Every U2 Album, Ranked From Worst to Best (Part 3)

Counting down the band's Top 5 LPs.

In this post, I’ll wrap up my ranking of every U2 studio album from worst to best by counting down their Top 5 LPs. Trust me when I say that the end of this list takes a couple of turns some of you may not expect. I hesitate to position that as a trigger warning, but there you go.

If you missed Part 1 or Part 2 of this discography ranking, I encourage you start with those before scrolling past the divider line here. Also, feel free to check out the Coldplay and Bob Marley (in two parts) discog rankings I published earlier in 2024.

Finally, a quick reminder to share and subscribe to the newsletter if you’re willing to help grow this fantastic online community of music lovers.

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Let’s go:

5. Zooropa (1993)

After the commercial heights of The Joshua Tree and the seismic reinvention that was Achtung Baby, U2 got even weirder with Zooropa.

Released during the last gasps of rock’s grunge-centric era, this record is notable for its restraint. It revisits many of the same themes and aesthetics as Achtung Baby but dials back the intensity to nearly a whisper. The more subtle the construction, the stronger certain individual moments become.

Take “Numb” as an example. It’s heavily influenced by Nine Inch Nails, except for the soft bedside manner Bono applies to his vocal performance. It’s an odd detour for a band who, by that point, was primarily known for writing large-scale rock bangers, but, as with “Lemon” and “Daddy’s Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car,” those digressions become sublime gems in their discography.

Writing for the New York Times, Jon Parales noted that the songs that make up Zooropa “seem destined not for stadiums ... but for late-night radio shows and private listenings through earphones.” By focusing on the micro, the group created the most underrated album in their studio catalog.

4. War (1983)

War hits my alternative rock sweet spot so thoroughly that I was tempted to burn all fan expectations to the ground and rank this record as their best, period. Sadly, I didn’t have the guts to do so.

What I will say is this LP stands out as the moment when the band went from solid-to-good indie outfit to great arena headliners. These songs are politically tinged rock that doesn’t overstay its welcome or seem disingenuous from a fist-in-the-air, fight-the-power emotional standpoint. Similar words may ring hollow coming from Bono now, but it was the opposite back then. It struck a chord.

Maybe this album is best viewed through the lens of Bono’s performance more generally. He sounds angrier but of a clearer mind and more passionate disposition. His songwriting hits all the right emotional notes, and I’m including his ballads in there, too. Becuase his level of creative investment feels so much higher, you can’t help but get swept up in that energy as a listener.

Despite War being before my time, I’ve spoken with enough U2 fans who were aware of this album when it was released, and they’ve all said the same thing: They couldn’t wait for what came next (keep scrolling for the payoff in that regard).

Also, “New Year’s Day” is one of the best songs of the 80s.

3. The Joshua Tree (1987)

Honestly, I was dreading this re-listen.

Not because I think it’s a subpar record, but because I knew it would be challenging to separate the pop culture significance from the actual music. As a reminder of how outsized the former is in that equation, The Joshua Tree went Platinum within 48 hours of its release in the UK, a region where it stayed on the album chart for over 200 weeks. Globally, it’s one of the most successful rock albums ever, with over 25 million copies sold.

My biggest takeaway was that, as epic as these songs are, there’s a darkness and despair that was absent from the band’s music prior to this point. The scope and passion are amped up, but these are decidedly sadder ideas and stories (see “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” “Running to Stand Still,” and “Mothers of the Disappeared”). The latter two are particularly powerful in how precise the execution is and how massive the stakes feel.

That said, not everything works. I’ve never liked “With or Without You”—the group has written far less pandering ballads. Ditto for “Bullet the Blue Sky” and “Trip Through Your Wires.” On an album full of strong tracks, those feel more like filler.

Taken in concert with the group’s previous efforts, it’s a fascinating inflection point. They’ve produced glossier, more pop-centric albums since Joshua, but they’ve never entirely married the ambition and accessibility quite like this.

2. Achtung Baby (1991)

If I had to sum up this record in one sentence, it would be that it’s as dazzling as it is unhappy.

The recording process was famously difficult for the group, which felt stuck in a rut following the highs of The Joshua Tree and the critical lows of Rattle and Hum. As Larry Mullin Jr. put it, “We were the biggest, but we weren’t the best.” Speaking of “The Fly,” one of this LP’s many highlights, Bono famously said, "To me, it's the sound of four men chopping down the Joshua Tree.”

The massive beats and frenzied electronic effects, most visible on dance numbers like “Even Better Than the Real Thing” and “Mysterious Ways,” fundamentally changed how the band would sound moving forward, leaving behind the whispers of country and roots rock in the rearview. It’s purposely as far from The Joshua Tree as it could possibly be.

But even in the face of one of the most publicly visible gear shifts in rock history, Bono’s pointed songwriting and singing are the glue that keeps this record together. “One” is a known commodity, as is “So Cruel” to a degree, for how open-veined his storytelling is. What gets lost in the shuffle is how unsettling the record can be, too, especially in its closing moments like “Love is Blindness.”

It’s a near-masterpiece.

1. The Unforgettable Fire (1984)

How do you top Achtung Baby in a discography that spans more than four decades? You go back to U2’s alternative roots and unearth what’s arguably the genre’s best release from the 80s.

The Unforgettable Fire certainly comes across as an interesting creative decision following War. They could’ve stayed in their existing lane and likely would’ve reaped substantial financial rewards. Instead, they sound more like they’re testing out (and pushing through) their sonic boundaries.

But, even amid experimentation and the backstage drama that went into their making, these songs are pretty seamless. The best of the bunch is easily “Bad,” which gets me every time I hear it. I’m always like, man, this band’s got it. “Pride (In The Name Of Love)” is also a standout Bono vocal performance and has become one of my favorite driving songs over the years (make of that admission what you will).

Elsewhere, a track like “Wire” is a reminder that U2 can throw down with a lean, mean, swirling alt-rock jam. That aspect of their approach still sounds so intensely personal, proving that, when U2 was firing on all cylinders, at least back in this era, there’s a purity of vision that’s really astounding.

Like, damn. Makes you miss this era of rock music in general.