Reviews (page 5 of 8)
Jag håller inte riktigt med de som hatar på U2, de finns värre band/artister här i världen. De har många riktigt bra låtar som har stannat med mig genom åren ända sen jag började lyssna mycket på musik. Men detta var första gången jag lyssnade på ett av deras album rakt igenom och jag kan inte säga att jag är positivt överraskad. Väldigt basic, mer pop än rock eller någon annan genre för den delen. Det var ungefär lite mindre än vad jag hade förväntat mig. Visst gick det att lyssna på och det var några låtar som jag gillade ganska mycket, men hela plattan var ingen höjdare i sin helhet. Jag är inte jätte besviken. Dock så hoppas jag att nästa U2-album jag lyssnar på i framtiden är lite bättre.
Pretty darned good U2 album.
The messages of the songs are good, but I am just not a fan of U2.
It’s a very front-loaded 3.5 that I just don’t think I can bump up to a 4. The first 5 tracks here really clicked well for me, but of the back 7, I really think only 3 of them caught my ear in a really meaningful way. I might be a little tired, but I do think a number of songs in the back half just blend together in terms of messaging, lyrics, overall vocals, and instrumentation that doesn’t really hit the same heights as the first 5. Ultimately, I do think it’s a good album, and it’s worth a listen – I’m sure someone will connect more deeply to the back half than I did. I just don’t think the album as a whole is good enough to go to a 4, so I’ll feel a little disappointed with a 3. It’s like a 7/10 album, though.
Solid album. I didn’t realize I would know so many of these songs
The three killer singles that kick off the album compare favourably with anything in their discography, I reckon, but it kinda feels like they phoned it in a bit after that. There are lots of gentle, lightly textured tunes that did start to grow on me after a while, but they’re undeniably vanilla.
5/2/24. Not the biggest U2 guy, but this was a good listen. Definitely memorable songs I've heard over the years (Beautiful Day, Elevation), but the rest of the songs are written with passion and The Edge's guitar work is masterful.
Good vibes
Starts off strong, fades quickly.
Again, U2 isn't really my cup of tea and I thought the beginning with the hits really cemented that opinion. The tail-end of the album surprised me somewhat and I enjoyed it more. "In a little While" felt like a motown track and was probably my favourite track of the album. The ending song "The ground Beneath Her Feet" was also decent.
I was ready to give thus a lambasting but its ok. I guess it tries to go back to a classic era in some ways. Not a patch on Joshua or Achtung but decent.
U2 was one of my friends' favorite bands to listen to, so I admit I got a bit tired of them playing in his car all the time. But they are really good.
Though a fan of War, Boy, October and Unforgettable Fire, my interest in the music of U2 waned. This album is a good example. Each song is quality, and overall bland to my taste. I'll listen to it again, but I'm not in a rush to do so.
Gentle rock, quintessential U2
It's very U2. If that's your thing, you'll love it. if it's not your thing, you won't. I cannot for the life of me figure out why this band was so goddamned big. There are some decent songs on here, like Beautiful Day, but none of them are iconic enough to warrant the amount of adoration U2 always gets. I understand that Joshua Tree was a classic, but this album is like a decade or more later. Lots of bands have one awesome album and then a bunch of mediocre albums, why is U2 idolized? Anyway, it's fine. 2.5 stars if I could.
While the first 4 songs are seared into my brain, I just can't move past how played out and generic they sound at this point.
It was fine. I wouldn't include it
catchy. -1 star on principle.
Starts well but then fades away…
Nothing spectacular here, not bad.
It’s okay, but a bit lame and uninspired
A trio of above average singles from an time great rock band save this album.
U2 is a weeeee bit overrated. This album wasn't bad, just boring. I thought I was going to like it a lot more than I did so it's a bit of a disappointment. 3/5
Good but not for me
Not nearly as bad as people say… some solid singles and the deep cuts aren’t too bad either
Ehh, I guess it's pretty good and nice to know U2 were going back to their roots. But still after the first 3 tracks the rest of the album just kind of fades into the background. Fave: Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of
Eh, the first three tracks would make a pretty strong EP but then it keeps going and going. Not horrible, but not outstanding, either. It seems to be the most listened to of their albums on last.fm, which is a bit puzzling! Fave track - "Elevation", for sure!
Top loaded album... All the good stuff up front and can skip the latter half. Stuck in a Moment best song 5 stars Elevation is more annoying than I remembered. New York is a god awful 0 stars 2.5 round up to 3
A fun album with songs that remind me of my childhood
3/5
Never been a fan of U2, but this was tolerable.
Rock, 2000, -> 3
Dad’s a big U2 fan, so I wanted to like this one. But it’s just so mediocre. Especially the latter half. 6.5/10 Top 3: 1. Walk On 2. Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of 3. Beautiful Day
I admire this album from a production stand point more than anything. I think I liked maybe 3 songs off of it. Not really a U2 guy
Started off strong but didn't enjoy the back half as much
Just pure pop magic!
More like U3
It's pretty good. Elevation is my favorite track. I was not expecting much because I much prefer earlier U2 (Achtung Baby and Joshua Tree), but it's better than I expected.
When I opened this up on the morning I was very disappointed. U2 used to be great but became pretentiously irrelevant and annoying. Then I listened to it and I was less disappointed. This must have been their last somewhat decent album. That said, I’m not at all sure that I Must Have Heard This Before I Died.
Lots of nostalgia for this one, but it's really buoyed by the singles. Bono's lyrics can be a bit trite and heavy handed at times, but the album is a cohesive collection of songs, bereft of most of their experimentation of their 90's albums without totally smearing their signature sonic pallete.
There are 88 albums that have been removed from the list? The website I use lists 77 - it may be out of date. But of those 77, 73 are from the 21st century. But U2’s “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” isn’t one of them. It should be. “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” brought a career resurgence for U2. It was a turn away from a more experimental sound and style that they explored in the 90s, but it was an overcorrection. “Beautiful Day” deserved all the acclaim and spins it got as an ideal pop-rock track. But in hindsight, the song has been run into the ground. I’d be happy to never hear it again. It is followed by “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of,” which further loses my attention. The “woo’s” that begin “Elevation” are the best part of the album, but the song doesn’t live up to those heights. On the other hand, “Walk On” may actually be the single from the album that holds up best. While those singles may have been overplayed and overhyped, there are some other, more interesting tracks on the album. “Kite” isn’t too bad, and “In a Little While” has a restrained, sparse, and clean guitar that is a refreshing shift for U2. The hits might be overplayed, but they are attention-grabbers. “Wild Honey” and “Peace on Earth” are not. The back half of the album is pretty forgettable. At the time “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” came out, when people thought of U2, the image that came to mind was “The Fly” version of Bono with the ridiculous glasses. This album and tour effectively transformed U2, and made everyone forget their previous wanderings.It solidified them as a long-lasting, incredibly successful arena rock band. I don’t really like the album, and think it pales in comparison to their early work, but I’m almost convincing myself of its value on the list?
