Reviews (page 8 of 15)
Masterpiece!!
#601. This is U2's best album by a very wide margin and it's still just mid on a good day. 3/5: average
um filme, realmente. muito inspirado (porém cansativo?).
Another all time favorite and a reminder of younger days
Surprisingly i dug it
I'm sorry, but I don't like U2. Never have, and it seems I perhaps never will. For me they're like marmite. Glad to see I'm not the only one. There seems to be a clear indication of love and hate in the reviews. Did I listen to the entire album, no I didn't. Each song is like the other. I'd like to say it's mostly owed to Bono, but it really isn't. The Edge, at least for me, is an overrated guitarist relying on that overused delay. They have a distinct sound that is just boring and eye rolling. Bono's voice doesn't agree with me either. Bill Bailey said it best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8dZwXnMrRU&pp=ygUOdTIgYmlsbCBiYWlsZXk%3D
me ha recordado mucho a mi infancia es como un álbum motivador no se como explicarlo. esperanzador. me gusta mucho u2 7/10
It's Bono. Bono is an idiot socialist who loves making money (capitalism). Listen at your own peril.
it has it's moments, and since I've known it since it came out it's nostalgic, but this is just about where they get too heart-on-sleeve performatively sensitive and sincere. it's still a very good album, but in retrospect the reinvention that would come next was due.
I like bits and pieces of U2. I think can say the same for this album, the hits are good but I didn’t care much for the rest of it.
Klassiker.
Ignoring the fact Bono is a blow-hard, and certain aspects of U2 have aged like milk (the U2 iPod, that iTunes album debacle), you can't ignore that this album is something special. A bona-fide classic and for good reason, I'm not a U2 superfan (or even really a fan!) but I really enjoyed hearing some of the hits in album format.
What a great album. Pretty much every song here is good except Exit. I don't get the hate.
For my money, quite possibly the strongest run of four songs to open an album, ever. By that measure, perhaps it’s then unfair to deduct stars for the tumble this album takes after such dizzying heights. To these ears there’s a fair amount of retreading of old ground to diminishing returns. There are other highlights along the way: as an NZ native it’s truly surreal to hear Bono sing of one of Auckland’s more obscure landmarks in One Tree Hill. But it doesn’t hurt that it’s also a really lovely song. Had The Sweetest Thing shown up here rather than a B-side we might be in five star territory. While there’s nothing revelatory in Bono’s writing, this gets an easy 4/5 for the strength of the album’s high points. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I hadn't heard this album in full before but it was fantastic. The guitar parts do so much with so little, and make the album feel very spacious and ethereal. It's all very easy to listen to, which I definitely appreciate at this point. Of the songs I hadn't heard before, Trip Through Your Wires and Bullet The Blue Sky were my favourites.
Alright, let's talk about U2's The Joshua Tree. This one's a solid 4.5 stars for me. This album is pure 80s iconic stuff. It's funny, I actually enjoy it more now than I did back then. I was a senior in high school when this dropped, and it was everywhere. Long summer nights on the radio, you know? (Hey, isn't that in a song? Probably, haha). For me, U2's output up through The Joshua Tree was just great music. They kind of went off the rails on some future albums, but this one captures them at their peak. And Bono, well, he does some amazing things for charity, no doubt. But yeah, sometimes he can come off a little... pompous. Just saying. Still, this album is a fantastic time warp back to when music felt genuinely cool, especially for us Gen Xers. It holds up.
An ok U2 album
A good album by U2, loved the two classic songs of I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For and With or Without You.
I’ve always thought that U2 was a bit overrated, and for me their ethereal sound can grow old. However, I thought overall that this album was pretty good. I was of course, familiar with the first three songs, but other than a couple of odd songs, I really quite enjoyed this album. I own Rattle and Hum and Achtung Baby on CD, and I really thought this one was better than either of those. For me, this one comes in at four stars on the low side. I think had I owned it back in the day, it would’ve grown on me some and I would like it better. I’ll probably save it and listen to it again.
Well, how many stars do you give an album like that? The first song is 5 stars, the second song is 5 stars, the third is 5 stars. The whole album? Okay, 5 stars too.
I listened to this on vinyl. One of my favorite concert memories is seeing U2 perform this album in its entirety in 2017. After they played a few songs, they began the opening chords of Where the Streets Have No Name. As they were starting a plane was spotted over the distance of the stadium, and flew right overhead as Bono began to sing. Anyways, this is an all-time classic album.
me he guardado dos canciones “with o without you” y “beautiful day”. un album q volveria a escuchar leyendo las letras atentamente.
A few good pop rock songs at the beginning, but overall I find it disappointing. U2 is not worthy of being called a rock band The guitar work is so amateur and embarrassingly lackluster. Bono has a great voice but often sings in such a pretentious and insufferable style. The only thing that impresses me about U2 is that they seemed to pioneer this brand of modern saccharine pop rock long before it was ever-present in the 90s and 00s
6/10
Best album of all time. Better than wearing underpants.
'Our love turns to rust / We're beaten and blown by the wind, blown by the wind.' Bono's no Boss, but that's clearly what's he's going for w/ this one. Apparently about 'America,' the fantasy as well as the reality, The Joshua Tree is really about U2 being the most maddeningly mawkish band in the history of pop music. 'I can't live, with or without you / with or without you.' I bring up Bruce Springsteen b/c, unlike Bono, he brilliantly negotiates the sentimental and the concrete. U2, on the other hand, is absolute schmaltz. Plus, it goes w/o saying that Bruce knows America better than these faux. The best songs, 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For' and 'Running to Stand Still,' are doomed by vague religiosity. The rest? Acute syrup.
