I have to admit I’m flummoxed at all the people (both here in EONS-land and out there in the real world) who jumped the U2 ship at The Joshua Tree. I’m giving them a complete free pass into any Hall of Fame from inception through Achtung Baby.
There are obviously a ton of great tunes on Joshua Tree but for me that's the album where the balance between soaring anthems and the edgier rockers tips more towards the cheese side. Same thing with Achtung Baby.
I’ve always admired Edge’s ability to paint the corners. His guitar frames a portrait; Bono’s lyrics & melody give it form. Adam & Larry grant each song grace to bang you over the head, or tug on your heartstrings. I asked a friend of mine if U2 hit the mark for him. Without hesitation, he said, “Don’t I have two hands & a heart?”. The kids call that “a vibe”. That’s what I call a classic.
I know you're a big U2 fan, Ed. So your eloquence in describing the band comes as no surprise. I'm with you on Bono and Edge. However, I don't think even the members of Adam and Larry's immediate family would give them as much credit as you do. That's okay, though. I have a blindspot for certain bands, too. For me, U2 lost the thread somewhere in the mid-90s, periodically returned to it over the next 15-20 years and then sort of became a caricature of themselves. Would I go to a U2 show today if I had the opportunity? Of course! Because the magic of those formative years still remains.
I really love this album! I was a U2 fanatic until Joshua Tree that was for some reason an album I could not get into and lost interest in them ever since but this album and the video of Gloria ( shot on a barge if I remember) was what got me into the band
Mitch states "I loved Boy and War (you can file October under “sophomore slump defined”); I was a diehard through The Unforgettable Fire; I started to lose interest with The Joshua Tree; and by the time of Pop and Bongo’s “MacPhisto” character I actively disliked them." He is reading my mind. U2 playing at the RAT in Kenmore, cool. Playing a large arena - where I saw them - *yawn*. Good pick, but not worthy of enshrinement.
What a beautifully written review, Don! I think you've captured it absolutely perfectly. And Mitch, thanks for the pachinko throwback. But Ken -- I'm with you. Joshua Tree is still terrific. Also, I leave this here for no particular reason: I recently heard someone describe hipsters as people who like things until others discover them. Nerds, however, are people who like them regardless of what anyone else thinks.
One of my musical mysteries is how how much I like Brian Eno alone and as a producer with the Talking Heads, and how much I like early U2 before Brian Eno. The combination, though, leaves me angry at best and dead inside at worst. Why did these artists not work together in a way that pleased me?
Fortunately, this does not matter since we are talking about U2 before Eno when they were awesome. Now I need to track down the concert footage from Red Rocks...seeing anything there is on my bucket list already.
Great pick guys. Nice to see consensus for a change!
When is the last time you went to a concert that was 35 minutes? And this doesn’t count an opening band’s set.
Does this even count as an album or is it an EP. To me a live album should capture the experience of going to a live concert with all of its highlights and warts.
This brings up an interesting question - should a live album contain: A) songs from a complete single concert, B) an edited version of a single concert or C) a compilation of songs from different concerts?
A is probably unrealistic just due to the length and needing to edit down the length of the concert - well at least if physical medium is being used - but in the era of streaming we are no longer limited to the length of an album, cassette tape or CD/DVD.
B is more realistic, but from a commercial standpoint the band is probably more interested in pulling in the better versions of songs - so they probably prefer C in that regard - in either case with B and C we lose continuity between songs - and with C we now introduce different audiences sometimes different venues/locations and different vibes.
Goose played a great version of "Echo of a Rose" on 4/22/23 that was 44:24 - longer than this whole album!
I like full shows, but that's how you end up suffering through "Little Red Rooster" and "Johnny Be Goode". Nothing wrong with a good compilation of highlights from a tour or a run. The old Dick's Picks vs. Road Trips argument.
it was such a cultural moment, it's a memory universally embraced by those of us who were at a certain age at the time -- an unusual choice for EONS since there's very little to dislike about the album itself, even the length was probably a blessing from the standpoint it would not have been better with more filler.
still, the best U2 live performance for me that can never be topped was halftime at superbowl36, the first major "event" after 9/11, when they brought the entire crowd and global audience together for a performance that truly soared
I have to admit I’m flummoxed at all the people (both here in EONS-land and out there in the real world) who jumped the U2 ship at The Joshua Tree. I’m giving them a complete free pass into any Hall of Fame from inception through Achtung Baby.
