^ I agree with allot of what you say here, I am another fan who did not become a "the U2 guy" as my family, friends and co-workers like to call me, until I heard POP. I was 19 at the time and while I had liked U2 before POP I loved U2 after that...
Because it was the turning point for me personally, I do tend to take it personally when POP gets bashed... I don't really care what people on the forum have to say or even what critics say (although it's true that originally reviews were much more positive)it's the band's attitude that bothers me.
I don't care if you think it's unfinished or not the way you like it, you released it to the public, and in a way it no longer belongs to you, these are my songs now and I have strong associations with almost all of them. I don't know, it's hard to describe I guess...
I do know that this debate will probably never end, which is okay I guess. That is the nature of these type of forums, you have the newbies who show up and want to talk about their thoughts on a subject and you have the regulars who have heard the same argument 100 times over...