All That You Can't Leave Behind is a terrific album. a lot of people dislike it because it left behind the daring exercises of 90s U2. some dislike it because it's bland, uninspired and has too many bad songs. some people's hatred of it seems to have grown because they're playing four songs from it every night of the tour.
when we did the Top 50 albums in B&C, this was my third U2 pick. if we were to do that again, i'd only have AB & JT, because after those two i can't possibly rate U2's albums. but rest assured, this is pretty close to the top.
why? i've always been a worrier, a thinker, reading too much into things, assuming the worst, being pessimistic in general. this record never, ever fails to leave me feeling anything but positive. it's easily my favourite album of the decade, because it has a huge number of affecting songs on it, which is why U2 are my favourite band.
i lost my grandfather in 2005 to cirrhosis of the liver. he was in hospital, and Mum was with him. she rang Dad and told him, who told us. i cried for about an hour i reckon, because i had gone 16 years without experiencing a single loss that really hurt.
after i'd calmed down a bit, i played Kite, and i was gone again. numbers and a few others seem to think Bono is being obvious and generic, but just because the lyrics aren't wrapped up in spellbinding imagery like they are in One Tree Hill, doesn't make it any less powerful. i read out the chorus when we spread his ashes at a family wake.
in 2005 the Aussie crew at the time ran through a number of great threads lamenting the fact that it appeared we would be skipped on the Vertigo Tour. but then, just as it did for 360, an announcement appeared out of nowhere. lucky, because i was getting pretty close to trying to get my head on TV, for fear of never seeing the band i love.
then Edge's daughter got sick, and we didn't know if the shows would be cancelled or postponed. but luck was on our side and they landed in Australia in November 2006, promising "something special" because we didn't get Elevation. we guessed that meant Stuck and Walk On getting a gig, but then Axver mentioned that they'd rehearsed Kite in Brisbane, and then played it the following night - and apparently it was an amazing rendition. i remember to this day my heart jumping, hoping against hope it would make it to Melbourne.
when Kite closed out the concert i was so choked up with emotion i could barely move. the 18th November 2006 is still the best night of my life, despite the fact i've turned 18 and had many great nights out since.
and this is just one of a wealth of reasons why i believe All That You Can't Leave Behind to be a truly wonderful album.
1. Kite
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2. When I Look at the World
3. Beautiful Day
4. Walk On
5. The Ground Beneath Her Feet
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6. Stuck in a Moment - like inte, i had been in a rut for about two weeks, i was just miserable and didn't know why. people suggested forcing positive thought, and i did that, and then played this album, and about a minute into Stuck i was happy again, after two weeks of just feeling very down.
7. New York
8. In a Little While
9. Wild Honey
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10. Peace on Earth
11. Grace
12. Elevation
