Reflecting on Year post-2000 albums

[Dr. Lemonseed]

How are these albums shaping up for everyone now? I've been a fan for every new release since Pop (first got into the band in 1996). How do the 2000s albums shape up for you now?

My $0.02:

ATYCLB: Still a definitive album, but I really don't listen to it that much. The starting 5 clutch of songs have become fairly cliched for me, but they weren't at the time. When thinking of this album, I really only think of the starting 5-6 songs, although TBH, I probably play Grace the most when I need to feel like I'm floating down a river. My regard for this album has decreased over time.

HTDAAB: Their songwriting craft is really on display here, but the content or substance of the songs is lacking. For a long time I really didn't like this album, but my regard for this album recently has increased.

NLOTH: I think it's their weakest album of the 2000s, with some of their best songs (MoS, CoL). I rarely listen to this album except for those two songs. My regard for this album has gone down.

SOI: At first I didn't like this album. This was peak U2 blowback following the Apple debacle. Since that has subsided, I can actually appreciate this album more. I think the songs are strong and better than a lot of people would admit at the time. My regard has gone up.

SOE: When this first came out, I had listened to this album more than any of the others, for about 1 year. The substance is great and the music has a lot to unpack. Recently, my regard has gone down because I don't think the songwriting is as strong as SOI, but the final verdict remains to be seen, at least for another 5 years probably. It may end up being weaker than I first thought, or it may stabilize into the top-2 of the 2000s albums.

I basically never listen to the non-album singles. Invisible, Electrical Storm, Ordinary Love, Window in the Skies. I think Window is actually pretty terrible. Wave of Sorrow I do listen to sometimes.

 

[cobl04]

I don't listen to any of them, but some thoughts...

ATYCLB - comfortably the best for mine, very strong nostalgia tied to this record and sound and I love most of the songs here. The only one that I'm likely to ever revisit in full again.

HTDAAB - my first album and has some songs I'll love forever and ever, but not that enjoyable a listen anymore.

NLOTH - by far the most interesting and daring album they've released since Pop, and I will always give it high regard for that. unfortunately it is very uneven and contains some absolute stinkers (and I'm talking about Unknown Caller and Magnificent here, for the record, not Boots and Stand Up Comedy).

SOI - U2's worst album by a very long way.

SOE - about the best I could hope for from U2 of the modern day knowing all that we know about how they work. it has five or six songs I'd be quite happy to see live, which is a great feat.

 

[DaveC]

10/10 post

 

[LemonMelon]

NLOTH, MDH and ATYCLB are the only ones I listen to anymore. HTDAAB holds nostalgia for me, but it isn't especially great as a listening experience. SOI and SOE aren't garbage but I feel my time would be better spent with any number of other records.

I like a lot of the non album tracks though. Electrical Storm, Mercy, Summer Rain, Flower Child, Fast Cars, all really good.

 

[lazarus]

ATYCLB: production sounds "nice", but musically it's anemic, the least ambitious of their entire career. Still don't dislike any of the songs, but I never get the urge to listen to it. Haven't heard the official tracklisting in 15 years, they really fucked this one up bad by switching it at the last minute. It doesn't need outtakes or alternative versions to improve it, it needed the band exploring this material longer in the studio, something they foolishly opted not to do on Eno's suggestion.

HTDAAB: the production does indeed suck (and this is the first instance of "too many cooks"), but IMO they make up for it with the energy missing from the last one. And while this isn't ambitious either, Bono seems to be writing with more intent (for better or worse) and Edge is at least playing on this one, albeit with nothing new. I'm not as sick of Vertigo, COBL, MD, OOTS as I am of the first four warhorses on ATYCLB. This is the last U2 album I can listen to from front to back without wanting to change the track order or remove any songs, so on one hand that would make this the "best" of their late period, but had they included Mercy and Fast Cars (and I guess dropping ABOY for an even 12), this would be a legitimately great album. Glad that they won their second AOTY Grammy for this instead of the previous one though, because I think someone in the future not as familiar with U2 listening to all the winners would be more impressed.

