ATYCLB is better than HTDAAB.

[God Part III]

I stated my opinion.
Disagree?

I don't think one person will agree with me.

Prove me wrong if you can.

 

[Nisse]

How can someone prove your opinion wrong?

 

[1stepcloser]

Yes, I disagree.

HTDAAB is consistant throughout.

ATYCLB starts off well but the second half of it is weak.

That is my opinion.

 

[djerdap]

I can't disagree more. Almost every song on ATYCLB sounds pale compared to the worst one on The Bomb.

 

[lew07]

lets not know ATYCLB, but u2 just keep getting better, and they showed that on Bomb

 

[LMP]

There are more songs I enjoy on the Bomb and more songs that are Best of worthy on the Bomb for me compared to ATYCLB.

If I chose "best ofs" from each album

ATYCLB
---------
Beautiful Day
Stuck (only the acoustic version)
Walk On

HTDAAB
----------
Vertigo
Miracle Drug
Sometimes...
City of Blinding Lights
Original of the Species
Yahweh

just my opinion

 

[Matthew_Page2000]

I can't disagree more. Almost every song on ATYCLB sounds pale compared to the worst one on The Bomb.

Hey, I like the Bomb better as well but that's a bit much.
BD and WO pale compared to AMAAW? Or Yahweh??
No...

 

[financeguy]

I think it's still too early to judge HTDAAB. So at this point I can't disagree with you.

 

[gareth brown]

At the end of the day, I prefer 'All That You Can't Leave Behind' because half of the bomb didn't live up to the MASSIVE hype surrounding it, I thought it was VERY tame! It was my first U2 album (along with Best of 1980-1990) and I love EVERY SINGLE TRACK ON THERE. Really takes me back five years to a time when music meant very little to me beyond The Beatles and Bob Marley.

Yes, 'the Bomb' has it's moments, but apart from that...bleurgh. seems very empty to me.

 

[deltau922]

When I go back and listen to ATYCLB, I realize I like it better than HTDAAB. Bomb is a great album, but I don't think forum favorites like Miracle Drug and Sometimes are all that. I did a poll a couple months back asking to make an album using your favorite Track 1, Track 2, Track 3 etc off all the U2 albums and MD absolutely blew everything away (including No 2s like Pride and ISHWILF). I was pretty floored by that. Anyway, i guess my point is that I think HTDAAB is a little bit overrated right now. I'd rank it as U2's fifth or sixth best - certainly no insult.

 

[glenn]

Yes, I disagree.

HTDAAB is consistant throughout.

ATYCLB starts off well but the second half of it is weak.

That is my opinion.

This is my opinion as well. I feel that Beautiful Day and Walk on are better than anything than on the Bomb, but the Bomb is deeper as far as tracks go. However, I give a slight edge to All THat You Can't Leave Behind.

 

[popmart86]

atyc is better than htd.....what else is new?!

 

[XHendrix24]

In my opinion, ATYCLB is one of U2's weakest efforts, along with Rattle and Hum. I mean, Beautiful Day, Kite, and Walk On rock, but besides that it's kind of a mixed bag.

HTDAAB, on the other hand, I place in my top 5..ish.

 

[Ifeelnumb84]

Alll That You Can't Leave Behind, for me, is U2's weakest album. Beautiful day is a great song, Elevation was good but I got sick of it. New York and Kite are ok in small doses, and the rest of it seems really boring to me. The lyrics may be better, but I really can't "rock out" to that album (best ex. of this: Grace).
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb is by no means a masterpiece. For me, it is similiar to Pop in that it is an incomplete masterpiece. Vertigo is quite good, but to me seems to be missing something. Love and Peace and City of Blinding Lights are amazing, and Miracle Drug isn't far behind. Sometimes is a great ballad in the tradition of All I Want Is You and One. A Man And A Woman is a dud, much like Playboy Mansion on Pop. Yahweh is good, but not great. And at this point I'm rambling, but does anyone see similarities between One Step Closer, MLK and October as simple and short yet awesome songs?
Finally, I notice a lot of people on these boards might rip a particular album or song and then follow it up with, "but hey, I like all their stuff, don't get me wrong." Well I do feel that way with the exception of All That You Can't Leave Behind. I honestly just don't listen to it very often, and usually skip half of it.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

ish

hey! you stole my word!

 

[financeguy]

Finally, I notice a lot of people on these boards might rip a particular album or song and then follow it up with, "but hey, I like all their stuff, don't get me wrong." Well I do feel that way with the exception of All That You Can't Leave Behind. I honestly just don't listen to it very often, and usually skip half of it.

I feel roughly the same way regarding ATYCLB, except funnily enough the songs you said were your favourites, are the ones I tend to skip!

 

[OnFire]

Yeah, I'm in the "likes ATYCLB better than Bomb" camp.

I didn't care for several tracks on ATYCLB (POE, Grace, WH) and Bono sings better on Bomb but it somehow seems less personal and timely to me than ATYCLB. After 9/11, I was ready for a easy listening, son of JT record there was probably a six month period where that was all I heard. It changed my life too, after hearing IALW, I said, "damit, I"m going to finally learn how to play guitar" and I don't think more than 3 days have gone by since that I haven't picked up the old six-string.

I gave bomb a two week hiatus from my car cd player to see if I would appreciate it more in it's absence. I like the album from COBL on but I just don't love it enough to want to hear it again and again.

I haven't listened to ATYCLB for several months but I know when I do it will be like a visit from an old friend.

 

[D'oh!]

as of now i prefer 'Bomb' but its way to early to say for sure
I still love ATYCLB and listen to it alot.....

