Rank the Album Among Others

[Nick66]

I can honestly say I didn't like Bomb from the beginning. My memory of listening to it the first time is very clear...I was on a flight from California to OZ (heading on to Auckland) and had just loaded the record onto my iPod and was planning on listening to it the first time for the long flight. And as one song went to the next, I kept hoping it would get better and remember getting this sinking feeling about the whole thing...it just never got very good and then it was over. And I couldn't believe how distorted it sounded and how fatigued I felt listening to, I thought it must have been a bad rip. That whole trip to New Zealand I kept listening to it hoping to like it more, and never did.

And I liked NLOTH from almost the beginning (despite what were some serious misfires), and it's stayed pretty consistent in my rankings...trading places with R&H at around #5 or #6.

 

[corianderstem]

With that said, I don't agree with slamming other posters for having SOI so high, even less so crawling out of B&C to slam most of the posters here as having a low mental capacity.

I'm with you on this.

 

[ozeeko]

I can honestly say I didn't like Bomb from the beginning. My memory of listening to it the first time is very clear...I was on a flight from California to OZ (heading on to Auckland) and had just loaded the record onto my iPod and was planning on listening to it the first time for the long flight. And as one song went to the next, I kept hoping it would get better and remember getting this sinking feeling about the whole thing...it just never got very good and then it was over. And I couldn't believe how distorted it sounded and how fatigued I felt listening to, I thought it must have been a bad rip. That whole trip to New Zealand I kept listening to it hoping to like it more, and never did.

And I liked NLOTH from almost the beginning (despite what were some serious misfires), and it's stayed pretty consistent in my rankings...trading places with R&H at around #5 or #6.

Same for me. I was so psyched to hear HTDAAB, basically because I remember reading Bono's quotes about it, saying how punky and what not it was, and I figured ATYCLB was the one pop album in their repertoire, the album they needed to make so that they could keep making albums like AB and Zooropa. I really didn't expect that BOMB was going to be more of a mainstream effort than ATYCLB. So not only was I let down musically, I honestly felt whiplashed by the unexpected disappointment. I felt betrayed by them. I didn't think they had it in them to make a crap album. They were the band that always did the right thing, at least artistically speaking. And if anyone remembers the days I joined up here, I did not take this very well lol.

As for NLOTH, I was ecstatic and believed it was just outside the top 5 for me. I though Magnificent was the pop song of the year, and MOS was their best song ever, and I thought great, HTDAAB was a fluke. Three weeks later I changed my tune on that. I think I was so eager to wipe away the failure of BOMB that anything better was WAY BETTER.

I went into this SOI with absolutely no expectations. It's working for me so far. I figure if they're gonna make a pop album, at least go all the way with it. Which they did. And I like it when they follow through.

Now if only they could make an entire LP of songs like on the 2nd half...

 

[purpleoscar]

The difficulty with bomb is that when it first came out it was even making music reviewers cry (in a good way). Unfortunately with the loud mixing plus the heavy emotions it makes it a tough album to pick up and listen to any time. Miracle Drug was about a paralyzed friend. Sometimes was about estrangement from Bono's father. One Step Closer was about death of Bono's father. Crumbs was about 1st world eating the 3rd world. LAPOE was about war AND estrangement from Bono's father. Some of the songs sounded better live than on CD. It's a really good album if you haven't listened to it for awhile (especially in vinyl).

 

[ozeeko]

I'm actually listening to BOMB right now. It sounds good after you've had a few.

 

[ozeeko]

Their Neon Lights cover rules, as does Ave Maria.

 

[Tranquilfire]

Not necessarily a list of best-to-worst as I love pretty much everything they do. More a list of what I listen to most often with Songs of Innocence in there where it fits to my ears at the moment.

1 Achtung Baby
2 Pop
3 The Unforgettable Fire
4 Zooropa
5 The Joshua Tree
6 War
7 Songs of Innocence
8 October
9 Boy
10 All That You Can't Leave Behind
11 How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
12 No Line on the Horizon
13 Rattle and Hum
14 Passengers

Sent from my Freightliner, most likely.

