B-Sides Rate a band: U2

[Bowski]

I cant think of a more prominent yet divisive band.I love them but i know many who hate them.Is it because of the music or their dislike of Bono? i can see them being held in higher esteem than the Beatles when one of them die -heaven forbid- i know alot of people will disagree with that,please do.

 

[wally funk]

love u2, most of the 90's stuff and a fair bit of the 80's. all you cant leave behind is pretty damn awesome too, and love their crazy mid-90's collaboration with brian eno ('passengers', the album that spawned miss sarajevo)

 

[finrod]

Hmmmm, I think this thread has been done before, but here's my view anyway....

U2 were the first band I ever got into in a big way, before I discovered that there was more music out there than just top 40 chart stuff. I think Achtung Baby was the 2nd CD I ever bought, and I still reckon its up there with my best albums. Then I got into their back catalogue. My favourites would be The Unforgettable Fire and War. I liked the Joshua Tree when I got it but now I can't stand it.... it just seems too "clean" compared to their other stuff. I have mixed feelings about Rattle and Hum... some great moments, some pathetic. Zooropa is a very good experimental album that I think in some ways predated some of Radiohead's music. Every U2 album after Zooropa is shyte IMO, especially the most recent two. Yes I do think U2 will be remembered as one of the great bands, but perhaps not as universally as say the Beatles.

My top/favourite U2 tunes (in order)....

New Year's Day
The Unforgettable Fire
Gloria
An Cat Dubh / Into the Heart
Lemon
Heartland
Your Blue Room (off the "Passengers" album)
Until the End of the World
Even better than the real thing

 

[ManWithNoName]

I hate, loathe and despise them. And to this day I'm not sure why. I think it's Bono.

 

[monty1104]

They are good, but their music is getting progressively worse.

1980-1990 greatest hits is one of the best albums I own
1990-2000 greatest hits has some memorable songs (miss sarajevo, one), but some not so great songs (discotheque, hold me, thrill me, kiss me, kill me).

Vertigo is a crap song.

 

[SunKing]

Very good band in the 80's although a little overrated (Smiths and REM were superior) Some of their early stuff is great-New Years Day and Gloria for eg are excellent earthy rock tracks. The expansive rock on The Joshua Tree was even better but once you get to crap like Lemon it's mostly downhill. The only recent highlight was the glorious Beautiful Day.

 

[mr_cellotape]

Ugh. I respect them, but I'd rather stab myself with sharp objects than listen to their music.

 

[Bomber32]

I like most of their 80's to early 90's stuff. They were never the same after Zooropa, which I thought was terrible.

 

[Crissy_v]

10/10


Have been around consitantly pumping out the hits for 30 years now and have done it with the same four guys. Have slightly changed their image and music over time which is a must if your gonna survive long in the business. Their last and first album arent that great but with so many studio albums one **** up every now and agin is expected. I'd say the greatest band ever(keep in mind there are other bands who's music I think is better ie. Mars Volta etc, but the impact these guys have had is astounding). I have all 13 of their albums and all have at least 2 or 3 decent songs, of course the Joshua Tree and Actung Baby just rock the world though, and I like Zooroopa and Pop, something a bit different.

 

[CURVE]

Ugh. I respect them, but I'd rather stab myself with sharp objects than listen to their music.

Agree, although I'm not sure if I can respect them, especially Bono. Can't stand him.

 

[wally funk]

Agree, although I'm not sure if I can respect them, especially Bono. Can't stand him.

this is in regards to his outspokeness regarding third world poverty and the like?

 

[SunKing]

this is in regards to his outspokeness regarding third world poverty and the like?

Yeah he's a bastard isn't he?
Even though I'm not a huge U2 fan I have respect for Bono and what he's doing.

 

[wally funk]

yeah i think what he does is great, he's not too over the top or in your face about it. however, i try not to think about these sorts of things when i'm listening to their music (although obviously sometimes thats hard to avoid). i do like to appreciate their music without having to take into account their political/religious motivations and such.

 

[CURVE]

this is in regards to his outspokeness regarding third world poverty and the like?