Interesting choice of a U2 album - I would have rather expected The Joshua Tree or The Unforgettable Fire as an album to hear before I die. New York is good, though.
brian ends production is amazing but bono is just annoying in this era
There are some songs on here that are enjoyable a bit but I can’t do U2. Will round up though…..
i don’t even need to listen to this whole record again to know it’s a 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYEP9sjX-tk Compre o CD do U2, mas não ou ouça
Not a fan, but it's okay to listen sometimes when you have that mood.
Its not bad. Second U2 album I have got and it seems they start out strong then just drag on to the finish.
Not a huge U2 listener but this album isn't their best stuff!
I like the beginning much better than the end of the album.
I hate bono so much. But credit where credit is due. The singles are good. But everything else is so blah. But it's definitely not a 2. Even though I want to give it a 2.
A little bit lame, none of the power and hard hitting songs of previous albums. Not bad just not good
Lacks fire. Mostly forgettable
This is one of U2s worst albums. And I'm not a massive U2 fan. Think the hype around them is exaggerated.
Good. Just good.
I’ll never understand the hype for this band, it’s bland and lacks substance.
Pretty soggy, sounds great but god those lyrics
The sound of a once great rock band chasing the trend rather than making it. There are glimpses here and some undeniably catchy tunes but they just don’t have the sonic depth or resonance of U2’s earlier work. I’m not as willing to bash Bono as other critics appear to be but on this one it’s a miss.
While Radiohead was putting out Kid A and Amnesiac, U2 was putting out this album. I guess it just goes to show you that some music is really good, and some music is fucking stupid. Did we learn anything with this comparison? No, but we didn't learn anything by listening to this album either, so in that sense, it's appropriate. It's really hard not to see this album as vapid. I understand that U2 has to do something with it's albums if it wants to keep making them. But this feels like a weird statement from a band that was styling themselves as politically important during this period, and yet they seem to have nothing to say about the world. The fact that this album was listed on so many Top XXX albums of all time lists is truly baffling to me 3/5
The first four songs are five star and then the album dies
I'm an occasional listener of U2 and find 'The Joshua Tree' is one of the best rock albums out there. This one here? Well, it's alright. They wrote a lot of better stuff. The opening track sets the course for a straightforward, somewhat mellow but rather highlight-less album by this band which can do a lot better.
Close enough to regular stuff that I listen to that I got all the way through it without even really noticing I was trying to listen to it and didn't really notice when it ended. Not sure what that says about it
Love this album but it gets 3 stars because I don't think it's one of the 1001 best ever. U2 has more interesting albums.
Every time I listen to U2, I feel surprised that I didn't hate it.
Inoffensive. I liked listening to it, but it would never be an album I would reach for and say, "I want to listen to this."
After a decade of experimentation, U2 returns to a more anthemic base. Unfortunately, while this album has glimpses of past greatness, it all feels a bit too commercial. The front half of the album is stacked with hits but the back half drags on severely. Lyrically, this album is fairly positive; it's clear that as U2 have aged and started families, that much of their edge (no pun intended) has gone away. That's not a bad thing, that's just what happens.
I have rose-coloured glasses for this album because my parents used to play it at home but gee it's pretentious in places. The bonus song with lyrics by Salman Rushdie slayed me
The first four songs are hits. The rest of the songs are lackluster. New York is probably one of the worst songs about New York I’ve ever heard. U2 has always been one of those bands that think they are more important than they really are. This album and all its Grammys permanently stoked that ego, to the point where they eventually had the balls to push a shitty album no one wanted out to millions of people’s devices. Wankers.
Terrible lyrics throughout (A mole, digging in a hole/Digging up my soul/Now going down, excavation) but I enjoyed this more than I expected tbh, the singles are bangers for sure - opening 1/2/3 is undeniable despite their overplayed nature. Production is a bit weird, certainly very over-produced and clean, but there's an element of vulnerability to the album that I wasn't really anticipating.
Really fun listen. Borderline 4/5 but not quite
Not my favorite
Not even close to the best U2 album
First half of the album is good but drops off afterwards
Better than I thought, even if Bonno's voice can be grating
Was this the album that was forced onto peoples' iPhones? I didn't listen to it back then and I didn't find anything overwhelmingly important about it now. It's a fine album that sounds like it was crafted with a "spare no expense" mindset. What I can't shake though is how formulaic it feels.
I wanted to dislike this more, but tbh thought it was good. I haven't really heard any U2 apart from beautiful day
Every song sounded the same
Another U2 album that starts off like a greatest hits cd. A lot of their angst is gone and the songs are much softer and not as heavy. Decent but not their best.
This U2 record is very bland but does not offend (unlike any later U2 album). The Brian Eno sound is there, but in essence they simply seem to have forgotten to write any good tunes, apart from Wild Honey and New York: the first one sounds a bit like a b-side, but is my favourite song (4 star); the second one is a proper rock song (4 star). I can appreciate Beautiful Day and Elevation (both 3 star) and a few other songs. Overall score in 2000 = overall score in 2023 = 5/10.
Starts quite nicely (beautiful day is a top song) but doesn't keep up that level.
Surprising myself, I found this kind of soothing. They know what they’re doing and exactly how to do it. If I had to hire a band for world domination, a band that could get the job done, U2 would be a top candidate.
Solid, sure, but not the U2 album I would’ve chosen for this list. A little too shmaltzy for me compared with their earlier work.
good not great? when i saw U2 popping up i immediately assumed it would be a different album… this one doesn’t feel landmark-y enough to me
For me this album is bittersweet. It’s a banger and has some of my favorite U2 tunes, but it also marks the beginning of the end. After this, U2 became the characters they portrayed in the zootv tour. Comical, outsized, yelling into an empty room relics. It’s a great album and would’ve been a fine outro for one of rock’s greatest bands, but alas, they chose to try and take it with them.
I've been an android user (the audacity, I know) forever, so I'm not harboring the same vitriol as others over the iTunes incident with "Songs of Innocence". I'm also not angry about their attempted return to early 90's U2 with this release. The soundscape at the time needed it. That being said, this record is fine but I don't think it's critical U2 listening, unless you can specify that the back half should be discarded preemptively and almost entirely. The singles are good, particularly "Beautiful Day", but from "In a little while" on, it's mostly forgettable and boring, befitting a mediocre rom-com soundtrack. What do I know though, I really liked, "Pop".
CD
Started off really strong I thought, but just not very interesting after that. Just below 3 stars for me and the first 4 or so songs are doing most of the heavy lifting there.
This album is very easy to listen to, but feels very long despite its length. Some really good songs on here, but overall it feels like it can easily fall into the background
The U2 sound is cool, the Edge’s playing style is unique and very big. Not as good as their other albums, but cool use of effects and electronics with a rock base.
Not bad A bit front-loaded though Amazing production from Brian Eno Favourite tracks : Beautiful Day, Stuck in a Moment…, Walk On, Kite
Pretty nice
The good songs are very good, rest of it didn't do much for me
A welcome return to their sound from the mid-1980s, but a largely forgettable album. For me the highlight is "New York", but I also liked "Grace".
