Every U2 Album, Ranked From Worst to Best (Part 2)
Sifting through the legendary band's discog.
In this post, I’ll continue my journey through U2’s discography as I rank every studio album from worst to best. This portion of that countdown is the second of three parts, the last of which will be published in the coming weeks.
If you missed Part 1 of the U2 discography ranking, I’d recommend starting there before continuing past that divider line. Also, a quick callout to share and subscribe to the newsletter if you’re enjoying the content and want to help grow this fantastic online community of music savants.
Let’s go:
10. No Line on the Horizon (2009)
This record was initially pretty divisive. Some publications heralded it as an instant classic, while others described it as undercooked (to put it charitably). Overall, it’s an interesting period for the band, partly because I’m not sure fans and casual music consumers alike could articulate what they wanted from a new U2 album.
After a strong start, that ambivalence showed up in the LP's sales numbers, which fell well short of those of its two immediate predecessors. I think this is an important distinction because, at times, you can hear Bono and company chasing the commercial success they’d enjoyed up to that point and dropping the ball in the process.
For example, “Get On Your Boots” is a thinly veiled attempt to recapture some of that “Vertigo” crossover magic, while “I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight” is a riff on their turn-of-the-century soul material. Some other strong moments are scattered throughout this tracklist, including “Magnificent” and “Breathe.” That said, there’s too much copy-pasting going on sonically for anything to be memorable.
A positive, though: This album was supported by the record-setting U2 360 tour, which grossed $736 million in global ticket sales.
9. Pop (1997)
When I first heard this record, I remember being disappointed. Not because the material here is uniformly lackluster—some songs are genuinely intriguing and exciting—but because there’s an almost constant hint at a much better album hidden under all the schlock.
Pop gets saddled with the reputation of being U2’s “dance record,” but I’m not sure that’s an apt description. Most tracks geared for repeated club plays are full of hooky moments that immediately suck you onto the dancefloor. For the most part, this LP is content to keep the listener at arm's length, sometimes purposely skirting opportunities to, ironically, craft massive pop anthems.
The highlights are quite impressive, however. “Mofo,” “Discotheque,” and even elements of “Miami” deserve better supporting material. In a perfect world, they’d have a stronger foothold in the band’s touring playlists in recent years. Unfortunately, hackneyed choices, like on “The Playboy Mansion,” water down the listening experience.
Also, a sidebar: Does any U2 fan actually take this seriously as a parody of club/excess culture? It’s not like the band would seriously consider throwing in the political activism towel to let loose in the club, which means the premise isn’t all that believable as a joke, either. Maybe I’m overthinking it, but that ideological throughline kept nagging at me while revisiting this one.
8. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004)
Uno, dos, tres, bad Spanish translation!
Sorry. I had to.
Anyway, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb was a critical and commercial hit, believe it or not. It sold over 9 million copies worldwide, was responsible for eight Grammy wins for the group between 2005 and 2006, and was named the best album of 2004 by publications like USA Today and the New York Times. The supporting Vertigo tour, which spanned 131 shows around the world, brought in nearly $400 million at the box office.
That means it should be a great sonic experience, right? The answer is more complicated than that. U2’s singles tend to be well-chosen and, in this LP’s case, conjure up rosier memories of an inexplicably bloated tracklist, particularly in the second half. I can’t deny that “Vertigo” and “City of Blinding Lights” are slam-dunk stadium-sized anthems. Even a cut like “Love and Peace or Else” is better than I remembered.
But from “A Man and a Woman” on, it sounds like the band is on autopilot. You have to wonder if they were padding the album’s runtime a bit years before that practice became much more commonplace in the streaming era.
To summarize, this record marks the beginning of the “it’s fine” era of U2.
7. All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000)
Let me ask the question that’s been gnawing at me up front: Is this the last great U2 album?
All the signifiers support the answer being a “yes.” There has been a generally positive critical response, over 12 million copies have been sold to date, and the tour was the top-grossing tour of 2001. But if you break this LP down track by track, I can’t help but wonder if it’s also the start of the band’s decline into the corporate AOR murk it currently floats in.
I went back and forth on where to place this record on this list because there are some genuine triumphs here, especially in the quieter moments. “Stuck in a Moment” and “Wild Honey” are soulful pop cuts that make me wish they’d do a full-on R&B record someday. It would suit Bono’s sensibility as he’s gotten older, too.
“Beautiful Day” and “Walk On” are fine, I guess? They’re also solid singles but cheesy to the point of being inextricable from that distinction now. When they first came out, I’m sure I felt differently, especially about the former, but after being the music bed for an untold number of advertising campaigns, they’ve worn out their welcome for me.
Oh, a few words about “Elevation” before we move on—it still kicks ass, too.
6. Boy (1980)
I’ll give U2 this: They burst onto the 80s alternative rock scene almost fully formed with Boy.
I give this record the nod over the few that have come before it in this post because of how exciting it sounds to this day. There’s an urgency in their arrangements and energy that have all but evaporated from their discography, which is why this album, perhaps more than any other, reinforces how arresting those beginnings were.
The track everyone will likely remember from this LP is “I Will Follow,” a classic rock radio staple in my hometown growing up. The opening guitar riff that gives way to Larry Mullin Jr.'s huge-sounding tom hits—all exquisite as far as vibes go. But the quality goes far deeper than simply the one single.
“Out of Control,” with its gonzo guitars and pounding rhythm, is a slept-on standout, while “An Cat Dubh” is a love song—well, maybe more of a lust song—that pulses with the kind of passion that reminds you why 20-year-old Bono’s persona was so compelling, to begin with. Some of the middle portion sags, but I chalk that up more to a band finding its footing to laziness or apathy.
Overall, it's a much stronger listen than I’ve given it credit for over the years.
I worked for U2 while at Island Publicity and Bono was super nice to everybody. Have a good story or two to tell and a nice photo someone took at the pier gig on the Hudson River during the War Tour '83 mullet still in effect! I remember back in the FM radio days when the concert announcer on the radio said when they played the Ritz on their first tour - "The Teardrop Explodes and U2..." and then he laughed. Old days when rock was still young, and we actually listened to records front to back. Who don't I know?
In of itself, think “Discotechque” is a fantastic song. Is it a fantastic U2 song? I dunno. But the nothing on rest of the record hits that same high.
It’s telling that the second I read “I WIll Follow” in your piece, I had the song in my head. 44 years on, and it was right there. I can’t say that about anything on Pop.