No Line: Still the most frustrating of their career, because all the elements for success were there. Removing the middle 3 and adding (some version of) Winter and Soon still wouldn't make this a masterpiece, because they got cold feet somewhere earlier in the process in terms of retaining too much of their classic sound. It's hard for me to properly rate an album that arguably has the highest highs post-2000, and starts and ends so well, when there's a giant suckhole in the middle. Is this kind of a mix better than something consistent that aims lower? If I'm using my own tracklisting, it's better. But as it stands I have to put it below.

SOI: The elements for success were here too, and his name was Danger Mouse. Some would argue the potential with these sessions was even greater than that of No Line. If we're judging by the DM-produced tracks that were actually released, it's certainly possible. But the production on the other 2/3 is just so desperate it's hard to stomach, Luckily the songwriting is still very good; I can make a convincing tracklisting using Invisible, Crystal Ballroom, and the original EBW that brings it 1/3 closer to what it could have been. There's not anything I strongly dislike on here, either. So that puts it slightly above No Line.

SOE: This only has like two songs that were produced well, and it's another situation of way too many people dipping their fingers in; like this is a Top Chef season's worth of cooks. And it's not just behind the soundboard but randos playing additional instruments as well. The guest spots could have been used better, too. Where the hell is the band? Where is Edge? The songwriting saves them once again, because they somehow managed to finish and release 14 tracks from these sessions, and only one for me is an unmitigated disaster (Get Out). I don't think the political material is interwoven well with Bono's near-death rumination, but again, I give him credit for trying and not being as lazy as his guitarist. When this first came out I said it had more standout tracks than any album since Pop, and that may still be true because of sheer quantity. I have trouble listening to it straight through because I think it's all over the place (The Showman at #8? The Blackout at #11?), but I'm only skipping the one track. Ugh. I go back and forth with this and SOI but at the moment it's the former. Ask me tomorrow.

I can't even write out a list because putting No Line at #4 just seems wrong. And I really can't reconcile the original versions with my own custom ones to do any kind of objective ranking.

 

[marik]

ATYCLB: production sounds "nice", but musically it's anemic, the least ambitious of their entire career. Still don't dislike any of the songs, but I never get the urge to listen to it. Haven't heard the official tracklisting in 15 years, they really fucked this one up bad by switching it at the last minute.

I've heard of their original tracklistings for no line and SOI (opening with reach me now), but never for ATYCLB. What was the big diff? Diff opener/closer? Or better yet, source regarding a last min change?

 

[lazarus]

1. BD
2. Elevation
3. Walk On
4. Stuck
5. Peace on Earth
6. Kite
—-
7. New York
8. In A Little While
9. Wild Honey
10. When I Look At The World
11. Grace

I don’t have the source handy, but this was a dispute between Bono and Edge. From what I recall, Edge’s order won out.

The problem with the official one, IMO, is putting the very personal Stuck in-between the anthem of BD and the frivolous/upbeat Elevation, and then following that with the powerful Walk On. It’s schizophrenic tone-wise. The original order gets the fun out of the way earlier by putting Elevation second, before moving to the anthemic but meaningful Walk On, then stays on the serious path with Stuck followed by Peace on Earth, which deserves a more prominent spot than being buried on side 2.

New York now opens the second half with its energy, and in its place in the penultimate spot is WILATW, which has more depth like its forbearers Acrobat, Please, Exit. Staying together are IALW and Wild Honey, more lighthearted and in the middle of side 2 as they should be.

Overall a much better flow.

 

[dk42]

U2 in the 2000s is a frustrating, if at times fascinating band. Let's try this:

ATYLCB is pure nostalgia for me. It was my first U2 album and I just have so many memories attached to it when I purchased it in the summer of 2002. There are still tracks on it I like, so it's a fine, if slightly dull record musically for me. I really like New York, which is not popular I realize (awful lyrics), but great riff and percussion. Also, I unabashedly enjoy Elevation and it's forever tied to Tomb Raider for me, so there's that. I sadly didn't see them on Elevation Tour, but by all accounts it was a lively and exciting affair, which reinvented U2 in the 2000s and brought them a new audience.

