Could HTDAAB be the best U2 album ever?

[u2bonogirl]

i thought this thread what about the new album?

 

[vivaSA]

Anyway, we still have 47 days to wait for the answer on the question of this thread, or maybe even more, depending on how much time we're gonna need to 'digest' it.

I remember liking Achtung baby since the first time I heard it.

 

[Lancemc]

Elvis Presley and America is my third favourite U2 song of all time. I guess I'm one of the few that really understands it. It is a work of art that song, almost the equivalent of Bad.

no, i completely understand where this song comes from and what its purpose and meaning is. It's a great song, really great, but it's still weak. The melodies and music are really unorganized and the lyrics are nonexistent, so that makes it a weak song. HOWEVER, I still love it, and realize its true beautiful, but it's still weak.

 

[Lancemc]

I think UF is by faaaar their best album. I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE AB's name so I now just call it "The Edge Album" or "AB" when I write it. I hope HTDAAB is greater than great. And better than the Edge album.

i sure hope you are kidding about AB, but i still can't understand how Uf could rate among U2's best albums, let alone call it "the best by far". You can love the album all you want, and it can be your favorite album till you die, but that doen'st make it the best. Looking at things more objectively it's beyond clear that The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, POP, and ATYCLB (maybe) are all better formed and more developed albums that UF ever could be. Uf is just too loose and thrown together to be their best. sorry, but yeah.

 

[Roland of Gilead]

You can love the album all you want, and it can be your favorite album till you die, but that doen'st make it the best.

Maybe not the "best" to you, but the "best" to someone else definetely.

 

[Lancemc]

tsk tsk, i hate when i have to dfend my reasoning behind this kind of stuff, so im not going to this time...it gets old.

 

[Roland of Gilead]

tsk tsk, i hate when i have to dfend my reasoning behind this kind of stuff, so im not going to this time...it gets old.

I understand your reasoning completely. The question remains, however, how come YOU seem to believe to know everything about what the "best" exactly is? You are trying to objectify what is and will always be a subjective experience. Just because someone is a dj, a grammy judge, a journalism major, etc... does not give them a special key that defines what is the "best" and that everyone must conform and/or recognize it.

The Unforgettable Fire is a great album, and if someone believes that it is U2's greatest album, then more power to them. It is a statement that should not upset you that you feel you MUST try and "correct" their way of thinking.

 

[U2girl]

To answer those who ask "how can anyone know if it's the best" ... I guess it's fun to speculate.

I think that I will be REALLY surprised if they'd pull out their best work at this point in their career. (then again, they turned around several rock band clichees already) I do think the time is right for a tight, flowing U2 album like War, JT and AB were. I believe they have one more album in them that will approach JT and AB more than anything they've done since then.

 

[Lancemc]

I understand your reasoning completely. The question remains, however, how come YOU seem to believe to know everything about what the "best" exactly is? You are trying to objectify what is and will always be a subjective experience. Just because someone is a dj, a grammy judge, a journalism major, etc... does not give them a special key that defines what is the "best" and that everyone must conform and/or recognize it.

The Unforgettable Fire is a great album, and if someone believes that it is U2's greatest album, then more power to them. It is a statement that should not upset you that you feel you MUST try and "correct" their way of thinking.

.

fari enough, but i still think you CAN objectify someting like this to an EXTENT.

 

[Roland of Gilead]

.

fari enough, but i still think you CAN objectify someting like this to an EXTENT.

Yes, there must be something out there that must universally be accepted as a given to objectify what makes an album the "best." Perhaps it is in that Pop vrs. All That... thread.

 

[Lancemc]

there must be

 

[Axver]

Whoa, whoa, whoa... Now THAT is massive speculation. Although I love UF, it doesn't compare to AB. Unlike AB, it has filler tracks.

Since when did UF have filler tracks? It flows perfectly. Remove any of the tracks or change the order and it would no longer flow. There's no filler. It all builds together to create one big atmosphere.

AB, however, most certainly has filler - TTTYAATW and Ultra Violet. It is so over-rated.

 

[Lancemc]

Since when did UF have filler tracks? It flows perfectly. Remove any of the tracks or change the order and it would no longer flow. There's no filler. It all builds together to create one big atmosphere.

AB, however, most certainly has filler - TTTYAATW and Ultra Violet. It is so over-rated.

a 40 minute recording of wind flows perfectly, but without solid songs, who gives a shit.

