Which album do you think is the most top heavy?

[goincommando]

You people are crazy for voting War, for me the album is perfection all the way to the end, maybe a little sidetrack at Surrender. Joshua Tree takes it for me, I honestly lose interest after In God's Country and only pick back up during Exit.

 

[amerrydeath]

HTDAAB and ATYCLB. Once I get to A Man and a Woman on HTDAAB I have to fight a strong urge to turn it off. After In a Little While ATYCLB goes down too, besides Peace on Earth.

 

[XHendrix24]

I think War, Pop, and ATYCLB are the most top heavy albums.

ATYCLB, however, is much more top heavy than the other two. The first four songs on that album are BRILLIANCE. Sure, Elevation's sort of brainless and Stuck is far too overproduced on the album, but Elevation's still entertaining and it riles the crowd up live. And Stuck live/acoustic is really fantastic - so fantastic I even appreciate the album version from time to time. And I don't think I even have to mention how fantastic Beautiful Day and Walk On are.

Yeah, got a little sidetracked there. Anyway, like I was beginning to say, the first four songs are by far the best on the album (in my opinion). Next comes Kite which has a great chorus and the sometimes-spine-chilling "I'm a man" part, but the intro and the verse really drag it down for me (so CHEESY), so in my book it only ends up as a pretty good song. After Kite, I can hardly even listen to the rest of the album.

The beginning's good, though.

 

[TheQuiet1]

Albums that I reckon are top heavy:

October
The Joshua Tree
ATYCLB

I reckon that The Joshua Tree is probably the most top heavy for me though.

 

[pub crawler]

....but I reckon THBAO is the best track on 'side 2'.

What exactly is a "THBAO?" God, I hate acronyms.

 

[Achtung_Bebe]

Re: Re: Which album do you think is the most top heavy?

What exactly is a "THBAO?" God, I hate acronyms.

Two Hearts Beat as One

http://forum.interference.com/t146467.html

 

[Catman]

How can Pop be top-heavy when two of its very best songs(Gone and Please) are on the second half of it?

Because it also has their very worst song, Miami, on there

I think the 3 big ones are ATYCLB, Joshua Tree, and POP... don't get me wrong, I love all 3, but the momentum certainly isn't retained as much as the 1st half (especially with the Joshua Tree, which, to be fair, is basically impossible to match up with).

Truthfully, there are, IMO, 4 well-rounded albums in the U2 catalogue that match quality equally with 1st and 2nd half - Boy, Rattle & Hum, Achtung Baby, and HTDAAB. UNFORTUNATELY, only 2 of these create a sound and feeling that makes the album it's own (those 2 records obviously being Boy and AB).

 

[hedgehog]

Has to be War for me, first half of the album is absolutely fantastic but...

I like Surrender and 40 but the other 3 songs on the 2nd half of that album are, IMO, boring.

 

[AtomicBono]

I just wanted to start this thread because I wanted to see if some people favoured albums even though they think the top half is far better.

Personally I think War is U2's most top heavy album. In my opinion, the first five tracks are the album's best. SBS, Seconds, NYD, Like a Song and Drowning Man. The second half just isn't as good for me. The Refugee and Red Light I'm not a big fan of, or Surrender, 40 is a pretty good track, but I reckon THBAO is the best track on 'side 2'.

What do you guys think?

I agree with you, actually. I think War has U2's strongest A side and worst B side. 40 is really only good live when you're there, THBAO and Surrender are good but overrated, The Refugee's alright, and Red Light is terrible. The first five tracks, however, are consistantly brilliant.

ATYCLB is sort of top heavy but the second half has When I Look at the World and New York, which are two of the album's best songs. It sort of depends on whether you consider IALW to be in the A-side or the B-side because I adore IALW.

October's pretty top heavy though again it depends on which half you put Tomorrow on. But Scarlet is pointless, Is That All? is short and sounds a little unfinished, and I'm not too crazy about With a Shout. Stranger in a Strange Land is underrated, though.

Zooropa is also top heavy. The second half is solid, but not as good as the first half, imo.

I think U2's albums are generally top heavy, some more than others. Also, most U2 albums start upbeat and somewhat fun, while they end darker and more reflective.
Compare:
I Will Follow to Shadows and Tall Trees
Discotheque to Wake Up Dead Man
Where the Streets Have No Name to Mothers of the Disappeared
Zoo Station to Love is Blindness
A Sort of Homecoming to MLK
Beautiful Day to Grace

ect. there are exceptions of course, but U2 albums tend to wind down as they go along. So I think sometimes it depends on if you prefer the more catchy, single-type songs or the harder-to-swallow possibly more mellow stuff. But some albums just have an undeniably stronger A-side, like War.

 

[typhoon]

Re: Re: Which album do you think is the most top heavy?

"In A Little While" is on side A of the vinyl.

 

[65980]

What up?

I don't get this consensus that All That You Can't Leave Behind's 2nd half is weak.

The songs are: In A Little While, Wild Honey, Peace On Earth, When I Look At The World, New York, and Grace.

Sure, all the pop singles are on the first half, but who's counting that? I'm aware that the band only stuck Wild Honey on at the last minute to "lighten" the mood of the record, but it holds up very well. In my opinion, 4 of those 6 songs have strong melodies. The two that don't (WILATW and New York) compensate by having interesting dynamics. And all 6 have excellent lyrics (by the way, Elevation has neither a good tune nor good lyrics -- I think people just like it because of the fuzz guitar).

Where's the problem with those great songs?

If I had to pick one LP with a relatively weak 2nd half, I would probably go for Zooropa, which is logical since it's the least planned and developed of their studio efforts in the post-80s canon (albeit Stay, the best song on it, is on the second half).

 

[Axver]

Re: What up?

The songs are: In A Little While, Wild Honey, Peace On Earth, When I Look At The World, New York, and Grace.

The songs are: revolting crap, somewhat less revolting crap, bland, brilliant, bland, good.

And all 6 have excellent lyrics

Just ... no. I'll grant you WILATW and some of Grace, and maybe a line here and there in other songs, but Bono's lyricism isn't what it used to be.

All of In A Little While and Wild Honey combined isn't worthy of competing with "then you discover what you thought was freedom just was greed." A single line utterly demolishes two entire songs.

 

[65980]

Correction...

Whoops! I just remembered that Stay is not on the 2nd half of Zooropa... which actually further proves my point!