First album or era that comes to people's minds

[Zoots]

What do you think is the first thing that comes to people's (not hardcore fans) minds when they think of U2? The Joshua Tree? Achtung? Or the more recent stuff.. ATYCLB? HTDAAB?

See, if it's say, Pink Floyd, the general public doesn't think of The Division Bell or Momentary Lapse. More like Dark Side, Wall or WYWH... the glory years.

For The Beatles, it's either Sgt Pepper, Revolver, White album or Abbey Road.. again the glory years.

But I think with U2 since they have always kept themselves in the public eye, it's hard to pin point what album or tour comes to the general music listener's mind. I guess it could be UF, JT, AB, ATYCLB or HTDAAB.

Or is it just the U2 fan in me talking?

 

[vaz02]

Im gonna say more recent stuff without a doubt. The general u2 fan always remembers the last song or album.

 

[believer75]

I would say for a lot of people these days, it's the 'Beautiful Day', 'Elevation'/All That You Can't Leave Behind era.

For me, personally it's the 'Achtung'/'Zooropa' era.

 

[Caroni]

All that you can´t leave behind

 

[Judah]

For me, it was UF. I remember buying it, hurrying home and listening to it for the first time. It was like nothing on radio...and it seemed a huge progressive step for U2. AB comes close, especially with Zoo Station opening, but by that time mainstream music had so diversified, AB didn't seem like a big surprise to me (sound wise).

 

[neutral]

In my experience it's definitely JT.

 

[U2girl]

JT.

 

[U2isthebest]

For kids my age (18) and around it, they might know some JT stuff "Streets, "WOWY", but almost everyone know about ATYCLB and HTDAAB and mainly the "hits" from them. I remember I was in the car with my friend this past summer who's not a fan, and I had ATYCLB on. When she got in, "Stuck" was playing, and she's like "I know this song, it's pretty old.." and I was "6 years, not so much", but I was impressed she knew it. I'm one of the only U2 fans my age that I know personally.

 

[Zoots]

Can you guys think of any bands who's latter years are as popular or more than their so called peak/glory years? I can't really think of any. Strictly talking popularity here, not if it's good or bad, cos that's highly subjective. I have to hand it to U2 for being successful in sustaining their popularity throughout their career (so far at least) despite the low key Zooropa, Passengers & Pop years.

 

[Zoots]

JT.

See, I'm not so sure. Ask the guy on the street about U2 and he'll probably say Vertigo or Beautiful Day. JT is probably more in the minds of longtime fans who may or may not have lost interest in the band in the 90s only to either regain interest in the 00s or are still holding on to the 80s.

But I guess we can never tell for sure.

 

[toscano]

Can you guys think of any bands who's latter years are as popular or more than their so called peak/glory years? I can't really think of any. Strictly talking popularity here, not if it's good or bad, cos that's highly subjective. I have to hand it to U2 for being successful in sustaining their popularity throughout their career (so far at least) despite the low key Zooropa, Passengers & Pop years.

Floyd, StonesWho, Springsteen, Zeppelin

 

[Caroni]

JT is a good option but ATYCLB is more recent, I´m just thinking like a regular person not a fan

 

[Lancemc]

Any non-U2 fan I've EVER talked to either had no idea about them at all, or knows at least something about the Joshua Tree. It's by far their most globally popular album, and despite the freshness of their latest material, The Joshua Tree is U2's iconic album, the one they will always be initially identified by, and in my opinion, that's definitely not a bad thing.

 

[Zoots]

Floyd, StonesWho, Springsteen, Zeppelin

I did not ask if there are any bands who's latter years YOU prefer. I asked if there are any that have sustained the popularity till date with their latest albums like U2 has.

As much as I love Div Bell, I don't think it's nearly as popular as Dark Side or Wall. For The Who, it's pretty much just Quadrophenia & Tommy and I guess Who's Next! Dunno too much about Bruce or the Stones but I highly doubt that Bigger Bang or Bridges to Babylon are as popular as Let It Bleed or Exile. Zeppelin?? please.. Coda???

 

[U2Man]

U2:18

 

[IanIinTheSky]

Either the album Josua Tree or the songs Vertigo and Beautiful Day

 

[Caroni]

The good thing is that we have albums to choose from

 

[U2girl]

See, I'm not so sure. Ask the guy on the street about U2 and he'll probably say Vertigo or Beautiful Day. JT is probably more in the minds of longtime fans who may or may not have lost interest in the band in the 90s only to either regain interest in the 00s or are still holding on to the 80s.