 

[Miggy D]

ATYCLB has got an edge because it started a new phase of U2's career, so it was 'new'. HTDAAB is a bit of a re-hash of ATYCLB, and it's following the same musical pattern so it doesn't sound as 'fresh' as ATYCLB did.

We won't be able to truly judge the two discs against each other until the next album is out.

Beautiful Day feels like a classic in the concerts now, even though it's only 4.5 years old! Let's wait until Vertigo starts sounding like an old chestnut before we judge the two albums.

-Miggy

 

[bathiu]

I stated my opinion.
Disagree?

I don't think one person will agree with me.

Prove me wrong if you can.

Prove you're right if you can!

You're living in a dream world... a.k.a. I don't agree with you,
ATYCLB is U2's the only "we have to do" this kind of album, while HTDAAB is U2 back to "we want to do" this kind of album, just like all the rest of their albums;
ATYCLB is boring, HTDAAB is not;
ATYCLB has the worst production work in U2's history, HTDAAB - not.
ATYCLB has 2 or 3 good moments, HTDAAB has 11 (/edit/ well actualy make it 13, with Fast Cars and Mercy);
And the most important argument, the one that will leave you with nothing in this dream world of yours:
ATYCLB was voted U2's 8th album (much lower than POP), HTDAAB was voted 3rd!
http://forum.interference.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=113110

 

[Miggy D]

Those votes are skewed. People are predisposed to be hyped about new material. You can't judge the newer material as subjectively as you can the older stuff.

-Miggy

 

[bathiu]

Those votes are skewed. People are predisposed to be hyped about new material. You can't judge the newer material as subjectively as you can the older stuff.

-Miggy

It was already few months WITH the album... I'm sure those who don't like it, didn't like it at this time already... (I know I did ATYCLB after 2 or 3 months)

 

[Macfistowannabe]

ATYCLB:
BDay - Good opener, fan fave
Stuck - Ehh... not for me
Elevation - Good, if you're in the mood for it
Walk On - Great song
Kite - Favorite on album
IALW - Live version is better
WHoney - Not that great
POE - Album begins caughing blood right about here
WILATW - Great song, so incredibly underrated
NY - Lyrically good, musically a collision of Britney Spears and Exit
Grace - Not as bad as some make it out to be, a decent closer

HTDAAB:
Vertigo - Good hard rocker, although I think COBL would make a better album opener
MD - Awesome song
SYCMIOYO - Such a beautiful song
LAPOE - I like it in a weird way, it reminds me of psychodelic Beatles
COBL - Good song, not best on album though
ABOY - Other choices could've been considered for a single, but a decent song nonetheless
AMAAW - This song gets treated like hick trash around here, and I'm honestly not sure why
Crumbs - Awesome
OSC - Soothing ballad, although not exactly my fave on the album
OOTS - Gorgeous
Yahweh - Great ender, although I prefer the alternate version

 

[RademR]

I love ATYCLB a lot, but I think the Bomb is better overall.

Although I love "Beautiful Day" and "Kite" more than any of the songs on HTDAAB, I don't feel there is any real weak songs on the newer record. Songs like "One Step Closer" and AMAAW are "mood" songs for me, but I still think their very solid.

There are a couple songs on ATYCLB that I really dont like, which is so rare for u2 tunes. Overall, HTDAAB is a brilliant album and so is ATYCLB, but because of it's consistency, I'll go with the biizzommbb.

 

[bathiu]

ATYCLB:
(...)
musically a collision of Britney Spears and Exit
(...)

I know it's only about one song... but for me it's a perfect describtion of the whole ATYCLB album...

 

[Aardvark747]

Well for me, i'll judge it on how many songs each album has - that I actually LOVE...

ATYCLB - 3
(Kite / In a little while / Wild Honey)

HTDAAB - 5
(Miracle Drug / Sometimes / AMAAW / OOTS / Yahweh)

 

[the soul waits]

I experience ATYCLB as a more intimate album than HTDAAB.

I definately like HTDAAB better, it's my 3rd favourite U2-album, I love all the songs except for LAPOE (have to be in the mood for it, but when I am, man! I love it!), adore the other songs (OOTS being my top-favorite).

On ATYCLB , keepers for me are WO, Grace and IALW. The rest of the songs are athmosphere-makers for me and I get quite bored with easily when I'm in a listening mood.

 

[ZeroDude]

ATYCLB> The Bomb



I have grown to prefer ATYCLB for some reason, HTDAAB while excellent isn't better in my opinion, In a Little While is a fantastic song better than AMAAW and any other comparable songon the Bomb, New York is amazing imo also, better than Love and Peace, Beautiful Day I don't think there's anything comparable on the Bomb however the Bomb is the more consistent album, but the best songs of ATYCLB are better than the Bombs best imo

P.S. Stuck is one of U2s best songs since POP a melodic masterpiece

 

[MumblingBono]

I agree. ATYCLB is perhaps slower paced overall, but it is simply more tuneful.

The Bomb is too loaded down by mid-tempo blandfests like Miracle Drug and City of Blinding Lights.

"Kite" is the emotional masterpiece "Sometimes" is alleged to be.

 

[JOFO]

ATYCLB has got an edge because it started a new phase of U2's career, so it was 'new'. HTDAAB is a bit of a re-hash of ATYCLB, and it's following the same musical pattern so it doesn't sound as 'fresh' as ATYCLB did.

We won't be able to truly judge the two discs against each other until the next album is out.

Beautiful Day feels like a classic in the concerts now, even though it's only 4.5 years old! Let's wait until Vertigo starts sounding like an old chestnut before we judge the two albums.

-Miggy

I agree with this.
but I think the songwriting on bomb is much stronger as a whole.