Year-end "Rank the U2 albums" after SOI honeymoon

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BigMacPhisto said:
After that, it's a lot of albums with a decidedly mixed reception around here. Bomb and October have no real supporters. October is mostly ignored & forgotten while Bomb is mostly detested.
Click to expand...


I gotta call bullshit on this one.

I adore October.

Please learn to speak for yourself in the future.



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Year-end "Rank the U2 albums" after SOI honeymoon

All this love for Bomb poured out and yet it's still at the bottom of the list......I call shenanigans!


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CosmoKramer said:
All this love for Bomb poured out and yet it's still at the bottom of the list......I call shenanigans
Click to expand...

I like Bomb, but I like more other albums... I think that the recent Bomb "love" is more a "there's no need to hate it" than a "this is one of their best albums"
 
Joshua Tree
Achtung Baby
War
The Unforgettable Fire
ATYCLB
Boy
Zooropa
Pop
HTDAAB
Rattle and Hum
October
No Line on the Horizon
Songs of Innocence
 
01. No Line On the Horizon
02. The Unforgettable Fire
03. All That You Can't Leave Behind
04. The Joshua Tree
05. Songs of Innocence
06. Rattle and Hum
07. October
08. Zooropa
09. Achtung Baby
10) War
11) How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
12) Boy
13) POP
 
1. Achtung Baby
2. The Joshua Tree
3. All That You Can't Leave Behind
4. Songs Of Innocence
5. War
6. Zooropa
7. No Line On The Horizon
8. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
9. Rattle And Hum
10. Pop
11. The Unforgettable Fire
12. Boy
13. October
 
1. Zooropa
2. Achtung Baby
3. The Joshua Tree
4. The Unforgettable Fire
5. War
6. Pop
7. Songs of Innocence
8. Boy
9. Rattle and Hum
10. October
11. All That You Can't Leave Behind
12. No Line on the Horizon
13. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb

A lot of the albums below SOI have more great songs, but SOI works so well as an album. I don't think many songs would be in my U2 top 40, but it's more than the sum of its parts.

I keep waiting for SOI to lose its shine, but it's a fantastic record. I'm still surprised by how good it is, even though most of NLOTH is excellent. The melodies on SOI are great though. And it finishes so strong. If it ended on California I probably wouldn't like it as much.

Had Rattle and Hum been all studio songs it would be above SOI.

Passengers should be allowed. It was written by U2+Eno. NLOTH was written by U2+Eno+Lanois, so it's more of a U2 record than NLOTH is. It's the logical extension of Zooropa. But never mind that. Branding is what matters, right?
 
Salome said:
01. No Line On the Horizon
02. The Unforgettable Fire
03. All That You Can't Leave Behind
04. The Joshua Tree
05. Songs of Innocence
06. Rattle and Hum
07. October
08. Zooropa
09. Achtung Baby
10) War
11) How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
12) Boy
13) POP
Click to expand...

Respect to this list! This is by someone who can't be told what to think! Nice, even though it's a bit perverse (October over Achtung Baby? That's weirder than NLOTH at #1).
 
For what it's worth, I love October and was merely referring to the fact that it barely gets talked about when people are discussing album rankings, deep cuts, etc. That's what I meant by it being generally "forgotten" especially among the casual audience.
 
After 43 votes:

Achtung Baby
The Joshua Tree
The Unforgettable Fire
Zooropa
Pop
Songs of Innocence
War
All That You Can't Leave Behind
Boy
No Line On the Horizon
Rattle and Hum
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
October
 
It'll be interesting to see how far SOI ends up dropping. No Line On The Horizon performed far better in these things a few months into its lifespan and look at where it happens to be now. Same for Bomb.

Also, given that the album lacks what most would consider to be a true standout in the band's oeuvre, I see this record kind of getting passed over with a "meh" when young people in the future delve into the catalog. There's nothing too memorable to make them want to give it a second look.

