U2 Albums Poll

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u161/ElemonGW/Firefox%20Widgets%20Patcher/RadioButton.png none of the above

^^^ obviously more of a 'Wide Awake in America' sorta guy.

I liked "Fire" with it's live b-sides, but that was pretty much it.

war

Unforgettable Fire

tree, beeyotches

Fuck it, I'm voting for Pop. I actually think Boy and Zooropa are their most fully-realized albums, but Pop is way underrated.

I don't really like U2 that much, but Achtung Baby is one of my favorite albums. so that.

"All That You Can't Leave Behind". Better than the rest because it has the most conventional songwriting, wonderful arrangements courtesy of Daniel Lanois and some fantastically catchy choruses.

I went with Pop, because that's what I want Bono's head to do.

Plus it has some pretty good tunes.

Under A Blood Red Sky, easy.

What Chuck said

I'm most likely to pull out Zooropa or Pop these days, can't get my head around those albums... but the best, i.e. most accomplished, would be The Unforgettable Fire.

I LOVE WAR!

ATYCLB is totally conventional and boring - I am shocked that anyone would say that was the best U2 album, unless it were the first one they ever heard.

"One" has totally lost its effect, but Achtung Baby is still the most powerful album for me.

ATYCLB is totally conventional and boring

Conventional and great, that is. It is their best because it was so obviously influence by Britpop, which was in turn the best thing to happen to music for ages.

And they have never written better tunes, as in good tunes that work as catchy singalongs. Just as good songs and good music should be.

i'm going to vote for the joshua tree. war is the sentimental favourite, but i do consider the old josh tree to be the best one. it's simply designed to be played from track one all the way through. no other U2 records compel me not to skip certain tracks. certainly not the overblown achtung baby, which props its triumphant, stronger numbers up with featherlight excursions in mediocrity ('so cruel' et al)

Better than the rest because it has the most conventional songwriting,

i thought ATYCLB was quite bland and tepid at the time. for a supposed anthem, beautiful day was really restrained. there were a few nice songs like wild honey on it though.

I've only heard half of these but it'd be between The Unforgettable Fire and War. Used to love Achtung Baby but Charlie Howard's right about the filler on it.

Achtung Baby is the one that has aged the worst for me. Unforgettable Fire has always been my favorite. 2nd is proably All That You Can't Leave Behind, that was remarkably strong. Too bad their best song of the last 10 years, Window In The Skies, is only on a greatest hits record.

First vote for Boy! All downhill from there for me.

i too voted for "boy". great cover, great album.

And they have never written better tunes, as in good tunes that work as catchy singalongs

I've have to try and listen again, if I can bear it. I look for much the same thing. "Beautiful Day" grabbed me immediately - I thought it was potentially their best song in almost a decade - but the only other song that ever caught my attention was "Stuck in a Moment," and that really only because I liked the video. The best albums, for me, are ones that continue to "reveal" themselves over time. I can't remember the name of another song on the album, let alone sing anything else on it.

(Similarly this is why Unforgettable Fire doesn't do it for me. "Bad" and the other singles are world-beaters, but then there's a bunch of atmospheric stuff, which I like but which don't "compete" with pop/rock "songs".)

the final mix on those ATYCLB tracks is awful: flat, compressed within an inch of its life.

The only mixes by U2 that I really don't like is the early Steve Lillywhite productions. I love the airy sound on whatever Daniel Lanois has produced.

Btw. I have never understood the teaming up of Eno/Lanois/Lillywhite. Basically, the previous two stands for everything Lillywhite doesn't. With Lillywhite, I think of a very tight "wall of sound", mixed close to mono, lots of reverb on the vocals and with the vocals way low in the mix (sometimes even overshadowed by their own reverb).
As with the two others: Airy, lots of space, very wide stereo mix, some reverb on the instruments, but always tastefully done and never overshadowing everything, but rather just increasing the feeling of air and space.

The stuff Lillywhite has worked together with the other two on has sounded like Eno/Lanois and very little Lillywhite for me, so it seems Lillywhite didn't have much input. So, exactly what did he actually do on albums such as "The Joshua Tree" and "All That You Can't Leave Behind"?

