Reviews (page 6 of 8)
I’m tired of “Beautiful Day” so this is off to a rollicking start.
not rly my vibe but not terrible
At this point in U2's career I think I can happily say they have fully entered the Dad Rock era they were destined to finally hit. I don't know anyone who doesn't love Beautiful Day as that is a banger and a half, but the rest of this project with the exception of one other song is just so plain and not very interesting to myself. The Pop Rock approach should have been expected for as many hits as U2 managed to make before fully diving into the genre, they were commercial darlings for gods' sake. For the most part the formula here is pretty tried and true with some of the safest Rock instrumentals you could find in the 2000s all being present on this album. The one exception to that I would argue is Grace, it feels like a totally different kind of genre all together with its' much more laid back feeling that I quite enjoyed in contrast to the very dry and same-y sound a majority of this album had. Blows my mind other people think it is the worst thing offered here as I thought it really locked me back into the album during its' final stretch of time. With all that being said, yes this is an important album commercially for U2 but it is also really forgettable and honestly a bit of a drag unless you are over the age of 50. All That You Can't Leave Behind isn't something I am going to take with me into the future, but it is something I am glad I heard for that completionist in me.
Beautiful Day is a banger, but the rest of the album is pretty bland and dry.
I really dislike how The Edge plays guitar. Also I dislike the name The Edge. Personal enjoyment: 2/5 Relevance to this list: 2/5
All that I can leave behind
Yes, count on U2 to make some of the most dull, radiofriendly rock imaginable.
A real chore to get through. I wouldn’t say I hated it (Beautiful Day and Ground Beneath Her Feet are still pretty solid songs), but it wasn’t a fun listen. It was mostly just really uninspiring music, and although I usually don’t pick up on the lyrics that much, on this album I couldn’t help but notice how bland they were. Especially on the song Grace, that track is easily my least favourite.
To quote Homer Simpson: BORrrrrrRINNNG! It's ok, but just ... boring. Not that hard to sit through, but ... just -- why? A few of the songs are better, a few are decidedly not good. I thought the best song was Elevation, and it has some truly banal / cliched lyrics. How does this album make it onto this list?
I kind of understand why this album is on here. The first 4 tracks were all pretty big radio hits, and U2 is an insanely popular band (somehow). But, what we get with 2000 U2 is the shell of the late 80s/early 90s U2 we once knew. You don't have to like the band's earlier work to appreciate and understand how fundamentally different their stuff is from this album until now. It's the same band, the same sound, but like a overgeneralized, commercialized, white-washed version to appeal even more to the masses than they already did. Basically you could have given AI all of U2's work up until this point and said, "Make me some hits in this style" and this is what you would get.
Pop rock. Kinda forgettable.
I feel like Im watching a high school graduation slideshow
I'm finding myself more familiar with the singles from this album than I thought I was. Though I've never listened to this entire album start-to-finish before. I'm not enjoying Bono's work on this either lyrically or vocally. I am enjoying The Edge's playing on this. But overall, this album isn't that great, mostly meh.
Soft rock for mums. Having said that, Beautiful Day is a classic, reminds me of watching Match of the Day as a kid, and You’ve Got to Get Yourself Together is a 5 star banger. Elevation is decent. The rest is pretty bland.
Mostly boring, sometimes cringeworthy.
It’s just really bland in a way that also manages to be irritating. I’ve been surprised to kind of like some of the other U2 albums on this list, but this ain’t one of them. Heard: Beautiful Day, Stuck In A Moment 2.5
There's a limit to how much U2 any one person can take. I reached it within this album
Eno's worst. So boring my god.
Even though this is 26 years old, I’m not a fan of “new” U2. I like OG U2…from the 80s.
Really pandering in a way that feels insincere.
No. Es un disco que enmienda el batacazo de Pop pero se queda lejos de sus mejores momentos. Sin ir más lejos Zooropa es mucho mejor, y no ya digamos Achtung baby o todo lo anterior a Rattle and Hum. De este se salvan Stuck in a moment you can´t get out y poco más (Walk on o The ground beneath her feet sí, Elevation no). No remontaron el vuelo ya más, ni con la bomba atómica.
This feels like road trip in a hallmark movie.
A couple of decent songs mixed in with some unlistenable garbage.
Really disappointing… U2 has better
Gets me in a mood to watch the football. Every song Sky has chosen has been far worse than Beautiful Day.
Lots of recognizable and catchy songs that I never need to hear again.
Few bangers. Disappointed by how top heavy it is
A completely fine pop/rock album. Lots of guitar driven rock songs with strong lead vocals from Bono. Was there anything particularly stand out in the album? Was there anything new or groundbreaking in this album? I don't think so. But does that make it a bad album? No. The first three tracks are criminally over-played to the point that I feel like I wouldn't be too sad if I didn't hear them again. The album version of "Elevation" has a slightly different mix to the single version. But overall it is just a very competent album that doesn't make me feel like revisiting it. (2.125)
A recurrent story from my father is how disappointed he was when U2 changed their sound. Can't really tell if he was talking about this album or one of their previous ones. The thing is, after listening to this, I absolutely understand where his feelings come from, as this is a pop rock record that feels very uninspiring and dull. The record starts decent, with the very big opener "Beautiful Day", one of the most recognizable songs of all time. The spacious sound is great and has a very anthemic and explosive chorus. Then follows the super tame song "Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out Of", which is super slow and generic. Thankfully, next is "Elevation", a more energetic cut that has some really nice sound effects and distortion in the guitars. But I think it is from this moment the album gets super rancid, generic and artificial, with nothing interesting going on, very unauthentic and passionless lyrics and even losing almost all of the spaciousness in their sound that makes them so unique, which shows that they may rely on it too much. In the end, a very forgettable and boring album.
Nice enough but left no impression at all.
*shrug* I don't hate this. Far from my favorite U2.
Liked a few songs, most were mediocre but some songs actually just pissed me off. Wtf lol, never been pissed by music, so not very good in my opinion obvs. Walk On was my song of the album with Kite and In A Little While being other highlights
4.5/10 - Maybe we will get other U2 albums, but I’m confused why this one was picked. Nothing egregious but very standard. Not impressed.
I love Beautiful Day and then it's all down hill from there. The songs want to be deep but wind up sounding cheesy and hollow. Shout out Peace on Earth. 4/10
WACK! Don't like U2
1 exact year since listening to Achtung Baby. Unfortunately, this album was not a great way to celebrate,
Clearly only on here bc of what this band once was. Both of these stars are for Beautiful Day. Everything else on this album was nothing
This was really blah. It’s a shame because U2 have had some bangers over the years and the previous album, “Pop”, had some great songs. “Beautiful Day” is cheesy and pandering, “Stuck In A Moment…” is corny, “Walk On”, “Wild Honey” and “Peace On Earth” are so generic and forgettable. There isn’t much about this that’s memorable. For such a successful album, it’s remarkable average. I guess this is why people dislike U2.
