Jase on U2

Pop

With Pop, U2 embraces dance music and electronica. The album's production is fantastic, with rich layers and catchy beats. The songwriting isn't as strong here as it was in the past, however. "Miami" is annoying, and "The Playboy Mansion" seems a bit too coy for Bono. Still, many of the album's tracks are infectious, "Staring at the Sun" being my favorite.

Zooropa

This has got to be one of the most under-rated albums of all time. The band practically recorded this album in the middle of the Zoo TV tour, and while it doesn't sound as polished as their other albums, it features tunes that will stick in your mind for days. From the atmospheric "Zooropa" to the groovy "Some Days Are Better Than Others", U2 experiments with different techniques. Not everybody liked The Edge's distorted vocals on "Numb" or Bono's falsetto on "Lemon", but I find the group's experimentation a breath of fresh air. (I could do without Johnny Cash's laughable vocal track on "The Wanderer", however.)

Achtung Baby

The band's first regular album since The Joshua Tree is a near-perfect album with great production, songwriting, and performances. I'm not really one for guitar solos, but "The Fly" features a a fantastic solo by The Edge that blows me away every time I listen to it. Although The Joshua Tree featured better individual songs, I think that Achtung Baby is a more cohesive release. I think that it is a better album, as far as that is concerned, and it's my favorite by U2. My favorite song here is "Ultraviolet".

Rattle and Hum

High on the success of The Joshua Tree, U2 decided to film a movie of their concert tour, record some new songs, and release a double album of live tracks and new studio tracks. The result is the disjointed and overly-long album Rattle and Hum. This was when the band embraced the blues, which I never thought that they did very well. The new tracks on the album are mostly good, especially "All I Want Is You", but some are boring and the live tracks kind of muddy the album.

Included here are live covers of The Beatles' "Helter Skelter" and Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower". (Bob Dylan and B.B. King also play with the band on the album.) One of my favorite tracks here is "God Part II", a sort of follow-up to John Lennon's "God".

The Joshua Tree

What can you say about one of the greatest albums ever made? I don't think there is anyone who hasn't heard the first three tracks of the album, and very few who don't like them. While most of the good songs are packed in the front, and the album loses steam toward the end, it remains an enjoyable listen from front to back.

...with one exception, that is... I have never liked and will never like "Bullet the Blue Sky". The band seems to love the song (it's always played in concert), and many fans at least act like they like it. I think the song is grating and obnoxious (especially the "one hundred! two hundred!" part). Please don't e-mail me and tell me how stupid I am because I don't like the song. I have found peace with the skip button on my CD player.

Wide Awake in America

This short E.P. features two live tracks and two studio songs. The live version of "Bad" is pretty good, but overall this release is nothing special.

The Unforgettable Fire

With their first effort with the Eno/Lanois production team, U2 adopts a somewhat more folksy approach to their music. The result is a strong album with a slick production. The collaboration with the producers would yield better results in the future, but this album showed a new refinement for the band. My favorite here is "MLK".

Under a Blood Red Sky

This live release is mostly uneventful, but it's good to hear the band play live.

War

This 1983 release showed the world the great promise that U2 had. The album is a gritty rock album with great tracks like "New Years Day", "Sunday Bloody Sunday", and "Two Hearts Beat as One". The group started re-inventing itself after this album, so if you want the best album the features U2's "early" sound, pick this one up.

October

U2's sophomore release is somewhat tedious and mostly forgettable. Aside from "Gloria", most of the songs aren't memorable.

Boy

U2's debut album is a good rock album. It's interesting to listen to Boy and one of the group's later albums and note the differences. "I Will Follow" is, of course, a U2 classic. My favorite here is "An Cat Dubh", although I have no idea what that means.

Zoo TV Live From Sydney (video)

This video captures the radically different Zoo TV tour on its stop in Sydney, Australia. The video captures the images and sounds of the show pretty effectively, but fails to capture the excitement of the crowd (especially at the beginning). The best part of the show is when the band leaves the glitzy main stage for a smaller one out in the crowd.