If you could only have one decade of U2, which would it be?

[doctorwho]

I would say 80's U2, but not because of the music. Yes, there was great stuff then, but also some so-so material. IMO, U2 have easily surpassed some of their 80's best with material from the 90's and 00's. So why the 80's? Mostly because of nostalgia - they were unknown and growing then. I got to see their rise to fame, enjoy when JT broke out and see how the band grew. This was a time when people actually rooted for U2 - not hated them (or Bono) simply because he's standing up for the millions in Third World Nations. This was a time when U2 weren't expected to re-create music with every album, as if that's even possible. And, of course, it's a time when both U2 and me were young - we had that ambition, naivete and curiosity.

 

[waynetravis]

90s

 

[blueeyedgirl]

This. Achtung might be my favourite album, but living without New Years Day, Streets, Running to Stand Still, Bad etfuckingcetera? No thank you!

 

[Vlaco]

80s closely followed by 90s.

 

[gman]

80's Hands Down.....by far and away the most magical time to be a u2 fan in their entire history..(hving lived thro it for the most part)

 

[MrPryck2U]

90's

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Yeah, definitely 2010-2020.

We haven't heard any of that shit. All of the songs from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, they're already in my heart. I know 'em. If I need any of those songs, I can just think, and remember. And smile.

I can't call up the 2010-2020 songs.

 

[Galeongirl]

This. Achtung might be my favourite album, but living without New Years Day, Streets, Running to Stand Still, Bad etfuckingcetera? No thank you!

I'll take that if it means living without The Fly, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, Acrobat, Love is Blindness, So Cruel, ZooStation, Zooropa, Lemon, Gone, Discotheque, Mofo, Do You Feel Loved and Last Night on Earth.


The only songs I'd say I'd miss from the 80s would be SBS, NYD, Streets, WOWY and Bad. The only ones from the 00's would be Miracle Drug, COBL, Crazy Tonight, NLOTH2 and MOS.

Yeah, I guess 90s win by a rather large margain for me.

 

[God Part III]

00's.

Yeah.

 

[ultraviolet92]

1987-1997

 

[lemonfly]

Perhaps the more pertinent question is - which U2 decade could you live without? I could never live without the 80s or 90s, but I could probably live without the 00s. U2 in the Noughties sounded like a very good U2 tribute band that recorded their own material (if that makes sense).

 

[ElectricalStorm]

I could live without the 00's. While there are still great songs, it just can't beat up against the 80's and 90's for me.

And to choose between the 80's and 90's... AB is my favorite album, but living without JT? I guess if I had to choose, I would choose the 80's, but only because without the 80's, there wouldn't probably be any 90's at all

 

[prbiker15]

1983 - 1993

Kinda hard, but I would choose the 90's. Very experimental decade. Closely followed by the 80's.

 

[JCOSTER]

the 90's (and if I could be on location for the video shoot of Mysterious Ways, that woudl be great)

 

[U2387]

I would say 80's U2, but not because of the music. Yes, there was great stuff then, but also some so-so material. IMO, U2 have easily surpassed some of their 80's best with material from the 90's and 00's. So why the 80's? Mostly because of nostalgia - they were unknown and growing then. I got to see their rise to fame, enjoy when JT broke out and see how the band grew. This was a time when people actually rooted for U2 - not hated them (or Bono) simply because he's standing up for the millions in Third World Nations. This was a time when U2 weren't expected to re-create music with every album, as if that's even possible. And, of course, it's a time when both U2 and me were young - we had that ambition, naivete and curiosity.

I wasn't even born until 1987, but I can't argue with this at all!

Even I feel nostalgic looking at video and listening to bootlegs from the 80s, especially the JT era! It's easily the U2 era I relate to the most and associate the most with good things in my life(as I was discovering the material in college).

And though I got a small taste of a time when U2 were popular even amongst the "cool kids" (I was in High School through post 9/11, end of Elevation, Bomb and beginning of Vertigo Tour), I would've loved to have lived through a time when they were on top of the world and rooted for by everyone.

As always, you have some of the best posts here!

Put my vote in for the 80's, even if we're going just on material and not nostalgic value.

As someone else said, there wouldn't be any 90's without the 80's!

I don't think anyone has said the obvious here yet which is THANK GOD THIS IS ONLY A HYPOTHETICAL QUESTION!

We all have songs that we wouldn't part with in the 80s, 90s and 00s!

 

[VintagePunk]

The 90s are probably my most favourite decade of all, although that does vary by the day or hour, even...but I'd probably say the 80s, simply because of the breadth of the musical territory they covered in that decade alone - from the rawness of Boy to the starkness of October, to the punk and attitude of War to the gorgeously ethereal UF to the maturity of JT and the Americana of R&H - what a decade that was. A decade of constant evolution and growth.

 

[domo-kun]

90's for sure

 

[An Cat Gav]

90s.

/End thread. Unless, of course, my opinion isn't the be-all-end-all of life.

Just as well that your opinion IS the be all and end all isn't it!

You know I'm a big fan of yours LM!

90's, though it's a close run thing with the 80s.

