All That You Can't Leave Behind

An album that I rate against the bands other works and this is so much lesser. There is the Apple debacle. There is the decade preceding and decade after of irrelevance. And there is a sadness in listening to a band that was once so experimental, willing to change, to say something, to be something. It’s like jumping the shark packaged in a Toyota commercial.

It’s giving this meeting could have been an email vibes….strong start, really falls off.

#299/1001 🇮🇪 I'm a fan of both Brian Eno and Daniel Lanoi's work as producers and a number of U2s earlier records, but this just really falls flat in comparison. Its also sadly typical of the those albums that are frontloaded with the singles first. This only serves to leaving the rest of the album quite drab in comparison. Wild Honey, Peace on Earth and New York have to be some of Bono's worst lyrics. Best Tracks: Stuck in the Moment....

U2 is plain, dull, and colorless. This has even less color, vibrance, and nuance. I could give this a two, because that seems fair, or I could give it a one for the fact that I listened to it.

-Horrible. Some of the most generic, bloodless pop-rock ever made. Perhaps Eno's greatest flaw as an artist is his affinity for tepid soft rock. -Most songs sound like Bono + studio musicians. And Bono is actually a legitimately awful singer and horrible lyricist. I invite you to look up the lyrics to 'New York' and swirl them around in your mouth a bit. -This album is exactly when I remember really hearing / knowing who U2 were for the first time in my life -- I would have been about 13 at the time. I remember not understanding why U2 were played in the "rock" category because their music is just so damn fluffy and edgeless.

Really exemplifies the highs and lows of U2. Some true anthems (beautiful day, elevation), but others that are so incredible trite and pious that they could pass as parody (peace on earth and grace, I’m looking at you).

He sounds like he really believes he came up with the concept of world peace, and that all he has to do is tell people how clever he thinks he is.

3/5

Another insufferable band that is somehow popular. This album is just straight up trite, cheesy and boring. No imagination or depth. I hate it.

It gets a 4 for the first two songs, then it gets boring

Sone good later-stage U2 here

I think I like U2 but I know I don't love u2. Besides raised by wolves... That shit slaps 3.5/5)

A solid 5/5

Extremely unoffensive pop rock album

U2 deserve a place on the list but not with this album. Elevation is one of the worst songs ever written.

A roaring comeback for the band always looking to reinvent.

There are some great tracks, but not every track hit me. Stuck in a Moment and In a Little Whole Stand Out

very mid arena rock

Eons ago, this band was an explosion of new ideas, sounding like hardly anyone else. The band that made the first two U2 albums wasn't afraid to be weird, to go out on a limb in search of something different and invigorating. Then, from *War* forward they stripped all of that weirdness out of their sound. And what were they by the time they released this record? An ordinary rock band churning out one anonymous album after another, including this bland and frankly stale offering. *Boy* and *October* were utterly thrilling, but *ATYCLB" lands with a dull thud.

The highs are high but there are some real duds on this album

A reluctant 3.. I liked this at the time but really in retrospect, this is when U2 started their decline, forever chasing the sound of U2 without just existing. The reaction to Pop was so overblown and wrongheaded that the guys just took the long lessons from it and just said ok, we'll play it safe then if that's what you want. It's a front loaded record with most of the hits right off the bat. However, there's a neutered vibe that's hard to shake.. kinda like hey, we are no longer an alternative band, we are ready for car commercials now. I still like beautiful day and New York and most of the other songs but there's not a lot of teeth here. So, a 3 from a 4 for what this record represents for the future of the band.

This was alright but U2 really don’t deserve 4 albums on the list lmao

Good album. Nothing compared to Joshua tree. But U2 is still amazing. Beautiful day carries.

