All That You Can’t Leave Behind

Once you listened to a few albums of U2, you kind of lose the taste for it. Achtung Baby was better.

U2 have produced some very beautiful and groundbreaking pieces. However, I was never a big fan of the band. I feel the same way about this album. I quite like a few of the tracks. I couldn't care less about the rest. 3/5

As interesting as Coldplay

3.5 Stars. There's definitely better U2 albums.

U2 does pop. I never liked All That You Can’t Leave Behind when it came out 25 years ago (how quickly time flies), and revisiting it today hasn’t really changed my mind.

I get that for many U2 fans, this isn’t their finest hour. It’s a pop record — polished, people-pleasing, and a bit tired, as if the band were running low on fresh ideas. It offers a few catchy tunes but little of the innovation or emotional punch that made The Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby so special.

That said, there are still some solid moments here. Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of, Walk On, and Elevation all hold up well. But from track five onwards, the quality really drops off. Overall, it’s a very average album, and I’m honestly baffled that it made this list.

Favourite track: Elevation
Least favourite track: Beautiful Day – I’ve always hated it. Completely overplayed.
Album artwork: A cool band shot — simple but effective.

tough to rate this one. I mean there are a few songs that are objectively iconic in terms of recognizing them, but it's still a U2 album from the tail-end of their career. It's safe, it's shallow, and pretty same-y.

I hate U2's radio singles with a passion, so I came in expecting to despise this album. I just found it boring. It sounds like a generic pop band from this era, not a stadium selling legacy rock act. Even worse, some of the songs(Peace on Earth, New York) have absolutely terrible lyrics that sound like a 10 year old wrote them.

I’m not surprised at all that the first four tracks (“Beautiful Day”, “Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of”, “Elevation”, & “Walk On”) were singles… the rest of the album is, unfortunately, pretty bad. Like, notably bad. It’s true that I don’t like Bono, but let’s remember that I was able to look past that to rate The Joshua Tree highly. I’m telling you that, personal opinions about Bono aside, I also don’t like this album for completely separate and equally valid reasons.

From “Kite” onward, I kept hoping they were just in a bad streak and we’d get another secret banger but it never happened. Almost every album needs a little filler, right? This one shoulda been a EP. One of the most disappointing songs was “Peace On Earth” because you can’t name a song that and not go all-in to make it an anthem, right? You probably need a big choir for backing vocals, some orchestral embellishments, a big producer to be brutally honest with you about the song, and really throw everything you have at it, right? The vocal performance is trying to be that song, but they didn’t do any of the other work to get it there. It probably does well in an amphitheater full of U2 nerds, but it’s not going to bring the world together.

Overall this is a disappointment. 13years after The Joshua Tree, the singles prove that they still have it, but the other songs suggest that there are two strikeouts for every homerun.

A 3+. Had not heard the album (but heard a few songs). Would not put it in same category as early U2 but better than expected. Somewhat surprised it made the list.

Not the first, or the last, band to opt to make easily digestible music to get played on the radio instead of making interesting music to listen to. An entirely unoriginal & dull listening experience.

𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘊𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 aims for timeless stadium rock but ends up sounding like a generic early-2000s record. The production is polished to a fault, the songs feel formulaic, and while there are flashes of the band’s anthemic power, the overall effect is safe and uninspired.

This and the Joshua Tree are the two U2 albums that I remember listening to growing up. Listening to All That You Can't Leave Behind now, there are definitely some pretty solid tracks like Beautiful Day, Elevation, Walk On, and New York, but I really don't remember the rest of the album; it’s kind of just forgettable. It's not bad, just nothing really stands out to me.

Honestly, I think U2 are just a solid greatest hits band for me. Great singles, but forgettable albums; just give me an album of the singles.

Aggressiivisen tylsistyttävää musiikkia. 1/5

I wish Bono were a better singer. The first two tracks I love from sear familiarity, and the rest have some nice sentiments. My dad used to say that U2 only knows three chords and doesn't feel obligated to use them in every song, and I definitely understand why now.

It was a beautiful day before I turned this dogshit on. Easily the blandest, most inane drivel I’ve ever had the displeasure of listening to. Some of the most shallow, unoriginal lyrics to receive this much acclaim. I think the worst part is some songs have the potential to actually be good, like Elevation, if it wasn’t for Bono wailing like a cat in heat intermittently throughout the song. I seriously do not get the hype.

Can't get much softer "soft rock" than this. As inoffensive as listening to a small cup of yogurt. 2/5

Professional. Warmly produced. Reminds me of REM's Reveal. Slightly past their best but still capable of making cosy albums.

Great record - was surprised to see negative reactions given that it does sound genuinely quite fresh (especially for a band almost 25 years in) and is consistently good throughout. Undoubtedly pop music (some songs wouldn't be out of place on a Dido record) but since when was that a problem? Missing a really standout track but overall very solid.

Banger parade in the beginning, and the rest is boring in comparison...

Solid. was a great concert as well.