"Where The Streets Have No Name" is one of my favorite album openers of all time. No question about it. I mean, let's just cut to the chase, huh? With that beautiful synth fade-in and the arpeggiated guitar that soon joins it, crashing into the anthemic main portion, over which Bono passionately sings about... Y'know, I don't even know what, but with how he's singing it, and with how huge the band's going... It just sounds like the most important thing in the world, y'know? The most meaningful, inspiring thing in the world. It's just fuckin' amazing. And you follow that up with "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking Far" — a slower burn, but no less huge feeling. It has this soulful vibe to it, to where I'm not surprised that for the live tour (as captured in RATTLE & HUM) they straight up had a gospel choir backing them. And that version is the best, but the original ain't no slouch. Every time the title line hits, I can't help but do this slow groove to it... It's great, I swear. Another winner of a soundscape, I'm tellin' yah. "With Or Without You" comes after, and from the moment that little chime-y keyboard riff starts up, all the way to Bono's big "OOOOH" three minutes in... It's all about the tension, y'know? Building and building and building until you have that final release at the end there. I mean, it doesn't even have a traditional verse-chorus structure; it's just all about mounting tension until it explodes. And it's **glorious**. No wonder it's U2's second-most covered song, huh? And with that little "ooo" close to the end, backed with The Edge's sustained, whining little notes... Swear to goodness, honestly. And right on its heels is "Bullet The Blue Sky", without a doubt the biggest "rocker" on the album — and the song where they got the title for their oh-so-infamous concert film and live album. It's just a hard-ass song, I'm telling you. The drums pound like it ain't nobody's business, the bass grooves like hell, the guitar screeches across the track when it's not filling in the atmosphere, and Bono... Well, he has his little monologue at the end (a Bonologue, if you will), but it does nothing to take away from the track. **Especially** with that little guitar line/solo that plays in-between segments. Then the rest of the album happens, and, uh, it's good stuff. Yeah. Pretty dang good. I like it all well enough. It's just, uh, y'know, that nothing else on the album hits the high those first four songs do. Thus, we come to why I had a paragraph each to the album's first four songs. 'Coz I'll admit, in a way this album feels a bit frontloaded? I mean, those are all just monsters of songs, among the greatest and most famous U2 would ever do. It's like, I realize this structure isn't exactly fair to the songs that come afterwards, like "Trip Through Your Wire" and "One Tree Hill", but I mean, when your album **starts** with "Where The Streets Have No Name"... Y'know, no matter how good the rest of it is, it's still downhill, so matter how slight. Like, if there's anything I've come to realize about myself and this album across this listen, it's that: just how much I define it by those first four songs. I mean, if there aren't times where I just play 'em in reverse order, ignoring everything else. Heck, sometimes I just start on "With Or Without You" and go from there. These songs, and honestly them alone, are **why** I consider this album one of the all-timers of the 80's, among the likes of Michael Jackson's THRILLER and such. Just an absolute cornerstone of popular music in this era — and based solely on a quarter of the album. So allow me to show some respect to the seven other songs on the album, then — and at the same time, I'll explain why this is my favorite U2 album. 'Coz on the one hand, it kind of feels like it shouldn't? I imagine a bigger U2 fan might have this album in their top three or five, but not at the time of the pile. The way I figure it, they'd probably tend more towards WAR, where the band's punkier and more righteously angry. Meanwhile, here on THE JOSHUA TREE, the band's sound is a lot softer thanks to the Americana influence they're pulling from. Believe me, there's no "Sunday Bloody Sunday" or "New Year's Day" here. All the same, though, it's kind of why I like THE JOSHUA TREE as much as I do? Which might make me sound like a **FILTHY CASUAL**, but hear me out. I believe that allowing their sound to soften like this is what allows these songs to sound as grand and, well, anthemic as they do. Not that "Sunday Bloody Sunday" couldn't, but I'unno, the songs on THE JOSHUA TREE just hit different, y'know? With the quietness of "Running To Stand Still", and the swing and harmonica of "Trip Through Your Wires", [&c.]... Again, none of these hit the highs of the first four songs, but they're so consistently strong that it hardly brings the album down. Not to mention, compared to U2's more recent works... Well, there's still an energy to these songs. I mean, if you think **these songs** are soft, go check something off of ALL THAT YOU CAN'T LEAVE BEHIND. That stuff's soft enough as to almost be imperceptible. Take it: I can remember songs like "One Hill Tree" and "Red Hill Mining Town". The outro to the former will always stick out to me. I doubt I could remember any song on ALL THAT YOU CAN'T LEAVE BEHIND, even the moment after they happen. So, yeah, while the majority of the album might live in the shadow of its opening run, let's not get it twisted. This is, without a doubt in my mind, some of the absolute best music U2 would ever make. They didn't do two tours of this album (in 2017 and 2019) for nothing. Like I said, it's an absolute cornerstone of 80's music, as much like Kate Bush and HOUNDS OF LOVE, I can't imagine a better album to exit this group on. In short: well, dang, if I ain't found what **I'm** looking for.
The peak of U2 in many peoples' eyes, including mine. 4.5 bumped up to 5.
I’m at a 4.5 & I’ll have to talk my way into either a 4 or a 5. I dunno, I just found myself a little underwhelmed compared to the expectations I had – whenever an album pops up on the list that has both the critical acclaim & the sales to back it up, it feels like a sort of cultural zeitgeist, and the sort of album where once you hear it, you fully & totally understand why it has that place. The first 3 songs fit that bill really, really nicely, & the rest of the album coasts off of those 3 tracks, carrying itself rather well to a smooth 50 minutes. I’m not disappointed by the quality of the album, because it is a 4 at the very, very least. I just feel like I’m leaving this album without having fully gotten it, because it just doesn’t feel like a fully satisfying front to back album. There’s not a bad track, there’s not any noticeably awkward moments, and in terms of production / vocal work, I have genuinely no major complaints. I just think the pacing of the album doesn’t lend itself to that “all-timer” status. I do have a nitpick, and it may be a big enough nitpick to qualify as a complaint, as it’s one that just permeates throughout the remainder of the album for me: I just don’t think the lyricism is that tight. A lot of the political statements that underline this album add heavily needed context to a number of these tracks, but without them, I think parts of this album don’t feel as satisfying, at least to my ears. A lot of the political statements being made are in reference to specific events, but painted with broader strokes, and as such, I think they’re left too open to interpretation on some of its more biting ones. I might just be reading them the “wrong” way, though. As a whole though, even with the lyricism not feeling as tight & as timeless as it could be on its more politically driven tracks, when it gets closer to the personal level of “Achtung Baby”, it hits really, really nicely. It’s just not all-time songwriting, at least not to the level I was expecting based on the critical acclaim. Does that drag the album down enough to give it a 4 as opposed to a 5? Eh, not necessarily. Really, if there’s anything that’ll drag the album down to a 4, it would be that the album isn’t as “energetic” as I was expecting, with a lot more of these tracks feeling folksier, & the overall tone of the album coming across as more preachy than I anticipated. There’s a lot of biblical / spiritual overtones that permeate the album, and while it’s to be expected from U2, it feels especially heavy-handed on this one. “I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For” may as well be a church hymn. At a base level, each of my complaints about pacing, lyricism, or overall tone aren’t enough to drag them down to a 4 by themselves, but when you pile them on top of each other, for my own personal tastes, I think they just compound in a way where I can’t personally give this a 5, at least on a first pass – hell, I listened to the album twice, just to be absolutely sure with myself, and I’m pretty comfortable with where I’m at – hence, the bump down to a 4. Still like a 9/10, though. Make no mistake: I really did enjoy this album, and I can see it easily going up to a 5 if it just clicks better on a different day. If this is someone’s favorite U2 album, I wouldn’t question that one bit. It’s certainly my second favorite one, from what I’ve heard. For my tastes, based on what we’ve gotten from the list, my favorite goes to “Achtung Baby”. Hell, since this is the last U2 album on the list, I guess it’s up to me to see if the rest of “The Unforgettable Fire” lives up to “Pride (In The Name of Love)”. As far as Bono & friends go, it’s a solid 16/20, but batting an average of 4 is pretty damn good regardless. Hell, it would be 13/15 if “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” wasn’t here. C’est la vie, though.
Actually a genuine rock band back in the day, who knew?
another mid to boring album from u2
Good; solid album didn’t love the back half but the front half is clearly massive for a reason
Meh .. downhill after the first 3 tracks
3 bangers off the bat then fades
First half is stellar, second not so much.
I’m teetering on 5 here. An all-time run of songs to open an album. Great production. Just a couple songs that don’t hit for me.
Bands could only hope to have 1 hit song, let alone a handful of mega-hits on 1 album. I've always gravitated towards BULLET THE BLUE SKY and IN GOD'S COUNTRY. They have a slightly different instrumental feel to the rest of the album, which is not to discredit those other tracks.
I quite like the first three tracks - the rest is middling to below middling
Liked it but worth a revisit
Where the Streets Have No Name and With or Without you are two of my favorite favorite songs but I could not bring myself to care about the rest of this album
Probably the best that U2 has to offer but I find them annoying
Not as bad as I expected. Interesting to see the ambient/ stadium rock influence on future artists and sounds. Coldplay, Radiohead, Muse, Killers, Kings of Leon, Taylor Swift (All Too Well, Long Live)
Went to Where the Streets Have No Name In God’s Country. With or Without You, I’m rating this a 5
05.24.2024 3.5☆/5
Not for me Very boring
The first three songs are just an incredible way to open the album. There is a pretty steep drop off after that. So it's a 5-star start and a 3-star remainder, which is ultimately still a very good album.
