***Survivor: Dead, Like a Blood Red Bleeding Thingie (Albums Rd 4)

[Axver]

Could one of the moderators please change my vote? I somehow voted for HTDAAB instead of ATYCLB. Thanks!

 

[Axver]

I agree with you. I think your meaning is that The Unforgettable Fire is their best. And if that's so, we're in quite the agreement.

Yep, right on. I think UF is most certainly their best album. After that, HTDAAB, JT, and Boy.

 

[the tourist]

Yep, right on. I think UF is most certainly their best album. After that, HTDAAB, JT, and Boy.

Close to the same as me. For me it's Unforgettable Fire, Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, then Boy.

 

[lazarus]

Yep, right on. I think UF is most certainly their best album. After that, HTDAAB, JT, and Boy.

In what bizarro world is Achtung Baby NOT one of U2's Top 3 albums, let alone Top 4 or however far down it is on your list?

Did you happen to buy it right after someone dumped you? Or did your dog get run over by a car playing it on the stereo?

Or do you just have no appreciation for the Edge's finest hour?


laz

 

[the tourist]

In what bizarro world is Achtung Baby NOT one of U2's Top 3 albums, let alone Top 4 or however far down it is on your list?

Did you happen to buy it right after someone dumped you? Or did your dog get run over by a car playing it on the stereo?

Or do you just have no appreciation for the Edge's finest hour?


laz

I believe Edge's finest hour came sometime on the Lovetown Tour where he played all that technical blues stuff like Zeppelin. He has never shown skills like that since.

 

[Axver]

In what bizarro world is Achtung Baby NOT one of U2's Top 3 albums, let alone Top 4 or however far down it is on your list?

Did you happen to buy it right after someone dumped you? Or did your dog get run over by a car playing it on the stereo?

Or do you just have no appreciation for the Edge's finest hour?


laz

Achtung Baby is a good album, sure, but it's not great. I can't really place it on any ranking, and it simply doesn't stand out to me as one of U2's greatest works. Five individually brilliant songs (One, UTEOTW, The Fly, Acrobat, Love Is Blindness) do not equate to one classic album.

Edge's finest hour, by the way, was the Lovetown Tour.

 

[Axver]

I believe Edge's finest hour came sometime on the Lovetown Tour where he played all that technical blues stuff like Zeppelin. He has never shown skills like that since.

Hah, it definitely seems we have similar tastes, as that is what I just wrote. The long Hawkmoon intro, the extended Desire solo, everything about All Along The Watchtower, God Part II, One Tree Hill [the performance on 26 December 1989 is U2's finest moment ever] ... that's just scraping the surface of the brilliance of that tour.

 

[Renne]

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

 

[Aardvark747]

Sorry....I voted for War

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

But why does an album song have to be in the studio? I don't see why UABRS shouldn't be counted, especially because the only album that 11 O'clock Tick Tock and Party Girl [two live staples of the eighties] appear on is - you guessed it - UABRS. So you actually have two songs to judge there.

I don't think live versions count cause those songs are already in other records, what's the point of having the same songs again on the same list. Plus those songs were specifically picked from the other albums and they are some of the strongest songs from the album that they came from. That's just not fair. And as much as I like 11 O'clock Tick Tock and Party Girl they are in the end b-sides and if U2 wanted to put them in a studio album they would have done so, then I would judge them. Whatever, this is just a game. I'm sure nobody's gonna die when this is over.

 

[lazarus]

Achtung Baby is a good album, sure, but it's not great. I can't really place it on any ranking, and it simply doesn't stand out to me as one of U2's greatest works. Five individually brilliant songs (One, UTEOTW, The Fly, Acrobat, Love Is Blindness) do not equate to one classic album.

Edge's finest hour, by the way, was the Lovetown Tour.

That's funny, because Sgt. Peppers has LESS than five brilliant songs (maybe 3 at the most), and I'm pretty sure that's a classic.

Great albums aren't about the quality of each individual song, it's about the journey they collectively take you on, and the ebb and flow.