I'm sure that this can be lauded for the lyrical content but, for me, the music was generally sleepy and nearly lifeless. Somebody get the paddles...Clear!
Not even close to their most important album. This is more a commercial crap.
I think this was about the point that U2 fell off. Their sound is not so different from their biggest early albums, but it has accrued so much corporate polish that it feels icky. The first 3 tracks were all big hits, I could sing them from memory. But I haven't heard them in sometime and I did not enjoy revisiting them. Objectively, this album is not that bad. But I kinda hate it. 2/5
vanilla mush
For the fact that these guys have a member that calls himself The Edge, they really did lose their edge. It's weird to think that this is the same band that made Sunday Bloody Sunday, or just War as a whole. The songs are all passable, but nothing's moving. When they're referencing political movements and issues, it lacks the power it did on War. When they're not, it's a whole bunch of nothing set to fine enough Oasis-ish instrumentals.
This is number 4 from U2 for me and I feel like that's too many for them. I think at best U2 is a mediocre band that did couple of randomly brilliant songs. None of those songs are on this album. This is watered down pop rock by an aging band trying to stay relevant. There's nothing behind this - it feels like an album made to fulfill a contract. The whole album is just weak at best and cringe inducing at the worst. Maybe they needed the money. It's a shame because they did write a few great songs but even if you put all those songs on one record, you'd still need a couple to fill out the second side. I don't know why this album is on the list, maybe because Beautiful Day was such a big hit for a hot minute? 2/5
Remember loving this album when it came out but now I’m just meh. A Beautiful Day and Kite are still really good songs
I wonder why this album is on this list? Kind of an underwhelming late career attempt at staying relevant. It’s pretty weak and missing any sort of urgency required to be a good rock band. But maybe that’s the point. They’re pushing deep into some sort of overly nice and inoffensive pop territory and I think they succeeded at that. More spins are likely needed to understand this album fully but this first listen doesn’t make me think it’s essential and I don’t want to put it on ever again. It’s not the worst thing ever though but to me, for now, it’s just ok. Well it looks like you can leave some things behind, ha!
feels a bit too generic.. picks: beautiful day, elevation
I just love their "shoot for the bottom half" approach. WANKERS
This is a group with several great tunes that you really love for a month or three and then never need to hear again. And also you feel shame for liking them in the first place. And also you realize that all of their songs are the same song.
This album is... fine. I liked U2 a lot more when they weren't so polished and produced. - Heard before? Only a song or two - Will I listen again? No. - Does it inspire me to listen to more of this artist? No. It make me a bit reminiscent for early U2.
Starts ok and gets progressively worse. A nice reminder that I hate U2, well specifically Bono. Four US LPs I’ve endured so far and this is worst
2.5
U2 has been forced upon through my wife, who had them forced upon her by her mother. Remember, generational trauma is a real thing. Some of their 80s work with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois sits well with me, but bringing them back for this one didn't end in the same results. Elevation is alright, but everything else sounds like the score to an extended Virgin Mobile commercial.
The beginning had some decent songs, albeit generic. But Bono had me cringing so much by the end with his self righteous preaching that I can’t give this above a 2
There are a few U2 songs that I like. None of them can be found here. These aren't terrible but, to come from such a legendary band, they're fairly lame in terms of construction and lyricism.
Absolute wet fart of an album by a band that made something as good as War. Beautiful Day is solid, but it feels like it’s just retreading the ground already covered on The Joshua Tree. Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of is quite good though even if the rest is meh to me.
I just don't like U2
Some songs are good most are really awful
Bonos voice is surprisingly annoying. Beautiful day still remains a good song (possibly because of memories rather than quality.) The album is just a bit crap otherwise.
The 3 strong aingles are frontloaded to start the album, so after listening though the rest of the generic dullness that comprises the remaining 9 tracks you'd be forgiven for losing the will to ever listen to this album again.
++: Elevation, Grace +: New York, The Ground Beneath Her Feet +-: Beautiful Day, Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of, Kite, In a Little While, When I Look at the World -: Walk On, Wild Honey, Peace on Earth 4,0/10
This is on the 1001 albums? Why?
Really didn't care for this at all. Literally all sounded the same. Beautiful day and Wild Honey sounded pretty good though...
i dont need this
Aw, here we go. What do you say we slip out to Moe's for a pint?
Ok
I liked “beautiful day” when this came out and “elevation” is kinda fun, if a little goofy. So I was curious which way this album would go after the first four songs, which I’d heard before. It didn’t go well. We were already comfortably in 2 territory before “Grace, it’s the name for a girl / It’s also a thought that changed the world.” So now I have to consider if 1 is on the table.
Some iconic U2 songs in here, but compared to War, I found this one overwhelmingly boring Favorite Songs: Beautiful Day
I felt like I was listening to commercials.
Forgot how much I disliked Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of & Walk On, but I had no trouble recalling my hatred of Elevation 😒. That has got to be the worst song about New York ever made by a band from Ireland. Not unlistenable, but this entire album is lame. 1.5⭐️
I really don't like U2, but have to admit that 'Beautiful Day' still rips. Fantastic opening song, but sadly goes down from there and never recovers.
i often wonder what their legacy would be if they'd had the grace to pack it in after joshua tree. i'm not a fan but anyone can tell this is pretty weak compared to their early records. it was huge when it released by it has aged pretty badly.
3eme album proposé après 'The Joshua Tree' et 'Achtung Baby' que je n'ai pas vraiment apprécié (notés tous deux 2/5). Cet album n'est pas beaucoup mieux que les 2 précédents ... Je préfère les albums plus anciens qui étaient bien plus intéressants. Là je me suis vite ennuyé, la créativité et le dynamisme des premiers albums a totalement disparu. Aucune chance que je le ré-écoute. =>2/5
lame. 2.5/5
U2 has always been Coldplay? Rock's Schmaltz
Sucks
Made after the backlash to their experimental 90's period, this album was supposed to be a return to form for U2. What it really is is a safe, watered version of U2. People ate it up at the time, but this is no one's favorite U2 album unless you're boring. They've just coasted since then. Stick with Achtung Baby and everything before.
One of the top reviews asks why U2 became such a hated band, and I think I know the answer: rarely has there been such a clear-cut example of a once-great band selling out, and this album is the moment it happened. In fact, I think you can pinpoint the very moment it happens: it's when the soulful trumpets kick in during Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of. Try to imagine soulful trumpets amongst the righteous angst of War, or the raw beauty of The Joshua Tree, and you'll get what I mean. There are flashes of the old fire in Beautiful Day and Elevation but that's about it. A sad day for rock music, and a weird inclusion on the list.
Meh
This album was everywhere when I was hitting adolescence. I hated the videos and the music then, and it's not much better now. The only song I actually liked is the last one on the album. U2 is not for me nor for you too. For complete nostalgia reasons that awoke the long dormant hate in me and actually made me feel something, I'm giving this a 2 instead of 1.