U2 returned to their arena rock style after some more experimental albums.. I think of this one as The Joshua Tree 2 in a way. I wonder if this was sequenced a bit differently, would I like it better? It's another with front loaded singles, and after Walk On, I almost think "Ok I've heard all the ones I know so it's just filler now". Maybe that's not fair and a reflection of my preconceived opinions. 3*

I could definitely leave all this behind me

Haven’t been a fan since they forced an album to everybody using Apple. Doesn’t leave a great impression

I ignored U2 for most of my adult life mostly due to annoying iPod commercials. Beautiful day is a wonderful start to this album and it stays very good from there. I can see myself going back for the whole thing again.

Strong first few songs. The back of the album was a little less memorable for me but the whole thing was a good listen after not hearing it since I was much younger.

This record was intended as a return to U2’s guitar-driven roots, following the success of the experimental, dance-oriented Achtung Baby and the failure of Pop — a record that was less experimental, yet still leaned into a dance sound. The band’s vision was for listeners to put on this album and experience a sense of scale on par with The Joshua Tree. Instead, the opening track feels less like an epic statement and more like a commercial for mineral water — we’re greeted by a sterile, radio-friendly brand of pop-rock. Even so, the first three songs are solid hits; but what follows is the musical equivalent of bland chicken and rice — the kind of stuff that would make a band like The Calling look inspired by comparison. At one point, I got distracted, and three whole tracks flew by without me even noticing. Every now and then, an interesting idea would surface, but it did little to change the overall picture. It’s a rather lackluster comeback — especially for a band of this stature — earning, at best, a light three.

nie da sie tego sluchac 5 piosenek do konca zajebisty szajs

I think the music here is mostly pretty inoffensive, just kind of bland and cloying in places. Bono, however, is at peak insufferably and it’s hard to not just constantly roll your eyes and imagine him singing with his eyes closed and his arms out.

The usual supercilious overblown guff from these guys.

Surprisingly fun despite the sigh I let out when I saw "U2" - but if it's gonna be a U2 albums, let it be the one with Beautiful Day and Stuck in a Moment you can't get out of on it.

Why? I was just compelled to listen to Joshua Tree two days ago. I loved Boy, and War (still do, actually) so it was sad to be confronted with how thoroughly cleansed of artistry their fully-realized, mature sound became. This album plays like a half-finished imitation of that album. The front half is all cynical, superficial, anthemic arena pop. And the back half (with the exception of Wild Honey which sounds to these ears like a half-way decent ode to 1966 Rolling Stones) is just a series of (astonishingly bad) half-baked musical ideas dressed up in pretty sounds by Eno and Lanois. Everyone involved should be embarrassed by this album. Anyone who watches television is still subjected to Beautiful Day on a semi-weekly basis, and Wild Honey isn't nearly enough to justify the suffering involved in listening to the rest; so, why Dimery concluded that anyone needed to hear this is a complete mystery to me.

liked it, saved every song

Never really understood were there is so much dislike for U2 on this forum. This is a pretty decent album.

Lots of solid songs in the opening part but the album wanes.

Not my vibe, kinda stereotypical wjite joy band 2000s and 90s pop love songs that are all kinda lovey dovey vibes but also the slightest cringe to listen to.

This album is very reminiscent of 9/11 for me, with "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" at the top of that. When I got the CD — so a year or so before that — I thought the empty airport photo was weirdly stark, but later that also seemed to have a premonitionary vibe. It's just a record, but... "Don't say that later will be better / Now you're stuck in a moment / And you can't get out of it."

Oh how the mighty have fallen. This reminds me of when Muse went from Black Holes and Revelations to The Resistance. It's such a disappointing drop in quality. I haven't listened to the two albums before this yet, but from what I've heard they at least tried new things in those albums instead of trying to make another Joshua Tree. Very disappointing. I would give this a 3 if their previous albums weren't so much better, so it gets a 2.

Ya very good I was feeling emotional maybe that made it better or worse

I have not heard this before. I’ve heard most of all of the singles from this and a couple of them were inescapable in the summer of 2001, and a few are even inescapable today. All of the singles have decent melodies and instrumentation but they don’t really have any hooks nor do any of the deep cuts and it all ends up leaving you feeling unsatisfied, like you ate a whole bag of plain potato chips when you needed a well rounded meal instead. Luckily nothing on here is catchy enough to become an earworm so it just goes in one ear and out the other until the next time you hear it, which is too often.