You imply that the Edge strutted more standard guitar skills during Lovetown, but his creativity and experimentation with sounds on AB is a peak that he certainly didn't reach before then. The man was also pouring his failed marriage into every note, so from an emotional standpoint AB towers over the rest of his work.

Even Bono implied it is their best album.


laz

 

[anitram]

Great albums aren't about the quality of each individual song, it's about the journey they collectively take you on, and the ebb and flow.

AB is a masterpiece and along with JT, the album that U2 will be remembered for long after they have departed the scene. To imply it's no higher than #5 on their list is maybe the most bizarre thing I've heard here in a long while. There isn't a single song on HTDAAB that's better or even within the same stratosphere of greatness as One - how it would rank above AB is beyond me.

 

[U2_Muse]

Voted for Rattle and Hum.

There are some great songs on that album, but overall, it's not very consistent or cohesive an album.

 

[LMP]

Rattle and Hum, in my opinion, the most mix-matched album they have made, altho it's good, just duzn't flow well for me

 

[Dr_Macphisto]

In what bizarro world is Achtung Baby NOT one of U2's Top 3 albums, let alone Top 4 or however far down it is on your list?

Did you happen to buy it right after someone dumped you? Or did your dog get run over by a car playing it on the stereo?

Or do you just have no appreciation for the Edge's finest hour?


laz

Man, he sure is taking it pretty hard...

 

[the tourist]

That's funny, because Sgt. Peppers has LESS than five brilliant songs (maybe 3 at the most), and I'm pretty sure that's a classic.

Great albums aren't about the quality of each individual song, it's about the journey they collectively take you on, and the ebb and flow.

You imply that the Edge strutted more standard guitar skills during Lovetown, but his creativity and experimentation with sounds on AB is a peak that he certainly didn't reach before then. The man was also pouring his failed marriage into every note, so from an emotional standpoint AB towers over the rest of his work.

Even Bono implied it is their best album.


laz

Yes, well, Bono also said How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb was U2's first rock album. And as for Sgt. Pepper's, I say each song is brilliant. Then again, as all these posts are, it's only an opinion. Ever seen Dead Poet's Society? Want to start MEASURING the greatness of song in a mathematical way???? Ha!

 

[beli]

Ever seen Dead Poet's Society? Want to start MEASURING the greatness of song in a mathematical way???? Ha!

I disagree with which albums you prefer but I have wanted to use a similar line in this forum many times

PS I have just woken and people obviously put different voting pants on last night cause the "leading" album changed over night.

 

[the tourist]

Yes, this is true. It has changed. And I'm happy it's not Boy anymore!

 

[Axver]

I'd just like to request again that my vote be changed. When I accidentally voted for HTDAAB, ATYCLB had 21 votes. It still has 21 votes.

So could one of the moderators please fix this? Thank you!

 

[beli]

Before I went to bed it All That... was "leading". Its been quite the three horse race this round. And we are only just past half way as I set the poll for 3 days because of the weekend.

So who knows what will happen.....

 

[beli]

Axver, your best bet is to pm Sicy or Neutral about vote changes rather than posting in here.

Ta

 

[Axver]

That's funny, because Sgt. Peppers has LESS than five brilliant songs (maybe 3 at the most), and I'm pretty sure that's a classic.

Great albums aren't about the quality of each individual song, it's about the journey they collectively take you on, and the ebb and flow.

You imply that the Edge strutted more standard guitar skills during Lovetown, but his creativity and experimentation with sounds on AB is a peak that he certainly didn't reach before then. The man was also pouring his failed marriage into every note, so from an emotional standpoint AB towers over the rest of his work.

Even Bono implied it is their best album.


laz

I didn't say the quantity of great songs makes a classic album. I said that having five great songs doesn't make an album a classic, in essence stating exactly what you said in implying that classic status is merited by the "ebb and flow." The Unforgettable Fire only has four classic songs (ASOH, Pride, UF, Bad), but the atmosphere and flow of the album is so fantastic that it ranks as U2's best work. [And I'm in no position to speak on the Beatles as I find their music to be intolerable unless U2 are covering it, and before anyone tries to question me on this one, not everyone is going to like the Beatles, for goodness' sake!]