Tylko jeden w miarę dobry utwór
I liked some songs, it was basically OK
Best Song: Beautiful Day. Even though by now this song has been co-opted by a million commercials and sitcoms, it still does go pretty hard on its own. Worst Song: Peace on Earth. Something about that kind of preachy, "can't we all just love one another" vibe from Bono always felt somehow disingenuous. And even if it is earnest, this song is just cheesy. Overall: After a strong start, it's just soft rock and Bono wailing. That isn't to say it's bad, it's just so very milquetoast that there isn't really much more to say about it.
U2 is U2 but this is a good enough listen
So here's the thing. I hate U2. I always thought their music is so bland like a sheet of paper without writing. But to be fair I've never listened to any of their albums as a whole. That was the first time. I constantly keep in mind that this is their tenth album and I'm guessing the style changed a lot since debut but I'm not a fan and I can't tell if this is true. And what's the best part and really suprising (especially after reading reviews here) I don't despise this. Really think that couple first songs are great, some of them are straight garbage that sounds like an elevator music from Mass Effect but in the end that was an enjoyable listen. 3/5 and I'm really curious how The Joshua Tree will sounds when time will come to finally listen to it.
Probably one of the last two good U2 albums, just not one of their great ones. It starts strong but just kinda is just there after the first two songs.
Not sure why, but Stuck in a moment…. has always been one of my favourite songs. However, the rest of the album didn’t really do much for me. Five stars for the one song. 2 for the rest of the album.
Strong middle period U2 is still weak overall U2.
Ik ben nooit fan geweest van U2, voornamelijk door het zeurderige stemgeluid van Bono. Dit album luistert wel prima weg, een paar herkenbare hitjes en wat nieuwe ontdekkingen.
Me gustó, capaz porque me gusta el estilo que hace U2 y siento que si escucho cualquier canción de este album sin contexto sabría que son ellos, pero después de eso, me parece un poco repeitivo en algunos puntos y sin grandes puntos de destaque
Starts great, becomes a bit boring afterwards.
Beautiful Day is natuurlijk een lekker nummertje. Over de rest van het album is weinig te melden. De kenmerkende U2-klank wordt snel eentonig. 2 sterren voor het geheel en dat plus ik op met wat punten voor Beautiful Day.
Ik ben op zich wel een fan van het oude werk van U2. Daarna kwam er een periode met veel geexperimenteer, en van experimenten weten we dat ze soms kunnen lukken, maar ook des te vaker mislukken. Dit album gaat eigenlijk weer meer terug naar een wat poppy sound, maar de echte urgentie of liefde voor muziek waren ze wat mij betreft al een beetje verloren. Getuige ook de massa aan singles die van de latere albums afkomt, het is met name de kassa laten rinkelen. De hitjes liggen op zich goed in het gehoor, maar als we de hitjes hebben gehad, wordt de plaat opgevuld met wat niemendalletjes en een enkel experimentje. Het doet me allemaal weinig. Een schamele 3 sterren voor de moeite en de lekker in het gehoor liggende hitjes aan het begin.
"All That You Can't Leave Behind" is the tenth studio album by Irish rock band U2. The band wanted to record music more akin to their earlier work after their more experimental 1990's work and the disappointment of their previous album "Pop." I kind of think their more experimental albums are their best...but. The band brought back producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois who had collaborated on three of their previous albums. The album received mostly positive reviews. It was a commercial succes selling over 12 million copies. It also won them seven Grammy's. The Edge used a guitar tone in "Beautiful Day" he hadn't used since "War." Electrification of chords also. Larry Mullin's drum and Adam Clayton's bass. A nice backing vocal chorus by The Edge. Bono doing Bono. About losing everything but still finding joy in what one has. The band adds gospel-like chords in "Stuck in a Moment and Can't Get Out." Piano. Synths. The lyrics were inspired by a fictional conversation between Bono and Inxs' Michael Hutchence about suicide. The Edge gets a fuzzy guitar going on "Elevation," the most rockin' song on the album. Hypnotic beat. I have no idea what Bono is singing about. "Walk On" has a great guitar chord progression, the best on the album probably. Nice harmonies at the end. It's a song that's banned in Burma since it is about Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi who was placed under arrest for his pro-democratic activities. "Kite" has a loop of strings and a slide guitar. It's Bono most emotional vocal delivery on the album. Dual meaning perhaps, being about Bono's daughters flying kites and, also, his father who was dying of cancer at the time. A quicker drum beat and synths open "New York." The bass and guitar come in slowly with Bono whispering/talking. The song then takes off with the guitar and Bono. It goes back slow. Again, I'm a sucker for the soft-loud-soft. The only alternatve-sounding song on the album and my favorite. It would have been interesting to see what this album might have been with more songs like this. It was a picturesque description of New York and a tribute to Lou Reed and Frank Sinatra. It's been awhile since I listened to this and it is a nice sounding pop album. It has to be their best of this century; I know a lot may think that's not saying much. I have to admit I didn't dig too deep into their catalogue after "Zooropa." It is front loaded with the second half being just OK withe exception of "New York." Anway, the first half is solid if not stretching any musical boundaries and the album is worth a listen again if you weren't burnt out when this came out.
This was ok. Not Joshua Tree magnificent, not Achtung Baby great, but ok. Some good tracks here.
I love U2. Absolutely love them. But really? Why is this on the list? "Elevation" is a stadium-rock banger, but the rest is solid at best. It's not BAD by any means, but compared to their heights, it's overwhelmingly meh.
I used to like this one, but honestly only for the opening track. “Beautiful Day” is a banger, but pretty much everything after that is pretty lifeless.
Beautiful Day is a superbly crafted pop song. Catchy indie sounding with the U2 treatment. The rest of the record is fine: some good songs, some duds. Clearly U2 are seasoned pros who can deliver against a successful formula, and this album does just that. But only just that.
Loved! the earliest albums: Boy, October, and War. Appreciated the evolutions after that, mostly, but after Achtung Baby! everything feels too formulaic and predictable.
Its u2, found this largely dull and safe
Jeg trodde at jeg ikke likte U2 men her er jo åpenbart mange hits. Positiv overraskelse selv om vokalen ikke er helt i min gate.
I did my best to disregard any negative biases I might have had about U2 before listening to this album. Overall the hits were decent but the rest of the music was quite bland and generic sounding. Just not music that I typically enjoy.
I think you can tell the era of U2 based on what guitar pedals the Edge has decided to use. It sounds like a U2 album - pleasant, but safe.
Listen, I don't really like U2, but this was the U2 I was introduced to at the cusp of high school in 2000. I kinda like the singles, and I've been waiting to listen to this one until I was in the right mood. It's a sunny workday afternoon and my belly is full of paneer. This was the smooth adult contemporary pill I needed it to be.
A good U2 album. Minus "Beautiful Day" and "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of", the album feels a little lackluster. The music sounds good, but lacks intensity is the best I can describe how it makes me feel.
U2 is a great band, but their stuff (especially this album) all kinda blends together for me. It's brilliant and boring at the same time.