U2 deserves to have albums on this list. This is not one of them. All the power and songwriting from War and The Joshua Tree were long gone by this point.
As U2 done anything good this century ? Had this CD in my car and never enjoyed it apart from "beautiful day"
At first I thought I might be able to enjoy some softer rock, but as it went on the only thing I felt was boredom
There are two U2s. There's hits U2, which isn't bad. Then there's album U2, which is less interesting. This is 49 minutes of album U2.
For U2s hits have been great but I’ve never really cared for the rest of it. This album is no exception. I love Beautiful Day and the rest was pretty meh
Boring, sterile, car dealership music. Beautiful Day was a good single but everything else on this is a total slog.
Despite the talents, I just don't like it
Very boring. Hard not to compare to Joshua Tree, which was so moving.
Um. At their best U2 was compelling. This is a good album. Not their best but not their worst. U2 should have a couple on the list. But I’m not sure that it’s this one. 2.5
Starts with a bang but unfortunately goes steadily downhill.
As interesting as Coldplay
Vanilla. Sounds like the soundtrack to a depressed dads divorce. Nothing noteworthy here.
I’m convinced U2 is a government psy-op. I don’t think anyone ACTUALLY really loves their music. I think it’s generally tolerable, and people pretend to love it because it’s not outright bad and they feel like they’re the weird one if they don’t like it. Bono is an insufferable douche. This album was everywhere when I was in like 5th grade. Was mildly bad then, is mildly bad now.
Kept in wanting to give this a three for the catchy songs but the lyrics drove me nuts on how bad they were
U2 does pop. I never liked All That You Can’t Leave Behind when it came out 25 years ago (how quickly time flies), and revisiting it today hasn’t really changed my mind. I get that for many U2 fans, this isn’t their finest hour. It’s a pop record — polished, people-pleasing, and a bit tired, as if the band were running low on fresh ideas. It offers a few catchy tunes but little of the innovation or emotional punch that made The Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby so special. That said, there are still some solid moments here. Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of, Walk On, and Elevation all hold up well. But from track five onwards, the quality really drops off. Overall, it’s a very average album, and I’m honestly baffled that it made this list. Favourite track: Elevation Least favourite track: Beautiful Day – I’ve always hated it. Completely overplayed. Album artwork: A cool band shot — simple but effective.
i delayed listening to this for 6 weeks and i was right
Did U2 really need 4 albums on this list? I can make arguments for including the other 3, but this one does not need to be here.
2/5 Beatiful Day is so good but insanely overplayed. I have yet to find another memorable song on this album. I can see the vision and I kinda liked it but I got bored of it. Sorry for the fans.
I’m not surprised at all that the first four tracks (“Beautiful Day”, “Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of”, “Elevation”, & “Walk On”) were singles… the rest of the album is, unfortunately, pretty bad. Like, notably bad. It’s true that I don’t like Bono, but let’s remember that I was able to look past that to rate The Joshua Tree highly. I’m telling you that, personal opinions about Bono aside, I also don’t like this album for completely separate and equally valid reasons. From “Kite” onward, I kept hoping they were just in a bad streak and we’d get another secret banger but it never happened. Almost every album needs a little filler, right? This one shoulda been a EP. One of the most disappointing songs was “Peace On Earth” because you can’t name a song that and not go all-in to make it an anthem, right? You probably need a big choir for backing vocals, some orchestral embellishments, a big producer to be brutally honest with you about the song, and really throw everything you have at it, right? The vocal performance is trying to be that song, but they didn’t do any of the other work to get it there. It probably does well in an amphitheater full of U2 nerds, but it’s not going to bring the world together. Overall this is a disappointment. 13years after The Joshua Tree, the singles prove that they still have it, but the other songs suggest that there are two strikeouts for every homerun.
I wasn't excited for this. U2 is like that older uncle that isn't a bad guy and talking to him for a few minutes is fine but an actual conversation makes you realize that you made a grave grave mistake. There were a few surprises here but meh. 4/10
It's U2, which means some solid pop rock hits and then a bunch of crooning. Too much jerking off about new york. prob wouldn't listen to this entire album again, but def added some singles to my favorites.
I remember the "return to form" hype around this album after U2's increasingly annoying dalliances with electronic music in the '90s. And it did feel like the band getting back to what they do best...at first. It's a steep descent after "Beautiful Day," and the back half couldn't be less memorable. By the end, I was actively annoyed by its blandness.
Goes down about as well as a tall glass of room temperature water on a cloudy day. U2 take no risks, and settle into a comfortable pattern of stagnation and ‘no.1 hit’ chasing. An average 2.5 for a once important band. ⭐️⭐️
Just can’t finish
Was ok, i like You've Got To Get yourself Together and the first one reminds me of football on a sunday
Didn't need to listen to this. Not gonna change my mind on U2 after I already didn't like The Joshua Tree. The singles were actually not bad, but the rest of the album was bad.
U2 has got to be one of the most overrated bands of all time. This album is like every other U2 album, 1 (sometimes they have 2) decent song, and the rest are complete crap where Bono mumbles through something he tries to make sound lofty. U2 is at it’s best when they play at their talent level (which I fairly low) and plays simple repetitive cords, and they limit Bono to simple repetitive lyrics and keep him from trying to play God. U2’s “great songs” are truly that, but 90% are trash.
Front loaded with some decent songs, absolute crap by the end
Starts off ok, then just dips and boring. Again, I don't hate it, just good background music and inoffensive.
Rose-tinted glasses perhaps but the opening few tracks are great. Then there is a bit of cliff edge.
91/1001 :: U2 - All That You Can’t Leave Behind Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ❌ Rating: 5 Listen before you die: No I like U2 quite a bit and I’m not sure how many U2 albums are on this list but I’m sure this one needs to be. U2s albums have always had commercial appeal but these songs feel very glossy. Beautiful Day feels like it was written for a bad car commercial. The whole first half of the album feels like this. I love New York and generally songs about it but I don’t know if there’s a more generic love letter to NYC than the song “New York” here. One bright spot here is the song Wild Honey which sounds like the U2 I love. Kite also pretty good but overall I’d rather just listen to The Joshua Tree.
So so ploddy. The singles are alright even if they do sound like a a Travis/Robbie Williams collaboration at times but elevation is the only sign of life. After the singles it just dies. This is clearly a stadium rock band looking for a couple more easy singalongs to add to the canon for gigs. I'm sure beautiful day, walk on, and stuck in a moment work great live but it doesn't inspire me on record
okay, but not more 😅 do know one song at least… isn‘t my music & even thing on some songs the lead singer sings bad af 🙊
Never liked U2.
The singles being everywhere at the time doesn't mean they were good.
When a band becomes a product.
Great album.