Someone who isn't necessarily a U2 fan recommended me this album back when I was hating on my third generated album for the band. Today I'm listening to this thing front to back, my fourth generated U2 album, and I feel like the rush of the moment helped this album make sense. It feels like polished Christian pop-rock. There's a handful of songs that feel like radio-worthy pieces, so I get where we're coming from when we recommend this, but also, no? Two tracks getting record of the year is impressive, and I can understand them individually (except Walk On, Elevation would've made more sense to me but I'm not common I guess), but inducting this into the 500 best albums a year later was just ego inflation where it didn't need to happen. This barely fits the criteria for must-listen because of the handful of outstandingly recognizable tracks, but the overall feel of the album is a little bland for me, with occasional spice tucked away for a few seconds at a time in the oddest tracks. 2.7/5

As generic as it gets, but not particularly bad either.

- a Beautiful Day szuper - a Piece on Earth is kiraly a szovege miatt - tobbi nem tul izgi, U2 kiraly de nem tul meglepo

Review - the first two tracks are great songs, great singles. Then the album really drags. Having had to listen to earlier U2 in this list, I know how much worse this is than their peak. It's so bland. The lyricism is so trite. A song called New York that just sort of lists a whole bunch of ethnic groups? Ughhhhhhh Bono what happened here. How is this on the same album as Beautiful Day?? Bad record with crazy highs. Score - 4/10 Need to listen? NO

I knew the 1st three songs. Enjoyed but nothing ground breaking.

This era of U2 does very little for me couple good songs, but...yeah not my favorite of theirs.

oh BROTHER.. the album STINKS. I'm coming in a little biased. I haven't heard this U2 album, though I am familiar with the singles from this record. That said, have listened to U2's earlier albums, and I think I'm pretty familiar. To me, Brian Eno is the star and I don't care for U2. No standouts here. Seems like they just felt like they needed to make another album and sharted out some bullshit. A few ideas that could use some baking. "Peace On Earth" is a good song. Its a "Live Laugh Love" album. There is nothing _wrong_ with that slogan, actually its good advice. But also, there is something lame about it and how it is displayed. I get the same feeling while listening to this album. Two stars for Eno.

I’m not listening to fucking U2

Was a cohesive album. Liked his raspy voice at first, then it was too much from the same worrying tone and high notes. No song left an impression. But generally its nice background music, but too boring for me to listen to on purpose. Lead singer reminds me of Robert Smith.

Having been to the limit on Zooropa and Pop they come back and apply what they found to their earlier work. The first four tracks here are absolute bangers. Mullen and Clayton are the rhythm section of your dreams and lay down the foundations for The Edge to, well, be The Edge. But once the ballads hit the thing gets a lot more variable. They are some great moments, but some clunkers as well. (Can we say "Peace on Earth" kids?) New York sounds a bit like its mostly introduction while the big moments disappear as soon as they start. I'm going to suggest that Bono maybe wasn't putting all his effort into some of the lyrics. But it's not a bad way to spend an hour

Un peu cucu mais ça passe

Oj bozie, bozie. No Beautiful Day rzeczywiście mi się trafiło na dosłuch tej płyty, bo wschód słońca tego dnia był po prostu niebywały! A reszta...no cóż. Bez szału.

From the innovation of the 90s to the beginning of the Dentist Chair Rock era. When this came out I was excited for new U2 music after Pop became my favorite U2 record. At the time I enjoyed it but I was hoping it was a phase and they would get back to something more creative, but alas…more of this. I’m still giving it a 5 because U2 is my favorite band and I’m sure it’s getting over hated by iPhone users from 2014.