HTDAAB doubles down on ATCYLB, but more rawk. As said, the first album with way too many producers, but it's got a pretty consistent sound and style throughout. That may also explain why it's kinda dull, plus that ubiquitous iPod commercial didn't help. Still, U2 was very much in the public consciousness and the Vertigo Tour was pretty lively, even if it was mostly a rehash of the previous stage setup. I quite like Crumbs from Your Table, A Man and a Woman (which is pretty hated), One Step Closer, OOTS, ABOY and LAPOE. Fast Cars is very good and should've been on the album I felt.

NLOTH - I was experiencing super U2 fandom at this point and it was my first time seeing the live. The 360 Tour was cool enough, but stadiums were not how this album was meant to be heard. Of the 11 tracks, I generally enjoy 8, with the middle 3 being the exception (not an unpopular opinion I realize). The production is a little polished and the experimentation didn't not go far enough. Of course, Winter and Soon were nowhere to be found, ignoring Eno once again, how unlike them? I liked Bono's shouty vocal style and his writing in the third person from various characters was a novel approach. The Linear film that accompanied it was a neat idea too, if not entirely successful. Although that might be more U2's fault than Corbijn's. Finally this is probably my favorite album cover of the 2000s from them.

SOI - I like it...generally. It's got some strong songwriting, Bono's lyrics are quite solid too. Still, Ryan Tedder has no business here and I hope he is dropped from now on . I am not crazy about The Miracle or Song for Someone, but everything is good to great. The back half of the album in particularly stands out, most notably Raised by Wolves, SLABT, TIWYCRMN and The Troubles (thank you Danger Mouse). A very unique and innovative tour to accompany it as well and though I didn't see them on it, they seemed to be excited to be back.

SOE - I had hoped this album would've come out a lot sooner, but this is U2 we're talking about. Simply an exhausting number of producers here and it's quite distressing frankly. I like a number of songs, but the production is a bit too polished, which Adam had said they wanted to not do this time as they felt SOI was too sheen. Love Is All We Have Left is a nice opener, very subdued and low-key, which is kinda new for them, especially in the 2000s. I really love that track and wished that direction was explored more. Still, plenty of fun tunes, Lights of Home, Summer of Love, Red Flag Day, The Blackout, 13 (There is a Light) to name a few. And of course, the fantastic Book of Your Heart isn't on the album.

I enjoyed the E&I tour and saw it with my dad on Father's Day, so this album/tour/era will forever have that fond memory associated with it. Also, as I didn't see I&E, it was nice to experience the stage setup.

Combine SOI and SOE into one album and you might have something pretty amazing, but as it stands both are fine, if somewhat middling rock albums form a band in their late 50s.

I'd say ATYCLB is still my favorite (my first love), but NLOTH/SOE aren't far from it because of some special memories.

Hearing this new Springsteen single makes me wonder what U2 could do if they just embraced their age more and did something a bit more meditative and subtle.

 

[typhoon]

Hearing this new Springsteen single makes me wonder what U2 could do if they just embraced their age more and did something a bit more meditative and subtle.

Springsteen's late-career resurgence has been rolling since 2002, which is longer than his initial period of success before his nineties slump! Yeah, maybe whatever he's doing, U2 should emulate. Fewer than twenty billion producers per album might be a good start.

 

[Rachel D.]

I basically never listen to the non-album singles. Invisible, Electrical Storm, Ordinary Love, Window in the Skies. I think Window is actually pretty terrible. Wave of Sorrow I do listen to sometimes.

What. Wave of Sorrow is an Always Skip for me.

 

[The Panther]

ATYCLB:

Positives:
- Tracks fit together well enough; feels like it's of a piece
- Melodies generally all very strong
- Bono's voice is back
- 'Beautiful Day' and 'In A Little While' are U2 classics

Negatives:
- The mix is made to sound like U2 are a boy band
- Too many 'pop' songs off the top gives "desperate for hit status" alarm bells
- 'Elevation's lyrics; 'Kite's' lyrics; arrangement of 'Walk On' sounds like a U2 covers' band; 'Wild Honey' is discordant
- Some good stuff like 'Flower Child' and 'The Ground Beneath Her Feet' (in North America) was left out


HTDAAB:

