Around the time of the Joshua Tree tour their was a lot of press comparing U2 to the Beatles. It was probably made worse by inclusions of Help and Helter Skelter in a lot of set lists. But I think the consensus was that it was way to early for U2 to be compared to the legendary Beatles.
Seven albums later, I think the comparison is starting to look more appropriate. So I designed my own album deathmatch between the two to see how they would compare. I excluded greatest hits compilations and only looked at major album releases. I may have unfairly included The Passengers album which dragged down U2’s score.
Disclaimer: This is VERY subjective. I am sorry if you think Pop is a masterpiece and Sgt. Peppers is rubbish. Your are welcome to tweak the numbers and get your own result.
Here is the scale I used:
5 = Masterpiece
4 = Exceptional
3 = Very Good
2 = Good
1 = Not for everyone
Keep in mind this scale is harsh and only applies to U2 and the Beatles. A score of 1 still blows away most stuff. Britney Spears would rate a negative 14 on this scale.
The results:
Beatles Albums
Meet the Beatles --- 3
Second album --- 1
Hard days night --- 2
Something new --- 3
Beatles 65 --- 1
Early Beatles --- 2
Beatles VI --- 1
Help --- 4
Rubber Soul --- 2
Yesterday and Today --- 4
Revolver --- 3
Sgt. Peppers --- 5
Magical Mystery Tour --- 4
White album --- 4
Yellow Submarine --- 1
Abbey Road --- 5
Let it be --- 3
Total (17 albums) --- 48
Average --- 2.82
U2 Albums
Boy --- 3
October --- 2
War --- 3
Under Blood Red Sky --- 2
Unforgettable Fire --- 4
Wide awake in America --- 2
Joshua Tree --- 5
Rattle and Hum --- 2
Achtung Baby --- 5
Zooropa --- 2
The Passengers --- 1
Pop --- 2
ATYCLB --- 4
HTDAAB --- 3
Total (14 albums) --- 40
Average --- 2.86
So there you have it, U2 beats the Beatles 2.86 to 2.82. Not exactly a huge variance. And technically U2 has to maintain this average over three more albums to keep their place.
** Ponee puts on his flame-proof suit and locks himself in his bomb shelter and hollers “incoming” **
Seven albums later, I think the comparison is starting to look more appropriate. So I designed my own album deathmatch between the two to see how they would compare. I excluded greatest hits compilations and only looked at major album releases. I may have unfairly included The Passengers album which dragged down U2’s score.
Disclaimer: This is VERY subjective. I am sorry if you think Pop is a masterpiece and Sgt. Peppers is rubbish. Your are welcome to tweak the numbers and get your own result.
Here is the scale I used:
5 = Masterpiece
4 = Exceptional
3 = Very Good
2 = Good
1 = Not for everyone
Keep in mind this scale is harsh and only applies to U2 and the Beatles. A score of 1 still blows away most stuff. Britney Spears would rate a negative 14 on this scale.
The results:
Beatles Albums
Meet the Beatles --- 3
Second album --- 1
Hard days night --- 2
Something new --- 3
Beatles 65 --- 1
Early Beatles --- 2
Beatles VI --- 1
Help --- 4
Rubber Soul --- 2
Yesterday and Today --- 4
Revolver --- 3
Sgt. Peppers --- 5
Magical Mystery Tour --- 4
White album --- 4
Yellow Submarine --- 1
Abbey Road --- 5
Let it be --- 3
Total (17 albums) --- 48
Average --- 2.82
U2 Albums
Boy --- 3
October --- 2
War --- 3
Under Blood Red Sky --- 2
Unforgettable Fire --- 4
Wide awake in America --- 2
Joshua Tree --- 5
Rattle and Hum --- 2
Achtung Baby --- 5
Zooropa --- 2
The Passengers --- 1
Pop --- 2
ATYCLB --- 4
HTDAAB --- 3
Total (14 albums) --- 40
Average --- 2.86
So there you have it, U2 beats the Beatles 2.86 to 2.82. Not exactly a huge variance. And technically U2 has to maintain this average over three more albums to keep their place.
** Ponee puts on his flame-proof suit and locks himself in his bomb shelter and hollers “incoming” **