09/30 It's good. Theres several messages in it that I definitely need to hear right now

This went crazy in my house when I was a child - funny listening now as a big eno fan because this sounds just like wrong way up lmao

U2 … the music style is similar to the one of the Gruppe „One Republic“. And I like it pretty good. Maybe a 3.5*

Favourite songs: -Stuck in a moment you can’t get out of - Elevation -Kite - Peace on Earth - when I look at the world

I generally like U2, but I don't really feel like they have anything new to offer here. The album ends up coming across as a little tepid compared to their past releases (although looking back at my other reviews, I wasn't so enthusiastic about all those either). This feels like the weakest of their albums so far, and my rating will reflect that. I think it would take something really bold to change the trajectory of this band. Favorite track: "Beautiful Day"

Ok

I like U2, I have fond memory’s of my childhood buying War from Woolworths but their relevant period for me personally was boy to Zooropa. Yeah they can make albums, tour do whatever. Yeah beautiful day was and continues to be everywhere as it’s a good song. But this album shouldn’t be here, not for me. It’s a competent album, wouldn’t expect anything else but it’s a slick turn of the century produced U2 and Eno album that just apes their own original sound, can you copy yourself?? Not a bad album for me, rather hear this than some of the albums I heard this week but no shouldn’t be here. Though the hate for U2 is compared to others fairly unfounded. 3 Star

For a 10th album, this U2 record stands among the early records in terms of commitment to the U2 sound. Whatever you might say about U2 and specifically about Bono who at various times has come off as pompous while at the same time being a tireless advocate for the disadvantaged and a warrior for social justice, it is also undeniably true that they know how to write a good pop tune. On this record the standouts are recognizable classics. Beautiful Day, Stuck In A Moment, Walk On, and Elevation fit nicely amongst other U2 standards. Even the non-singles are enjoyable and as a whole, while not life altering, the album is solid. But it is also not special. It is U2 treading ground they had traveled 20 years earlier. So, two things can be true at once. In this case, U2 can make a solid album that would be awesome had you not heard of U2 before this record. The problem, and this is the second thing that is also true, is that you have heard of U2 and in context this album is not that special. It is just another good U2 record. So, does it belong on this list. Frankly no. The earlier albums in no particular order, specifically Boy, War, October, Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby, are all better than this. If your glass house should break … walk on. 3/5

Dull and really not that interesting. I dont think i could genuinely name a single song off the top of my head

This is not my favorite U2 era. But it's still a damn well made album. I understand that when a artist rubs you the wrong way it's hard to appreciate their music. And I understand why some people have that feeling about U2. But let's be realistic about what their biggest crimes are . One of the four band members is notoriously self-righteous, and they tried giving music away for free. That's pretty much the whole list of offenses. Yet somehow that gets them lumped into the category of " artists we are all supposed to hate", which is a list that also includes child predators, criminals, and other actual horrible people who have done real harm in the world. Let's get some prospective people. In my standard rating system this would get four stars. But it's getting five five to offset some of the childish, douchebaggery other reviewers on this project.

As much as I enjoy some one-off U2 tracks, I don't think U2 is a band I enjoy in a full album format. Enjoyable listen for the most part, but Bono's voice grates after a while. Standout Track: Walk On Rating: 2.5

U2 have 23 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Who are these people? Who does U2 appeal to? Their fans are out there, they must live among us, but never in my life has anyone played U2 music by choice in my company. This is just Music: The Album. It's got tunes, rhythms, lyrics, but I couldn't tell you anything more than that. The only question is, do I rate this two stars for being unmemorable and boring, or one star for being VERY unmemorable and boring?

As a child of the Nineties my first exposure to U2 was to the *Pop*-era, scare-quotes version of the band, all irony and dark sunglasses and seeming refusal to write anthems. I remember being constantly told they were this massive band and then being unable to grasp exactly why, at least until I heard *War* and *The Joshua Tree* and got some idea of who they had been at one point and seemingly weren't any longer. So this album was the first time U2 made sense to me as a going concern; *oh, there you are, Bono*, to misquote Spielberg's *Hook*, another flawed yet poignant work about middle age from a massively successful auteur. A quarter-century later this feels like the work of a band that has recovered the sort of nerve that allows for chasing the pop charts ("Beautiful Day," "Elevation") and openly referencing *Dark Side of the Moon* ("Walk On") and trying to write Van Morrison tunes ("Wild Honey") and swinging for a new generation's "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)" ("Peace on Earth"). They do probably seventy percent of that successfully, which is maybe the best way to sum this up; the hits hit, not everything works, and yet there's generally a wonderful sense of being in capable hands even on the stuff that doesn't quite work. I know a lot of people hate the idea of this band but I find this album in particular to be a cozy and comfortable work from them, the sonic equivalent of a nice back-patio relaxation moment after work (and how's *that* for middle age).