 

[purpleoscar]

At 55 votes:

Achtung Baby
The Joshua Tree
The Unforgettable Fire
Zooropa
Pop
Songs of Innocence
Boy
War
All That You Can't Leave Behind
No Line On the Horizon
Rattle and Hum
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
October

Pop moved past Songs of Innocence and is catching up to Zooropa.

 

[bobsaget77]

The difficulty with bomb is that when it first came out it was even making music reviewers cry (in a good way). Unfortunately with the loud mixing plus the heavy emotions it makes it a tough album to pick up and listen to any time. Miracle Drug was about a paralyzed friend. Sometimes was about estrangement from Bono's father. One Step Closer was about death of Bono's father. Crumbs was about 1st world eating the 3rd world. LAPOE was about war AND estrangement from Bono's father. Some of the songs sounded better live than on CD. It's a really good album if you haven't listened to it for awhile (especially in vinyl).

The thing that brings the album down are songs like All Because Of You, OOTS and Miracle Drug's mixing, Love and Peace lyrics, and a crap load of generic gimmicks. However, it's not all bad. One Step Closer is a great song, reminds me of Running To Stand Still. COBL, Sometimes, and Yahweh are all good. And Vertigo is awesome live, album version sucks though. It doesnt capture the energy the live versions do. But overall, I'd say its easily their worst album.

 

[ozeeko]

If there's one really impressive moment about BOMB it's that church bell bridge to LAPOE. I always thought that was pretty cool.

 

[prbiker15]

At 55 votes:


Pop
Songs of Innocence


Pop moved past Songs of Innocence and is catching up to Zooropa.

That makes much more sense.

 

[bobsaget77]

If there's one really impressive moment about BOMB it's that church bell bridge to LAPOE. I always thought that was pretty cool.

The sound to LAPOE is pretty awesome. Would've been better, though, if there were no lyrics. They're horrific.

 

[ozeeko]

Haha...I don't even pay attention to lyrics anymore

Speaking of lyrics...(listening to NLOTH now)...did anyone ever think Bono was saying "You put me on prozac! Try To Rewind!" during the bridge for the title track?

Not for nothing, but the first minute or so of Magnificent...fucking beautiful. Too bad the rest of the song doesn't sustain it.

 

[bobsaget77]

Speaking of lyrics...(listening to NLOTH now)...did anyone ever think Bono was saying "You put me on prozac! Try To Rewind!" during the bridge for the title track?

Lol. I actually have no idea what he's saying on most of that album. I always thought it was "you put me on poison". I looked up the lyrics, it's "put me on pause and try to rewind and replay". Would've never guessed that.

 

[ozeeko]

I'm doing that expected thing now where I'm listening to the last album before the newest one and already hearing it with rose-tinted ears. Unknown Caller sounds spectacular all of a sudden! Or Maybe I'm just shitfaced!

 

[bobsaget77]

I'm doing that expected thing now where I'm listening to the last album before the newest one and already hearing it with rose-tinted ears. Unknown Caller sounds spectacular all of a sudden! Or Maybe I'm just shitfaced!

That's always been my fav or 2nd fav on the album. Flip flops with No Line.

 

[edge_2125]

1. Achtung Baby
2. The Joshua Tree
3. Zooropa
4. Rattle and Hum
5. The Unforgettable Fire
6. Songs of Innocence
7. No Line On the Horizon
8. Pop
9. All That You Can't Leave Behind
10. War
11. Boy
12. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
13. October

 

[TheEnd]

1. Pop
2. Achtung Baby
3. The Joshua Tree
4. Songs of Innocence
5. War
6. Zooropa
7. Boy
8. No Line On the Horizon
9. The Unforgettable Fire
10. All That You Can't Leave Behind
11. Rattle and Hum
12. How to Disable an Atomic Bomb
13. October

 

[digitize]

I'm really surprised to see No Line performing so poorly. I thought that it was still more liked here than it seems to be. Maybe I'm coloring things a bit with my perception of the album. It was incredibly special to me when it came out. It's fallen only a bit in my rankings since.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[lazarus]

To be honest album ranking threads should be avoided until several weeks after the release of the album have lapsed.

