Least Favorite U2 Album?

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Slapnutz said:
Maybe where you were, but here in the UK in '96/'97 electronica/dance culture was the dog's bollocks, while brit pop and other retro nonsense such as grunge and post-grunge were thankfully on life support.
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So do you wanna explain how Oasis was the world's biggest selling act in 1996? My point is just that U2, as a guitar-rock band, seemed a bit past-it for the first time in 1997 (at least, from my perspective).

But actually you're right -- Pop was much more warmly embraced in Europe than in N. America.
 
65980 said:
So do you wanna explain how Oasis was the world's biggest selling act in 1996? My point is just that U2, as a guitar-rock band, seemed a bit past-it for the first time in 1997 (at least, from my perspective).

But actually you're right -- Pop was much more warmly embraced in Europe than in N. America.
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He's wrong in saying that britpop was dying, and wrong about saying this was a good thing, but grunge was already dead. And he's right about the electronic scene. As you can see, many major artists tried to giva a more "electronic" feel to albuns around 97/98. As examples, R.E.M.'s Up or The Rolling Stones' Bridges to Babylon
 
gweeps said:
October

Aside from the title track, I Threw a Brick Through a Window and Tomorrow, I don't really recall any of the songs.
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Maybe listen to "Gloria", "I Fall Down" or "Scarlet" – it will change your mind. There is no bad U2 album in my ears, apart from "PASSENGERS" as a whole. Except the three songs "Slug", "Your Blue Room" and "Miss Sarajewo" of course.
 
Ah, your first mistake is thinking of Passengers as a U2 album. :no: It took me the better part of 10 years to get over that. I love it now, but only because I forget it's the guys from U2.
 
October is the weakest, but it didn't come with the ambition of Atomic Bomb. It's not screaming at you, boasting about how great it is. It's just not that good, but it doesn't ever claim to be. So, IMO, Bomb is in dead last place. It's both shit and arrogant. I'm not big on ATYCLB, but even with such a weak second half and a couple of :doh: moments in the first half, it hits their desired target perfectly in a couple of spots - e.g. Beautiful Day, In A Little While - which again is something Atomic Bomb fails to do, while trying desperately to do so on pretty much every single track.
 
Lila64 said:
I skipped the first 6-7 pages of this thread :happy:
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I love that you tacked a smiley face on the end of your sentence :p

As for me, I'd say it's a toss up between October and HTDAAB... probably "October," though. I can kind of see what the guys were going for with Bomb (youth, attempt to regain innocence), but October just seems all over the place - I know the band was at a loss spiritually and perhaps the identity of the record (along with Bono's lyrics) went AWOL. Regardless, a huge step down from Boy (which I loooooove).
 
.:MrMacPhisto:. said:
He's wrong in saying that britpop was dying, and wrong about saying this was a good thing, but grunge was already dead. And he's right about the electronic scene. As you can see, many major artists tried to giva a more "electronic" feel to albuns around 97/98. As examples, R.E.M.'s Up or The Rolling Stones' Bridges to Babylon
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Britpop (i.e. social commentary dressed as stunning anthemic pop hits) was indeed on life support by late '96/early '97 and, as far as many are concerned, died as a result of Oasis' bloated, drug-fueled Be Here Now album, the day Noel Gallagher accepted the invite to Downing Street to sip champagne and hobnob with the new prime minister and the emergence of the Spice Girls. Cool Britannia? More like an empty promise. Hell, even Blur were trying to distance themselves from Britpop during this period, seeking new sonic terrain by embracing American lo-fi.
 
Another vote for Zooropa here. I got it for Christmas probably 6 years ago, and I was ecstatic that I got a new U2 CD. I put it in the player, listened to it once, and put it away for about a month. Every time I go back to listen to it, I try to like it and try to listen for something different that I haven't heard before, but I can't get through the entire album. I'll suffer through Miami and Playboy Mansion on Pop to get to Please, but once I get to Numb on Zooropa, I'm done.
 
Slapnutz said:
Britpop (i.e. social commentary dressed as stunning anthemic pop hits) was indeed on life support by late '96/early '97 and, as far as many are concerned, died as a result of Oasis' bloated, drug-fueled Be Here Now album, the day Noel Gallagher accepted the invite to Downing Street to sip champagne and hobnob with the new prime minister and the emergence of the Spice Girls. Cool Britannia? More like an empty promise. Hell, even Blur were trying to distance themselves from Britpop during this period, seeking new sonic terrain by embracing American lo-fi.
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Well, now that I'm thinking I guess you're right about the dates. (But I'm not sure, since in 1997 Ocean Colour Scene, Oasis and Supergrass were topping the charts. Supergrass at #2) But it was not Be Here Now's fault, it was going to happen anyway. Anyway, I won't argue with you about the quality of Britpop, that's a matter of opinion (and I love it...so it's kinda pointless).

So let's forget about it and celebrate on the fact that U2 has no bad album and Rattle & Hum is amazing. :wink:
 
Acrobat51829 said:
Another vote for Zooropa here. I got it for Christmas probably 6 years ago, and I was ecstatic that I got a new U2 CD. I put it in the player, listened to it once, and put it away for about a month. Every time I go back to listen to it, I try to like it and try to listen for something different that I haven't heard before, but I can't get through the entire album. I'll suffer through Miami and Playboy Mansion on Pop to get to Please, but once I get to Numb on Zooropa, I'm done.
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You don't like Lemon?

Stay?

The First Time?
 
LemonMelon said:
You don't like Lemon?

Stay?

The First Time?
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1) this is the only song where I don't enjoy hearing Edge's shimmering guitar.

2) I thought Stay was their absolute worst song--worse than Stuck in a Moment--until about a year ago, but it's still near to bottom of my favorites list.

3) The only part I can listen to is the last minute or so after "and I threw away the key."

I can't even give good reasons why. I haven't been able to figure it out, but every time I try to give the album another chance, I can't get through the songs, either by themselves or as a whole (although Dirty Day is an exception).

I know, I know, I'll go in my box in the corner. :reject:
 
Back to Pop for me.....Rattle & Hum is incredibly bloated but it has a great deal of highlights and some pretty good tunes that are a bit forgettable ("Van Diemen's Land", anyone?)...Pop just rarely manages to outright amaze me with "Discotheque" being the only track I'd put in my U2 Top 50 once "Staring" falls out with the impending release of the new album...
 
Acrobat51829 said:
1) this is the only song where I don't enjoy hearing Edge's shimmering guitar.

2) I thought Stay was their absolute worst song--worse than Stuck in a Moment--until about a year ago, but it's still near to bottom of my favorites list.

3) The only part I can listen to is the last minute or so after "and I threw away the key."

I can't even give good reasons why. I haven't been able to figure it out, but every time I try to give the album another chance, I can't get through the songs, either by themselves or as a whole (although Dirty Day is an exception).

I know, I know, I'll go in my box in the corner. :reject:
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:faint:

You cannot be serious, that song (Stay) is a lyrical masterpiece and deserves to be worshipped by everyone on this forum. :angry:

:wink:
 
Probably October, Pop, and HTDAAB. Although, I do like certain tracks on all three of the aforementioned albums. They just are not as consistent as the band's other records.
 
One will always be one of their greatest ones imo. Stay is a pretty decent song, but not quite up to the level of their best.
 
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