Very tight final 5 I'll be referring to this when I get the "My Year at Island Records/ War Tour Publicity" pod together with some added inside drama. You get this band and that is not as easy as it sounds.
Thanks Kevin for the kind words, means a lot :) That record was one that surprised me a bit RE: how well it's stood up over time. Quite an achievement for them.
Many thanks for this Matt. I’ve enjoyed the series and happily concur with your top 3. I could accept these 3 in any order as my view of them has varied probably based more on how I felt at the time than any objective ranking 😀
Thanks for reading and commenting Bill! The Top 4 could've all been interchangeable IMO. Who knows, I may revise this list down the road as a fun blog update.
No quibbles…well, apart from reversing Nos 1 and 2…ha-ha!
Achtung Baby is a miracle. How they went from tedious cowboy rockers in their Joshua Tree phase to space cowboys is a reinvention only Bowie himself could have pulled off. And he, of course, does get a nod of thanks on the album.
And as for Hansa (by the Wall), though of course the wall had gone by the time U2 walked through the door, what an inspirational studio it has turned out to be.
Yep. Achtung Baby it is for me. But, I’m not really a fan of theirs, per se, so I’ll bow to your greater wisdom here, Matt. And your well thought out justifications. But I do love this album. Inordinately, for a non-fan…ha-ha!
Incidentally, always thought Stay (Far Away, So Close) was much better suited to this album than Zoorapa. A little like Bowie’s Golden Years really being a Young Americans song than Station to Station; perhaps they’re both akin to batons being carried onto the next relay stage?
Thanks for the great comment, Mark. :) I’d agree with basically everything you’ve said, except for the fact that parts of Achtung do drag slightly for me. The Unforgettable Fire was the record that made me a fan of the band’s for life, though they’ve definitely tried my patience for the past two decades … the sheer boldness of Achtung makes it a very close second-place finisher.
I'd have gone with "Achtung" number one, personally. I don't know if people from other countries know this, but U2 are pretty despised here in Ireland. When I tell people I actually like them, it is always with a touch of apology.
Good lists...only thing I take major issue is dissing With or Without You. Hard disagree there. It's remarkably restrained, much more than many other U2 ballads and in my opinion has always been the perfect distillation of the band's sound and vibe.
Matt. This is definitely their top five. I was 16 when The Unforgettable Fire came out and it changed my life. Great work and wonderful to remember the impact they’ve had on music.
This is dangerous. Like trying to rank REM albums. Some albums aren’t great but they got a couple of bangers or ballads on them. Like Zooropa. My top three 1) Joshua Tree, 2) Achtung Baby 3) Rattle & Hum (the movie is a time capsule in itself)
Thanks for commenting and sharing your thoughts, Miguel. :) Except Rattle & Hum, I’m right there with you, the Top 4 are easily interchangeable depending on my mood.
Rattle & Hum is a tough one, more sentimental for me since it was one of the first cassettes I owned. I think Heartland is an underrated U2 song. But some of Bono’s live speeches are over the top, “Charles Manson stole this from the Beatles, we’re stealing it back” 🤦♂️ 😂
A great 5 for sure. For me, and not musically just personal notes as the albums brought different times to my world, I would switch 1 and 2. This is such a great piece for a band that, again in my opinion, shone then burned.
Great list - and great top 5! I was 14 when War was released and it was the first time I really changed the way I heard music. Thanks for the reminder!
This was a great series Matt!! For me it’ll always be War in the top slot but a lot of that has to do with what was going on in my life back then when I first heard the album. My wife’s favorite is Unforgettable Fire and I’ll need to give it a listen as it’s been a very long time since I heard it.
Very tight final 5 I'll be referring to this when I get the "My Year at Island Records/ War Tour Publicity" pod together with some added inside drama. You get this band and that is not as easy as it sounds.
Appreciate that, Steve :) It was a lot of fun to write and look back at these records.
This series was great. Matt! IMO, The Unforgettable Fire is their best, and you’ve done a far better job articulating why that is than I did.
Thanks Kevin for the kind words, means a lot :) That record was one that surprised me a bit RE: how well it's stood up over time. Quite an achievement for them.
Many thanks for this Matt. I’ve enjoyed the series and happily concur with your top 3. I could accept these 3 in any order as my view of them has varied probably based more on how I felt at the time than any objective ranking 😀
Thanks for reading and commenting Bill! The Top 4 could've all been interchangeable IMO. Who knows, I may revise this list down the road as a fun blog update.