Corny and undeniably bad, but I have a soft spot for it. Beautiful Day is the most well-known hit on here and isn't up to par with U2's best songs but is still a good pop song. Elevation is a guilty pleasure for me and I like it, cheesy as it is. When I Look At The World and New York are decent too. But yes I remember this bland ass album and it's definitely a good example of divorced dad/department store music from the 2000s but no one needs to hear this before they die. I'm a bit soft for it because of the nostalgia but if I wasn't, it'd likely be a 1.
Not the first, or the last, band to opt to make easily digestible music to get played on the radio instead of making interesting music to listen to. An entirely unoriginal & dull listening experience.
It all sounds like an advert for boner pills. For a guy who calls himself "The Edge"? Just sayin'.
2.5
Beautiful Day is a decent song, but the rest is a boring slog. Don't really have anything else to say.
Found the lyrics to be extremely on the nose and cloying. Too cynical to truly appreciate — I am glad they are delusionally happy though.
U2 showing their full range, from the beautiful to the deadly boring!
turned out that I could leave all of this album behind
𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘊𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 aims for timeless stadium rock but ends up sounding like a generic early-2000s record. The production is polished to a fault, the songs feel formulaic, and while there are flashes of the band’s anthemic power, the overall effect is safe and uninspired.
5/10 I like U2, but this was uniquely uninspired. Highlight: Beautiful Day
Unremarkable and undeserving of a spot on this list.
With much regret, one of the first albums I could not wait to be over. Instrumentally forgettable, did not find the lyricism of the songs to be much to write home about either. It's a me problem, but I absolutely did not enjoy this listen through. Maybe some other time
Noh lapsuudessa tätä tuli kuunneltuu niin biisit muistaa mutta eipä tää suurta taidetta oo. 2/5
Not a fan of U2, don’t understand how this is on the list? Nothing special
just not my cuppa. Wet Radio 1 "rock".
U2 peaked a long time before this was released and this is the sound of a band who know it and are trying to repackage past glories with a knowing smile and a safety net. This album feels like the musical equivalent of middle-aged men dusting off old trophies and hoping no one notices the cracks. and Brian Eno can fuck off, his stink is depressingly all over too many albums on this list.
Bono lyder godt på den her og der er nogle solide singler i starten, men den er meget monoton og samtlige sange er et fuldt minut længere end de behøver være
De spiller jo helt fint, men det er sgu lidt kedeligt hva.
"Beautiful Day" is still catchy, but I can't say I enjoyed much else on this album. I like some of their hits, but otherwise U2 just doesn't do it for me. 2.4
i'll admit to liking U2 ok but not this album i did not really enjoy this listen
Ok, but not their best work 2/5
Anything after War sucks.
Another boring and forgettable U2 album. 1.5/5.0: Bad
somehow this album manages to be worse that achtung baby. at least that one had some interesting musical ideas even if they didnt really develop. they played this incredibly safe and the album suffers for it.
Yawn boring I’m tired of these guys
It's fair to say that I am not a fan and being objective, I can appreciate the message of each track but the delivery just sounds painfully forced. I struggle to finish U2 albums.
Generic music, well played. I can imagine this must've been thrilling in a stadium full of fans, but it is quite vapid, too.
I couldn't listen more than 3 songs, never clicked to me.
2.5 - Meh
2.0 I mean the songs and production on their own are pretty good. But this album as a whole, is softer than baby shit.
No thanks
im going into this album trying to listen past the grudge i still hold against itunes randomly adding u2 onto all of our libraries. people gloat on them so much, you'd think they'd actually make music worthy of gloating but i think people just like to lie.
Rating (1-5): ✩✩ Higlighted songs:
Boring and utterly uninspired.
Almost offensively bland. Never been much of a U2 fan, but they used to be more interesting. This was just an overly safe album. 2/5 Won’t listen again
dnf this album just sounds so annoying idk why
Ihan pätevä levy. B-puoli turhan hidas, ei pysy mielenkiinto. Muutenkin kyllä jää suurimmaksi osaksi taustamusiikiksi, ei nappaa sillä tavalla mukaansa. On varmaan liian siisti. Vahva kaksi koska en palaa vaikken inhoa.
Levyn leimallisin piirre on sen rytmittömyys. Perkussiivisuus on korvattu massalla, joka syö tahdin ja poljennon sisuksiinsa. Toisaalta levyllä on kuunneltavia biisejä, joista parhaat esiintyvät sen keskivaiheilla (In A Little While, Wild Honey - ehkä?). Dynamiikalla ja akustisen kitaran puraisulla voi olla asian kanssa jotain tekemistä. Lopuksi minun on mainittava sanoituksista. Eräässä biisissä lauletaan: "Grace It's the name for a girl It's also a thought that Changed the world" Ihan. Oikeasti. 2,5
Pop-rock genérico de los 2000. Composiciones agradables de melodías pegadizas y una producción muy buena, como era de esperar, pero, en general, es un álbum poco inspirado y cero innovador. Entiendo que se incluya a U2 en esta lista por ser uno de los grupos de rock más populares de todos los tiempos. Pero este álbum es una vuelta a sus sonidos originales que no aporta nada nuevo. Sobre todo la segunda mitad es especialmente mediocre. Me dicen que es de Coldplay y me lo creo. Solo que la voz de Bono me agrada aún menos. Quizá tendría que haber vivido en algún punto de la anglosfera durante los años inmediatamente posteriores al 11-S para comprender la relevancia de este álbum dentro de su zeitgeist. Pero, al no ser el caso, le tengo que dar mala nota.