2nd May 2023 Listened on the drive in to London, catching up from the weekend again. Everything out of whack with no phone, podcasts all over the shop too. Weirdly took me back to teenage times and I have no idea why. So found it quite affecting despite Bono's best attempts with his sycophantic lyrics about world peace.
It's fine
Second U2 album in a week. A few hits, mostly generic.
I've got some terrible memories attached to this album. A pious bully I worked with would play this one repeat and blasted "Beautiful Day" when I finally quit. So it was hard to listen to this with an un tainted view. It feels like a misstep to me. The band had done some interesting stuff during the 90s and then follow it up with something that sound bland in comparison. Would this album even be on this list if it wasn't U2?
Better than I remembered
All That You Can't Leave Behind is the tenth album by Irish rock band U2. The band returned to their earlier sound of rock with this album instead of the experimentation they had with dance music throughout the 90's that wasn't very popular. This award winning album won 7 Grammy's and received many positive reviews from critics. It's the only album in history to have multiple tracks win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year: "Beautiful Day" in 2001 and "Walk On" in 2002. This carefully crafted album showed U2 returning to their roots and it was immensely popular among critics and the mainstream music listeners. It is probably the best U2 album I have listened to so far, and I did enjoy it.
I can only classify as this as pleasant pop rock that doesn’t have many distinguishable features. A lot of the songs blend together in their sameness Saved tracks: Beautiful Day, New York, The Ground Beneath Her Feet
I love the up-front misdirection of Beautiful Day. Most of the remainder of the album sounds much like it’s trying to re-capture former glory and while that’s not necessarily bad, it is derivative.
я честно не выкупил((( вроде приятно все но неинтересно(((
Alright not too many songs I liked later into the album
Pop rock. Un poco aburrido.
Great album. Would definitely listen to it again. I'm not the biggest U2 fan though
Some absolute bangers to start the album. I feel like this album falls into one of those "every song sounds the same" categories. Overall a good listen!
I like U2. I like this album well enough. It brings back good memories and the songs are okay. But most of this is just a great bang going through the motions.
U2 I used to have an aversion to u2 but I don’t know why. This is a great sounding album which is always refreshing after some of those early punk rock records. Beautiful day is a great song. Brian Eno production is so good! The chorus is so huge sounding. Nothing else on this record comes close to this. I actually really like Bono’s voice - it breaks up in a John Lennonesque way. There’s some good and some bad lyrics. Feels like the songwriting may have been rushed and doesn’t live up to the production and the better songs on earlier albums. I liked: Stuck in a moment wild honey Grace Did not like Elevate or New York
First songs are really good
5/10 really cheesy and not many redeeming qualities
6/10. Why was 90's rock obsessed with Moles? "Elevation" from this album, "Holes" by Mercury Rev, and above all "Flagpole Sitta" all fit this label, which wouldn't be that significant except that I can't think of any songs with mole-related lyrics from other decades. What was it about life in the 1990s that made these weird little animals so briefly and triumphantly relatable?
Not very good. 5/10
I havent heard any other U2 albums on this list yet, but this is not their best work. Its got a couple of decent songs, but its nowhere near the quality of achtung baby or joshua tree. Its not "bad" but its not great. 3/5
Ik ben een groter fan van de eerdere U2 albums, maar deze is niet slecht.
I shouldn't have gone back and rated this one. The first song, yeah, that's a solid song. Solid radio-pleasing U2. You can see it fitting nicely on a greatest hits album. But the rest of this, even with all the high dollar production, just ain't as good.
I went on a little U2 kick right around the time this album came out. Owned it on CD, but mostly listened on my iPod. "Beautiful Day" was a song basically written for an iPod, right? Why was U2 so prominent in the iPod space? No one will ever know. But I like this album as a whole well enough. It ain't "the Joshua Tree," but I kinda don't blame them for playing it a little safe after the whole "Pop" débâcle. They had to compete with Coldplay. Speaking of "Pop," I saw U2 on that tour at a stadium in South Carolina with Krista Loheed and Brian Crane. It was fun! I don't really care about seeing another stadium show, but it was hard not to appreciate the effect of that many people singing along to a song like "With or Without You." Glad I went, though still pissed we arrived too late to see Rage Against the Machine open. I'd seen 'em twice before, but at a stadium in South Carolina? That must've been something.
Damn life was good when I was 5 and the world wasn't burning. Made me forget that the first half of this album is leagues better than the second.
great first 2 songs, the rest is alright but not outstanding
Je voulais simplement vous annoncer qu'eltrapeze confondait U2 et Coldplay, de son propre aveu, ce qui laisse extrêmement perplexe quant à la pertinence de ses critiques musicales.
J'ai passé 20mn à prendre Bono pour le chanteur du groupe Coldplay, et vais donc noter cet album en conséquence.
It starts strong with a few classic tracks, but the second half is pretty bland.
Good but not for me.
Mostrou a sequência em qual estão inseridos dois hits.
Moins pire que je pensais honnêtement
surprisingly gewd!
I have a thing with U2 where sometimes I’m like “gah! U2! Ugh!” and other times where I’m bobbing my head and asking “do I like U2?”
“I in the sky You make me feel like I can fly So high“ This from “The Greatest Band in the World”. I don’t really get the fuss - positive or negative - around U2, half decent songs and annoying personalities. All very average but over hyped and over publicised.
Er was een tijd dat Bono nog iets te melden had en U2 nog enige relevantie had. Dit album is voor mij een beetje ‘op de weg terug’. Niet slecht, maar afgezien van de fantastische opener deed het er al niet meer toe.
Nooit zo'n fan geweest van U2, maar was goed te doen.
Slecht kan ik het niet noemen, maar ze hebben hier wel een enorme duikvlucht genomen. Gelikt en nietszeggend.
Watered down mainstream music for the masses.
I generally don't care for U2. I gave Achtung Baby a 1 and I stand by that. I wasn't expecting too much going into this. I was a little surprised to NOT hate this. There are actually a couple songs on here that were not bad at all. I forgot that,while it may be a bit hokey, Beautiful Day is actually a pretty solid pop/rock tune. All in all this really wasn't too bad. I don't really plan on revisiting it, as there was some dull stuff to be found here amongst the surprisingly not bad. Also, Elevation sucks ass and is VERY annoying. That's the stuff that fuels my anti-U2 sentiment. I'd give it a 2.75 (am I turning into Pitchfork?) So I'm going to round up and give it a 3. I'm shocked, but it deserves it.
Deducted one star because there are several superior U2 albums
no, no, no this is just too corny, bland and unoriginal. I was 8 when this came out so can't really remember that it was so hyped. imagine my shock when reading about all the awards and critical appraisal. it annoys me that it seems like they try really hard to appeal to the listener. i would have given it a 2 but i still enjoy "beautiful day" and the production throughout the album, which is just crystal clear. i don't really wish to relisten to this but will probably force myself though to check if i missed anything. ps new york new york new york oh fuck off. i dont really understand how did it make it on the list? maybe to represent the bland 2000 rock era? if so, than it does its job very well 2.5/5 up to 3/5
Nothing special beside some hits
I don't hate U2, and I don't hate this album -- listened to it a fair bit at the time -- but the only track that stands out now is Beautiful Day.