The album opens with bangers, it’s an amazing start. 3 huge hits, love the way it goes. The rest of the album is still solid, I’d put it in for background music, but it’s not 100% for me. 3 stars on a personal level, but I could see where true fans would love it more
Elliot loves U2.
Very good U2 album
U2 is U2
Some enjoyable songs but I find the singing style a little grating at times. Liked the harmonica, and the atmosphere but found it struggled to hold my attention. Fav song: I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For - a classic (so is With or Without You but I’ve heard covers of it that I prefer to the original) also liked Bullet the Blue Sky Least fav: One Tree Hill - maybe? Idk I didn’t dislike any of the songs just a lot of them blurred together for me.
"With Or Without You" é atemporal e me transporta para os dias em que eu era pequeno.
Iznenađujuće dobar. Pogotovo prvi dio albuma. I still haven't found what I'm looking for najdraža. Sram me hehe.
svaka pjesma slična, traje duže nego što bi trebala i previše zavijanja, prenemaganja, klišejizirano, radiofrendli itd, al je okej u stvari, nezz
1987. Rock. 9/10 Where the Streets Have No Name / I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / With or Without You / Bullet the Blue Sky / Running to Stand Still / Red Hill Mining Town / In God's Country / Trip Through Your Wires / One Tree Hill / Exit / Mothers of the Disappeared
“If I ever end up like U2 / slit my throat with a garden vegetable.” - Mark E. Smith
This is really good. I enjoy this a lot. Every song has its own distinct feeling while still feeling like they all belong on the same album. It’s a very difficult feat to achieve. Only problem is a couple of these songs are dudskies. Not bad, just forgettable. Vocals are great, though. So are instrumentation and production. Lyrics are as good as U2 has ever had. Not many complaints at all here. 4/5
All-time great record. The first half of this album absolutely cooks. But it does have a sequencing issue - after the certified stadium bangers on Side A, Side B almost feels like a different album. It may have been a deliberate choice, or a casualty of the cassette era's "you have to assume they're not flipping the sides" mentality. Still, either way, it feels like starting the meal with dessert before serving the vegetables. It's a landmark record, and both sides have their merits, but side B fades with a whimper.
Hits
easy to listen, but not much my style
Sounds like coldplay
19/05/2025 Don't understand the U2 hype.
I give this 100 courics
Amazing opening 3 tracks - then dips quite a bit. I don't particularly have any beef with U2/ bono and I do like Bono's vocals I just could not really get on board with the filler. The first 3 are bangers though and based on them its a 4.
The Joshua Tree Despite the pompousness, the generally unvarying musical palette, the earnest, self important hollowness of the lyrics and the clear dip in the middle this is an undeniably good album. Whatever you think of U2, Where The Streets Have No Name, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, With or Without You and Bullet the Blue Sky is a fantastic 4 track opening run, the first 3 in particular, as well known as they are, remain 3 excellent bits of expansive stadium rock U2 songwriting - great melodies, meaninglessly universal lyrics and simple, uncomplicated arrangements. Despite the cheesy spoken word America bits Bullet the Blue Sky is a nice welding of their post punk origins with a dollop of Joy Division gothicness and their aspirations of worldwide, and in particular American, popularity, creating an, unusually for them, muscular bit of music, driven by Clayton’s relentlessly simple and effective bass line. It definitely feels like it loses steam after that. Running To Stand Still, Red Hill Mining Town, In God’s Country, Trip Through Your Wires, while perfectly serviceable bits of rock-populism don’t have the clear sighted, eyes on the prize, ambitious quality of those first three songs. It does pick up towards the end, One Tree Hill, Exit and Mothers of the Disappeared, while still not quite at the level of the opening run, are a notch above the tracks on the middle of the album. I know The Edge gets a lot of stick for his rather basic delay based sound, but it’s interesting in an era of excessive guitar heroes, he eschews grandstanding and soloing, and his sound is crucial to the non-threatening open armed, big sound they are going for. While not a massive U2 fan I’m not really a hater either, and I quite admire the ruthless efficiency of this album. And despite there being a notable lack of depth and shad in the end I can’t really refute the quality of some of the songs on here, and altogether it adds up to an enjoyably undemanding listen that I will very happily listen to again. 4. 🏜️🏜️🏜️🏜️ Playlist submission: Bullet the Blue Sky
Cooking my Sunday morning eggs listening to these, they just clicked. These are sweeping anthems, part of the fabric of life. My kids were singing along to them, although I've never played U2. We have now evolved to the point where we are born with innate knowledge of these songs in our very DNA. There's always a bit of me thinking, here we go again - it's like having to expend energy to climb the Inca trail - overwhelmingly exhausting, but you are left with quite the reward. The other criticism is the complete lack of joy in all this. The self-importance. All the greats (Dylan; all the others) sprinkle humour, even a soupçon, in their commentaries. Not these bog-brained Murphies. Bono's vocal is smotheringly yearning, but he puts in some of his best performances, and the strength of the songs carries it through. The Edge is nicely minimalist building atmosphere only when required. Similarly Mullen and Clayton give tight and sympathetic performances. The title and cover reflect the feel of expanse in these songs. Close to a five, but ultimately they're still R.E.M. for cappuccino drinkers.
I didn’t dislike this as much as I thought I might, but I don’t imagine I’ll ever listen to it again.
I don’t know how to rate an album like this. Do I own it or want to own it or think I would play it if I owned it? No to all three. Do I think the four massive hits that the album starts with are good songs? I have no idea. Probably. Do I ever want to listen to this again? Not really. Do I get why people really like this album? Sure, I guess. I don’t know man. I don’t know how you rate The Joshua Tree anymore than I know how to rate Thriller. I think this album was too massive a cultural juggernaut to try to have an opinion on.
Good one
Bro, I just don't think they're my vibe
Front heavy but still a classic.
This is an album I used to love. Definitely great songs, but they appeal less to me than they used to. Still enjoy every now and again. The vocal style has began to jar at times though.
High quality, great performance, great production, totally forgettable. There’s something about U2 that I just don’t get. And apparently this album is Irish/American folk based? Should be just my thing, and yet.
Okay, I think we've had them on this list enough times for me to state - I think I hate U2. It's all so mawkish, and desperate to be both taken seriously as an art piece and still radio-friendly enough to sell to your right-wing auntie. They clearly think they're God's gift to music, and nothing they've ever produced makes me think they're anything close. The guitars have so much echo and reverb on them that they sound like they're playing the arenas they clearly think they deserve, and Bono's singing always has the cadence and emotion of a man trying to gently pass a kidney stone. This album, especially, has the twin problems of having songs that I despise because they've been played on the radio constantly for 35 years, and songs that I can't even focus on because they're clearly filler padding out the runtime once the singles have finished. It's somehow simultaneously over-produced and not thought out. It's an achievement, I guess. I don't even know if I want to give this one star, as then it'll be on my homepage as a reminder, and honestly I just kind of want to forget that I ever listened to this.
A strong contender for the most frontloaded album of all time. We've all heard those first three songs a billion times before, but every time I listen to them again, it's like the first time. I've come to realize that they're actually pretty mindblowing, and can't imagine what they must have sounded like at the time. The rest of the album is fine, not really anything special, so overall it falls short of being an all-time great, but you can't beat that beginning.
Great album.