No quibbles…well, apart from reversing Nos 1 and 2…ha-ha!
Achtung Baby is a miracle. How they went from tedious cowboy rockers in their Joshua Tree phase to space cowboys is a reinvention only Bowie himself could have pulled off. And he, of course, does get a nod of thanks on the album.
And as for Hansa (by the Wall), though of course the wall had gone by the time U2 walked through the door, what an inspirational studio it has turned out to be.
Yep. Achtung Baby it is for me. But, I’m not really a fan of theirs, per se, so I’ll bow to your greater wisdom here, Matt. And your well thought out justifications. But I do love this album. Inordinately, for a non-fan…ha-ha!
Incidentally, always thought Stay (Far Away, So Close) was much better suited to this album than Zoorapa. A little like Bowie’s Golden Years really being a Young Americans song than Station to Station; perhaps they’re both akin to batons being carried onto the next relay stage?
Thanks for the great comment, Mark. :) I’d agree with basically everything you’ve said, except for the fact that parts of Achtung do drag slightly for me. The Unforgettable Fire was the record that made me a fan of the band’s for life, though they’ve definitely tried my patience for the past two decades … the sheer boldness of Achtung makes it a very close second-place finisher.
Yeah…Wild Horses is a bore. Agreed.
I have exactly the same albums in my top 5, just in a different order!
Side note: although not technically a U2 album, I still have a lot of time for their Passengers album with Brian Eno.
Thanks for reading and commenting. :) And yes, good record, definitely worthy of checking out for those who haven’t yet.
I'd have gone with "Achtung" number one, personally. I don't know if people from other countries know this, but U2 are pretty despised here in Ireland. When I tell people I actually like them, it is always with a touch of apology.
I have heard this, actually, but it’s interesting to get a real-world to get an anecdotal confirmation. :) PS: Achtung almost got the No. 1 spot.
Is the worst the one that Apple put on my I phone w/o asking? Never did listen to it out of spite.
Almost. The answer awaits in Part 1: https://open.substack.com/pub/bestmusicofalltime/p/u2-albums-ranked-part-1?r=hhm2o&utm_medium=ios
Good lists...only thing I take major issue is dissing With or Without You. Hard disagree there. It's remarkably restrained, much more than many other U2 ballads and in my opinion has always been the perfect distillation of the band's sound and vibe.
Thanks for commenting, Jason. To each their own. :) Rock on!
Matt. This is definitely their top five. I was 16 when The Unforgettable Fire came out and it changed my life. Great work and wonderful to remember the impact they’ve had on music.
Thanks for the kind words Brian!
#1 is my personal favorite along with War… I remember the energy of seeing them live the 1st time in 1984…
Oh wow, thanks for sharing David! :) That must’ve been quite the experience.
It was an energy that stuck with me!! They were so good and still raw!
This is dangerous. Like trying to rank REM albums. Some albums aren’t great but they got a couple of bangers or ballads on them. Like Zooropa. My top three 1) Joshua Tree, 2) Achtung Baby 3) Rattle & Hum (the movie is a time capsule in itself)
Thanks for commenting and sharing your thoughts, Miguel. :) Except Rattle & Hum, I’m right there with you, the Top 4 are easily interchangeable depending on my mood.
Rattle & Hum is a tough one, more sentimental for me since it was one of the first cassettes I owned. I think Heartland is an underrated U2 song. But some of Bono’s live speeches are over the top, “Charles Manson stole this from the Beatles, we’re stealing it back” 🤦♂️ 😂
Yeah the monologuing is rough haha 😆
A great 5 for sure. For me, and not musically just personal notes as the albums brought different times to my world, I would switch 1 and 2. This is such a great piece for a band that, again in my opinion, shone then burned.
Thanks as always Jon! I love that distinction: “shone then burned.” Spot on.
Great list - and great top 5! I was 14 when War was released and it was the first time I really changed the way I heard music. Thanks for the reminder!
Absolutely! Thanks for reading and commenting Bryan :)
This was a great series Matt!! For me it’ll always be War in the top slot but a lot of that has to do with what was going on in my life back then when I first heard the album. My wife’s favorite is Unforgettable Fire and I’ll need to give it a listen as it’s been a very long time since I heard it.
Thanks for reading and commenting Mark! The Top 4 are definitely worth a relisten, there's some true rock all-time anthems on those LPs.