I also find this implication that every U2 fan has to rank Achtung Baby highly to be completely bizarre. I was born in 1987, the songs from Achtung are songs I grew up singing, and I'm quite attached to them. They are masterful. But a lot of U2's catalogue is more masterful.

 

[pepokiss]

I think I voted UF... I'm going with the "what album has the more BLAH songs" method...

oh, and by the way,

 

[anitram]

I was born in 1987

Holy shit, I'm old.

 

[lazarus]

I also find this implication that every U2 fan has to rank Achtung Baby highly to be completely bizarre. I was born in 1987, the songs from Achtung are songs I grew up singing, and I'm quite attached to them. They are masterful. But a lot of U2's catalogue is more masterful.

Well, not to condescend because you're younger, but perhaps not being around at the time lessens the impact of AB. If you knew U2 beforehand, it was quite a shock.

Also, the music world was so lame in 1991, what U2 did on that album was really revolutionary, blending the Eastern European industrial aesthetic to pop music, and on top of it using hip hop elements on several tracks. Now it might sound old hat.

Even so, I don't understand how one could rate the "filler" of albums like The Unforgettable Fire over the lesser-played tracks on AB.

And don't just take Bono's word for it. I'm pretty sure Adam was quoted as saying that before the 90's they were just playing around. I'm not trying to downgrade The Joshua Tree; I respect those who prefer it to AB. But the idea that AB isn't even in their Top 4 albums is laughable to me. I doubt there's many Interference members who don't read your ranking and roll their eyes.

Everyone has their own opinion...but when you go against the overwhelming critical, commercial, and fan-based consensus you're just WRONG.


laz

 

[Popmartijn]

It seems that Boy is safe now, so I can happily vote principally (and not politically). War has to go.

(and yes, at the moment I still rate ATYCLB higher than Boy, but somehow losing that album hurts me less than seeing Boy go)

 

[beli]

Everyone has their own opinion...but when you go against the overwhelming critical, commercial, and fan-based concensus you're just WRONG.

I disagree. There is no right or wrong with artistic taste. People like what they like. Any concensus, perceived or actual, should not have a bearing on anyones musical tastes.

This goes back to the Dead Poets Society argument mentioned earlier in the thread by fan by the name of "the tourist".

 

[LyricalDrug]

Time to break out the pop-gun and say goodbye to U2's worst album.

(But Rattle and Hum, home of one U2's best three or four songs, "All I Want Is You," is crushing Pop?!!! This makes no sense.)

 

[LyricalDrug]

Also, the music world was so lame in 1991, what U2 did on that album was really revolutionary, blending the Eastern European industrial aesthetic to pop music, and on top of it using hip hop elements on several tracks. Now it might sound old hat.

Everyone has their own opinion...but when you go against the overwhelming critical, commercial, and fan-based consensus you're just WRONG.

laz

First, with all due respect, you must not have been paying attention to music in 1991 to say that the entire "music world" was "so lame" that year. That was actually one of the best years in music history: hip-hop finally hit the mainstream, which was historic in itself. Ever heard of Public Enemy?! And then Metallica released "The Black Album", a masterpiece, while Guns N' Roses put out the "Use Your Illusion" records. Pearl Jam debuted, too, with "Ten." R.E.M. put out it arguably its best album to that date, "Out of Time." And who can overlook Nirvana's debut -- one of the best rock albums of all time?!

Second, artistic interpretation is in the eye of the beholder. Shame on anyone who's matured past childhood and stil thinks that there's such a thing as "good art" and "bad art." Comments like "you're just WRONG," when used in a discussion of an artwork's merits, are ridiculous. That's the kind of things conservative right-wing wackos say when they try and ban artists. Sheesh!

 

[VertigoGal]

Good riddance, Rattle & Hum!