This is the kind of album that makes the distinction between a 4 & a 5 very clear. The songwriting and performances are excellent and varied. Yes, U2 has a sound — and at times (after this album) that sound might occasionally become repetitive. But here they mix up the singles-designed-to-chart with songs (Bullet the Blue Sky, Trip Through Your Wires) that galvanize the whole effort into a singular achievement, rather than just a compilation of songs. The Edge is a genius of layering guitar parts and rhythms to achieve an ocean of sound. Adam Clayton’s bass playing is impeccable; Larry Mullen Jr’s drumming is always tasteful, often driving the melody, ever on point. Bono can sing. Listening to it now, I realize that this is a road trip album, pivoting from very earthy songs (Red Hill Mining Town & those previously mentioned) to songs that express quest and epiphany. This is a great ride & a spiritual reboot. Makes me happy to give it a 5.
I used to love U2 - but over the years, they have lost their luster. However, this album still stands the test of time. So many great songs, and the production is excellent. Only knock is that Side B falls off a bit after a nearly perfect Side A. Still, excellent album all around.
The first half it's musically incredible. The second half less so, and starts to get bogged down with starryeyed inflections of the blues, equally mythologized and washed-out. How about a little harmonica here, Eno? But the music is still good. I just cannot stand Bono though. His singing is so overblown and contrived, like a high school musical tryhard. There's a little rawness on Streets, but overall his voice just -sounds- sanctimonious. And the lyrics... Ooooff. Real teenager journaling shit. Bullet the Blue Sky is hilarious. One hundred! Two hundred! Too funny.
Enjoyed this more than I'd like to admit. 3 stars.
to so perfectly stand on the razor’s edge with God on one side and complete bathos on the other is a feat only true heroes can attain
I have listened to a U2 album before, but it was one of their supposedly weaker albums, and rubbish. I was hopeful that this, which I understand is their magnificent octopus, would be better. The first three tracks are all overplayed, but have at least something to them. The rest of the album is appalling. How anyone could listen to One Tree Hill or most of the others and not want to punch Bono in the face, I do not understand. The fake overwrought meaningfulness of it was really rough. Every single song on the album was at least one, sometimes two minutes too long. It wasn’t helped by coming the day after Tommy by The Who. But this really was the most awful dogshit. Fuck U2 Why did you do this to me Brian Eno. For the first time I wish no stars was an option. You better not give me u2 again tomorrow
Simply beautiful.
Strong 5
not bad, the first songs are better than the rest
U2 is een van mijn "jeugdhelden". Heerlijk op de kamer van Johan naar albums luisteren terwijl we een kopie maken op cassette. Dit album heeft veel bekende hits! Top!!
Really enjoyed this, I have no clue how I haven’t listened to it before
a classic album.
8/10. Wow, U2 had some really great songs earlier in their career!!! :)
I've given U2 a chance during this process and the big hits do work for me, but there are way too many long songs with very little going on other than guitar effects and Bono crooning. This one starts out strong but fades fast.
Couple of bangers on here but other than that it's just a little lackluster
OH HELLL YEAHHHH. Ready to get into this one 🤩🤩. Easy 5 stars. I mean, wow. Just wow. An incredible feat of artistry.
If they had stopped at this album, or even the next one. I would rated it higher, Unfortunately, mentioning U2 now, feels like mentioning the McDonals of music, music for the masses, easy to sing along, easy to buy and consume. The message got diluted in the flood of opinions about everyting, interviews, albums, songs, and presence everywhere It has gotten so flooded with them that even their good material is tainted.
Great opening three tracks, then tails off pretty hard
First three songs are some of U2's all timers. the album as a whole is pretty good.
U2 was only good in the 80s
An album so good I have it on vinyl. Was glad this popped up as I haven’t listened to it in a few years. Whilst the first side of the album is probably one of the greatest of all time, it’s those more unappreciated tunes at the end that really make this album something special
Don't really like U2 but this album is rammed full of bangers. fair play lads.
Only heard U2's singles before, and never thought much of them. This album was front loaded with 3 of their biggest singles, and all the rest was totally unfamiliar. Turns out that's the more interesting stuff! Not terribly interesting, but a solid 3/5
Just wasn’t my type of music.
I tried, but it’s mid at best. Feels like an album only people who lived through that era have fond memories of. It’s like an old flame, you remember the highlights which were few but ignore all the lowlights which was the majority.
It's like if 9/11 was an album
This album starts off as strong as any album ever made with the first three songs. Then it just swims along with a bunch of songs to not offend anyone. It’s a pretty great album if you can stomach U2.
76% Best: Where The Streets Have No Name; I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For; With Or Without You Must-Hear? Not quite
point6.
nojaa, taas tätä areena rokki industry plant manufakturoitu synteettinen paska rokkipaska musikkia paskaa. kanssaasi vai kanssattomasti kanssasi. vai ilman kanssaasi= vai ilmava kassasi? miteävn vitussa miten on näin tylsä ääntä, ääni on änin nukahtavatavaa ja biljoona miljardi u2 fania mitäääh kanssasi vai eikö kanssasi???? hoooo ooo aaa ooo. hoo hoo aa ooo ooo.. ilman jvai kanssasi. vai ikanssasi vaiko eikö kanssasi. pum pum pum pa pum pa pa pum pum pum woooooooo. huuuuuuuuu oooooooooo aaaaaa ooooooo... jos bono olisi olemassa niin raiskaisin. bullet he lbue sky
amazing album, every song is a banger. i would say 9/10 for me, great production, amazing singles, almost no filler.
One of my three favorite albums ever since about the time it came out - and yet not even my favorite U2 album, which is The Unforgettable Fire. I like it now even more than back then. 10 out of 5 stars.
Absolutely hated it! U2 are the most overrated band of all time! If I could negative stars I would!
Classic! Great lyrics and vocals!
It’s good have a few hits
Every time With Or Without You comes up on a pub quiz I start by shouting out 'Where The Streets Have No Name'! Then I go with 'actually no, it's I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For'! And then someone else calmly says 'it's With Or Without You'. And they think I was joking but I wasn't. You have to feel for Bono. He makes all this daft, pretentious pseudo-political music where he overeggs every syllable and makes out like he's far more important than he really is. And yet all anyone seems to be able to say about it is 'ah Bono, what a twat'. Credit where it's due, this is some of the most daft, pretentious pseudo-political music that U2 made in their whole career (so far) and it deserves to be recognised as such, regardless of whether Bono is a twat or not. And the silly thing is, there are artists on this list who have beaten up their wives and girlfriends, abused children, been openly and outwardly racist, there are nazi sympathisers and even at least one convicted murderer. And yet we universally rally around 'Bono is a twat' mostly because he's a bit annoying and try-hard. After the first three songs, The Joshua tree drops off and becomes pretty average ambienty-inspired rock music and nothing really rises above the rest. I quite like what Eno did to their sound but they don't really lean into it, they feel the need to stadium rock over the top of it and it lacks any genuine subtlety. It's good, but it's nowhere near 'great'.
how do they achieve this mix of cool, cheesy and unbelievably annoying?
Some albums just have banger after banger regardless of whether the song ever saw radio play or not. Other albums have a good number of radio hits, but the rest of the album isn't very good. Joshua Tree falls somewhere in between. The three songs that open it are hits for a reason, but from there, the album sort of falls into a predictable sound. There are a few other decent songs, but nothing on the level of those three. Overall, the other tracks weren't bad, they were just boring by comparison.
U2’s finest hour.
This music is oatmeal. There is not a single interesting thing about it. It is listenable, I guess. They deserve a bonus start for activism.
Bono is a dweeb so it's hard to be too complimentary of it, but it's a good album. crispy clean digital delay toan
I've never been much of a fan of U2, but you cannot deny the quality of this album.
