Numb1075 said:
Zooropa is well ahead of it's time.
Actually, I think that I sort of disagree with this--not a big deal, but I think there's a better way to put it. I mean, I look at the music that's been made since
Zooropa came out, and that album IN NO WAY hinted at what was to come, for music. It may have had an overtly-electronic vibe going on, but it wasn't the kind of vibe which other bands would pick up as the electronica/techno scenes (re-)flourished in the mid-to-late '90s.
To me, one of the things that makes
Zooropa so outlandishly successful is the fact that it was NOT ahead of it's time...nor was it behind the times...
Zooropa is, to put it simply, an album completely outside of time. The only song that even remotely puts the album in a historical context is "Zooropa," with its nods to pop culture/advertising of the day; aside from that, the album is conceptually, thematically, and stylistically difficult to position in any sort of meaningful context. I think that a remastered version of the album (which is BADLY needed...Eno/Lanois albums age TERRIBLY...JUST TERRIBLY!...from a sonic standpoint) would do a great deal to back me up with this. The sound QUALITY of the album has suffered over the years as technical innovations have been made, and a robust, fuller, re-mastered sound would help demonstrate just how timeless, so to speak, the album really is.
Sorry for getting all technical and goofy, over here. Regardless of "Why?" at least we can all (at least in this thread) agree that this album is remarkable. "Balls-y" is right, my friends. I don't necessarily miss the sound, cuz evolution is always needed...I just miss the bravado and daring.