Your unpopular U2 opinions here!

[The_acrobat]

Mysterious Ways is probably my least favourite song on AB and its way too overplayed live imo.

Agreed. It's also the source of some I Bonos most cringeworthy moments in a live setting.


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[Oregoropa]

Sweetest Thing (Single mix) is in my top ten U2 songs

 

[rennowba]

SOI maybe u2's 3rd greatest album

 

[lazarus]

Have you ever actually heard the Beatles version of Helter Skelter?

I'm genuinely asking because I don't understand how you could say that of all things. You don't have to like the song, but "plodding" is about as inaccurate an adjective as you could possibly have chosen. "Serene" or "ambient" are the only two I can think of that would be even more off.

The White Album is my second favorite album of all time, so I've heard it many, many times. And I'm not sure if you understand the word "plodding", which means "slow-moving and unexciting". The Beatles wanted to make a loud, dirty, raw song. And it is all of those things. But it has a lumbering quality, DUM DUM DUM DUM, DUM DUM DUM DUM, etc. that isn't very tuneful aside from the little guitar lick after the title is sung. McCartney is screaming but the music overall doesn't match that approach. It's more of a drone/sonic experience than an actual song.

Compare that to the electric version of Revolution, which is equally raucous and blistering but has more of a tune behind it and still works as a sing-a-long like any other pop gem Lennon and Macca wrote.

 

[Hollow Island]

U2 were never the biggest band in the world. At least they were never the biggest band in North America or the UK. They never sold the most records or had the biggest hits. GnR, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Oasis, Backstreet Boys, NSync, Britney, Spice Girls were all bigger than U2 when U2 were at their biggest. There were more, too. They didn't have the cultural impact of Nirvana or Oasis either. Sadly.

 

[Bad Exit]

I consider these as two different groups:

GnR, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Oasis,

Backstreet Boys, NSync, Britney, Spice Girls

I never felt that U2 were "competing against" the second group, is usually not the same fans.

And about the first group (along with Radiohead, REM and many more) I still believe that U2 ranks pretty high -not absurd to say on #1- on that list, specially when you consider how big they are not only for a couple of years, but consistently through 30+ years.

 

[gvox]

Oasis wasn't even a thing when U2 was rocks hottest ticket so gtfouttahere with that shit


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[CosmoKramer]

U2 were never the biggest band in the world. At least they were never the biggest band in North America or the UK. They never sold the most records or had the biggest hits. GnR, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Oasis, Backstreet Boys, NSync, Britney, Spice Girls were all bigger than U2 when U2 were at their biggest. There were more, too. They didn't have the cultural impact of Nirvana or Oasis either. Sadly.

I guess it all comes down to how one would define "biggest". If you use albums and hit songs, U2 would probably be in the top 3-5 in 1987 and 1991 and in the top 10-15 in 2001 and 2004 in North America.

However, if you use awards and tours, then U2 were the biggest band in North America in 1987, 1991, 2001 and 2004(save for awards, add 2009 to that list).

In my opinion, one should use all of those factors when determining popularity, especially tours. Getting 5 million people to spend .99 cents on a single is not as impressive as getting 7 million people to spend $100 to see you live.

It's even more impressive that during all of their touring years, they also always had one of the top selling album world wide. Hell, even No Line of the Horizon was the 6th best selling album world wide in 2009 with 4 million albums sold. In the US, they were #23 with 1 million sold, which isn't too shabby for a band of 50 year old men and an album with no hit song. If that's not big,...shit if I know what is.


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[CosmoKramer]

Oasis wasn't even a thing when U2 was rocks hottest ticket so gtfouttahere with that shit


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I'm going to have to agree with gvox on this one. Oasis was big in the US from September 3rd, 1994 to September 9th, 1994.


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[BVS]

U2 were never the biggest band in the world. At least they were never the biggest band in North America or the UK. They never sold the most records or had the biggest hits. GnR, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Oasis, Backstreet Boys, NSync, Britney, Spice Girls were all bigger than U2 when U2 were at their biggest. There were more, too. They didn't have the cultural impact of Nirvana or Oasis either. Sadly.

I really have no clue what you're basing this comment on, so you will have to let us know.

For example if you're basing this on numbers; Definitely Maybe 7x platinum in UK, but only 1x platinum in the US, while AB was 4x platinum in UK and 8x platinum in the US. And to argue cultural impact, although very subjective, is laughable.

 

[MrPryck2U]

I really have no clue what you're basing this comment on, so you will have to let us know.

For example if you're basing this on numbers; Definitely Maybe 7x platinum in UK, but only 1x platinum in the US, while AB was 4x platinum in UK and 8x platinum in the US. And to argue cultural impact, although very subjective, is laughable.

The comment is based on enormous amounts of meth.


But I will add that the Spice Girls were brillant. I mean, "If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends!". That is awesome! So, if I wanna be her lover, I have to fuck her friends first. Talk about Girl Power. Their cultural impact still resonates today. Ginger and Baby were my favorites.

 

[rennowba]

Oasis were the biggest thing ive seen in the uk between 95-97. They changed the music and fashion on the streets here. Everybody started wearing parkas again and everybody was struting like liam. But this was just in the uk they had this effect.

Oasis supported u2 when oasis were at their peak which says it all really.

 

[thavidesco]

I'm going to have to agree with gvox on this one. Oasis was big in the US from September 3rd, 1994 to September 9th, 1994.


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[flukeson]

I really want to hear elevation on I&E tour

 

[The_acrobat]

I really want to hear elevation on I&E tour

I'm sure they'll play it at every show, so take your pick!


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[Hayward79]

Melodically, ATYCLB is maybe the best the band has ever been.

 

[The_acrobat]

Melodically, ATYCLB is maybe the best the band has ever been.

