U2 appreciation thread

One of my favorite bands, of any genre, for sure.  I was big into them when I was a teenager, but they went by the wayside for a long, long time, but in the last few years, I have really gotten back into them in a big way, and I have been reminded why they were my favorite band for several years in the late 80s (before getting into Floyd, Rush, and then tons of other great music). 

I'll save the favorite songs and albums talk for now, as we don't want to give it all away at once, right?

Anyway, all U2 fans are welcome in this thread! 

Up until 1987, they were making some amazing music. Delay pedals and Eno assistance helped alter their early raw edge, but when they hit their stride, they were on fire.

Shame about their abrupt decline into techno and blustering mediocrity, though. Ouch.

I have their entire discography.  I really enjoyed their latest No Line of the Horizon.  I've never seen them live, but I do have their Rattle and Hum concert video on DVD.  I kind of go through warm and cold stages with U2.  It took me quite a while to warm up to them.  I had a co-worker about 20 years ago who really liked them, and he strongly convinced me to listen to a couple of their albums and I found them to actually be pretty good, so I went out and got my own copies. 

They lost me a bit in the 90s with their sudden turn in style, so it wasn't all me getting into other music.  I was so thrown by what they were doing, and when you combine that with all of the great music I was getting into back then, it was easy to kind of forget U2 and put them on the backburner.  However, when looking at their whole career now, albums like Zooropa and Pop have a unique charm to them.  No, they aren't as good as masterworks like Achtung Baby and The Joshua Tree, but they both have some great stuff on them.  In fact, the five post-AB U2 records all seem to be similar in this respect: 2-3 great songs, a bunch of songs that range from good to really good, and a couple of throwaways. 

I totally get why so many were put off by their sudden experimental turn in the 90s.  I mean, U2 going electronic was unheard of, and is something no one ever thought they would do, but having gone back and listened to that material a lot, it is a lot better than I originally thought, and that era produced some great, great songs - "Gone," "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me," "Zooropa," "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)," "Staring at the Sun," "Mofo," "Gone," etc.  Even a song like "Lemon," while not as great as some U2 fanatics would like us all to believe, is a good song.  I think what hurt those albums right off the bat were the fact that neither lead singles were very good; "Numb" was a neat experiment and a great idea, but its execution was a little off, and "Discotheque" is pretty mediocre. 

I also think a horrendous song like "Get On Your Boots" being the lead single from the last album was a huge mistake, too.  "Magnificent" is an instant U2 classic, and should have been the first single. 

Matthew T, I hear ya about The Edge.  I absolutely love his playing and his signature sound.  He isn't a great technical player, but who cares?  He leaves his mark on every U2 song, and his sound and style are a big reason why U2 is one of the biggest, best, and most popular rock bands ever.  That says it all.


Edited by Biff Tannen - March 08 2010 at 14:24

Biff Tannen wrote: They lost me a bit in the 90s with their sudden turn in style, so it wasn't all me getting into other music.  I was so thrown by what they were doing, and when you combine that with all of the great music I was getting into back then, it was easy to kind of forget U2 and put them on the backburner.  However, when looking at their whole career now, albums like Zooropa and Pop have a unique charm to them.  No, they aren't as good as masterworks like Achtung Baby and The Joshua Tree, but they both have some great stuff on them.  In fact, the five post-AB U2 records all seem to be similar in this respect: 2-3 great songs, a bunch of songs that range from good to really good, and a couple of throwaways.  I totally get why so many were put off by their sudden experimental turn in the 90s.  I mean, U2 going electronic was unheard of, and is something no one ever thought they would do, but having gone back and listened to that material a lot, it is a lot better than I originally thought, and that era produced some great, great songs - "Gone," "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me," "Zooropa," "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)," "Staring at the Sun," "Mofo," "Gone," etc.  Even a song like "Lemon," while not as great as some U2 fanatics would like us all to believe, is a good song.  I think what hurt those albums right off the bat were the fact that neither lead singles were very good; "Numb" was a neat experiment and a great idea, but its execution was a little off, and "Discotheque" is pretty mediocre.  I also think a horrendous song like "Get On Your Boots" being the lead single from the last album was a huge mistake, too.  "Magnificent" is an instant U2 classic, and should have been the first single.  Matthew T, I hear ya about The Edge.  I absolutely love his playing and his signature sound.  He isn't a great technical player, but who cares?  He leaves his mark on every U2 song, and his sound and style are a big reason why U2 is one of the biggest, best, and most popular rock bands ever.  That says it all.

  Totally agree about the Edge. I mentioned the lack of solos because that is his style and I like it. He has his own distinct sound and I love it too Biff.

One of the first bands I listened (and liked) whose language was not Spanish, was U2, so since I was a teenager I used to listen to some of their albums. Then, lost interest for several years, but now that old love has returned. Got a copy of "The Unforgettable Fire" recently and I've been playing it over and over for the last month, it is a fantastic album.

I love everything up to POP (included). I think Achtung Baby is one of the greatest masterpieces of its era, but in recent years I found myself listening almost completely only to their first three albums.

And to all those saying Bono is a weak/bad singer, I say "just try to do Staring At The Sun" 

First saw them as a support act back before Boy was released (which was a great album) but my interest waned with October and War. Under a Blood Red Sky is probably the album I've played the most since then.

Epignosis wrote: Love How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.  Great music. Also "Until the End of the World" is a great song.

Ugh. *dislike*

That's the only U2 album I'd say it atrocious. It's got about 2 or 3 pretty good songs, and lots of meh, and a few dear-god-what-am-i-hearings.