The first 6 songs on the album are stronger, with great help from “Beautiful day” as the opening track. By the time the album got to “Wild Honey” it all kind of bled together where the last four songs dragged on and sound indistinguishable from each other.
I liked it better than Joshua Tree, but honestly kinda just a cheezy pop rock album.
Same old.
Patient 0 for U2's Mid Era
Well, it's definitely a U2 album. No question about that. But, despite that fact, I'm not sure why it's here. All we needed on the list was "Achtung Baby" and "The Joshua Tree". This album has two songs worthy of adding to the pantheon of great U2 songs ("Beautiful Day" and the unnecessarily long-titled "Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of") and the rest is utterly forgettable at best and annoyingly preachy at worst. I didn't need this. Nobody did. Except for U2, I guess. Gotta fulfill those record contracts.
Pretty good. I'm not a huge fan of U2, but I think I actually prefer this album to Joshua Tree.
U2 has been pop background radiation since I was a teen. Don’t think I ever owned an album (other than the one iTunes foisted on me that one time), my sister maybe had the LP of Joshua Tree? I don’t remember this album, other than Beautiful Day; other than that and the final track, not much stood out for me. Vocals surprisingly weak on a lot of tracks.
Decent album. Couple good hits. I'm just not a big U2 guy.
If rock had clipart, this would be it.
All That You Can't Leave Behind is not a bad album, but in the discography of U2 it is a sidenote. They produced several albums more deserving to be on this list. "Beautiful Day", "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of", "Elevation" and "Walk On" are nice songs, nothing more.
Wild Honey is a 4 maybe a 5. Rest is mediocre.
A few catchy tunes but then a lot of just there
Not terrible- wouldn’t put it up with their best or even second tier stuff but it’s a good pop rock record
Crowd pleasing arena rock. A return to a more classic U2, and purpose engineered to play in front of 30,000 people a night. Front loaded like crazy (the first four songs are the four singles), it starts to drag in the back half. It's a very U2-y album, but feels a bit shallow and superficial compared to Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby, which an inevitable side-effect of being designed to play big live.
It feels like their sound is tied up in a chair and forced to perform at gunpoint. I don't know what's missing in their sound. I like the guitar and production bits in some places, but overall the atmosphere tries hard and fails to connect. They're apparently trying to portray nostalgia or something, yet it comes out as emotionless. I think they should be a bit more carefree and maybe leave behind their past. I enjoyed their hard rocking "Elevation" for example. I love how they used their signature echoey sound in the electric guitar driven chorus. Some mellow tracks are pretty good too, but again, they didn't connect with me. Overall, whatever is that thing that they can't leave behind. They should probably leave.
Oddly structured album - if this came out during the vinyl era, it would have an A side of massive commercial hits and a B side of slower songs with observations about life. Later U2 is too slick, calculated, radio-friendly and preachy for me.
You'll hear the hits from this album in almost any country on the radio. U2 steps into stadium world tours and FIFA sponsorship with this album. The highs are constant pop hits. The lows are forgettable. Lyrically, it feels like Bono found God in a dew drop on a flower and is trying to explain it to an elementary school. That should mean failure. Instead, they are accessible to the world. Translatable. It shifts the core from American radio to something wider. Can't deny that means something.
Pretty good
I thought I was going to hate this album and kind of remember hating it when it came out but on another listen it was bumped up to mediocre for me.
This album holds my least favorite U2 song of all time. U2 is ok, and this album is ok. This whole album is adult contemporary Top40 music that they can play in a dentists office... I find it quite amusing that the song play count falls like a rock after song 6. It's like the back half of the album doesn't even exist.
Starts off strong but overall a pretty average album.
The lead single is the strongest track, but the album drops from there. Somehow the band sounds like it’s forcing itself into territory it doesn’t naturally fit in. The Edge, whose sound makes U2 so unique, is blocked out by electronic and ambient production that makes this album sound closer to average 90s electronic than anything of U2’s own authentic work from the 80s. I suppose this period of confusion is why they became a band to hate on. They stopped being authentic.
Solid U2 album, but nowhere close to Joshua Tree
Pop de estilo reconocible al grupo en sí. Demasiado blandengue. Melodías fáciles, pero algo falto de intensidad. No es un grupo que me guste especialmente.
Swag; pretty solid vibes
Beaitiful day was nice. Then it went downhill gradually.
Seriously, out of all the U2 albums, this is what we get? A bland, unoriginal, and uninspiring attempt to recreate former glories that should have been left to rest? Where did the baldness and experimentation of Achtung Baby and Zooropa disappear to, in this failed attempt to rewind time with an inferior Joshua Tree?
7/10
I feel like this is the album that changed most people's opinions on U2. It's such a drastic deviation from the sound they created in the 80s. The hits from this album seem a bit too manufactured to me. You could feel the emotion on albums before 1991. There just isn't any connection with this album and the listeners.
A hit parade but new U2 is not my taste
Ok OK. I kind of get it. But U2 still has such an emptiness to their sound that really puts them at a mediocre 3 here. Some songs I can definitely return to, and it has that millennial dread aesthetic that I like, so there you go Bono. Happy?
I haven't really been much of a fan of U2 since they broke through to the mainstream and became THE biggest deal worldwide. The band is fine, but I don't care much for Bono, much like Sting, who I feel they believe they are much bigger than their bands, though I know this is true. Despite what my opinion about Bono is, the album, All That You Can't Leave Behind is a surprisingly "back to basics" type of record. Though this album is over 20 years old, I've never listened to it from start to finish and I admit it's very listenable and solid throughout. I'll contribute that to a total band effort! Hope that doesn't hurt your ego too much Bono.
It's U2. Consistently good, but not exceptional
Glossy pop rock. At this point in their career it was purely for MTV and radio. I'd heard the first eight or nine tracks before without ever listening to this album. It's not bad. Just a lot of light radio singles. Elevation is very 2000.
I'm not much of a U2 fan but I can't deny it's quite good from a musical standpoint.
Inte mitt favoritalbum med min kära fars favoritband. Däremot är Beautiful Day en jävla topplåt som aldrig gör mig besviken. Den bygger upp och är så otroligt mycket hype på något märkligt vis. Kanske för att den var med i en klassisk youtubevideo som var en av de första jag såg. Totalt sett ett habilt album, men endast en riktigt stark låt och resten känns som klart utfyllnad.
Like an album full of power ballads. Overall enjoyable. No real standout tracks for me.
It’s fine, liked a few songs but it’s just not that good.
Так себе альбом, да и вообще u2 скучная группа
Not the biggest U2 fan, but the album does contain the hits.
It's U2, you know what you're going to get. It's competently made rock and roll.
Ganz ok. Gerade so 3 Sterne, da das Album zum Ende hin abflacht.
