All That You Can’t Leave Behind

Felt this one was pretty bland. The most corporate of the “corporate” rock.

Some of U2's best work

Sorry, but I have a soft spot for U2.

'You elevate my soul / I've got no self-control / Been living like a mole now.' That's bad, as is much else here, never quite reaching the heights (and how high are those heights, really?) of 'Beautiful Day.' There appear to be authentic moments of poppy breakthrus, but they persist for even less than a chorus. 'I don't know / which way the wind will blow.' It's difficult to write that and get away with it. U2 doesn't. Their best and most soulful ('In A Little While,' by far) unfortunately can't save this album from itself, which manifests most dreadfully on 'Peace On Earth.'

U2 on its own is a boring band for me. It got famous just because of Bono and his ego. I got bored.

first time ever listening to a u2 album the whole way through. always been lukewarm on the radio singles, and i feel the same with this album. the intro is great, no doubt about that, but nothing really left a lasting impression on me outside of that

A lot of people slamming this for not being as good as some of their earlier albums, but this feels more accessible to me. I'm not the biggest U2 fan, but I'm actually appreciating the craft of the songs and his voice. I much prefer this to the upbeat jangly nonsense they became famous for.

3.5 rounded down.

I’m still not sick of the big 4 singles from this record, and in fact, the first 7 songs are pretty fantastic in my book. It unfortunately loses a bit of steam after that, though none of it is bad. Rounding up for the website, but could be a true 4 one day.

3.5/5

1.5

This is a lovely album. I had never listened to it, though I recognized about half of the songs from radio play. I have a feeling I will come back to this one. It isn’t as anthemic as some of their others, and isn’t overly-ambitious. I mean all that as a compliment. This is a U2 album with heart in it, which is when they are at their best.

Lame and bad for U2 but not bad.

The Good: U2 explains to us that you can't leave things behind.
The Bad: If you can't leave things behind, you don't look back.
The Ugly: As U2 doesn't know how to look back, they forgot how to make great RnR and just morphed their efforts into adult-contemporary blandness.

Then again, I am old, thus an adult, and taking the cue from U2, I don't leave things behind, and so I will just continue removing lint from my bellybutton while enjoying the soothing sounds of grown-up U2

3*

This album is like bad Coldplay. It's like hearing that ending, feel-good song on an album that no one likes twelve times in a row. It's like tuning into the Christian rock station, and getting what you deserve for thinking that was a good idea. It's awful. Bono was already slowly becoming the dullest vocalist to hit the big time, but luckily this album also lacks any interesting instrumentation, quality hooks or choruses for that matter, and really just reeks of "let's do what everyone else is doing!" Throw in some terrible lyrics that really don't even try, the entirety of Grace can show that off, and I think you have yourself the perfect mix of horrible, early 2000s schlock that only aims to be just inoffensive enough so that your grandma can finally become a fan of U2. Maybe that's why they've made permeant residence in Las Vegas for the time-being? So that your great aunts and uncles can catch them while they're on their biannual trip to the casinos to "make it big"? How did Eno get to be this dull; boredom? Was Talking Heads too much of a party, and he had to cool down with Jesus and the disciples for a few decades? Just rubbish, makes me more mad just thinking about it, don't put yourself through this, all is revealed in that "baby's first pop rock" of a hit single, so get your rocks off there, if you really need that U2 kick and War, Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, literally any other album, or going outside doesn't satisfy that craving.

Couple of good songs couple of really teeth grindingly meh ones. It's U2

U2 is just so.... bland. Like Dollar Store soft rock. I have an irrational hatred of that band, and I don't really know why. I just never liked them. Maybe it's because the radio constantly played their music and it just got washed out to me, maybe it's because Bono is an insufferable douche canoe, who knows... This album had a really strong start as far as U2 goes. 5 of their hits in a row.

Favourite songs: Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of, Elevation, Walk On, Wild Honey, Beautiful Day

Least favourite songs: Peace on Earth, Grace

3/5

I first started liking U2 around this album, lots of songs I enjoy in this one. The sound solidly brings me to the early 2000s. Some goofy lyrics but very catchy songs. The back half may not slap as hard but is still enjoyable. 4*.
Highlights: beautiful day, walk on, stuck in a moment, elevation

It’s a very front-loaded 3.5 that I just don’t think I can bump up to a 4.

The first 5 tracks here really clicked well for me, but of the back 7, I really think only 3 of them caught my ear in a really meaningful way. I might be a little tired, but I do think a number of songs in the back half just blend together in terms of messaging, lyrics, overall vocals, and instrumentation that doesn’t really hit the same heights as the first 5.

Ultimately, I do think it’s a good album, and it’s worth a listen – I’m sure someone will connect more deeply to the back half than I did. I just don’t think the album as a whole is good enough to go to a 4, so I’ll feel a little disappointed with a 3. It’s like a 7/10 album, though.

This album clearly inspired Coldplay to make similar bland music, and Chris Martin to be as irritating as Bono.

I strongly dislike U2.

It's very U2. If that's your thing, you'll love it. if it's not your thing, you won't. I cannot for the life of me figure out why this band was so goddamned big. There are some decent songs on here, like Beautiful Day, but none of them are iconic enough to warrant the amount of adoration U2 always gets. I understand that Joshua Tree was a classic, but this album is like a decade or more later. Lots of bands have one awesome album and then a bunch of mediocre albums, why is U2 idolized?

Anyway, it's fine. 2.5 stars if I could.