With that said, I don't agree with slamming other posters for having SOI so high, even less so crawling out of B&C to slam most of the posters here as having a low mental capacity.

I'm with you on this.

Sometimes B&C is slow, what you gonna do? But there's no reason to let the lunatics take over the asylum. So many people on this forum are sheltered, don't listen to other music (or other good music) beyond U2, and have really myopic, knee-jerk reactions.

Obviously, music is subjective, but if I came on here and said Bon Jovi's new album was better I would be deservedly ridiculed.

There's nothing wrong with enthusiasm. But when someone like Powerhour comes in here and tries to politely explain how the new album gets hyperbolically overrated in these kinds of polls and is dismissed like some raving asshole, then someone needs to step in.

 

[lazarus]

Also, LOL at people ranking SOI above Pop.

Get real.

We should be so lucky to get anything that creative again.

 

[Nick66]

Could you be more patronising?

Mate, WTF are you on about? Simply acknowledging something that's patently obvious and borne out here time and time again...that newer records tend to be somewhat overrated early on and fall in the rankings later...is hardly a revelation. And it's certainly not "patronising". Nor is the observation that previous records (especially the immediate previous one) sometimes get thrown under the bus in favour of the shiny new object.

Most everyone here likes the new record. And most everyone here is self-aware enough to realise that at least some of that enthusiasm is with the newness. And we all know how we feel about it in a few months may be different. There's nothing wrong with recognising that some of this is hyperbole.

I really hope you're still enjoying The Phantom Menace.

 

[prbiker15]

Also, LOL at people ranking SOI above Pop.

Get real.

We should be so lucky to get anything that creative again.

 

[Nick66]

I'm really surprised to see No Line performing so poorly. I thought that it was still more liked here than it seems to be. Maybe I'm coloring things a bit with my perception of the album. It was incredibly special to me when it came out. It's fallen only a bit in my rankings since.

 

[prbiker15]

I'm really surprised to see No Line performing so poorly. I thought that it was still more liked here than it seems to be.

I agree. Although I prefer SoI to NLOTH at the moment (by a small margin), I'm surprised it's quite low in the general rankings.

 

[tomtom]

The Joshua Tree
Achtung Baby
The Unforgettable Fire
Zooropa
War
Pop
October
No Line on the Horizon
Songs of Innocence
Boy
All That You Can't Leave Behind
Rattle and Hum
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

Having just done this for the first time, I'm surprised how high October ended up being for me. I really want to like NLOTH more than I do, because I admire the intent, and MOS is probably my favorite U2 song ever. It's just that the middle three totally fuck up the flow, and Unknown Caller and White as Snow are gorgeous but boring.

 

[ozeeko]

THe problem with NLOTH is that it's too disjointed.

Whereas I think SOI could easily be two EP's, the first 6 songs being the lush Pop side, and the final 5 being the more abrasive but less obvious side, which works depending on what side you wish to listen to. But NLOTH is just a mess. It's a confused album.

 

[lazarus]

I really hope you're still enjoying The Phantom Menace.

Not the best analogy. The film has been trashed so much over the years, the imaginative design, well-constructed action scenes and Lucas' epic, classical frame compositions have been thrown out with the bathwater.

Can't judge a film solely on cheesy dialogue and one obnoxious character.

 

[Nick66]

Not the best analogy. The film has been trashed so much over the years, the imaginative design, well-constructed action scenes and Lucas' epic, classical frame compositions have been thrown out with the bathwater.

Can't judge a film solely on cheesy dialogue and one obnoxious character.

Midichlorians.

 

[tomtom]

Yeah, maybe it would have been best for U2 if they only released 6-song EPs since 2000. That would cut a lot of the soul-rocking people out.