Soms heb je albums die in een eigen tijdsgewricht leven, en soms heb je albums die echt exact in het juiste jaar zijn uitgekomen. Dit is er één van de laatste categorie. Naarmate de plaat vorderde zag ik steeds meer in hoe deze vorm van melancholische poprock - wat we terugzien in buitenlandse acts als Snow Patrol en Coldplay, maar ook in binnenlandse acts als Di-rect - zo typisch deze eeuw is. Dit kan wel eens de plaat zijn die die stijl het meest heeft gestuurd. Maar ook bij vlagen dacht ik aan britpop; dit is misschien wel de meest britpopperige plaat van een Ierse band. Los van de tijd die ik heb gestoken in het oriënteren, waar dit album op het genrespectrum lag, heb ik ook wel proberen te luisteren naar de individuele nummers. Songs als 'Beautiful Day', 'Walk On' en 'Stuck In A Moment' kende ik natuurlijk wel, en ik begrijp de pull-factor. U2 heeft wel een gave voor het uitbrengen van muziek wat exact in de mal van de populaire radiostations gegoten kan worden, en dan niet één song, maar eigenlijk elke song op het album. Op zich best respect, maar als je oplette met welke bands ik dit album net allemaal vergeleek, dan weet je ook dat ik zelf nauwelijks genoten heb. Het ging me makkelijker af dan gedacht voor een zwangere-vrouwen U2 plaat, maar toen 'Peace On Earth' kwam waren ze me kwijt. Waarom moet Bono altijd met zo'n tenenkrommende, clichématige anti-war song komen, en dan ook nog denken dat hij er de wereld een mooiere plek meemaakt? Ik heb liever ergens een extra burgeroorlog, ver van m'n bed, dan dat ik deze song elke dag zou moeten aanhoren. 5,5/10 Highlights: Beautiful Day
not good enough to drown out the chatter of life around me
There’s a couple angles I can take on this one: • What’s the album where you stop being a fan? • What does a band do when its creative phase is ended because of reasons unrelated to the music? • Or: how does an older band keep the momentum going by selectively cribbing from their earlier sounds? I was a holdout for U2 well after Zooropa, which seems to be the agreed upon end date for their relevance as a forward-thinking artistic unit (that still created stadium-ready rock). Passengers, while more of a grab bag of Eno and Edge, still had some sublime, exciting moments. As such, I was actually looking forward to POP and took seriously the whole Discotheque and PopMART rollout. But, it really was a failure and not one I’ve enjoyed going back to, try as I do every few years hoping something in that middle section of slogs finally hits. If there’s anything ironic or even fun about All That, it’s that they turned back to Eno and instead of asking him to make them sound less like themselves, instead did the opposite. All across the album there are signature Edge sounds from across the 1980s run, very conventional song structures and progressions from late 1990s alt rock/pop radio, deliberate calling card echos of the golden era. If Achtung Baby was the sound of 4 men cutting down the Joshua Tree, this is them time-traveling to before the Berlin Wall fell. There are still hints of the 1990s flirtations with dance production - even punching in LMJ’s snare tone from Zooropa for Elevation - but gone are the electronic trappings and tone pieces of 93-97. Bono the singer is in exceptional form vocally throughout and the entire record is something of showcase for his range and performances. Bono the lyricist, meanwhile, returns to full messiah mode, the irony and long dark nights of the soul replaced by aphorisms. Which, whatever, spreading the gospel via more relatable, generic language is perhaps the most honest part of All That, with the rest an assembly of cynical calculation by the rock bloc (and Edge, at least according to the making-of histories). There’s worthwhile material here and in the intervening years, the attempt at a classic song (In a Little While) fits that billing. There are tracks that might’ve fit on Zooropa or enhanced POP, such as the moody back half 1-2 of When I Look at the World and New York. Alas, the bulk of the record wants to remind the world that U2 is back, accessible, sounding like their old selves. No high concepts here aside from His lord and saviour (Jesus or Bono?). Aside from a mostly failed attempt at regaining their artistic footing in 2009, this would be the template for U2 in the 21st century, no longer the band charting the sounds of the future, but instead looking to the past.
I am a fan of U2's albums up until this. This is what is sounds like when you strip out any creativity to appeal to the masses. Just a bland mess. Could not finish.
I loved reviewing War and The Joshua Tree, but I've always had a bit of negative opinion of U2's music post Achtung Baby. However, "Beautiful Day" has grown on me quite a bit over the last several years. I think I've always avoided this album because I just don't like a lot of pop rock from this era. Now that I have a bit more U2 listening expertise under my belt, maybe I'll wind up loving this! Welp, my bias for post-Achtung Baby U2 music lives to see another day. Everything That You Can't Leave Behind felt really bland and uninspired when it came to the lyrics and songwriting, and while the sound was fine, there wasn’t really anything new or novel about U2’s first album of the new millennium. Honestly, if you could send ChatGPT back to the year 2000 and make a new U2 album, this would probably be the result. Nearly everything about it is predictable, and Bono’s leaning into religious themes on this album feels like he’s giving himself a pass for not including much social critique into this album. I did enjoy a few songs on this album though. “Beautiful Day” is a blast, and feels like U2’s biggest effort on this album to do anything substantial. The drums and bass have a great pulse, and the bright and shimmering guitar is beautiful and fun. The sound of "Stuck in a Moment" was pretty good too. The vocals on the chorus have a rhythm to them that I really like, and I loved the synthesizers at the end. “Walk On” has a nice message of support for democracy and Aung San Suu Kyi, but it’s also pretty easy to stand up for someone whose false imprisonment is so blatant. There might have been some good songs later on in the album, but if there were, I didn’t notice them, because I became pretty disengaged with this after “Walk On.” I’m just glad this didn’t wind up being my final U2 album to review, and that I still have Achtung Baby left to go.
this was draggin towards the end... (2.0/5.0)
I never understood the appeal of U2 and this record did not help convince me. Even when a song starts to sound like it could be good, Bono comes on and ruins it. The dude sounds like shit. Best songs on it were just ok. Beautiful Day, Wild Honey, When I Look at the World and The Ground Beneath her Feet are the best moments but none of them are particularly great. Not a terrible listen though and I might favorite one or two of them to come back to.
Proof that going back is rare, if ever, a good thing. U2 tries to recapture the glory days of Joshua Tree and end up with an overproduced mess.
I wanted to give this a one, because I don’t like it. But I’m a sucker for a well constructed song. They have that on tap. 2 stars. This album was quite big at the time 😝
-my patience for U2 is honestly wearing a bit thin and this is probably the least enjoyable entry on this list so far… idk it just sounds. a bit bland and corny. faaaar from the worst music in the world, and i can understand the appeal. just not really for me -this record does have a few highlights tho… Elevation is a bop. never anything too horrendous -Favorites are Beautiful Day and Elevation
I feel like U2 has something to say early on, but this late stage stuff sounds like they're just still making rock n roll noses cause they're used to it.
not as good as their older stuff bit disappointing and uninspiring unfortunately :(
kinda boring
how do all but one of these songs have Wikipedia pages
I’d rather just listen to Coldplay…
Beautiful Day 2.4 Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of 2.3 Elevation 2.6 Walk On 2.2 Kite 2.3 In a Little While 2.4 Wild Honey 2.5 Peace on Earth 2.2 When I Look at the World 2.4 New York 2.5 Grace 2 Score: 2.345454545
So I'm closing in on album 1,001 +75?? (I'm at 976) and sometimes I wonder what albums are still to come. Feels like all the well known ones (and bands) have been covered. And then one like shows up and I think, oh yeah. Problem is, I was done with U2 after the 90's. I hated this album when it came out - how everyone gushed over what seemed to be bubblegum pop, especially Beautiful Day (ugh), Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of (without its video, would it have taken off?), and Walk On (aka the title track, double ugh). It's not as bad as that, or at least that's what I though after listening to these three and their fourth single Elevation (the only one I liked), which are the first four tracks. But the rest of the album is pretty pedestrian and of the 10 albums they had released to this point, it's one of their weakest. It only seems decent because they released the even weaker Pop the album prior and maybe everyone thought they were done after their greatest hits came out. Fine, they bounced back (a bit) but this album is average at best. Next. Please. And please make it a good one. Like, truly and deservedly good.
