
Wide Awake 5 3 5.5
Joshua Tree 7 27 8.6
Rattle And Hum 8 12 9.0
Achtung Baby 11 17 9.9
ZOOROPA 13 7 9.6
POP 17 6 9.3
Best 1980-1990 18 16 9.8
ATYCLB 20 12 10.0
Best 1990-2000 22 5 9.6
HTDAAB** 25 16 10.1

Total sales through 2005 151
Highest Ave Sales per Album 10.1

**Conservative sales est. through '05 per current pace

In chart format

 

[namkcuR]

I think they hit a creative peak around AB / Zooropa but that doesn't mean they won't surpass it.

Excuse me? If you hit a peak, that means you've hit the highest point...if you surpass a peak, then you've created a new peak...but you've said that they have already hit their peak. If they have already hit their peak, they cannot surpass it. You can say, 'I don't think they've hit their peak yet', but you can't say, 'they hit their peak, but they might surpass it'.

 

[beLIEve]

That didn't work too well

Oh well,

I was trying to show a graph of U2's album sales over their 25 year career. The point? The bar graph shows sales going up and down, but the trendline is up for the entire 25 years. In terms of average sales per album, U2 has gone from 3m/album to 10.1m/album over a span of 25 years and 15 albums.

Generally, I was just trying to make a point that U2 has yet to go "downhill" for me, my friends, and apparently, for U2 themselves.

 

[Iskra]

Why is it every U2 forum from WIRE to this one always has the exact same guy?
Troublemaker, instigator, whatever you want to call him?
Its negativity with just enough credibility to make you still question his motives.
It gets people mad and is never really resolved then just when you get bored with him and ignore him he pops up with yet another "question"
He's always a big enough fan of the band to join and be here every day but he isn't a "follower" like everyone else so its job to ask the "tough" questions.
I think its really just the same lonely person on every forum under different names.

 

[Techie2000]

Been going downhill? They're still climbing up the hill!

 

[rjhbonovox]

Downhill since 2000 and further down with the latest over produced release. Still hitting some high spots but their last two albums have a lot of weak tracks on them, which cannot be said for all their albums from 1985 -1997. Yep they are definetly on the downward trend, and it has all started from the edge rediscovering his coke riff (hehehe I love bringing that up) and going back to tried and tested formulas!

 

[Iskra]

Bono just called me on my cell. he was crying. he's very upset after he read this thread.
the fact that he couldn't please each and everyone of us has sent him on a downward spiral from which he';ll never recover.
He threw the word breakup around a few times but don't worry I'm sure he'll just try and re-write the entire album for us all.

 

[Sleep Over Jack]

Downhill since 2000 and further down with the latest over produced release. Still hitting some high spots but their last two albums have a lot of weak tracks on them, which cannot be said for all their albums from 1985 -1997. Yep they are definetly on the downward trend, and it has all started from the edge rediscovering his coke riff (hehehe I love bringing that up) and going back to tried and tested formulas!

You and your alter-egos.....

 

[Iskra]

He just called back.
Edge came up with a brilliant idea!!
It seems Edge had built a time machine while Bono was off politikin' and went forward to now. he read this and he went back in time and overdubbed the entire album.
Everyone go listen to HTDAAB its all new!!
Newer than it was a minute ago.
If you don't like it just keep re-listening bc Edge is going back and forth until its note pefect for everyone around the world!
Even well you know what country he wants to please the most!

 

[indra]

Re: I tried to take the subjectivity out...

This is such a complex question, and rather than answer it with my opinion, let's look at the facts. Assuming album sales is a good, factual indicator of a band's success, and I think it is in U2's case, since 25 years is not a "Fad", consider the following table:

Worldwide sales "estimated" U2 albums:
Year # Sales(M) Ave Sales/Album
Boy 1 3 3.0
October 2 3 3.0
WAR 3 8 4.7
Blood Red Sky 3 8 5.5
Unforgettable 4 8 6.0
Wide Awake 5 3 5.5
Joshua Tree 7 27 8.6
Rattle And Hum 8 12 9.0
Achtung Baby 11 17 9.9
ZOOROPA 13 7 9.6
POP 17 6 9.3
Best 1980-1990 18 16 9.8
ATYCLB 20 12 10.0
Best 1990-2000 22 5 9.6
HTDAAB** 25 16 10.1

Total sales through 2005 151
Highest Ave Sales per Album 10.1

**Conservative sales est. through '05 per current pace

In chart format

Oh I don't give a rats ass about sales...that would assume I care what others think of an album before I decide if I like it or not. An album can have worldwide sales of one and I might think it's the greatest album on earth, conversely an album could be purchased and loved by every single person on this earth except for me. Popularity does not always equal quality. And even some things which are good (or at least not bad) don't quite mesh with me. I can agree that an album is high quality, but still not like it.

Not real sure what this has to do with the original question, but the post I quoted got me thinking (always a bad thing ).

 

[LyricalDrug]

Once they ditched the name the Hype, it was all downhill.

 

[Zoocoustic]

I think it might not be an overstatement to say that Beautiful Day saved their careers and their legacy.

Nothing could be more correct than this statement.