All That You Can't Leave Behind was about neck-and-neck with The Unforgettable Fire for the #3 spot on these forums circa 2002. The 1-2-3-4 rank of AB > JT > TUF > Zooropa has basically been around here forever and stands firm despite the occasional new album intruding during its honeymoon period. Pop's probably been a strong #5 as well for quite some time, but I think War might have been more beloved around here at the turn of the century.

In the long run, I think those five albums in that order will be kind of the consensus for online U2 communities from now until whenever...after that, it's a little murky. No doubt in my mind that War or All That You Can't Leave Behind will be #6, but I can't say which one and also am not exactly sure what All That You Can't Leave Behind's reputation will even be years from now. I get the feeling it's starting to rise back up in esteem after falling from a high for over a decade.

Of course, this also discounts the band having a miracle and producing another truly great album from now until the time they finish.
 
BigMacPhisto said:
Of course, this also discounts the band having a miracle and producing another truly great album from now until the time they finish.
Click to expand...
And what are the odds of that happening...? :sexywink:

You know, I often think easy-access to technology (epitomized by digital recording technology) has been the downfall of recorded music. I personally think 'rock' music is more vital when performed live, or when recorded quickly or at least somewhat organically, and easy-access to technology has killed this impetus.

Bono was U2's main-man in the early years and his trademark was spontaneous lyrics and melodies improvised at the microphone. I wish U2 could somehow force themselves to go in the studio, mostly unrehearsed, and come out with a finished album in about a week. I honestly believe the result would be better than most of what they've recorded in the past 20 years.

I was reading the other day about George Martin's early years at Parlophone (EMI) in the 1950s/early 1960s. Check out the following quote, just for laffs:

"Record companies expected LPs to be made in a day: twenty-five to thirty-five minutes of music to be rehearsed, recorded, mixed and prepared for mastering. George produced an album by Johnny Dankworth and his Orchestra in under six hours in EMI Number 2 studio in March 1957. It was achievable if the musicians knew their pieces and were adequately prepared; if it wasn't achieved, if an LP took longer to make, the A&R manager could be reproached in an internal memorandum."

Funny stuff in light of recent industry standards.


Anyway, I do wish U2 would at least once break out of the cycle of (a) take years recording a mammoth album, (b) rehearse/hard-sell/promote, and (c) engage in mammoth, massively expensive-to-produce world tour. None of that stuff interests me, personally. I just like the essence of what U2 produces as musicians.

Yeah, it is interesting to speculate on how their catalogue will be viewed by future generations, once they're dead and gone. No doubt the 1983-->1993 period will endure as their recognized 'peak', but the eternal reputation of the post-Zooropa stuff is harder to predict.

Time takes time.
 
purpleoscar said:
After 43 votes:

Achtung Baby
The Joshua Tree
The Unforgettable Fire
Zooropa
Pop
Songs of Innocence
War
All That You Can't Leave Behind
Boy
No Line On the Horizon
Rattle and Hum
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
October
Click to expand...
The fact that "Boy" is tracked so low is a complete joke.

What a joke!
 
djerdap said:
No sense of humour, Nipples, eh?

Well, that's nothing new. At least you're not trying to be funny anymore.
Click to expand...
Keep up your positive contribution to the forum!

(btw, apparently I've had you 'blocked' for, like, the past 5 years or something. Took it off after your retort, not able to remember you. Suddenly remembered why I blocked you before. Will block you again now.)
 
I'm going to block anyone who voted Bomb as worst album!!!!




Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference
 
1. All That You Can't Leave Behind
2. Achtung Baby
3. The Joshua Tree
4. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
5. War
6. Songs of Innocence
7. Zooropa
8. Boy
9. The Unforgettable Fire
10. Pop
11. No Line On The Horizon
12. Rattle & Hum
13. October
 
PennyLanePHINS said:
1. All That You Can't Leave Behind
2. Achtung Baby
3. The Joshua Tree
4. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
5. War
6. Songs of Innocence
7. Zooropa
8. Boy
9. The Unforgettable Fire
10. Pop
11. No Line On The Horizon
12. Rattle & Hum
13. October
Click to expand...


I like this list. While I wouldn't put ATYCLB 1, it's one if my favorite albums.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference
 
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