Nah
I will never understand U2’s success. The best I can say about any of there work is that it’s just there. Nondescript, if I had to pick one word. I didn’t want to listen to it, didn’t hate it while I did, and didn’t care when it was over. Well, maybe a little, because it meant I could move onto something, anything, else.
Not a fan of any of these singles, and then the rest of the album was very generic. One must like Bono's voice to like this music and that's an issue for me.
I actually really enjoy Beautiful Day and enjoy Stuck in a Moment even more, but! the problem is the whole rest of the album. It is so boring, and any punctuation is rhymey wimey.
4/10
Cut-and-paste rock-inflected pop music manufactured for the purpose of selling as many units as possible. Pure commercialism.
I am not a U2 hater actually as many seem to be cause of Bono's ego/their kind of proto coldplay style but this one definitely is not one of their best.
I got this album this morning, and then later that day got diagnosed with glaucoma. Listening to U2 was the worst part of the day.
Empalagoso
Kinda wanted to hear Beautiful Day at the end just to feel like it had got back on track, and I'm kinda sick of that song anyway.
Thoughts before listening: While I get that U2 is extremely important to rock music history, it feels like this particular album probably could have been left off. I'm sure they have plenty of albums already on the list so maybe share the love with some other bands. Review: This era of U2 is just so bland. I like their early stuff, especially the Joshua Tree, but man this album isn't doing anything for me. It starts off with 4 huge hits that were inescapable at the time....and I'm super bored hearing them today. This came out my freshman year of college and you'd think I'd have some sort of fun nostalgia around these songs...nope I'm just reminded of how much I thought this sucked back when it came out. I'll give it 2-stars.
så löjligt plain
I've forgotten every second of this album. And Pop, which I turned on the second I finished this one.
The only record I have skipped thus far doing these listens was another U2 record but I might actually try. I like "Beautiful Day" it reminds me of being a young kid and maybe 9/11? hahaha. I don't think I'll like this, but heck we're trying. "Stuck in a Moment and You Can't Get Out of It" is a song I also know, which I didn't expect. It's not the worst and it's not the best? Hahahaha it happened again I knew the song "Elevation" without knowing that I knew it before starting to listen. Now again I know the song "Walk On". I'm starting to wonder...did my dad own this record in his car or something? Overall, I don't really like U2 and still don't at the end of the record...nothing wasted except the hour I spent listening to this. lol
U2 write some good hits, but the rest of this is pretty dog. That bit when he's singing about "peeeeeaaaaccee on eeeaaaarthhh" made my skin crawl. Very wanky.
Soulless drek from a once great band...
I’ve never connected with U2’s music, no matter how catchy. This album is no different unfortunately. Happy to leave it behind.
cool look they’re in an airport
The tracks that aren't hits are middle of the road filler and highly forgettable.
Massively talented artists collecting their paycheck.
Every song on here sounds like it’s trying to be the most important song to ever be made. This version of U2 sounds too generic to me. I prefer The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby and even Zooropa and Pop, where the highs are super high, the lows are at least interesting and the hits are timeless.
Some good songs here and there but got boring very quickly
World wide pop appeal Generically bow wrapped Too cleanly produced
Didn’t love it
Kind of hate this
This is when U2 began to fall off dramatically. Elevation is a good song but the rest is corporate, hokey schlock that has hindered the band since. Such a waste.
Bullshit - why is this album on the list!!!!
I didn't really get along with this one, the lyrics were a little funky a times and some of the production was a little debatable. Just don't think this one was for me, I liked certain tracks, especially the first few, but the greater picture was missing. Favorite track: beautiful day. Overall score: 4.5/10
I am bias against U2 so I was never going to review this album well. If they are your thing, go for it. But it's not for me.
Ach, das Album. Ich erinnere mich.
Maybe I've been wrong all these years, maybe U2 really IS this powerful, creative force with interesting, memorable songs. If that's the case, this album is not a great representation of it. For me, it's boring and generic, but non-offensive. Something you'd happily listen to during a long elevator ride, perhaps. What is slightly offensive is the sheer arrogance of this group to pump out mediocre music while gaslighting people into thinking its exceptional because they say it is. From Bono "in our heads we've written 11 singles for this record". As the kids say, are the 11 singles in the room with us? They can't all be winners and I know U2 has done some things, but this one just wasn't it for me.
#479. There is probably nothing you could say or do that could convince me that U2 is worth listening to. I just found this annoying. 2/5: dumb
U2 has always struck me as way more lame than they think they are. “The Edge”? Really? That’s a lot of middling guitar for that “badass” moniker. I usually try to stick to how much I like the sound, the lyrics - but U2 annoys me. This album has very few palatable tracks and I think “New York” might be one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard. “In a Little While” with its “Beasts of Burden” rip-off lick isn’t bad and “wild honey” might actually be good - and those two save this album from the trash heap.
Nothing wrong with it. But really nothing great though. So far I would say this is the least worthy album to be on this essential listening list
I have to admit that "Beautiful Day" is a well written song that I enjoyed listening to. I didn't think I would even get that far. U2 has strayed so far from what they once were that they're just background noise. That giant residency at the Las Vegas Sphere has got to be the biggest musical event that absolutely nobody asked for. I know it wasn't this album, but when Apple forced every device they owned to get a (free!) U2 album it couldn't have been more appropriate. This is the "thing everyone has" of rock albums. It's so generic, there's barely a feeling in the whole thing. Quite literally just the first track. I can't believe the same people that wrote Joshua Tree wrote this, what a fall.
Overproduced rock with OTT lyrics - trying so (too?) hard to be soulful that it ends up being soulless and.
Beautiful Day
High school nostalgia, I will associate this album with PJ Harvey's "Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea" both have an optimistic pop sheen and stadium rock production (and both artists toured together at the time). U2 hadn't yet become a perpetual punchline although they were well on their way to becoming complacent celebrities with performative activism and albums of love songs. The first four tracks on a theoretical side A were all radio hit singles and product placed, comfortable on corporate playlists with Dido, Sting and Bon Jovi and the soundtracks of CBS sitcoms. "All That You Can't Leave Behind" was banned in Myanmar because Bono dedicated "Walk On" to dedicated to Burmese human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi, which sounds a bit convoluted because she was under house arrest. I suppose it could be about the plight of refugees, exiles, and political prisoners, but it often just sounds like a bland affirmation of "moving on," although it had a different meaning after 9/11. After getting to "Kite" I realized that the remainder of the album is a mystery to me, yet it offers no sonic innovations or surprises. Rhyming "new media" with "the big idea" is indolent. "In a Little While" does have a blues-inspired guitar and gritty vocal delivery that "elevates" it above the preceding songs. "Wild Honey" is saccharine and generic, all breezes, bees and swinging through the trees. "Peace on Earth" aspires to invigorate the album with political content but it just sounds shallow and insipid. If only lines like "Peace on Earth/Hear it every Christmas time/But hope and history won't rhyme" were more present in a song that contains this verse: "They're reading names out/Over the radio/All the folks, the rest of us/Won't get to know/Sean and Julia/Gareth, Ann and Breda/Their lives are bigger than/Any big idea." Though well-intentioned it just sounds superficial and clichéd. New York is an tuneless and meandering ode to the City that inspires countless better songwriters filled with generic statements like "in New York summers get hot" and "Irish, Italians, Jews and Hispanics/Religious nuts, political fanatics in the stew/Happily not like me and you/That's where I lost you." This is the sound of an popularly acclaimed band coasting on an established image and nostalgic fanbase. "Grace it's a name for a girl...it's also a thought that changed the world" such adolescent banality seeking to combine the poetic, philosophic and political into something profound, but just sounds smug and obvious.