Pet fav songs: Bullet the Blue Sky; Exit; Mothers of the Disappeared U2 are pompous and annoying but goddammit they are a great band. I don't ever think of them as my favorite, but there tons of songs from their different artistic eras I love. At 50 minutes I should, by my own standards, knock this for being too long and a bit indulgent but I can't. The whole thing works. Production is amazing.
Where The Streets Have No Name: Great opener! What I’m Looking For: Classic. With or Without You: Another Classic. Bullet The Blue Sky: Nice, heavy change of pace from the first 3 tracks. Running To Stand Still: Softer even than the first few tracks. Red Hill Mining Town: Kind of boring. In God’s Country: Good driving guitar riff. Trip Through Your Wires: In 6/8, but otherwise a little bland. Harmonica solo is neat. One Tree Hill: Repetitive, similar to previous tracks. Why is Bono moaning at the end? Exit: Love how it starts soft and crescendos up to the climax. Mothers Of The Disappeared: Cool rhythms at the beginning.
Classic. First half full of bangers and trails off. But great nonetheless.
Не смотря на двойственное отношение к U2 - альбом хорош.
Geniales Album mir 3 starken Titeln am Anfang. Diese nehmen den Hörer mit in die Tiefen des Albumskonzept, sodass sich auch die weiteren Titel sehr gut einbinden.
One of their best has a place in my heart. With or without you.
I LOVE this album. Each song has this slow buildup before an absolutely rocking chorus that makes me feel like I'm driving with the windows down on a summer night. Everything from the vocals (lead and backup), lyrics, comp, instruments, EVERYthing just works on this album for me. They remind me a tiny bit of The Killers (who I also love). Rarely do I add an entire album to a playlist but this one belongs on my "Kicking ass at life" list because that's just how it makes me feel.
Wow. Very few albums reach near perfection, this is one of them. Everything about this is great.
Fabulous album. With or without you is a fantastic song.
Fuck U2
It's not me, it's you too. I get that it's an iconic album, and I understand the attraction....but it is just too showy for my liking. Bono and the guys clearly want to be teh centres of attention, and produce flashy, shouty.over-dramatic albums. Reminds me of Glam Rock in it's heyday. I know I'm in the minority here, but The Joshua Tree just isn't that good.
I prefer achtung baby but this one is also great
sweet. never been a big u2 fan but its really good 5/5
I've never liked U2 and i've never forgiven them for that time when they forcefully downloaded their new album onto everyone's iPhone. I want to give this a spiteful 1 just because of all the truly awful music this band subjected us to in the late 90s and 00s, but I should be fair and rate this particular album on its merits. In that respect, I will admit that some of these songs are huge and I can't deny their importance and relevance but they still don't resonate with me. I didn't hate this as much as expected but I didn't really enjoy it either. Also, as a fellow guitarist who also uses too many effects to hide his mediocrity, i've got to at least give props to the Edge here. We can smell our own...
Original and relaxing album, but I wouldn't necessarily listen to it.
Прослушал, фоном употреблять можно, просто это не моя музыка.
Eh it was fine.
I've always kinda liked U2's sound but after the 3 hits up top it gets kinda samey. I did like the song "Exit" though
This is one of my favorite albums of all time. It’s perfect in every way. I’ve listened to it hundreds of times, yet it’s still fresh. The songs are full of life. They’re real. It’s complete.
Classic U2. Good, but nothing special here. If you heard one U2 you’ve heard them all.
👍🏻
3 is a stretch. U2 is overhyped.
Great Album!
I get that this album is held up in high esteem by many. And the first four tracks are good. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For is good and With Or Without You is a particularly good track. After that great start the album loses me a bit though and I get bored.
1st 3 tracks absolute bangers and then it's like they gave up with the rest of the record, still great though
FUCK THIS FUCKING SHITTY ALBUM
First 4 songs are well-known and generally OK, the rest of the album is just boring and uninspired
Okay, U2, take your three stars and leave me alone.
Second U2 album in a week, and definitely the lesser or the two. As with most U2 albums it's seriously front loaded. The first 3-4 songs are among the best made by late 80s rock bands - in particular, I think Bullet The Blue Sky is hugely underrated. But compared to their 90s work, it lacks the huge production and variety of tones, and the quality of songs drops of significantly after the first few. You can see why the singles made it huge, but in retrospect it feels like an intermediary stage between earnest post-punkers and the global stadium rock band they became. High 3 low 4.
Very filling guitar sounds and im really liking the juxtaposition of the harder bass tone to Bonos soft voice. Overall though, I don't think its anything mind blowing. I enjoyed it, will probably put it on again in the future. But nothing about this screams "must listen". Pleasant and Digestible, but lacking in significant power.
Bombastic, overblown iPod filling nonsense. One-trick pony guitar, and Bono. God please, can we have less Bono in the world.
It's just not that good.
Not a bad album, surprisingly. A bit too same-ish, but still enjoyable. Some hits here or there.
Fine? Never been a U2 fan. Some songs I saved to playlists. “No Exit” was the highlight. Cher’s cover of “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” eclipsed the original for me.
Any song on here could have been a single, which is saying something given how huge the first three songs are. An epic album that might not have as much impact now, especially since Bono is such a douche, but probably revolutionized the world when it first came out.
buenisimo
Tg Bono
Achtung baby og Zooropa voru U2 plöturnar sem ég hlustaði á, auk Greatest hits í partýum. Hef ekki sterk tilfinningaleg tengsl við þessa og hef reynt að setja á mig cýníska hattinn við að hlusta á hana, en sorrý, ég er bara af þeirri kynslóð sem finnst þetta flott, meira að segja mjög flott.
It just wasn't very enjoyable.
Better than expected since I can't stand u2. Bonos voice sounds so whiney on certain points, but overall decent
My first real memory of U2 is when I had an iPod and Apple automatically downloaded their album to everyone's device. I remember it being a marketing nightmare and I quickly deleted it from my iPod when I found it taking up memory. When I started listening to this album, I was curious if I'd ever heard a U2 song and if I'd be able to recognize it. This album was shocking in just how much I recognized it, demonstrating how universal these songs were to my parent's generation. Will I ever pick up this album again? Probably not, however it was a listening experience that made me realize why this band was ever relevant in the first place. The atmospheric instrumentals were fun to parse out, and the entire album is incredibly well produced. The song writing is dated but is still complex: the details of the two America's they experience could be something I'd pick through after multiple listens. I find Bono's voice boring as hell but that's a testament to just how many times I've heard him sing.
Aside from the first 3 tracks I'm not super jazzed about it. Bullet The Blue Sky and Trip Through Your Wires are both new to me and are pretty solid, but the rest of the tracks sound very similar to each other. I guess I'm partly biased from ear fatigue of the first track on Dad's classic radio station, but I recognize the overall musicality and significance anyway. 7/10
Very good album throughout. Great songs mixed with very good songs. Would go above Led Zeppelin, so in this case a 5.
Classic. 4/5. Starts so strong with 3 iconic songs but peters out.
This felt very front loaded, first 4 tracks were great and then 5-11 was boring. Overall equalled out to an OK album. 6/10
Previously rated: War (4/5) All That You Can't Leave Behind (3/5) Achtung Baby (3/5) **************************************** Frontloaded with the hits, and they were big ones. The rest is forgettable and generic. I think I've had enough from them, but I'm pretty sure more is coming.
Oldies, vor allem 'With or Without you' und 'I still haven't found what I'm looking for'. Im Moment nicht ganz mein Vibe
Not for me, everything sounds like contemporary Christian worship music
Best U2 Alhum. Classic all around. After this it was arenas for life.
I'm not a big fan of U2 but their impassioned wailing occasionally forms a melody I enjoy. This album was ubiquitous and it doesn't irritate me.