Positives:
- Some powerful rock'n'roll informs a half-a-dozen tracks; Edge is actually riffing
- great melodies again
- good, simple arrangements that don't clutter the music
- great vocals
- nice positive, spiritually searching kind of vibe to most songs/lyrics, as the band settles into middle age and looks back a bit

Negatives:
- 'Vertigo's' embarrassing count-in and Bono-speak; its lyrics being a re-write of 'Discotheque'
- 'Sometimes You Can't Make It...' is a bit too operatic for my tastes; chorus is a bit Dionne Warren


NLOTH:

Positives:
- ehh... I'm struggling here. I guess 'Cedars of Lebanon' is good.

Negatives:
- boring-ass sleeve
- Worst-recorded / performed Bono vocals ever
- schizophrenic nature of the confused track-listing, varying from U2-by-numbers to wannabe rockers that fall flat to adolescent pop
- worst trio of U2 songs ever in sequence, the low-point in the band's history being 'I Know I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight'
- lyrics
- Edge
- dull melodies


SOI:

Positives:
- I like the production, generally. (It helps more than hurts the songs, anyway)
- Bono sounds good again and is well-recorded
- Melodies are passable (not as good as ATYCLB or HTDAAB, however)
- Songs are short and punchy with a minimum of production nonsense and fussing and farting
- 'Every Breaking Wave' is the band's best studio track since at least 'Beautiful Day' and 'Please' before that.

Negatives:
- Embarrassing-ass sleeve that kicked off dozens of Internet memes (Larry as porn actor)
- Silly association with Joey Ramone on 'The Miracles' title
- Bono kind of running out of lyrical ideas, as we'd already been down the "remember our youth" path on HTDAAB


SOE:

I've only heard this twice, and that was on a flight to Hawaii when I was half-asleep, so I'll reserve judgement. But a few songs did catch my ear and it sounded all right.



In conclusion, How to Dismantle for the win. But I think SOI is pretty good. It doesn't scale any particular heights, but there's little to dislike about it. I don't get why people are always hard on it.


(100 years from now, though, U2 will not be remembered for any of these albums.)

 

[lazarus]

You probably could have listened to SOE again in the time it took you to write that.

 

[MrPryck2U]

A long time ago, I used to participate more often in discussions like this one. But, honestly, I don't the have the patience with myself to do so.

I suppose, though, if I were on a long road trip, I could listen to all of U2's 21st Century work one after the other and be fine with it. I listened to all of those albums repeatedly when they were released, but now I usually only listen to songs that I consider 4 or 5 stars from playlists I've created.

 

[The Panther]

Not really, because my Internet connection at the moment is approximately the speed of the dial-up I was using in 1996.

I don't have a copy of the album. (Feel free to send me the files, ha!)

 

[tommycharles]

2004 was my U2 “year zero” - I saw a “Best of 1990-2000” special and the Boston 2001 gig on a US cable network which at the time was called Trio, and was transfixed. I turned 16 a month before Vertigo was released to radio, and there’s something about the music you hear at that age - irrespective when it originally came out - which sticks with you forever.

So I have no objective assessment of ATYCLB, or HUTDAB. I love both albums, probably completely irrationally.

The other three I think I’ve approached more rationally, so a couple of quick thoughts on each:
- NLOTH is at once over indulgent *and* over commercial, a real masterclass of making several mistakes in different directions simultaneously.

- SOI is my favorite of the 3 albums from the last ten years. Songs like California, Iris, Cedarwood, and especially Raised By Wolves, Sleep Like a Baby Tonight, and This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now are as energetic, melodic, and interesting as the band have been in ages. They also followed it up with a tour that was, I think, a far more coherent production than 360.

But U2 are their own worst enemies, and managed to spoil the era with 3 key missteps: Apple, Bono’s accident, and (I think mentioned far too little) sending Bono and Edge out on a ludicrous singer songwriter promo tour which missed everything good about SOI. It was a *band* album.