Not really. I commend him for all his efforts in that regard, although I think he hasn't done as much as Bob Geldof to bring it to my attention. In part that could be because I ignore him whenever I see him on TV or in the papers. My lack of respect has to do with the way he presents himself, all 'whollier than God', when in fact all his is, is a rich w***er with a conscience.

 

[Fossie 32]

8/10

Their best is brilliant - maybe 10 songs. New Year's Day, The Sweetest Thing, Bullet The Blue Sky, One, Mysterious Ways, Sunday Bloody Sunday........... After that not too great - nothing like Beatles class. [But nice to see an Irish group do well.]

I don't care if Bono is a rich 'guy' with a conscience, and 'holier than thou' he is trying to do some good, so good on him.

 

[retroparty]

They're alright. Sweetest thing and One are good songs

 

[Arcadion]

The greatest...

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me, Window In The Skies, One, Pride, Walk On, Out Of Control, Gloria, New Years Day, With Or Without You, One, Angel Of Harlem, Lemon, Staring At The Sun, Sweetest Thing, Vertigo, Electrical Storm, the list is endless.

They go alright live too:

[YOUTUBE]uDkBzkA9L4s[/YOUTUBE]

I find it strange how people rate bands based on the personality of a member rather than the actual music

 

[wally funk]

you must really like one, you listed it twice mate

 

[scooterb]

Their music is rubbish.

 

[monty1104]

you must really like one, you listed it twice mate

It actually is that good though. Look at most lists of songs from the 90's, One will be second behind Smells like Teen Spirit maybe 95% of the time.

 

[bobo99]

u2 are a great band haveheard them since 1983 most of there songs are great

 

[TigerFan]

I think they've dropped the ball a bit in recent times. Vertigo was a crap song, and that collaboration with Green Day was bloody awful.

that said, I think their best stuff has come when they've drifted into electro-pop. songs like Even Better than the Real Thing, Mysterious Ways, Elevation and, of course, Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me are particular standouts.

that doesn't mean they all make my list of U2 favourites though

Favourite U2 Songs (in order):

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
Where The Streets Have No Name
Mysterious Ways
The Sweetest Thing
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Stuck in a Moment...
With or Without You
Desire
Miss Sarajevo
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own

they're the defining band of our generation, really. bands have risen and fallen, come and gone (Nirvana, Oasis and Radiohead for example), but U2 have been always been the constant. naturally, the 'flavour of the month' bands will always be held in a higher regard at the time, but I think when we look in 50 years, U2 will be the band that we remember from the MTV generation...

and that's why there isn't a better band in the world

 

[monty1104]

I think they've dropped the ball a bit in recent times. Vertigo was a crap song, and that collaboration with Green Day was bloody awful.

that said, I think their best stuff has come when they've drifted into electro-pop. songs like Even Better than the Real Thing, Mysterious Ways, Elevation and, of course, Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me are particular standouts.

that doesn't mean they all make my list of U2 favourites though

Favourite U2 Songs (in order):

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
Where The Streets Have No Name
Mysterious Ways
The Sweetest Thing
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Stuck in a Moment...
With or Without You
Desire
Miss Sarajevo
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own

they're the defining band of our generation, really. bands have risen and fallen, come and gone (Nirvana, Oasis and Radiohead for example), but U2 have been always been the constant. naturally, the 'flavour of the month' bands will always be held in a higher regard at the time, but I think when we look in 50 years, U2 will be the band that we remember from the MTV generation...

and that's why there isn't a better band in the world

Even though Nirvana werent around for very long, they will go down as the most influential band of our generation.

 

[Bernie L]

Well, have followed these guys for about 28 years now. ****ing brilliant!!!
True that their stuff in the last 10 years is not as good as their stuff before then, but still the leading band in the world now!!!
They have just pumped out great songs for nealry 30 years.
Got over 300 bootlegs and 60 dvd's. Some might call me obsessed!
Best songs in no particular order -
Bad
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue sky
One
Electrical Storm
An Cat Dubh
New Years Day
Until the end of the world
Mysterious Ways

Shit, I could go on and on.
****ing brilliant live too.

 

[whythelongface]

Boy, October and War are all brillant. Since then they have been ok.