Deserves 5 stars.
I can live with or without U2
Oh such a great album and probably one of the most popular by them! Had so many good songs and it's just a good U2 album! Classic!
Epic qlbum
Surprisingly enjoyable.
"This is Stanley Hudson, and is one of our talented salesmen. An African American father of two, Stanley's dedication is no doubt one of the hallmarks of the foundation of the business we're hoping to build our basis on."
5/10 Second U2 album, liked the first more than expected but this left me cold. Later in the career as they are pivoting into stadium friendly rock, and they have lost the edge. Good songs are there, but after a super strong opening it sags badly. Best: Mothers of the Disappeared
South Park did tell us that Bono is objectively the worlds Largest Piece of Shit, and he in fact, is full of it. But there is so much good on this album. Some of the greatest stadium rock anthems of all time on this Best Song: Red Hill Mining Town Rating: 8/10 (Excellent) Stars: 4/5
Did not really have that much of an impression on me
Pretty alright
At least this is a decent.album and not as boring as their other ones. Probably due to Brian Eno's production. That man's a genius.
I used to love this album in the 90s (when I got into U2) but I haven't listened to it in over a decade so it was great to revisit it again. As much as I don't like Bono anymore, this album still sounds amazing and I can see why it was hugely popular in the 80s and catapulted U2 to superstardom. The first three songs are probably among the best ever album openers on any albums, and the rest is also very strong, even if they weren't released as singles. The album has an unique sound, and the production work is also stellar (by Brian Eno), and the songwriting and playing are equally great. Even if at first I was reluctant to give it a 5 but by the end I realised it just doesn't deserve any less than 5 because it's a very well rounded, consistent, super album throughout.
3/11, 27%
I kind of forgot about this album. Not the biggest U2 fan, but this record smokes. Bullet the Blue Sky, One Tree Hill and Exit were a few of my deep track standouts aside from the well-known singles.
Why do people hate this? Or, why do people love this? It's absolutely fine.
The proto Coldplay - a few undoubtable bangers you wouldn’t put on but wouldn’t turn off. The rest being forced soulful filler.
Have no opinions on Bono or U2 as people, but they do make truly interminable, terrible music. Bono's vocals are moaning, over-dramatic and grating to listen to for one song let alone an album's worth. The music supporting him is an endless series of boring, similar sounding drones that build to an endless crescendo that never really comes. Dreading more U2 popping up on this list, isn't this supposed to be one of their best?
It’s not terrible but I can’t bear to listen to it
Pretty chill
Starts HOT, with three spacey, atmospheric ballads that really help to get you in the sound of the album. For the most parts the songs sound really nice, although some are rather forgettable. My other critique would be that for trying to be political on many songs, the lyrics are sometimes too abstract or simplified or just don't give much detail as to what the song is about. 7/10
This album has always suffered from a stellar A side and a meh B side. The B side would be a classic record for any other band but it is less timeless than the A side.
umm okay i didn’t know u2 sang some of these bangers!!
Rough start to this list since I generally don't like U2. I thought the album started strong, but overall it was just ok. 3.5 Stars.
норм
listened to this album before and it’s a classic. so many iconic tracks. the edge’s guitar tones are so ethereal and amazing and bono’s voice of course is phenomenal. drums on this are so interesting as well. lyricism is amazing as always too. i will say, side A is much stronger to me than side B but overall i love this record.
It was alright. Not an album Im excited to listen too again but U2 does make great driving late at night music.
I haven't listened to it in years and with fresh ears, you really get why this was such a huge record. That middle bit is insanely good, and it comes AFTER all of the big singles on the record.
I don't know. It's alright, I guess. Not very interesting
Powerful
3.75
A real crazy drop in quality after track three, but those first few tracks are all-timers. That reverb-y guitar tone reminds me a lot of corporate HR videos lol
One of those albums you put on and don’t skip a dong
i just really don't get the hype for U2 at all, i think there are way too many band that have the same tones, lyrics, music etc that don't get the same type of love U2 gets
Beginning of the album is great, the rest is meh.
Not my favorite, but can see how it's on top lists.
A lifetime fave!!!
- entspannt, relativ catchy Kram dabei. With Or Without You ist einfach ein Ohrwurm, kann man nicht leugnen (vielleicht auch etwas guilty pleasure alles)
I liked With or Without You but the rest of the album just ok. Stuff that's radio friendly but doesn't really hit. I get it, they're a huge band and lots of people love them but I just can't get into the music.
I just can't.
The front half of this is pretty essential U2. They found their sound on this one and the tracks are great. Easy to listen to, quintessential Irish Rock.
This is where U2 plateau'd, in my opinion. This is where they defined their sound and where it was executed perfectly, vs their later work which somehow manages to be derivative of itself. I once heard a radio DJ say "U2 can't really make an unplugged record because the electric effects do so much work on their songs" and he was right. This album in particular really capitalizes on that signature sound of quick delay and fast strumming to great effect. The more introspective songs like "With or Without You" are nearly post-rock songs before that was a thing. For an album made in 1987 it really sounds ahead of its time. Its where they deviate from that sound that the songs start to fall apart and sound just like generic rock music. In this album, that begins on "Trip Through Your Wires" and continues to the end of the album. None of the last 4 songs are memorable or even that good. Make no mistake - you have to like U2 to like this album. If no U2 song ever did it for you, you wont like this album, because it is a quintessential U2 album. I'm not a huge fan or anything, but I did enjoy most of this. It's a far cry from the write-by-committee commercial slop they put out forever later on. The first three tracks are absolute classics, even if they are overplayed, and "Bullet The Blue Sky" is even better than those to me. You can almost here the beginnings of a stoner rock song in there which I think is great for a band that isn't anywhere near that orbit.
I didn't hate this as much as I wanted to. The front half of this is the "Greatest Hits" album minus Sunday Bloody Sunday. Maybe revolutionary at the time?
Gets off to a strong start with 3 big tunes back to back but runs out of steam a bit towards the end- could do with a bit more variety.
Solo por el último tema le pongo 3 estrellas. Después el resto fué lindo hasta ahí. Algunas texturas flasheras pero ningún tema para poner en listas. Nota: 2.9
I have never really been a U2 fan, but this is a really good album with a super strong opening. Of course the hits are great, but I also really enjoyed Bullet the Blue Sky, it is a rocker. The quality in the second half does drop a little, but it is still a great album. High 4.
this was genuinely one of the BEST album openings ever. literally ascended to those instrumentals. this album reminds me of my parents as well bc they LOVE U2 (for context they NEVER go to concerts and they went to a U2 concert and loved it). so from a nostalgia standpoint this album is really great. also it is really great overall, a SOLID, EASY 5/5. pretty similar to what i usually listen to, with a bit more of that mainstream tinge to the sound. “bullet the blue sky” is probably my favorite tune bc THAT is rock!!!! loved this album like genuinely.
Inoffensive, technically sound, pop rock.