Some OK tracks, I did like the opener quite a bit. But it feels like very generic pop rock, nothing I woudl go out of my way for

Not bad, but 53 min of Bono's voice is plenty for me.

Hate U2

stuck in a moment you cant get out of singlehandedly raised me FAR from their best album tho

Why? Pompous, unlistenable shite, as always, from Bonio and the rest of the lads.

кал

I can't not love Beautiful Day. Stuck in a Moment is ok. Other than that, not very memorable.

U2 sucks.

I don’t actually hate it. Some of these songs remind me of being in jr high.

butt rock

Yuck I know this album. I think this is the one everyone had when they made it mandatory on all Apple Music. Nope wrong one. I’ll listen. Ok the first 4 are the bangers. The singles. Ok fine. I dislike beautiful day and. Stuck in a moment. The other are good. Then I listen to the rest. Just background music. Non consequential. Then peace on earth came on. And I just think of Casey kasem yelling fucking ponderous. Yuck. Bono is fucking ponderous. Dull and Boring: Excessively serious, wordy, and uninteresting, especially regarding speech or writing (e.g., a ponderous lecture).

Even the best bands make wrong turns. U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind is celebrated as a course correction and a return to form and, yet, by the time they (mostly) got back on track musically their lives had become disconnected from the point of view that their earlier album's lyrics relied upon. Not that their progressive politics changed that radically, rather it's the place from which their politics are expressed that had undergone a radical shift through becoming as successful as they had. Global stardom and its burdens. As an album it's fine musically but the lyrics bear out that it's not a blazing beacon, the unforgettable fire has clearly dimmed. It's a two-star record that would break my heart to assign truthfully. In the end all that you can't leave behind is transformed by all that you have become. It's that simple.

Nice easy listen, very different vibe from other U2 albums and songs I've listened to in the past. Not as airy and atmospheric but a pleasant listen

technically, it's not that bad. still, it's obnoxious feel good pop rock. as another reviewer put it: aggressively uninspiring

Knew the singles but not the rest. It was enjoyable but the back half drops off.

U2 ei sillee oo mua koskaan kiehtonut, eikä se muuttunu tämänkään levyn myötä. Mutta ei tämä lisännyt mitään angstiakaan. Perus radiomusaa, jonka aijon levyn nimestä huolimatta jättää taakseni.

No sehän oli U2. Bono estente.

U2 is a huge band. This baffles me. They manage one or two massive hits, and some additional chart fodder, on every album, but this... Everything is so... boring. Its not just that Bono is a pretensious bellend. I think I'm most offended that they produce this half-assed sludge when they should make stadium rock that doesn't suck. "Grace, is the name for a girl" Shut up Paul. As the album ended, without me actually focusing at all, Spotify served up Sunday, Bloody Sunday. It was a shock of very OK to the arm, after the void that was The Ground Beneath Her Feet.