Not my favorite U2 album, there are a few songs that are nice but some songs almost seem cheesy at this point. I don't think I have heard the whole thing before today and don't regret it but it's not on the same level as some of their other work.
Beautiful Day Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of Elevation Walk On Kite In a Little While
Well that was certainly some more U2.
Yeah, not much to talk about here.
'You elevate my soul / I've got no self-control / Been living like a mole now.' That's bad, as is much else here, never quite reaching the heights (and how high are those heights, really?) of 'Beautiful Day.' There appear to be authentic moments of poppy breakthrus, but they persist for even less than a chorus. 'I don't know / which way the wind will blow.' It's difficult to write that and get away with it. U2 doesn't. Their best and most soulful ('In A Little While,' by far) unfortunately can't save this album from itself, which manifests most dreadfully on 'Peace On Earth.'
2.5/5
Listened Before? N I've heard the singles from this album so many times. It's completely overplayed. That being said, it was an attempted return to their roots for U2, and I can respect that. Unfortunately for them, I'm one of the minority that liked their more experimental stuff on the previous two albums. Additionally, as a return to form, it falls flat. The messages so prevalent in their early works are missing here. These are just pop songs with less electronics. Solid "meh" on this one. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Stuck In A Moment...
Rating: 4/10 Commercialized, uninspired, and mostly boring.
U2 will have to listen to this rubbish
Boring AF
meh
Compared to their earlier work its particularly bland and uninspired. But while its not for me, I didn't completely hate it. It probably would have got a 3 until it took a turn for the worse at the very end. 'Grace' is absolutely horrendous.
Beautiful Day is always a good song... but Bono is so smugly annoying. He's like a caricature of the "Imagine" video sung by those celebrities back during covid. The rest of the album is still U2 so it's not my thing, although New York was good. Kind of pretentious
Typ erkeeksempelet på midt på treet, utrolig lite provoserende, og gir utrolig lite
1.5
Oof. Bono hasn't aged well. Some of those last tracks his vocals are way too high up in the mix and it's rough.
God I hate U2, the smug voice of Bono just really rubs me the wrong way. Everything sounds the same. Absolutely forgetabble human turd music.
U2 is in an interesting place. For the longest time, it felt like Achtung Baby was the last "classic rock album," because any later songs by other classic rock acts couldn't get airplay for even big hits on the format (looking at you, Aeorsmith). But did this album also open up the format again? Beautiful Day got so much play I just thought that it was from an earlier album, but especially after hearing How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb getting hype on stations (because classic rock radio does not hype new releases), and then hearing other new artists like Coldplay, the Goo Goo Dolls and Green Day in the rotation, U2 may be a significant factor in the broadening of the genre. I'm not a music academic, so this might be incredibly wrong, accepted fact, or something that people have written theses over. Either way, it's a band that gets a lot of hate in the "general discourse," most of which, it's pretty clear by now, is unrelated to the actual music (Bono's a bit of a prick, Apple sucks, everybody's got An Opinion on the Troubles). Anyway, none of that is about the actual album. I would actually rate it a bit below the two albums that follow it, and it's no where near their highs, but it's okay. It felt like it was just trailing off for the last half of the album. I can definitely feel the Brian Eno here, and I don't think they complement each other. I could be argued into a three on another day, but...
U2 is a band that I have always liked a few singles of, but not much more than that. This album is the purest proof I have had of that. Beautiful Day is obviously the most popular song off the album, but I honestly have never cared for it much. I'd put it as third best, behind Walk On and Kite, both of which I surprisingly enjoyed. They were the only two songs that made me nod along. As a whole, the first half is better than the second half and it is a bit dull. Some of the guitar parts are good, but otherwise I found it to be a dull album with dull lyrics and dull vocals. I'd give it a 2.5 if I could.
Average.
Really don't like this album. I remember when it came out and it got all the acclaim it got. Didn't see it then, don't see it now. Admittedly I'm not the biggest U2 fan, but even by their standards this is clearly naff right. Absolutely souless and meaningless.
Favorite Track: Beautiful Day
I am not a big fan of U2. Never was. I just listened to the beginning of some of the tracks but they just didn't do it for me.
No idea why this is on the list. It breaks no new ground. It is average by U2’s standards. Very few sons are remarkable or stick out in any way. This is a throwaway for sure.
This list really slobs the U2 knob.
The vocals on this album always sounded to me like Bono was lying in bed while recording many of these songs. Think about that while listening to this record. Once that got into my head I realized quickly that it was Bono's voice that had driven me fully away from the band. Liked their early stuff a lot, started wavering in the late 80s, but this one it sounds like Bono mailed in. I think I bought this within a day or 2 of its release. Not at all sure why, maybe I got caught up in the buzz and was bored with whatever I'd been listening to at the time and wanted to like them again, but instead I never bought another U2 album. (aside: it's a bit weird isn't it how people hate Bono the person so much... really? Fine - he can come across as pompous and all-knowing but check your fking heads - if you'll rail on him but less-so on actual shithead wankers like Lou Reed, Stephen Tyler, Roger Waters, Jimmy fucking Page, or hello Eric Clapton who are actual for-real shitty people ... that ain't right) TL;DR: Inoffensive and bland but fine. The worst is that it was a formerly excellent band signing off from a run of creativity and authenticity but honestly who cares. First few songs were big hits and that catchiness carries the day as that second half is a real rough slog to get through. In retrospect this album highlights how U2 were the blueprint for the Coldplay career path. 5/10 2 stars
I think I am perhaps poisoned by my age to be so set against U2’s music. Some catchy tunes for sure, but so corny, so sappy, I can’t bring myself to rate it highly. It all sounds like the music in the credits of a feel-good movie about a dad learning to give a shit about his kids instead of working 24/7. Were I introduced to it in its own time, perhaps I wouldn’t be so cynical.