- SOE is a victim of timing. U2 albums are eras, with their own visuals, themes, and throughlines. But when did this era begin and end? What defines it? 2018? 2014? Trump? Aleppo? Bono’s health? VR? By bringing it out so close to SOI, with callbacks to an album largely already forgotten, and trying to address too many disparate ideas, all the songs get completely lost. Which is a shame in a way, I like The Blackout and Little Things. But no one outside this forum will ever hear them.

T

 

[The_acrobat]

But U2 are their own worst enemies, and managed to spoil the era with 3 key missteps: Apple, Bono’s accident, and (I think mentioned far too little) sending Bono and Edge out on a ludicrous singer songwriter promo tour which missed everything good about SOI. It was a *band* album.

T

THANK YOU! This always bothered me. IMO, they made a great album with SOI. Not as great as their earlier work in the 80’s and 90’s, but as great an album as I could expect from 50-something U2.

They completely botched the albums release and promotion. We’ve all discussed the Apple thing to death... it was a disaster, luckily it didn’t do any permanent damage to their career.

Once Bono’s accident happened, ALL promotion of the album essentially stopped. EBW was not pushed as a single, even though it had the greatest chance of succeeding of any song on that album. They simply just let it fizzle before it even got going. You basically heard nothing from U2 from December until about May, when tour rehearsals were happening. By then SOI had lost all momentum. The other 3 members and the record company could have put a little effort into promoting the record.

And the singer-songwriter campaign. This always bothered me too. People don’t want to see Bono and Edge play acoustic versions of The Miracle and SFS. The record was about the band, people needed to see the band. The Adele version of EBW was fine when it was performed with the 4 members and the orchestra... that was a cool moment. But nobody wants just Bono and Edge playing that song on a piano. And the acoustic versions of the songs on the 2nd CD of SOI? Never listen to it, not interested in hearing lesser versions.

Also, Bono’s orange hair! WTF??

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

Calling Bono's bike accident a "misstep" sort of implies it was something they could have avoided which I understand what is being said but I don't really agree with. I honestly think it may have done more damage (both literally and figuratively) than the Apple Launch tbh but there was nothing they really could have done to prevent it. Its one thing if Bono liked sky diving or race car driving but he got into a freak accident riding his bike in Central Park.

 

[The_acrobat]

Not saying Bono’s accident in itself was a misstep. Accidents happen, and thankfully he was able to get the treatment he needed and get back into fighting shape by the time the tour started in May. Nobody blames Bono for this, just like nobody blamed him for his surgery in 2010 causing the NA Tour to be delayed.

The misstep is that the entire U2 organization essentially shut down after his accident. They did next to nothing to promote their new album. It’s as if Bono was the only person running the whole show, and once he was out of commission, everything stopped. They didn’t push their singles at all.

 

[lazarus]

Its one thing if Bono liked sky diving or race car driving but he got into a freak accident riding his bike in Central Park.

Probably could have been avoided if he wasn't holding a sub sandwich in one hand.

Just sayin'.

 

[Hewson]

Probably could have been avoided if he wasn't holding a sub sandwich in one hand.

'.

And french fries in the other hand with a huge Dr. Pepper fountain drink being balanced between his knees whilst he pedaled.

 

[tommycharles]

The misstep is that the entire U2 organization essentially shut down after his accident. They did next to nothing to promote their new album. It’s as if Bono was the only person running the whole show, and once he was out of commission, everything stopped. They didn’t push their singles at all.

Exactly this. Bono was unable to make live appearances for some period between 11/16/14 and 5/4/15. That they couldn’t come up with other ways to keep things rolling during that period was the misstep. This could have included:

- Keeping the Fallon residency with a different guest singer each night
- Some music videos, including B to the extent he was able, but there are many other ways to make a good video if not. Hell, I’d be surprised to find they didn’t have any studio rehearsal footage already by that point. A good YouTube clip for RBW, Reach, or Sleep Like a Baby would have made a difference.
- Have Edge continue the press tour, do a few interviews/podcasts/etc.

...it wouldn’t have produced a Vertigo sized impact. But the songs were there to at least get the record into the public consciousness briefly. As it was... nothing.

 

[MrPryck2U]

I'm under the general assumption that the U2 Corporation was DEEPLY concerned about Bono's health after the bike accident and were uncertain of his status, so they "circled the wagons". Yes, a blown opportunity to promote the album/tour. Sucked for sure. But, obviously, there were larger priorities in play.