But I guess we can never tell for sure.

I think yes Vertigo or BD if you ask a younger person who knows nothing about AB or JT. Someone who hasn't been exposed to the band pre 2000.

I think covering all ages, and looking at the overall population, JT would win.

 

[CTU2fan]

I think the big difference is, thought the 80's when you met people and looked through their music, if they liked rock they generally had a U2 album or 2 in there. War, UF, JT, even UABRS would be in that tape box. Now, the casual music fan knows Beautiful Day & Vertigo, but that casual fan doesn't own one of those albums.

Not sure if that's even relevant to the thread actually...but I think people are familiar with albums like JT & AB, but with the newer stuff they might know a song or 2.

 

[Zoots]

I think yes Vertigo or BD if you ask a younger person who knows nothing about AB or JT.

Ah but see you're automatically assuming that an older person would know about either JT or AB. What if it's a 40 year old that never listened to much rock in the 80s or 90s and was totally clueless about U2, and only noticed them in 2000 with Beautiful Day?

 

[thelaj]

I think people see U2 in terms of songs rather than albums. To that end I think U2 are:

Vertigo
Beautiful Day
With or Without You

 

[U2girl]

Ah but see you're automatically assuming that an older person would know about either JT or AB. What if it's a 40 year old that never listened to much rock in the 80s or 90s and was totally clueless about U2, and only noticed them in 2000 with Beautiful Day?

They are a hopeless case.

 

[craigp]

round here its deffinately jt or the later songs, its all they seem to play on the local radio station

 

[BVS]

It all depends on when they were exposed to U2...

 

[Varitek]

U2:18

 

[adrball]

It all depends on when they were exposed to U2...

Agree

My experience is not a relation to an era or an album, but something along the lines of "A love that One/With Or Without You SONG"

 

[Salome]

when thinking about U2 people will (always of course) refer to their latest hits + the 80s hits and maybe One

 

[AtomicBono]

I think the big difference is, thought the 80's when you met people and looked through their music, if they liked rock they generally had a U2 album or 2 in there. War, UF, JT, even UABRS would be in that tape box. Now, the casual music fan knows Beautiful Day & Vertigo, but that casual fan doesn't own one of those albums.

I think that perhaps says more about how the nature of the music industry has changed than the relative popularity of U2. I think people are a little less inclined to buy albums now when they can get the single they heard online for 99 cents or for free.

Among people my age it's definitely their recent stuff...HTDAAB/ATYCLB. Vertigo is the defining song now sadly (not that there's anything wrong with Vertigo, I just don't think it's fair for "that one song on the iPod ad" to be many people's only knowledge of U2), though some people know Elevation, Beautiful Day, and Sometimes. beyond that most people at my school, despite knowing that U2 are "old," don't know any of U2's older stuff. There are some exceptions though, and if anyone is cool enough to know U2's older stuff, The Joshua Tree is the album that most know/have/respect/love. or people will at least know JT singles, like Still Haven't Found or Streets.

I do think it depends on the age group. Probably it is true that most older people would think of 80's U2 since it was their first impressions of U2, while the younger would think of today's U2 since it's the only U2 they actually know. I've met people that know AB or went to ZooTV too.

this one guy at my school saw my ZooTV DVD and asked "Oh, is that the tour where they played Discotheque and those songs?" I have to commend him for being in the right decade at least, and for knowing Discotheque

 

[Alisaura]

I think the real test will be 10 years after U2 have stopped making albums, for whatever reason. Because they're still making hits, most people who listen to the radio will know Vertigo and Beautiful Day and the recent singles. The Beatles aren't making music any more (as a group), so there are no new releases to compete for radio air time with the old classics.

Fast forward to 2030... U2 have retired or gone into space to do a jukebox tour of the asteroid belt for 10 years. What U2 songs will be playing on the radio then?
I think the JT-era songs will survive, as well as songs like Pride and One, because they've survived this long against more recent releases. I'm not convinced that ATYCLB songs will survive, and time will only tell for Bomb songs.

 

[toscano]

I did not ask if there are any bands who's latter years YOU prefer. I asked if there are any that have sustained the popularity till date with their latest albums like U2 has.

And I answered: Floyd, StonesWho, Springsteen, Zeppelin

Of those 4, I'm only really a fan of one.

Floyd sales went through the roof after Live 8, Zeppelin is STILL selling well, the Who and Springsteen are selling out big tours and th eStones tour has been a MASSIVE success. Doing what U2 can't do, a stadium tour in the US