This is a weird one, insofar as it is an album that both requires nostalgia to rate and requires listening to anew to rate. You need to be in the moment it came out. This felt like a return to form after U2's unsuccessful experiments in excess post Achtung Baby. You also need to be without any memory of what U2 has become since this album. This was a majorly loved album, legit big. It was also the first step to the band becoming an inescapable punchline. All that you can't leave behind became something you really could leave behind by the time they phoned in the next album. You could barely count to four before it happened (but then, neither could Bono). So you need to listen as if you know nothing about U2, but it's gonna be more flattering if you know something about the album itself. Because “Stuck in a Moment…” is an interesting sorta-elegy for Michael Hutchence, and it's also real deep adult contemporary cheese vibes. “Elevation” has that iconic “whoooo” of a rock anthem, and also the dumb lyrics of a rock anthem. Nothing really feels like it aged right unless you're listening at proper rock and roll volume… but are you wanting to blast this at rock and roll volume? I think the worst aged thing here is Beautiful Day, not just because it is way too dark for a song like that these days, not just because it is trite and banal, and not even because by now, Bono cannot belt the way he could in the 80s, but because in 2000 I never heard “the sun always shines on TV” by A-Ha. Have you? Listen to it. Tell me U2 didn't lift wholesale from the chorus. But on the other hand, lesser hit (and therefore deeper track) “Kite” does still hit right with that reverse-swell and slide riff and what feels like actual impassioned singing. It's still another entry in what would cement into U2 becoming Old Fuddy Duddies after a good decade from War to Achtung where Bono actually did feel as cool as he thought, but there's still a charm being retained. But is that merit or familiarity? Either way, the album has three distinct movements: the hits are at the front. The middle has the songs that hold up best through lack of overexposure. And then the abysmal “Peace on Earth” ushers in the end half, which is essentially “I have heard this album many times and I do not remember any of these songs”. “When I Look at the World: isn't bad, but I will not remember it once again. I already forgot it by “New York,” a babbling pastiche that weirdly makes one of the richest touring artists of the time seem completely unaware with one of the most important cultural capitals in the world. I always remember the vibe of New York, but I think i block it out in any sort of compositional way. And then, there's Grace, which is just at this point 5 minutes to plod through. If i remember anything from this, it'll be the clunk of the lyrics. Bono had a vibe til now that helped him let the criticisms of ego and pompousness and out of toughness roll off like water on a duck. This album does its damnedest to expose him. So it's hard to really bash the bit of the album I once was into. But it's also a hard album to still praise. It walks the edges of both extremes, ⭐️⭐️⭐️ on averages instead of a coherent, well rounded middle ground. Surely not quite good enough to get to 14.

It's U2 so what else can I say. One of the most influential bands during my formative years of the late 70s to early 90s. Beautiful doesn't begin to describe to music and lyrics. Hard to believe Bono originally thought he did not have a good voice. :)

Pretty well put together album but lacks a banger track.

Much like the Kings of Leon album, this is very easy listening rock with all the edges sanded off. It is very listenable though and I have a soft spot for U2 in a way I don't for KoL so I am more forgiving of this. Not their finest work but there's some tunes here.

This album is the musical equivalent of beige wallpaper. It’s bland and uninteresting. Every song feels handcrafted to be inoffensive radio fodder for the early 2000s. There just isn’t anything memorable once you get past Beautiful Day, and that’s probably only looked back on because it was pushed so hard as a radio single. Pass.

I actually quite like this one for a semi-'recent' U2 release. It might not compare to Joshua tree, but it doesn't need to

I like the first song, and the third one, the others are mid

A lot more poppy than I expected, but I'm not mad at it. Really enjoyed it actually.

I was jamming - nostalgic for me

U2 basically narrowed down what their Boomer/Gen X fans liked and leaned really hard into the radio-friendly pop-rock version of themselves. It gets exhausting after a while, but there are a few good tracks on here, as much as I hate to admit it. I do have a soft spot for "Beautiful Day," though. One summer morning, my radio alarm clock went off and that song was playing. I just sat there and looked out my window because it really was a beautiful day outside. That song has stuck with me because of that moment ever since.

After reading some of the reviews I didn't think I would like it. Not really my thing but I found it pleasant and soothing.

Not my cup of tea

Classic U2 front-loading of the best songs. First half 4/5, second half 2/5 gives a 3/5

I’m not the biggest U2 fan by any means but they get more hate than they deserve. This is a decent album. They have other albums on the list that more deserving but I didn’t mind listening to this at all