Another album that feels like it’s been included because of the popularity and past glories of a band when the album itself is poor. When the quality of the singles is this poor the album completely struggles. At least with previous U2 albums the singles were good enough to raise the overall album. Not with this one though. Dull and bland and reflective of a band well past its best.
Trying so hard to be deep and meaningful
Ok
Aside from Beautiful Day and Elevation, there's not a lot to love here. Skipped a couple of tracks.
I'm docking Bono points just for the Mole/Hole thing. C'mon try a bit harder than that.
A thorough yawn. U2 is so successful and they are so against my musical taste that I'm almost mad about it, haha. But mostly confused. This band does not offer anything for me. Beautiful day is a good hit, +1 star.
Beautiful Day and Stuck In a Moment are fantastic. The rest of the album doesn't come close to those two. Average album at best. 2.5 stars.
Tycker inte U2 på senare år är särskilt bra.
Heartwarming. U2 invent AI-generated music 20 years before it became a thing. Psychopath music.
Ok but by then they were a shadow of their heyday
Now, one can take the viewpoint that U2 offer nothing exciting/new to the world in musicianship. That therefore leaves you only with the lyrical stylings of Nobo on which to judge their performances. On that, one may also take the viewpoint that his inevitable long screaming parts either sound like a man struggling with a difficult poo, or who has just caught their left nad on the bicycle crossbar when getting on too quickly and carelessly. Or you may have other viewpoints. On this album, I certainly can and strongly wish to leave it behind.
Tedious
Morning album with 2.5 great songs
I like U2 the band but strongly prefer the earlier output. The later material just becomes more grandiose, more melodic, and more boring. Kind of the definition of arena rock, almost as silly as a band like Coldplay. It's hard to give this anything less than three stars because the instrumentation and production is so seamless and carefully done, but overall, it's pretty boring. I guess I'm giving it two stars largely out of disappointment. They are capable of so much better!
Maybe it’s Bono. Maybe it’s me. Probably both. But U2 just doesn’t land for me, and this album didn’t change that. I went in hoping for at least one song to stand out, but nope—nothing stuck. It’s not even offensively bad, just painfully bland. The whole thing felt like background music for a car commercial. I get that people love them, but I must be missing that gene.
i’m gonna be so real u2 lemme down here. it’s gotta be a 2. still love u2, just think nothing is going on here really, sorry u2
Bland album, just a couple of iconic singles and there's that.
2.5
Bit bland, not really my cup of tea. Ps The Edge is bald, pass it on
I used to be a huge fan, from their debut to Joshua tree, all bought on vinyl on day of release. They then started to bore me an Bono become insufferable. I never bought or hardly listened to any of their releases. I hoped I may have missed something but listening to this dull flaccid awful album shows I had good judgement. A travesty to be on the top 1000, this is becoming a theme.
U2 has gotta be one of the most overrated bands of all time
Oh man. Like, come on.
Shut up man. God I really think Vertigo might be the most irritating sound on the planet. What happened to them? Early U2, while still quite annoying, at least knew their way around a banger or three, but this is just pap from start to finish.
I know what I would leave behind
Insipid, uninspired, radio-friendly drivel. Giving this a '2' because the production is good; the music is trash.
Never been much of a fan.
Wasn’t awful, but I was counting the seconds until it was over
Boring but not terrible. Beautiful Day is a top tier tune, had that on every CD mix I made back in the day. Nothing else to give this album a higher rating though.
Enjoyed the first two songs. The rest was inoffensive and dull which is the worst thing and album can be for me. Beautiful Day saved this from a 1.
2-3 good songs, but it's a dull album. Not a fan of U2. I don't think I'm their audience. Sounds more pop than Rock to me. For the couple of songs, I can give it a 2, but that's already too high for my taste.
Ehhh not my cup of tea.
bland and not musically interesting but Beautiful Day went double platinum on my iPod touch when i was 13.
Not horrible, just very lame. You really don’t have to listen to this before you die!
I hate this
Meh
Couple of good songs couple of really teeth grindingly meh ones. It's U2
If the album ended after track 4, it would be an amazing album. Unfortunately it doesn't. I'll always love you, U2, but I'll never listen to this again.
I’m not a big u2 guy. The hits off this are alright, just not really my thing
On the album's Wikipedia page, it says that this album is meant to be a return of sorts to their earlier sound, after all the dance and alternative they tried out for the entire 90's. So, as part of my listening today I also took in their album WAR, and... Man, I'unno. Even without having WAR in mind, this album just sounds kind of... Dull to my ears? Sure, it's not without its moments—"Elevate" is one of them—but on the whole it kind sounds like the stereotypical image people have of U2. Kind of a bummer to hear given how much I like THE JOSHUA TREE and enjoyed WAR, but eh. At least I've got those albums to go back to if I want the band's early sound.
I like U2 but this is boring
This album clearly inspired Coldplay to make similar bland music, and Chris Martin to be as irritating as Bono.
Bored me to tears. It all sounds the same. I thought I was going to be pleasantly surprised during the first song, but no. I had to skip the second or third song too.
Such a bunch of dreary shit.
Starts alright, then descends into bland, lazy shite.. Basically a good summary of their career
The website threw us this album right after giving us the Joshua tree yesterday, which made the decline even more obvious. I’m not gonna be arsed to listen to you if you’re not even arsed yourself, Bonehead.
the Taylor swift of rock, except Taylor swift is good at what she does.
Severe drop-off after 3 songs.
Can't even pinpoint why this feels so hollow.
abiz zu schnulzig für meinen geschmack
meh
Somewhat disappointing album overall. Some great songs, while others feel like they were mailed in. Not great U2.
I like U2 but nothin past Rattle an hum
Ngl, definitely some songs I like here. Also a lot of meh and blah ones. Typical U2 album really, solid 2.5.
Dit is zo'n ontzettend poprock album, ik vind Elevation heel grappig, want het begint als een echt rock nummer, maar dan herrinneren ze zich denk ik weer dat ze dat niet zijn en dan gaat het allemaal weer een stuk trager. Ik was geen fan van U2, ik ben geen fan van U2 en ik word geen fan van U2. The Joshua Tree en dit is voor mij allebei hetzelfde: meh. FAVO: Beautiful day, Stuck in a moment you can't get out of
Not my favorite
An altogether disappointing effort from a band that can, and has, done much better. The mix is all over the place, Bono's vocals are barely in tune and his lyrics are almost adolescent.
U2 dialing up the cheese on this one.
Listened 3/16/24. I was surprised by this one. I stopped listening to U2 back during the mid 1990s. This was not what I was expecting. I may need to give the newer stuff (ie after 1995ish) another chance.
Ugh. No.
OK, but a lot of generic U2 songs really
Some really big hits, which is not my fav U2 songs. I really wanted to like this album, but it’s pretty forgettable. There are parts that are great though. Most of the lyrics sounds like a stream of consciousness and I’m not here for it. Last song is ok