I rank ATYCLB pretty much even with JT, right under AB, as U2's 3rd masterpiece. For me, it was my "coming of age album", as it came out when I was 18.

I was a little bit lost that year. I didn't go off to college right after high school, I stayed at home and worked a crappy but well paying job in a factory. It was a pretty lonely existence, as all my friends were off at college, or still In high school. The youngest people I worked with were 10 years older than me. That album got me through a rough patch. I actually quit my job because they wouldn't give me the day off to go see U2 in Columbus on elevation. That's when I made a plan, went to college, and started on the path that eventually lead me to the life I live now, a pretty happy one! I will always hold those songs close to my heart because of what they meant to me.

Sure, that's all circumstantial, but that's kind of the point. It's not about how a song is written, or recorded, or who produced it, or if it sounds like something else... It's all about how it moves you.


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[Irvine511]

I rank ATYCLB pretty much even with JT, right under AB, as U2's 3rd masterpiece. For me, it was my "coming of age album", as it came out when I was 18.

I was a little bit lost that year. I didn't go off to college right after high school, I stayed at home and worked a crappy but well paying job in a factory. It was a pretty lonely existence, as all my friends were off at college, or still In high school. The youngest people I worked with were 10 years older than me. That album got me through a rough patch. I actually quit my job because they wouldn't give me the day off to go see U2 in Columbus on elevation. That's when I made a plan, went to college, and started on the path that eventually lead me to the life I live now, a pretty happy one! I will always hold those songs close to my heart because of what they meant to me.

Sure, that's all circumstantial, but that's kind of the point. It's not about how a song is written, or recorded, or who produced it, or if it sounds like something else... It's all about how it moves you.


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i also think this is why the music people fall in love with as teenagers sticks with them the rest of their lives. it's as much about timing as anything. when you are 35, or 45, you generally know who you are and where you are going, at least much, much more than when you are 18 and the world is all possibility, and uncertainty, and you are on sometimes painful journeys of self discovery and self acceptance. music connects to younger brains in a way that it probably never does again. at least that's how it's been for me.

 

[Pop Artist]

My very unpopular contribution is that The Unforgettable Fire doesn't do much for me, at all. Never has. Sure Bad and Pride are great songs, but the rest - eh. If I had to the list the albums, this would be in the bottom slot for me. Considering that I got into the band with War, it is a miracle I stayed engaged beyond the TUF cycle!

 

[thavidesco]

Melodically, ATYCLB is maybe the best the band has ever been.

OOOps, the worst album U2 have ever done in their career, hands down.

That was when they were scared no one pays attention to them.

I´m so happy that past is all gone

 

[thavidesco]

i also think this is why the music people fall in love with as teenagers sticks with them the rest of their lives. it's as much about timing as anything. when you are 35, or 45, you generally know who you are and where you are going, at least much, much more than when you are 18 and the world is all possibility, and uncertainty, and you are on sometimes painful journeys of self discovery and self acceptance. music connects to younger brains in a way that it probably never does again. at least that's how it's been for me.

Yep, you are very right and sincere about that. I connected with the themes of the songs, I was going through real struggles in life back then and I was looking for some essence in living, when it came out, but inside of me I knew that album is a commercial crap. And 15 years after prooved me I was right

 

[BVS]

Yep, you are very right and sincere about that. I connected with the themes of the songs, I was going through real struggles in life back then and I was looking for some essence in living, when it came out, but inside of me I knew that album is a commercial crap. And 15 years after prooved me I was right

That makes about a fuck all of sense. If you connect, you connect, that what music is about.

 

[Galeongirl]

Guess that's why Bomb will always be a special record to me, even if a bunch of the songs aren't great, they still are great to me.

Wish I was born about 15 years earlier though. So I could've had that with AB.

 

[patternshirt170]

U2 were never the biggest band in the world. At least they were never the biggest band in North America or the UK. They never sold the most records or had the biggest hits. GnR, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Oasis, Backstreet Boys, NSync, Britney, Spice Girls were all bigger than U2 when U2 were at their biggest. There were more, too. They didn't have the cultural impact of Nirvana or Oasis either. Sadly.

Yep, agree and good to see the thread title living up to it's name Yeah Oasis in the UK and Eire from about 1995-2005 was amazing concert attendance wise. Also you had Take That & Robbie Williams doing daft things like three 100,000k+ Knebworth shows back to back or a trios of dates at 70k Milton Keynes Bowl on the same tours.. bonkers. Now we have numpties like Ed Sheeran doing that kind of thing, ah well.. such sadness...

 

[Musikwala]

Yep, you are very right and sincere about that. I connected with the themes of the songs, I was going through real struggles in life back then and I was looking for some essence in living, when it came out, but inside of me I knew that album is a commercial crap. And 15 years after prooved me I was right

You missed Irvine's point. If you connect with music of your teenage years, you stay connected with it! You don't hate it suddenly just because it was "commercial crap" or a bad decision.

My teenage years were beautifully sandwiched within the 90s more or less. Naturally my favourite album is Achtung Baby which came out when I was 13. And I adore the 3 following albums too, Zooropa, Passengers and Pop.

I actually also like ATYCLB to an extent. I love that they boldly went ahead with the pure pop and soul of Wild Honey and In A Little While. Of course, the album does have its fair share of clunkers especially in the lyrics department. But I would not call the album crap. It is of its time.

 

[cobl04]

He suffered a childhood trauma while that song was playing.

hahahaha

 

[LemonMelon]

Now there's a reference I wish had taken off.

 

[DaveC]

New York and Grace are my two favorite songs on ATYCLB.


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[Kieran McConville]

I think New York is nearly the only song from ATYCLB that I would wish to listen to now.

 

[david]

New York would be awesome as an instrumental.