 

[tommycharles]

I'm under the general assumption that the U2 Corporation was DEEPLY concerned about Bono's health after the bike accident and were uncertain of his status, so they "circled the wagons". Yes, a blown opportunity to promote the album/tour. Sucked for sure. But, obviously, there were larger priorities in play.

I think you’re likely right about that. And to be clear, none of my comments above were intending to be callous about Bono’s health.

 

[marik]

I agree about the concern. Re-read the details of the injuries, and consider his age at the time, and no matter who you are- the recovery would be an unpredictable serious concern. When everthing was up on the air at that point, i dont blane Edge for not wanting ti answer questions about it in every interview. Success of a new album became 2ndary at that point. Im actually surprised they committed to a new extensive tour so quickly after it happened. SUPER-Bono!

Was it bad for the album? Yes certainly. But it was still the logical thing to do i believe. Kinda like if you get word one of your family memebers is in a serious car accident, while ur at work on a serious project with deadline... you say, fuck the project, and walk out of work to sort out ur family situation. Regardless of whether it was damaging to your work/project/company.

 

[The Panther]

Apropos of nothing, I cued up a playlist of All That You Can't Leave Behind last night and ran it like this:

Side One
1. Beautiful Day
2. In A Little While
3. Stuck In A Moment... (acoustic version)
4. Walk On
5. Kite
6. Flower Child

Side Two
7. When I Look at the World
8. Summer Rain
9. Stateless
10. Peace On Earth
11. Grace


...and it was beautiful.

 

[MissCandyGirl]

I shall do the same, The Panther.

U2 will always rule.

 

[lazarus]

I shall do the same, The Panther.

U2 will always rule.

Or you could, you know, finally listen to the last two albums.

 

[YBORCITY]

Apropos of nothing, I cued up a playlist of All That You Can't Leave Behind last night and ran it like this:

Side One
1. Beautiful Day
2. In A Little While
3. Stuck In A Moment... (acoustic version)
4. Walk On
5. Kite
6. Flower Child

Side Two
7. When I Look at the World
8. Summer Rain
9. Stateless
10. Peace On Earth
11. Grace


...and it was beautiful.

Wow... This is interesting, I'm going to try this right now. This is a good thread idea .... ATYCLB is still my favorite of all the later albums. Just the Post 9/11 shows and how much this album meant to me personally makes it win for me.

 

[womanfish]

I love making different tracklistings for the 2000's material.

I see where Panther is going with his, and I get it. But Peace On Earth and Grace are just a disaster in my opinion.

Mine runs like this

BD
Stuck
Elevation
Walk On
Kite
In a Little While
Electrical Storm
When I Look at the World
Ground Beneath her Feet
New York
Stateless

 

[The Panther]

See, to me, "Elevation" is a disaster and "New York", though interesting in dynamics, is somehow totally forgettable years later. Lyrically, it also seems at odds with the rest of the material. (You're cheating with "Electrical Storm", which wasn't ready in time for the album.)

Both "Grace" and "Peace On Earth" are great songs, for me. I've always liked "Grace", but it really came alive for me two nights ago hearing it for the first time in ages (the fact that I was lying on the floor, sick, might have influenced this reaction). I am baffled by how many U2 fans dislike "Grace", as I think it's one of the loveliest pieces of music they've done. Good lyrics, too. "Peace on Earth" is a nice song, too, continuing U2's tradition of writing 'peace songs' about The Troubles.

Anyway, it was a minor revelation for me to cue the tracklisting as I did (above), because it really restored the creative period of this LP, for me. Clearly they had enough strong material for a great album, but we all have our opinions on whether they achieved that or not (either way, they did very well commercially, which was probably their main concern!).

My own issues with the released ATYCLB were:
- the mix (vocals too high, bass/guitar too low)
- the tracklisting (too many 'pop' songs off the top, and inclusion of 'Wild Honey' and 'Elevation)

The first problem is fixed by listening to the recordings with my bass-heavy headphones, which really does the trick! The second is fixed by the altered tracklisting I propose!