Actually genuinely a really strong start to an album. After that I checked a few times that I was listening to the right thing. A friend of a friend had I still haven’t found what I’m looking for as the first dance for their wedding because it was the couples song, which is one of the worst picks I can think of.
custom_rating: 4
We've already done this but I took the excuse to play it again - yeah this is still one of the absolute best albums. That opening run is unbeatable
4 estrelas
Enjoyed this a lot, felt like summer road trip music. Would give it a 4.5 if I could
Starts off with some tuneroonies but tapers off a tad towards the end. The exit is a good song but why the hell is it not the last song in the album. Fav song - with or without you least fav - trip through your wires Specific rating 4.1
Very U2, enjoyed it but nothing stood out enough for me to have anything interesting to say about it Favourite: In God’s Country
nostalgia/10
chill album with some bangers on there but i am legally not allowed to give this above a 3 because my dad has secret one-sided beef with bono
This is why U2 are/were as big as they are/were. Great album, but not their best. Superb songs. Astonishingly good production. True story: I was walking along the river in Dublin one evening, and a grey Maserati pulled up to park alongside me. The passenger door opened and I nearly knocked right into the guy stepping out, said "oops shit, sorry mate" and carried on my way. Looked back and thought "he looks like The Edge". Carried on but looked back again, realising "ah yeah it is The Edge". And then Bono got out the driver's side. Favourite tracks: Where The Streets Have No Name, Bullet The Blue Sky, Running To Stand Still, Exit, Mothers Of The Disappeared
This was nice, I can kind of picture Joshua Tree I suppose. Interesting
estoy convencido que si escuchas esto todos los días sos un bot. no lo odio del todo, de hecho hay algunos temas que zafan, pero al menos a mi no me transmite ningún tipo de emoción.
Another perfect album. All thriller, no filler. Unforgettable fire and Achtung are close behind but nothing else really compares.
Prob the best U2 album. Some classics on there.
U2 was huge in the 80s and 90s but I was never that into them. This album epitomizes them for me. The first 3 songs were singles and were everywhere when the album came out. Listening to the start of the album I was thinking 5 stars. But the rest of the album is just ok.
hmm maybe U2 is good
All of their songs sound the same but it’s still pretty okay
Drummer can’t drum the bass player can’t play the guitar player has one riff. The singer is this utter buffoon. But this album had it’s moments
I cant enjoy U2, for whatever reason their music sounds like they should've been a Christian rock group. I can recognize why they are considered great, but it doesnt do much for me. I'll give them this, a lot of their music is pretty timeless, I thought "I Still Havent Found What I'm Looking For" was an early 2000's release all this time. They have staying power for a reason, and a guitarist named The Edge. I cant say its bad but I definitely didnt find it good.
Damn… I actually loved this album. Never gave U2 much thought… knew them from the radio. We had one of their albums on the list before this and I thought it was pretty good. But this album blew me away! Looking at the track list I figured it would be a front loaded album but I ended up enjoying a ton of the songs on the second half too. “Red Hill Mining Town” was a standout
It feels odd to have enjoyed a U2 album as much as I enjoyed this one. From the handful I’ve heard this was handily the best. The songwriting and performances on this one are very good, the production and mixing is pretty stellar and really adds a veneer of quality and care to the record. Somehow Bono doesn’t come off as super annoying across the album. That being said the album is incredibly frontloaded with the first half of the album containing pretty much all the best songs, it loses its momentum a bit towards the end and would really benefit from cutting down the track listing as there are a couple of songs that are middling. It is just a collection of fun stadium rock anthems that are great for singing along to but that’s fine by me. Overall the album is surprisingly enjoyable , 3.5/5
I like U2’s early music well enough but Bono’s voice wears on me. Not sure why. The big hits are my favorites on this one. Tracks 1-4 are the hits. I also like track 6. The rest, I cannot recall now and I just listened to the album 30 minutes ago. That sums up my feelings on U2. Like most people, I like the big hits, that’s why they are hits. The rest are forgettable and that’s why they are not hits. They don’t have that X factor that makes them stand out. Sadly I would say that also sums up all their releases over the past 20-25 years. Even forcing an album on everyone via iTunes didn’t make those songs resonate with anyone. They are known more for humanitarian affairs now than their music.
3.5 good calm album to listen to when relaxing
I know, I know. But this is a good album and I enjoyed listening to it. Also a monster album from an influential group that does deserve a spot on this list.
Sorry, but no. I know people hate Bono but somehow the vocals are the most interesting thing happening in these songs. You cannot have 5-7 minute songs when the "instrumentals" are just one musical phrase repeated over and over again. Every single song would be improved by being 20% shorter. Bullet The Blue Sky is the only song approaching decent, it had some more variation on instrumentals with the opening and interludes. But it is also kinda ruined by the long noodling at the end (would call a relisten if it finished around 3:30). Would not listen again.
I’m probably a little biased here just because this was released just as I was graduating HS in ‘87. “Streets” became an anthem of sorts for that rite of passage time of life. The opening riff still brings those internal goosebumps at times. I saw them once live at ATT, and although the sound in that venue was not spectacular their stage presentation is second to none. The album as a whole is very strong with at least 5 songs that are timeless hits to this day. The impact at the time was huge, and the band is unique and has staying power so I’ll round up. 4.5/5
I imagine this album (and band for that matter) will produce a wide variety of reviews and opinions, myself included even as a die hard U2 fan. Whether that be the age-old arguments of Bono taking himself just a bit too seriously, or the Edge really not being a great guitarist. But you gotta give it to these lads for truly creating a sound all their own that clearly had tidal wave downstream influences for so many other bands and the music industry in general. Still, I get it. If you didn’t grow up with them and therefore this album, it’s understandable if it doesn’t hit home. And while I personally prefer the previous four albums leading up to The Unforgettable Fire, the impact of this album can’t be denied. Some of their most anthemic songs. Seeing them perform it live front to back in 2017 only reinvigorated my teen years love of the band. IYKYK.
Even a U2 truther such as myself has to give the beginning of this album some credit. My issue with this and every other U2 album is that it comes with so much filler. And maybe it’s unfair to criticize a band for creating a signature sound, but man do these guys go back to the same well often (looking at you THE EDGE). Not going to be a hater today though (my wife listened to this one with me and gave it a 2 FWIW)
First 4 songs I was like “holy shit this is great!” Then it kinda just drifted into the background. Decent songs but not very memorable and sounded like formulaic U2.
First four tracks alone make this a strong 4...but I have this weird mental block when it comes to U2 and just can't get there on a 5 for this album. And let's be honest they must be punished for forcing that one album onto without our consent. 4.25/5
pff... u2, smiths, radiohead... het is de week van de kutplaten
It used to be the only album of theirs that I liked. It’s just ok in retrospect way too over used in sports and advertising
One of their best albums.
Another fucking U2 album already. Fantastic. Why do I feel like U2 is one of those bands the music industry really tried to convince we like more we do. Maybe it’s because I once bought an iPhone with a U2 album already loaded onto it. Fucking hell!
I never have been a huge fan of U2, however I agree that this is one of those albums you must hear before you die. It does include three singles that we heard frequently on radio. Until seeing it online I didn’t know this album’s theme was America, which makes sense now. Should I give in to internet peer pressure and rate it five stars? No, but how about four stars?
U2 is a lot like Coldplay for me in terms of how I feel about them (vaguely annoyed, bored, well at least they're familiar). There are certainly a lot of hits on here. Highlights: 'Where the Streets Have No Name' (only because one of my favorite songs is "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and therefore I also like the Pet Shop Boys' 'Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)'), 'Running to Stand Still'
The most front-loaded album of all time, but when it hits, it hits hard
Classic. No notes. Still brilliant.
Starts off strong but is a bit underwhelming after the first 3/4 songs, maybe that's just because I already know them, but feel like the album as a whole was a bit of a let down after I saw the first couple tracks.
Some bangers. Classic, catchy tunes. I like the melodies and husky vocals. Powerful lyrics.
The fact that this album came up a few days ago and I saved it for my next bout of insomnia... yeah, that about sums it up. Dull but occasionally useful. 🥱
The biggest depiction of America from an Irish band. Very much a front-loaded album, with three of the group's biggest hits all in a row to start things off. I hate to say that an album of this stature kinda tails off from there, but it does a little bit. When every song tries to be a ballad, it almost loses its magic the further you get. I get most of the lyrical content is politically and socially charged, plus some personal emotion in the lyrics from Bono. I guess this one didn't affect me as much as say, the American desert affected the band whilst creating this album. Killer production, though.