Objectively not too bad, but I just can't get over Bono. Probably "In a little while" my surprise song from this album
Some nice pop/rock, great for that evening dinner with the parents. Parents usually love U2, I've gathered 3/5 2.5/5 because of the lip smack at 1:12 in Grace. Fuck man
Never been much of a U2 fan. Like their hits and what not, but have never added them to a list I'm listening to or clicked on vid. I get their influence and that they are great song writers, it just doesn't speak to me.
Поначалу начал думать, что 1001 переведёт меня из разряда скептиков U2 в хейтеры. Но не в этот раз, альбом вроде бы неплох. Наиболее одиозными моментами их творчества для меня были Боно и блеклые мелодии. Тут оба этих фактора немного нивелируются. Из положительных моментов: Beautiful Day, Walk On, Kite, In A Little While, Wild Honey, Grace, The Ground Beneath Her Feet Из не очень: All That You Can't Leave Behind, Elevation, Peace On Earth, When I Look At The World, New York Чувствуется, что Elevation, вероятно, хит, там всякие «ву-ху» и потрясающие рифмы lips–hips–eclipse, крестьяне такое любят. Но я нет. Walk On вроде бы находит у меня отклик, но, как понял – это резонанс с треком Оззи Осборна «Tonight», который на порядок выразительнее. New York – просто пошлость. Вспоминаются времена, когда среди самок было модно шликать на этот город, носить футболки I♥NY. Впрочем, занимательно, что насколько New York – скучный невыразительный город, насколько показная любовь к нему – безвкусна, настолько проходной этот трек. В Grace словно чувствуется звук Radiohead. Но что ли недостаёт глубины, может – психических расстройств Тома Йорка, из-за чего трек звучит скорее не медитативно, а скучно. Впрочем, возможно, из-за праздного голоса Боно, который к медитации не располагает. The Ground Beneath Her Feet – мощно. Не, тупо кайфанул, очень сильный трек: мелодика, подбор инструментов, композиционная прогрессия. Будь весь альбом в подобном ключе написан – я бы задумался ознакомиться-таки с дискографией. А так задумываться об этом всё же не стану. Альбом получает 3,5 звезды с округлением в 3.
There was a time for me when U2 could do no wrong. By the time this album came out, the former time had long since passed. I like this album OK, but it wasn't enough to get into regular rotation for me. It's a 3 star effort.
Lots of stylistic variation. A mostly quiet, subdued album. Many of the songs fall flat for me. Perhaps Bono's most overwrought album lyrically. All in all nothing I loved, 1 song I disliked strongly. 3 🌟
3.25
U2 was one of my favorite bands in HS/College until about Achtung Baby or even Zooropa. But after that... Maybe I just expect more. Lots of respect to the band and some good songs here. But overall, pretty flat. Lyrics are even a bit lame and album seems a bit over-produced. Hard for me to even give it a 3.
good production, meh lyrics
Eerste nummer en we weten al hoe laat het is Elevation bop The ground below her 🎸👌🏼 2.7/5
3 De eerste 5 nummer waren mij bekend. Ik zie ergens wel waarom het iconisch is en ik snap ook waarom mensen fan zijn. Voor de rest vind ikhet een zeer veilig album niks gedurft en dat maar het wel wat 'pop-achtig'. Na he teinde begon eht album mij te vervelen, oepsie, minpunten! 'Stuck in a moment you can't get out of', vond ik het beste nummer.
Beautiful day - start met een banger Elevation - spring hype Rustige rock, ik zou het moederrock noemen, they love it.
2 hits but the rest is forgettable
A decently solid rock album. Nothing really stood out as incredible or awful. Fav song: Beautiful Day
Some good singles on there but boring as a whole
pretty chill
Bono wollte nur Singels auf das Album packen. Ist das gelungen? Mir gefällt das Album, es ist echt guter Pop-Rock - dafür, dass es im Formatradio teilweise totgedudelt würde, kann das Album ja nur in Teilen was. Auf der anderen Seite, will ich eingängige Rockmusik, hole ich dann dieses Album raus... Ich bin unschlüssig.
Irgendwie "schön", irgendwie manchmal etwas viel.
The last decent U2 album
Spool 2000s u2.
3/5 way too mellow for my taste
“Stuck in a moment you can’t get out of” sounds familiar. I don’t know if I’ve heard this song before or if it’s similar to something else. It’s better than expected though. “Beautiful” is just corny at this point. “In a little while”, while not *funk*... definitely funkier than what I’d expect from u2. I’m def not calling this a 5 star and probably not a 4 either but this album is surprising me. I thought it’d be a lot more... Bono being Bono. “New York” is cheesy. And it’s pre 911 which makes it even cheesier. Honestly, I’m a bit confused at how bad some of these songs are. I knew u2 wasn’t my flavor but some of this just feels like... unfinished. Like a demo take. I think a 3 is fine. But honestly I hate rating albums. I just like listening.
Great start, Peters off but still a good album
Classic U2!
Bono! He’s not great he’s just popular! Syphilis is popular
I really enjoyed it's a beautiful day. I wish I was dancing to it at a wedding though, a bit pissed screaming it in the faces of people I love.
The lads know how to write a banger tbf
It started out well but felt a little contrived by the end. I still enjoyed it though
6
Better than I thought, also didn't ever notice the Bowie lyrics
All the edges feel worn away from U2 by the time this came out (pun not intended). Similar with later Coldplay, the initial originality has faded, leaving generic stadium pop rock. Some excellent tunes, of course, just... the overall package feels a little hollow.
I generally like U2. Especially when they are working with Eno. The songs on this album are pretty hit or miss with me though. The tracks I think work best are Beautiful Day and In a Little while.
I sort of have a prejudice against U2, but I think a lot of that is cultural and Bono. Beautiful Day is a fine pop song though. Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of... ok this is too much, it basically is like someone took a Christian worship song and removed all mentions of God in it, same with Walk On, Peace On Earth, Grace, oh god... The tolerable part of the album is probably The Edge's ambient-guitar-stuff but it doesn't save it. It's obviously a well put-together album but, lots of these songs are just painful. Oh man, Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois produced this? My how the mighty have fallen. I understand why people like U2 though, but this sort of U2 is on a mission to do something I am not interested in when listening to music. 2.5 up to 3 since it's competent.
u2 né eu sei tu tb
Nice album, not my favorite genre of rock (soft and sad-ish I guess). Standout Tracks: Beautiful Day, Wild Honey, New York
The Singles are Albright.tge Rest is really boring
I don’t love U2
I have no idea if this was musically a huge deal when it came out or I'm lacking in musical knowledge to appreciate this, but ultimately to me it ends up feeling generic. Not something I would ever go out of my way to listen to and, for having come out more recently than some of these other albums, still manages to sound more dated.
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.
Bono certainly earned the biddy with this album.
A most mediocre offering from the foremost experts in bland millennial pop rock. The album starts with a modestly strong opening in the track Beautiful Day, nearly giving the false impression that this is a good rock band, before each following track proves that this band has nothing interesting or unique to offer. Furthermore, the album grows worse and more tiresome as the listener is forced to endure Bono's overexerted and strained vocals, supported by the most milquetoast instrumental arrangements imaginable. I'll add this to the list of U2 albums that left no impression and served only to expand their catalogue of uninteresting music.
