What is the most "mellow" U2 album?

[Zoocoustic]

Had a friend ask me this recently, and couldn't quite come up with an answer! Narrowed it down to two or three albums, but curious what everyone else thinks...

 

[Lancemc]

most "mellow" i would have to say the unforgettable Fire, simply because of how atmospheric it is. when listening to this album in good headphones, i seem to go into a dreamlike state, especially in the second half. So, yeah, I'll go with TUF.

 

[beau2ifulday]

I'd say The Unforgettable Fire or The Joshua Tree... i'm not really sure which is more mellow.
Saying that, most of ATYCLB is mellow too..
*is undecided*
Nope, i'd say TUF too.

 

[jick]

POP is quite mellow.

Cheers,

J

 

[Windmilllane]

Without question, UF. But that is not to say UF is terrible. UF is brilliant musically. I love every single song on that album. At first, Elvis Presley and America drove me nuts. But after listening to that song, over and over, it is so beautiful. The most beautiful song is the title track. In fact, the video introduced me to U2. It was 1985 and I was 12 years. Ever since then, I have been a U2 addict.

 

[shart1780]

Easy, Passengers!!!

 

[Windmilllane]

JT is a close second. Mothers of the Disappeared is the saddest song I have ever heard. The emotion you feel at the end of that song is so riveting. Every time I listen to the end of that song, I think about how the souls of those poor victims are entering heaven, how they are at peace, even though they were brutally murdered. I always get teary when I listen to that song.

 

[Axver]

UF or ATYCLB, which is remarkable because they are respectively my favourite and least-favourite albums.

 

[sundown]

Mellow and Melancholy is just about what U2 do best in my opinon. No other band can replicate the soulfulness of U2 when they're on form.

Probably why the UF and JT albums are my favourite.

 

[Phalanx]

Why am I thinking Zooropa? That seems really mellow to me.

 

[PowerSurge]

Why am I thinking Zooropa? That seems really mellow to me.

agreed....POP is way too charged up, and I can't see how JT is mellow, relaxing is one thing mellow is another. UF is mellow for half of the songs, but not for the rest. I think people assume its mellow because most of their CD's have shit sound quality. You need to get a 'gold' edition copy and turn the sucker up, then you'll hear the energy.

 

[sue4u2]

UF & JT, both of which I will put on if I have trouble sleeping. Only problem is - even, after all this time I still have trouble falling asleep to either of these since I don't want to miss the song or the next song. Hard to fall asleep to U2.

 

[Bono's shades]

ATYCLB without a doubt.

 

[MrBrau1]

Zooropa!

 

[Roland of Gilead]

Passengers! Without a doubt.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

uf. and passengers, if you consider that.

 

[u2valleygirl]

ATYCLB...Grace, In a Little While, Wild Honey, When I look at the World, Kite...all mellow.

 

[MrBrau1]

Wait? You need to define mellow. Cause I don't see Kite, or Bad as mellow songs. They're very intense. Very Intense! Some people define mellow as slow. Wild Honey is not slow. It's actually very fast. I don't know many U2 songs that are mellow. Most are intense or insane.

 

[Jack In The Box]

ATYCLB, of course

 

[u2valleygirl]

Wait? You need to define mellow. Cause I don't see Kite, or Bad as mellow songs. They're very intense. Very Intense! Some people define mellow as slow. Wild Honey is not slow. It's actually very fast. I don't know many U2 songs that are mellow. Most are intense or insane.

Kite is one of my favorite songs. I guess with this song, I feel that it's mellow because it is so introspective. It is intense. Maybe that's not "mellow" but it's not like an Elevation or Streets. Wild Honey, they played accoustically and it was kinda groovy. I noticed some pp. did a bathroom run during that song.

 

[dARKSTAr64]

Without question, UF. But that is not to say UF is terrible. UF is brilliant musically....The most beautiful song is the title track. In fact, the video introduced me to U2. It was 1985 and I was 12 years. Ever since then, I have been a U2 addict.

A bit OT but:

I saw The Unforgettable Fire Tour a few times and the JT tour quite a few times and TUF was still played then and it was easily one of the highlights of the show. In fact for the UF tour, I'd have to say that the best songs live were TUF and Bad. TUF was the shocker though. I loved the song before I saw them do it live but the first time I saw it live, I just dropped my mouth in awe and my hair stood on end. That song has a tremendous power live.

My hope is that one this next tour we will have the A-Bomb Trio:

Vertigo->Seconds->The Unforgettable Fire!

Now how cool would that be?

 

[Aardvark747]

Passengers/ATYCLB

 

[ZeroDude]

ATYCLB

 

[djerdap]

The Unforgettable Fire. Which is not a bad thing at all. A great atmospheric and mellow record.
Pop is not a mellow album! It's actually one of the rawest. Mofo, anyone???
And JT for sure isn't. Bullet the Blue Sky and Exit are one of the most rocking songs they ever did.

 

[Saracene]

ATYCLB

 

[jick]

POP starts out with a slowly fading in guitar riff ...that's mellow #1. There are Bono spoken word moments like "mother am I still your son" in Mofo, virtually the entire If You Wear That Velvet Dress, and the slow silent desolate start to If God Will Send His Angels into becoming a poppy Christmas song. Then you got the loopy Playboy Mansion, the spoken word Miami, and most of Wake Up Dead Man (except the chorus). Oh not to mention the easygoing summer hit song feel of Staring At The Sun. You easily end up with the most mellow album U2 has ever made.

How can anything in POP compare to the raw guitars and rocking sound of Elevation and Walk On? Or Exit and Bullet The Blue Sky? POP is in a league of its own, and its in the front of the mellow brigade. But mellow doesn't equal a bad album. POP is a bad album because it was unfinished, not because it was mellow.

Cheers,

J

 

[celia]

Passengers and Unforgetable Fire for sure

 

[Herco]

HTDAAB!

 

[U2_Guy]

How can anything in POP compare to the raw guitars and rocking sound of Elevation and Walk On? Or Exit and Bullet The Blue Sky? POP is in a league of its own, and its in the front of the mellow brigade. But mellow doesn't equal a bad album. POP is a bad album because it was unfinished, not because it was mellow.

This Jick isn't a serious fellow is he? "Raw guitars on Elevation and Walk On"?? Hehehehe...

Are you sure did you listen to the album named Pop, released in 1997, by U2? Maybe you missed that one. There's still time to buy it. Run for the CD store and buy this precious.

I think you actually think that ATYCLB is the record called Pop. And vice-versa. That's why you like ATYCLB so much and hate Pop so much. Maybe you changed the cover inserts?

 

[believer75]

Nothing wrong with liking or loving ATYCLB....thankfully it was a big hit and now we can celebrate and enjoy the excitement around the new album....probably just as important as Achtung in that it kicked off the third phase of U2, just like Achtung kicked off phase 2....BTW, I do think there were just as many guitar sounds on ATYCLB as there were on POP (Beautiful Day, Walk On, New York). POP has been misrepresented by sooooo many people out there, though. I think people who criticize that album haven't really, really listened to it. 'Do You Feel Loved'....excellent guitar all through the song....'Discotheque'.....completely different for Edge and U2 in general.....innovative...freed 'em up to do anything they want. Afterwall, they are U2 and can do that...as long as their fans don't limit them.

All that said, I think The Unforgettable Fire is their most "mellow" album, but beautifully mellow.

Don't go knockin' ATYCLB. New fans were won with that album, new people understanding what U2 is about. I think ATYCLB represents a lot of what U2 is about.