Boy! All downhill from there for me.

it's all downhill after the first 30-45 seconds of "i will follow."

All these years I had it in my head that Achtung, Baby was my favourite U2 album, then i saw this poll, actually sat down and thought about it and listened again to a bunch of stuff from across their career, and I ended up voting for Unforgettable Fire. And considering how much I rediscovered Under A Blood Red Sky, it's possible Achtung... may not even manage second place now.

it's all downhill after the first 30-45 seconds of "i will follow."

― tipsy mothra, Thursday, January 8, 2009 12:08 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

no way bridge is best part

your eyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyes make a circle

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

ATYCLB is totally conventional and boring - I am shocked that anyone would say that was the best U2 album, unless it were the first one they ever heard.

lol i love how Geir can come onto a thread and people will STILL act shocked like they've never read any of his posts before EVER...Geir it's a wonderful & dangerous gift you possess...

it's all downhill after the first 30-45 seconds of "i will follow."

― tipsy mothra, Thursday, January 8, 2009 6:08 AM (3 days ago)

Are there any other non-live singles IN THE WORLD wherein the singer shouts the title as the song starts as in
I WILL FOLLOW?

Didn't realize that there's a two-disc version of Under A Blood Red Sky out. Going to have to pick it up...

Would've voted for The Passengers project if it was up, so going for Achtung Baby instead.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

All That You Can't Leave Behind 2
Rattle & Hum 1
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb 1

These votes should have gone to October, looks good otherwise.

I pronounce this poll a success.

Happy to see "Zooropa" getting only six and "Pop" only three votes. Seems like the lurkers are more sensible than the typical ILM anti-rockists. Even if ATYCLB should have had way more votes, the three albums on top are still all among the best U2 albums.

Achtung Baby is nowhere near their best record.

haha yes it is

I voted for Zooropa, happy to see a decent placement here. I dug Achtung Baby's sound but holy shit those lyrics. I know, my fault for listening to lyrics.

Who's the Rattle and Hum apologist?

No idea. "Rattle & Hum" sucks dog shit.

Geir, are you sure non-professional singers should be opening their mouths? Think of the potential damage!

As far as that goes, Bono himself is hilariously off the mark on Boy, as I recall from the last time I played it.

Retarded results, obviously, but it's kind of interesting that October got zero votes (considering I bet it's probably the second favorite album of at least some people for whom Boy or War is the favorite. Unless it isn't. I'd probably put it in the top five, myself.)

1981 Pazz & Jop, Boy beat it by 20 places:

http://robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres81.php

21, whatever.

shit, i'd put their 3 '90s ones as the top 3, w/passengers an honorary 4th place. i am a rattle & hum apologist but i couldn't really bring myself to ever vote for it in any poll at this point.

In a perfect world The Joshua Tree wouldn't have a horrifyingly dull second half and it would be the best album here; many of the others are very good (or, in the cases of Boy and War, excellent) but they don't have the same level of synergy as Achtung, Baby or the first half of The Joshua Tree.

Rattle and Hum is a bag of sick.

like you don't rock 'van dieman's land' at karaoke every chance you get

thank fuck someone mentioned passengers

it has by far the best U2 material I've ever heard on it, even if I've only heard ONE of the polled albums all the way through (ATYCLB)

united colours of plutonium, always forever now, miss sarajevo and especially YOUR BLUE ROOM >>>>>> any other U2 song i've heard

Who's the Rattle and Hum apologist?

XD

oh god

Rattle and Hum is a bag of sick.

^^^^^^^^^^

but the best, i.e. most accomplished, would be The Unforgettable Fire.

even "elvis presley & america"?!?

(nb: i like the unforgettable fire too)

NO!!! Unforgettable Fire is one of the best records of all time! You people are RONG RONG RONG to put it at #2.

I love Elvis Presley & America, too. Hell, I love that one especially. More than I did when it came out.

See an interesting, fun thing you can do is listen to that track "Wire" on there and think about the band Wire at the same time. They were bursting with full-on Eno-coolness.

Would have added another vote for War, and no, October nowhere near my second fave... probably ties with Pop or Rattle and Hum for me near the bottom...