Not a big fan of late U2
#368 I heard that this album didn’t actually make the list but U2 did a deal with the publisher so that it was included with every copy of the book. I considered giving 3 stars but I didn’t want to raise the average score for this album on the site. Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ❌ Listen before you die? ❌ Fave track(s): Beautiful Day Rating: 5/10 ⭐️⭐️
Full disclosure, I’m a fan of U2. All that you can’t leave behind is their least creative album. It’s got a few solid songs, but there’s no fire. Not their best work.
Wow is this boring and mediocre. U2 once again front loading their album. Not even Beautiful Day can save this as an entire project. Fav tracks: Beautiful Day Saved a song: N RYM: N
I’ve heard this AOR pablum before and am choosing not to revisit.
I just do not like U2. it's not my type of band.
Never heard this album in full. It's so evil to follow up one of the most overplayed songs ever (Beautiful Day) with a moving tribute to Michael Hutchence (Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of). I don't want to be a massive hater because there are some U2 songs I do like and people on average are too mean to U2 but... this is the type of music that doesn't make you feel anything. Peak 2000s production, you can really feel the era on this. And it is well produced but the songs themselves are deeply unremarkable 2/5
Det er noook U2 nå! Jeg har konkludert med at U2 er et singelband, 1-3 merkverdige låter pr plate, resten er utrolig kjedelig.
Åpner med tre låter man har hørt før, og de er ikke de verste dette bandet har laget. Litt lekent og energisk, bare synd det er U2. Resten av plata er inni hampen kjedelig. Sovemusikk.
Really list?! Really?! This album? Of all of the wonderful, landmark U2 recordings we get this one first? This is the absolute twilight album of relevance in modern music. It’s the last even partially listenable record in their catalog and really besides the singles it’s a very subpar affair. Bono insists on singing songs that just do not fit his voice and for an elder statesman he seems to have remarkably little worth singing about. I give it one extra point simply because I know they can put out even worse albums than this. After this album the released one of their next albums for free to download on iTunes. It’s so bad that even at free I felt ripped off and I couldn’t even make it all the way through. Let’s hope we get to see Joshua Tree or Rattle And Hum or Achtung Baby or fucking Zooropa or really any of their albums before this one.
Front-loaded, 3 of the first 4 tracks are actually strong (though the other one is rank rotten). The production is as you'd expect - solid, stadium-filler-fare - but the guitar is so hackneyed and the guys sound washed up a lot of the time. Several extremely cringeworthy lyrics. Stilted and lumpen.
I didn’t really care for the album.
I didn't think I'd experience thanks to this generator what being a dad in his fifties feels like, but here we are. 2.5/5
This falls off so hard. Dull dross from Bono
Better than I remember it, but that's not to say its great once you get passed the first 3ish songs. Maybe a 3 star, but rounding down because there are probably albums that deserve to be on thos list instead of this. Heck, there are probably U2 albums more deserving
Ce que j'aime chez U2, c'est les blagues sur le chanteur. Par exemple : quel est la différence entre dieux et Bono On a jamais vu dieux de balader en se faisant passer pour Bono C'est marrant mais cet album est vraiment pas le meilleur de U2 et en aucun cas un album à avoir écouté dans sa vie. Peut être fait il partie de la liste des album a écouter une seul fois dans sa vie pour comprendre que U2 n'est pas un groupe très constant. À contrario, How to dismantle an atomic bomb lui est à écouter dans sa vie plusieurs fois, parce qu'il comporte vertigo et plein d'autres chansons que je ne saurais citer. S'il y a des fan de cet album, merci de ne pas me contacter pour me dire pourquoi vous l'aimez, il ressemble à une parodie de U2. Il est sûrement présent dans parce que qqun à écouter beautiful day et s'est dit que tout l'album était comme ça, mais non tout l'album n'est pas bien sans plus, il est majoritairement médiocre. Est ce que ça vaut 5 non Est ce que ça vaut 4 non plus Est ce que ça vaut 3 pas sur Est ce que ça va 1 non plus À mes yeux c'est du 2,5 ce qui donnera un 2 au final.
Incredibly boring. Lyrics to New York are so bad.
U2? Not me.
lol these guys suck. Bono sounds like he thinks he’s the second coming of the Beatles but in reality this is much closer to shitty contemporary Christian music. Boooo
Absolute vocal masterclass. How can someone sound so earnest with so little to say?
Bono is whiny and warbly, and there's just one problem, he's not any good. And what the fuck are these lyrics All the rest feels like set dressing, and it's fine, but no band member stands as particularly talented. Maybe just one more effects pedal will fix it. Even the hits landed softer punches than I remember. To quote another reviewer: "as annoying as it is forgettable"
I know two things when it comes to U2. 1. Vertigo. 2. They had their album on all our phones at one point without us knowing. This is my first time listening to more of their music. Very 2000s UK, if that makes sense. Nothing memorable.
Once again sounds like all the rest of their music. Is this the last U2 album on the list?
This summed up 2000s soft rock
This album commences by three of the greatest snippets of U2 discography. It remains an easy listen beyond that point but I'm on the fence so as to whether this is memorable enough for inclusion. 7/10 [DROP]
How convenient that 2 is part of the band name. Outside of the hits, there aren’t any high points to this album.
Nooo
A bland album from a band that somehow persists without having any real reason to anymore. This album is about as inoffensive as it gets. Like something you'd be forced to listen to while shopping at a grocery store. And I'm sure the singles played in a lot of grocery stores in the early 2000s. I don't know what it is about U2, but they just really irritate me for some reason. Maybe it's because I feel like they could make actual good music, but instead make music that sounds completely uninspired. Maybe I don't think they can make any good music any more (and haven't really for decades, from what I've heard). Maybe it's because I think their name is stupid. I don't really want to think about them long enough to figure it out. Despite my criticisms, there were a couple decent songs here. I remember liking Elevation when it came out and I was 9ish years old. It's still fine, I guess. But nothing on here is actually memorable, except for reminding me that it's not very good. And the not-very-good far outweighs anything decent on here. The only reason I don't rank this lower is because there wasn't a lot that was actively bad. It somehow does an OK job of staying around OK. But even at its best, I didn't need to hear this before I died. We can definitely leave it behind, U2. Overall: 1.6/5
# Album Name: All That You Can't Leave Behind # Artist: U2 # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: God, this reminds me why i dislike bono. Not a patch on the early stuff. On the back of a terrible 90s. Couple of decent songs, albeit annoying, at the start. Terrible back end. # Top Tunes: Walk On # Would I listen to it again? No.
U2 is so overrated, and this is not their best.
zzzzz
De más a menos
Anodyne stadium rock with cringeworthy lyrics. Only Beautiful Day moves it from one to two stars.
U2 is just too bland for me. The first 3 songs "Beautiful Day" "Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of" and "Elevation" are the best on here, and they're still just kind of okay?
Aggressively mid, and I say this as a U2 fan. They haven't put out anything good since Pop (and I'm not sure that even holds up).