There are obviously a ton of great tunes on Joshua Tree but for me that's the album where the balance between soaring anthems and the edgier rockers tips more towards the cheese side. Same thing with Achtung Baby.
YES.
I’ve always admired Edge’s ability to paint the corners. His guitar frames a portrait; Bono’s lyrics & melody give it form. Adam & Larry grant each song grace to bang you over the head, or tug on your heartstrings. I asked a friend of mine if U2 hit the mark for him. Without hesitation, he said, “Don’t I have two hands & a heart?”. The kids call that “a vibe”. That’s what I call a classic.
I know you're a big U2 fan, Ed. So your eloquence in describing the band comes as no surprise. I'm with you on Bono and Edge. However, I don't think even the members of Adam and Larry's immediate family would give them as much credit as you do. That's okay, though. I have a blindspot for certain bands, too. For me, U2 lost the thread somewhere in the mid-90s, periodically returned to it over the next 15-20 years and then sort of became a caricature of themselves. Would I go to a U2 show today if I had the opportunity? Of course! Because the magic of those formative years still remains.
Larry & Adam are so invisible that nobody even mentioned that Larry is on IR and didn't play at the Sphere with them last year.
I really love this album! I was a U2 fanatic until Joshua Tree that was for some reason an album I could not get into and lost interest in them ever since but this album and the video of Gloria ( shot on a barge if I remember) was what got me into the band
Mitch states "I loved Boy and War (you can file October under “sophomore slump defined”); I was a diehard through The Unforgettable Fire; I started to lose interest with The Joshua Tree; and by the time of Pop and Bongo’s “MacPhisto” character I actively disliked them." He is reading my mind. U2 playing at the RAT in Kenmore, cool. Playing a large arena - where I saw them - *yawn*. Good pick, but not worthy of enshrinement.
I have stated that first sentence almost verbatim.
What a beautifully written review, Don! I think you've captured it absolutely perfectly. And Mitch, thanks for the pachinko throwback. But Ken -- I'm with you. Joshua Tree is still terrific. Also, I leave this here for no particular reason: I recently heard someone describe hipsters as people who like things until others discover them. Nerds, however, are people who like them regardless of what anyone else thinks.
I'm still punk! I mutter to myself while searching for my glasses to read the back of the aspirin bottle.
One of my musical mysteries is how how much I like Brian Eno alone and as a producer with the Talking Heads, and how much I like early U2 before Brian Eno. The combination, though, leaves me angry at best and dead inside at worst. Why did these artists not work together in a way that pleased me?
Fortunately, this does not matter since we are talking about U2 before Eno when they were awesome. Now I need to track down the concert footage from Red Rocks...seeing anything there is on my bucket list already.
Great pick guys. Nice to see consensus for a change!
When is the last time you went to a concert that was 35 minutes? And this doesn’t count an opening band’s set.
Does this even count as an album or is it an EP. To me a live album should capture the experience of going to a live concert with all of its highlights and warts.
This brings up an interesting question - should a live album contain: A) songs from a complete single concert, B) an edited version of a single concert or C) a compilation of songs from different concerts?
A is probably unrealistic just due to the length and needing to edit down the length of the concert - well at least if physical medium is being used - but in the era of streaming we are no longer limited to the length of an album, cassette tape or CD/DVD.
B is more realistic, but from a commercial standpoint the band is probably more interested in pulling in the better versions of songs - so they probably prefer C in that regard - in either case with B and C we lose continuity between songs - and with C we now introduce different audiences sometimes different venues/locations and different vibes.
That being said, 35 minutes is a fucking joke
Goose played a great version of "Echo of a Rose" on 4/22/23 that was 44:24 - longer than this whole album!
I like full shows, but that's how you end up suffering through "Little Red Rooster" and "Johnny Be Goode". Nothing wrong with a good compilation of highlights from a tour or a run. The old Dick's Picks vs. Road Trips argument.
This makes me happy. Love the album. Nice to see you all agree for a change. I hate it when Mom and Dad fight.
it was such a cultural moment, it's a memory universally embraced by those of us who were at a certain age at the time -- an unusual choice for EONS since there's very little to dislike about the album itself, even the length was probably a blessing from the standpoint it would not have been better with more filler.
still, the best U2 live performance for me that can never be topped was halftime at superbowl36, the first major "event" after 9/11, when they brought the entire crowd and global audience together for a performance that truly soared