First u2 album that I recognized as the u2 I know
great
I’m embarrassed to admit that until listening to this, I didn’t realize “With or Without You” was by U2.
Gotta give this a 5. It’s starts out with 3 of their best tracks ever, and the rest of it is pretty tasty. The Edge’s guitar sound is in some ways repetitive, but I’ve always liked it, and it really shines throughout this album. They are a very tight group. I also like to think the album is so good due to Brian Eno’s co-production. With one of the ZZ Top trio passing in 2021, I wonder if U2 is the longest running band with all their original members and no deaths?
Ah yeah, another two. We’re on a roll.
Truly epic.
Wow. I am not a U2 fan, but this album is all it's cracked up to be. It was so good. The guitar parts are so ethereal and the whole album is produced so well. This was a fantastic listen. The three song opener is perfect. Wow. The end of this album felt weak which is why it misses the mark on a perfect 5, but it was great. Liked Songs: "Where The Streets Have No Name" , "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" , "With Or Without You" , "Bullet The Blue Sky" , "Red Hill Mining Town" , "In God's Country" , "Trip Through Your Wires"
liked songs: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, With Or Without You, I like the first few songs on the album, but it gets kind of samey after that point. There's a little more variety with the last two tracks, but they don't really do much. 2.5
More like "Whiff o' whiffout poo" amirite, more like, "Where the sheets have no stains" right?* *these are the only two good songs on the album actually, the rest is sadly boring and performed by cunts.
The soundtrack of my life for the last 38 years.
I have kissed honey lips Felt the healing in her fingertips It burned like fire This burning desire I have spoke with the tongue of angels I have held the hand of a devil It was warm in the night I was cold as a stone But I still haven't found what I'm looking for Yeah, this is one hell of a good album. 5/5
the problem with U@ is all their songs sound the same. guitar is monotonous, vocals are whiney. Not terrible, but not very good either.
The songs everyone has heard are pretty solid, even if U2's sound is a little over the top for me. The rest were just ok.
Superb Album, so many songs are excellent. I particularly like the non singles. Bullet the Blue Sky, Red Hill Mining Town, Exit - Fantastic album!
8 de 11 canciones me gustan
This album is ridiculously front loaded - the first three tracks are the big hitters while the rest is largely unmemorable. Even though the first tracks are completely overplayed, I have to give them some credit; they're overplayed for a reason. But I can't imagine ever choosing to listen to this.
It was only a matter of time before U2 had begun to breathe the rarefied kind of rock and roll air. They had taken the necessary steps, made the right kind of detour while keeping their eye on the ball and had concocted, along the way, the ingredients needed to make the album that would go on to catapult them to superstardom. For The Joshua Tree was a big leap forward, the crystallization of a turning point where U2 outgrew the corners of the world that they inhabited and strolled onto a world that would soon fill and reward their outsized ambitions. And it's that world that would inform U2's stances not just here but going forward, as raging wars, displacement, romantic idealism of geography and tortured descriptions of love and death dominate the record. And it would end up dominating the world, for a short period, before the world got sick of it and began to thumb their noses. Which would prompt U2 to, quote unquote, tear the tree down. But the shadow that the tree bore down upon us listeners still transfixes to this day, making non-believers into believers and believers into die-hards. Surely one listen, or more, would make one understand; it's all one can do.
De a ratos estuvo bueno, like por lo ochentero. Había algunos temas que parecían hitazos, pero otros demasiado gomas para este mundo. De todas formas pensé que iba a ser peor porque Bono es un meme, pero estuvo bien.
I have never knowingly listened to this album but a lot of the songs were familiar but then I realised they all sound the same. I’m not a fan and I have never really understood the hype
The first three songs are top-tier, but the rest of the album doesn't come close to those.
Opens with three great songs and the rest holds up for 5 stars or A.
Instead of an album by Brian Eno, today's album was (co) produced by Brian Eno. It's Eno's world and we just live in it. Very Eno-centric. The deluxe version has additional great songs on it with Spanish Eyes, The Sweetest Thing, Luminous Times and Walk to the Water. This is a nearly perfect album and it is easy to neglect how good it is due to the Bono-ness of U2 and the way the band seems to be pompous and engage in extravagance in all things. No one wanted that album downloaded to their iTunes. Perfect album and there isn't a bad track.
3.5
4.0
When I was a lot younger this was one of my favourites. Back when U2 were a great rock band, and relevant. Unique sound, talented musicians. Still a couple more good albums in them, but not the biggest rock band in the world yet - no meeting the Pope. I'd still give this a spin today. "It's aaaaaaaaall I can do!" Four jangly stars.
I already heard Achtung Baby on this journey and how U2 reinvented themselves going into the 90s. It's about time we took a step back to what I consider to be the peak of their first run with The Joshua Tree. This album is undoubtedly the most anthemic the band ever got in their Irish-rooted heartland rock, where the songs bounce and sway with the sort of quiet explosion that the band were capable of back in the 80s. From the Edge's jaunty guitar strumming, Larry Mullen Jr.'s pulsating drums, Adam Clayton's infectious bass cylinders, and young Bono's soaring vocals, and aided by the rhythm section focused production of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, the band had this unparalleled etherealness for the time. The most shining aspect of this album is the lyrics that tread the line between earnest comfort and socially charged poignancy. From the single-minded searching in "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", the condemnation of US foreign policy for the unrest caused in Central America on "Bullet the Blue Sky" and "Mothers of the Disappeared", the tragic drug-riddled couple portrayed in "Running to Stand Still", to reflections on the loss of a close friend of the band on "One Tree Hill", there's personal stake that Bono took in. This was not simply his beef with the Reagan administration, but just how to reconcile with oneself and move forward, to find pathos in what one thought the land of the free would be versus what it was. As such, the content of this album remains starkingly relevant to this day. I know that following this album would be the release of Rattle and Hum, which exposed how pretentious the band ended up being, and they would spend decades having to live up and down from where they were here. Regardless of what came next, The Joshua Tree remained a strong album in U2's discography, when their songwriting reached its apex.
Three great songs at the beginning and it just goes down from there.
Nice
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I just don't get it... I genuinely thought track 2 and 3 were the same song for the last 20 years, so here we are.
This music is made exclusively for 90s movie montages and shitty Nokia brick phone ringtones. Nothing remotely soulful about it. Even the 'emotional songs' feel mass produced and algorithmic. Absolute fucking drivel.
U2 does nothing for me. That said, this had some of the better songs
Big, loud, empty, boring. Apparently, it's inspired by "America"
One of my favourite albums of all time.
solid tunes, enjoyable, but none of them were that one U2 song where it feels like your traveling hyperspeed through space
Amazing level of talent and creativity. I’m not a huge U2 fan but this a critically acclaimed album for a reason. One star off because it didn’t convince me to listen to more U2.
Not as good as the national park :'(
First three songs are super good. Can't rate it 5 though as much as I like it and have listened to it in the past
I have a feeling I will be returning to this one
Hands down their best work. It’s not fair that I’ve judged the rest of their discography by this metric, because its power and beauty set such a high standard. Peak socio-political artistry with pop accessibility that rivals Dylan in his prime.
The first three songs are iconic on an otherwise solid album. This is their peak before a great fall… but what a peak.
I'm not a U2 fan in general but this is one hell of an album. From the intro of Where the Streets Have No Name the album pulls you in and and never lets go.
4.5* rounding up.