Just … fine. Very “millennium”-sounding. Still not jiving with Bono’s sound/style.
ass
In the year 1999, Daniel Lanois kidnapped the members of U2 and brought them to his goon cave deep in the English countryside. He drugged them into a delirious haze, strapped each of them to a surgical chair, and was in the process of extracting their essence through a complex network of tubes and machinery, which hummed beautifully with hall reverb despite the cave’s highly treated sonic profile, when Brian Eno burst into the cave. “Daniel!” he cried, “what’s the meaning of all this?” “I’m done with these bastards, Brian… first they thought they could do it without me… then they thought they could do it without you. Did you hear that fucking Pop album? They’ve been playing shows under a McDonald’s arch… it's all gone too far.” His eyes gleamed with an evil pride that Eno hadn’t seen since The Edge had first introduced him to dotted eighth-note delay. Eno traced the essence-carrying tubes to their endpoint, a massive vat of embryonic fluid containing four twenty-something dudes orbiting a glowing CD that read “Coldplay - Parachutes.” At his control board, Lanois carefully distributed the essence. “Yes… we’ve reached the band’s entrance in track 3, one drop of The Edge should do it…” As the Edgessence fell into the vat, famed Coldplay guitarist Jonny Buckland came to life. His mouth formed an “O” shape and instantly emitted the iconic guitar line of “Spies.” “Damn, that shit is pretty good!” cried Brian. “But Daniel, this is so extreme! What are you doing to these poor lads? Can’t we just make another U2 album? Let them get back to their roots a bit?” “Nah Brian, fuck that. I’m creating something even better by jacking their swag and vital essence… and it’s too late anyways, I’ve extracted too much…” Suddenly, Brian lunged towards the control board, knocking Daniel out of his chair. He slammed the bright red reverse button, and essence began flowing back into U2. Bono opened his eyes and whispered “it's a beautiful day!” “YES!!!” screamed Eno. He worked and worked, puppeteering the reinhabited band members to create a new U2 album. After days of labor, Brian popped “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” into the cave’s CD player. As the album progressed, a wry smile crossed Daniel’s face. “It… it sucks ass… but how? I did everything right…” Eno muttered despondently. “I told you it was too late, you old fuck” said Daniel, “now do what must be done.” With great pain, Brian re-extracted the essence from his old friends and allowed Daniel to finish his sorcery. By the end of 2000, U2 had been completely chillmogged by the sexy and fresh Coldplay, their essence never to be returned. 1.5/5
I want to shoot whoever is shaking that tambourine on Walk On like 11 times.
brian eno, daniel lanois, and famous protestant singer Bono team up to make some FUCKING BULLSHIT!!! i have a real soft spot for "Beautiful Day" and "Stuck In A Moment" because i used to listen to my mom's CD copy of this in middle school but man the rest of it is just Nothing
god. Fucking. DAMMIT. as a proud u2 defender i'm sorry to all my friends in advance. see the stuff i said about the gallaghers and the conservatism for "the greater good" in the libertines review. to genuinely go from trying to push the electronica rock envelope but (with classic u2 hubris) pre booking the tour and (after functionally fixing it in mexico city) not making a live album to then biting the melody from A-ha's second biggest hit. fucks sake. they're lucky the edge is an all time guitarist (along with the always mint rhythm section) and eno/lanois is just about as close to a scratch production winner as you can get. atomic bomb was when the real downturn began but. as aforementioned. it portends. it just portends. first two songs are near all timers. although finding out "stuck in a moment" is meant to be about the INXS guy is. y'know. a bit shitty. what's that one joke about god and Bono? elevation is probably their worst soundtrack based song. makes me want to listen to the batman forever one (let alone miss sarajevo). if madonna's die another day had an (aidan says i can't use any CENSORED irish slurs 🥲) 'RA based twin. "walk on" is underrated. coldplay would copy this word for word but change the bars up writing x&y half a decade later. kite would be fine if it didn't end with big Bonissmo going "erm ackshually u guys didn't get the postmodern² of the kmart lemon disco ball". we know. you're having a normal one about it. pillock. everything else is john mayer lite and ballad treacle that mj wouldn't even touch. that's a lie. mj would try a ballad written by himmler if it had enough kiddie mentions. "when i look at the world" + "grace" are nice enough. not peak. but nice enough. 2.2-2.5. re j diddla: "massive massive indicator that the list was first published in ‘05 today"
U number 2.
Yes, this past-their-peak U2 album was really important for me to hear. Life = changed. It’s fine, really, but I just can’t help but think of all the things that are NOT on this list! Whhhhyyyyyyy????!?
I am happy beyond words to get this. My fourth and last U2 album.... U2 and i have made some unforgettable memories along the way but today is special. Today is the day I am finally free from U2's tyrannical grip on my life, and i never have to listen to them again!!!! Bono see you in hell
I could relate to the idea of being stuck in a moment, as someone who can get into my own head easily. I don't know if this was any better or worse than the last U2 album.
Front loaded with the singles and then it’s just kind of there.
U2 always sound like they have something really important to say, but I struggle to get what it is. Bono's lyrics seem lazy with rhymes that seem amateurish at best. U2 at their least effective for me.
Very lame
was more bearable than the previous entries
Favorite track(s): Elevation
At this point, U2 was as sterile as a surgical field. All their songs sound like a meticulous wank fest with zero sense of camaraderie between the guys. I get it, you're pushing 40, you got a family, kids, you have little to no gas in the tank left to create something worthwhile, but you gotta put food on the table, so you churn out an album with some singles and say "Look! E l e v a t i o n", and what not. I get that, but don't make ME listen to some boomer, reminiscing-to-the-old-days, slog and say, this is one of the greatest musical achievements. I could find 1001 albums that sound better than this. We'll add a stronger track, a ballad, some filler, another ballad. See ya in a few years, folks! Fuck off Bono, retire already...
Added a star for beautiful day, apart from that it’s rubbish
Oh my goodness gracious me was this a bore. To be honest there are SOME cool parts but mostly this was just straight bland and boring. There aren't too many things to comment on other than it sounds like U2's other stuff from the 90s. Seems like I just can't get with it. Highlight Song/s: "Walk On" and "Wild Honey Pie"
I enjoyed the singles off this album as a teen, let’s see how the album holds up. I pretty much stopped listening to U2 around 20 years ago, was that justified? Did not listen to the four and a half hour pretentious anniversary edition, just the 56 minute normal version. I can't unhear that Beautiful Day is 90% guitar whammy. Stuck in a moment you can't get out of is Meatloaf but 15 years later and without the passion. I have memories of enjoying Elevation as a teen but... Walk On is probably the pick of this album so far. But they've front loaded all the hits on this pop album. Most of the rest of this album is forgettable. Side note: The other radio staple Never Tear us Apart by INXS came up on the randomiser immediately after the end of this album, and that song is way more enjoyable than anything on the U2 album.
Toughest decision on this list so far. Is this 1 or 2 stars? I was compelled to go listen to Beautiful Day again and that is definitely a good song. The rest of the album is complete rubbish though.