I'm sorry guys, but I like this comparison, this is actually an important one.
For me, i have mixed feelings as ATYCLB... okay you got Beautiful Day, Stuck in a Moment which are both good start offs... then you've got a half baked version of Elevation (the Tomb Raider Mix sounded much fuller), Walk On and Kite are great, then In a little while totally changes tone and it feels more like it should be on Pop as one of the later tracks.. even then, its really hard to get into this song... took me at least a year. Wild Honey is the same story, but I am a bit biased towards this song because it was in Vanilla Sky which is one of my favourite movies so I got to listen to it and like it. I like Peace on Earth, its a very emotional song, and you have to have balls to write a song like that, but again, it took me a year at least or maybe even two to get into this song. When I look at the world, this song took me about 2 years to actually pay attention to, but now I'm loving it. New York is a great song, but after being hit with the best songs #1-5 its really hard to keep listening down the list, so this took me a while to start to like, not as long as the other songs that I mentioned, but long enough that someone else might have actually given up on the album. Grace has that weird sound again that I don't feel fits into the album, I liked this song because I have a personal attachment to it, but again its not very likable unless you're really looking for something to satisfy you...
Now Pop, I feel this album is a little bit more balanced in terms of dispersing the single type songs over the course of the album so that you actually listen to the tracks in between. Discotheque is just a great song to blast out, almost like how Elevation or Vertigo are great to blast out (note: if you actually analyze the lyrics of discotheque, you realize this song actually does have something on the inside, its not empty). Do you feel loved is another catchy song that you just have to like. Mofo is a bit tricky, its kind of a jarring transition to Mofo, but I guess thats how it was with BTBS on JT. I only liked this song after watching the Popmart in Mexico concert, once you listen to the whole song start to finish you realize its not that bad, the ending is great. If God Will Send His Angels... I can't say enough about this song.. even though this song is the "mellow" type, it still catches you.. its like the ultimate song for hope. Staring at the Sun... great song.. I don't think anyone can deny that this one is a classic. Last Night on Earth has a very distinct feel.. from the start of the song it feels like something that should be paired with Desire.. sometimes I feel this song needs a little bit more layers, but you just gotta love the hook to this song-- and the lyrical merit is great. Gone.. well again, I think this song is likable right away.. again, I think this hook was sort of infectuous to me. Miami.. okay I still don't know what the heck this song is after the fact that I've listened to Pop a million times, its just so unmemorable.. listening to it now to remember
... okay actually this song isn't that bad, but its kinda like how I described the non-single songs on ATYCLB, its something that doesn't catch your ears, and you really have to force yourself to try to like this track before you actually do. Playboy Mansion... name kinda was a turn off, but when I actually listened to it I loved the hook, it helps make the song. If you wear that velvet dress-- I think this song could have been a single if they made a radio edit version with a more of an in your face beginning instead of the long intro, but it fits well on a full album, kind of like how Acrobat fit on AB. Please-- another classic song I felt.. you can interpret this song so many ways.. for a lover, for a close friend, for a politician, etc... and I became a U2 fan after 9/11, so the ending is SO eery the way he says "September, streets capsizing, spilling over, and down the drain.. Shards of glass, splinters like rain.. but you could only feel your own pain!"... a great buildup to the ending to the song. Wake up Dead Man, initially it was hard for me to get into this song, but now I'm loving it.. Bono swears in this song, but he uses it in such an appropriate context that I don't mind it, again, the buildup to the end of this song is just so uplifting.
So all in all, as an album I feel Pop is much better... honestly if i were to rate the recent U2 albums, I'd give AB a 10/10, Pop a 9.0/10, and ATYCLB a 7.5/10.. in terms of singles it would probably be 8/10 for AB, 8/10 for Pop, and 10/10 for ATYCLB