 

[Hallucination]

I'd take the decade that produced the greatest album in the history of music(Achtung Baby) So the 90s it is for me. The 80's were great dont get me worng but u2's best fo the 80's does nto compete with Ultraviolet, WGRYWH, Love is Blindess, One, UTEOTW, The Fly, Acrobat and then you've got the gems from Zooropa and Pop as well as the handful of jewels off Passengers. It's not even close for me. 90's U2 is far and away the best U2................ so far.

 

[Hallucination]

This. Achtung might be my favourite album, but living without New Years Day, Streets, Running to Stand Still, Bad etfuckingcetera? No thank you!

I'd find it much harder to live without Ultraviolet, WGRYWH, Love is Blindess, One, UTEOTW, Stay, Lemon, If You Wear that Velvet Dress, Staring at the Sun etfuckingcetera. Different strokes for different folks though.

 

[sony]

90s.

 

[Zoocoustic]

90's without question.

Their most creative, artistic period. When they gave the middle finger to the rest of the world and just did their thing.

 

[streets1987]

Musically, I'd pick the 90's U2. They made some of the best music of their lives during this decade (too bad the band doesn't think their last 2 albums of the decade weren't any good). But in reguards to the band members themselves, I'd take the 80's U2. This was before they wrote music of personal matters and when they seemed to have more fun personalites and packed more energy into their performances. You look at the 90's U2, and there was many problems both within there personal lives and the band as a whole and then there is today's U2 which they have become very mature people and very political as well.

 

[SeeLoganRun]

I would like a decade consisting of the following years; 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2004 and 2009. Shit, that's twelve years.

 

[DondeEsta]

'00s

 

[BVS]

But in reguards to the band members themselves, I'd take the 80's U2. This was before they wrote music of personal matters and when they seemed to have more fun personalites

You look at the 90's U2, and there was many problems both within there personal lives and the band as a whole and then there is today's U2 which they have become very mature people and very political as well.

"Fun personalities" and not "political"?

Sorry dude but you were watching the wrong band in the 80's.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Best in the 80s, and in my opinion it's not even close.

They were definitely (or so my studies have made it seem) the most fun and the least political in the 90s, however.

 

[adb280z]

00s only because I got to see them in lots of shows. I never saw them in the 80s and only saw the Popmart tour in 97.

 

[gvox]

Let's see..what songs from the 80s could I not live without?

11 Oclock Tick Tock
I Will Follow
Twilight
An Cat Dubh
Into The Heart
A Day Without Me
Out of Control
The Electric Co
Gloria
I Threw A Brick
I Fall Down
Tomorrow
October
With A Shout
Sunday Bloody Sunday
New Years Day
Like A Song
Two Hearts
Surrender
40
A Sort Of Homecoming
Pride
Wire
Unforgettable Fire
Promenade
Bad
MLK
Streets
Still Havent Found
WOWY
Bullet
Running To Stand Still
Red Hill Mining Town
In God's Country
One Tree Hill
Exit
Mother's of the Disappeared
Luminous Times
Spanish Eyes
Silver and Gold
Van Diemen's Land
Desire
Heartland
God Part II
Love Rescue Me
All I Want Is You

That's 46 songs, minimum. I doubt either the 90s or 00s have more than 46 songs for me (even combined!), but what the hell...

90s (and I'm going to be as generous as I can):

Zoo Station
Even Better
One
Wild Horses
So Cruel
The Fly / Lady WTSS
Mysterious Ways
Ultraviolet
Love Is Blindness
Acrobat
Zooropa
Lemon
Stay
The First Time
Dirty Day
Do You Feel Loved
Mofo
If God Will Send
Staring At the Sun
Last Night on Earth
Gone
Please
Wake Up Dead Man
Miss Sarajevo
North and South
Your Blue Room
Salome Zooromancer

That's 27 songs..feel free to point out any I've missed, but I doubt it'll bring me near 46

Ok now 2000s:

Beautiful Day
Stuck In A Moment (yeah, on the album I like it, I just never want to hear it again live!)
Walk On
Kite
In A Little While (see "Stuck", same deal)
Peace On Earth
When I Look At the World
New York
Grace
Ground Beneath Her Feet
Miracle Drug
Sometimes You Can't Make It
City Of Blinding Lights
A Man and A Woman
Crumbs From Your Table
Original of the Species
Yahweh
All Because of You
Magnificent
Moment of Surrender
Unknown Caller
Breathe
No Line on the Horizon
White As Snow

That's 24. I'm going to go out on another limb and bet that it looks as if I like even more 00s than most here (and to be fair I barely listen to it much these days, whereas I always go back to the 80s-early 90s)

Achtung Baby is strong. Really strong. But it holds no more sway over me than does for instance The Joshua Tree. On both albums, only one or two tracks do I skip. But then I look at all the other work before and after TJT during the 80s, and compare to all the other work in the 90s after AB, and the 80s come out on top as a whole decade.

 

[streets1987]

"Fun personalities" and not "political"?

Sorry dude but you were watching the wrong band in the 80's.

There is a big difference between the political activism they did back in the 80's to the activism they do now. Back then it was writing songs based on politics and the occasional benefit concert (Live Aid, Amnesty, etc). These days, they have actually injected themselves into these poltical issues, such as Africa or The Edge's charity Music Rising. Now Bono is meeting face to face with these world leaders to discuss these matters.