 

[VertiGone]

When discussing best in the context of this thread, i think you have to consider album sales. In U2's case, JT and AB are considered their "best" in large part to the number of albums that each have sold. They are always going to sell a million here, a million there in different countries to add up to a nice world-wide total, but the true "blockbusters" are made in America, where an album can catch fire and sell 8, 9, 10 million copies. Are people that don't own an album going to say it's great? Chances are, no. If this album sells 10 million copies in America, even U2 will claim this is their greatest album. Put it this way, if Pop had sold very well in America, i really doubt they would be complaining that they didnt' have time to finish it.

 

[Lancemc]

i dont think album sales have anything to do with an album being great, but occasionally being great has alot to do with album sales.

 

[riteshbhatt1]

If this album has a song better than "Take You on a Cruise" by Interpol (which is my song of the year at this point), I'll be happy

 

[vivaSA]

When discussing best in the context of this thread, i think you have to consider album sales. In U2's case, JT and AB are considered their "best" in large part to the number of albums that each have sold. They are always going to sell a million here, a million there in different countries to add up to a nice world-wide total, but the true "blockbusters" are made in America, where an album can catch fire and sell 8, 9, 10 million copies. Are people that don't own an album going to say it's great? Chances are, no. If this album sells 10 million copies in America, even U2 will claim this is their greatest album. Put it this way, if Pop had sold very well in America, i really doubt they would be complaining that they didnt' have time to finish it.

(10-06-2004) 'Vertigo' at the Top! -- U2.com*
"Vertigo" at the Top!

Vertigo has achieved the No.1 slot in all four iTunes stores - UK, US, France and Germany.
http://www.interference.com/u298566/index.html



OK, so Vertigo is best selling at the moment, I'd say good start.

 

[Numb1075]

Regarding the discussion of "Fillers"...it's a true testament to U2s greatness when their supposed "fillers" are still miles beyond most other songs out there today.

Take Ultra Violet or Indian Summer Sky, Wild Honey etc...people on this forum refer to them as fillers, but the same people here would agree that the songs are great compared to modern music.

just my 2 cents anyway....now I'm broke....

 

[Michael Griffiths]

Yes, yes, yes it will be. Their best album. Well, tied at least.

 

[vivaSA]

Take Ultra Violet or Indian Summer Sky, Wild Honey etc...people on this forum refer to them as fillers, but the same people here would agree that the songs are great compared to modern music.

Somehow I can't agree on "Ultraviolet" being just a filler, to me it's a great song.

 

[doctorwho]

see,
I think Yahweh and Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own are tacky song titles



especially the latter which feels very cliche

but I don't care TOO much about song titles as long as the songs are good and the lyrics don't make me wince!

Titles are tough... you say some of those titles sound cliche, but to me, some of the most cliche sounding titles I've heard by U2 are "Pride" and "With or Without You" (just to name a few), yet those songs are classics.

Therefore, I refuse to say one word about the album until I hear it in all its glory.

 

[Michael Griffiths]

Word just in from the street: This album apparently is their best ever. Don't take it from me, though.

Take it from the street.

 

[EvolutionMonkey]

Word just in from the street: This album apparently is their best ever. Don't take it from me, though.

Take it from the street.

The street ? What street ? Granville, Oak, Cambie which of these mysterious streets are talking back to you ?!? Whenever i talk to them they never talk back to me ?

 

[Aardvark747]

Havent listened to UF in it's all it's glory for some months...so given all this discussion over it, I shall whack it on the player now.
Incidently, too me it has always been my 3rd fave, behind AB and JT, with Promenade and UF my most listened to songs off it. And regarding the new album, I wont post my feelings on it for a few days after the release. But I will enjoy reading everyone elses!

 

[Jamila]

I have a deep feeling in my heart that HTDAAB will be as great if not greater than any of U2's other albums.

Given the samples of songs that we have already heard, it might just be their GREATEST yet!

As Bono said, it's only taken them 25 years to complete HTDAAB, so it better be good!

YOU GIVE ME SOMETHING I CAN FEEL....

 

[elfyx]

I thought the word on the street is "Stop" or "Left turn only".

 

[PowerSurge]

Listen


2


the

album


1st. Then we shall know.

 

[Michael Griffiths]

The street ? What street ? Granville, Oak, Cambie which of these mysterious streets are talking back to you ?!? Whenever i talk to them they never talk back to me ?

Ah, the true prophets of the day can be found on only one street -
Hastings.

Written on the skytrain walls....

 

[Michael Griffiths]

I thought the word on the street is "Stop" or "Left turn only".

Or in the case of Vancouver, "NO left turn".

 

[vivaSA]

From Blender:
“Without sounding totally phony,” Bono says, “I think this might be our second best — if not our best — album. It’s up there with Achtung [Baby]. It had to be. You can’t live like this and put out a crap album or else people are going to want to shoot you.”

I KNEW IT!