Zoocoustic
War Child
Recently I was listening to ATYCLB and thinking about everything it did for U2. Dare I go out on a limb and say that this album and accompanying tour solidified U2's legacy in the RnR hall of fame, and put them in a place with rock legends such as the Beatles, the Stones, etc.? It really seems to me that this album and tour moved U2 from being a great band into becoming legendary.
We all know that U2 worked miracles with the JT/Rattle & Hum era (biggest band in the world) and then coming back with the whole ZooTV era and basically reinventing themselves and remaining one of the biggest (if not still at that time THE biggest) bands in the world. It was a one-two punch that made quite a statement.
Pop didn't live up to the hype; we all know that. Regardless of your opinion of the album/tour/etc, it just didn't elevate U2 to that point that they had been at since 1987-ish. If you remember, Pop was very hyped up, made a huge bang at the beginning as Discotheque and the album did well on the charts, and then sank so quickly. I remember in particular thinking that it really was the "end" of U2 hogging all of the spotlight; I didn't expect them to call it quits anytime soon, but I didn't expect them to have a mega-popular album or song after that.
When ATYCLB was released, although I felt it a decent album, it seemed to not have a whole lot of momentum. I remember the band promoting themselves to death via so many different avenues (TRL, Farmclub, etc.). It wasn't until Beautiful Day won three Grammy's that the song and the album really took off, and then with 9-11 and the related "ties" to the album/tour, U2 found a new level of popularity. We all know the rest of the story (Time Magazine cover, Super Bowl, more Grammies, etc.). No, I don't feel they had reached that "peak" of 1987-88 and 1991-93 (and they probably never will again), but they had definately rebounded from the Pop days, and achieved a newfound level of respect among critics and peers. It seems to me that the band was looked at with a new level of respect both during and after the entire ATYCLB/Elevation Tour era.
For these reasons, I really think that U2 saved themselves with this album. Without it, I do believe they still would have been regarded as a very good band that had a great run, but I do not feel they would have achieved that "legendary" status they occupy now in the minds of so many.
We all know that U2 worked miracles with the JT/Rattle & Hum era (biggest band in the world) and then coming back with the whole ZooTV era and basically reinventing themselves and remaining one of the biggest (if not still at that time THE biggest) bands in the world. It was a one-two punch that made quite a statement.
Pop didn't live up to the hype; we all know that. Regardless of your opinion of the album/tour/etc, it just didn't elevate U2 to that point that they had been at since 1987-ish. If you remember, Pop was very hyped up, made a huge bang at the beginning as Discotheque and the album did well on the charts, and then sank so quickly. I remember in particular thinking that it really was the "end" of U2 hogging all of the spotlight; I didn't expect them to call it quits anytime soon, but I didn't expect them to have a mega-popular album or song after that.
When ATYCLB was released, although I felt it a decent album, it seemed to not have a whole lot of momentum. I remember the band promoting themselves to death via so many different avenues (TRL, Farmclub, etc.). It wasn't until Beautiful Day won three Grammy's that the song and the album really took off, and then with 9-11 and the related "ties" to the album/tour, U2 found a new level of popularity. We all know the rest of the story (Time Magazine cover, Super Bowl, more Grammies, etc.). No, I don't feel they had reached that "peak" of 1987-88 and 1991-93 (and they probably never will again), but they had definately rebounded from the Pop days, and achieved a newfound level of respect among critics and peers. It seems to me that the band was looked at with a new level of respect both during and after the entire ATYCLB/Elevation Tour era.
For these reasons, I really think that U2 saved themselves with this album. Without it, I do believe they still would have been regarded as a very good band that had a great run, but I do not feel they would have achieved that "legendary" status they occupy now in the minds of so many.
It got alot of crap here (most American are fickle about music) 
Of course, this album is a specialty of select genius from a far away galaxy. A secret society of only 1.02% of all humans and 6.1% of household pets can be enlightened enough to see something in it that was really never there. 
