Like most great improv, you need the setup, first. Then it's all about timing and commitment to the bit. The Scotts come up with some terrible bits but 9 times out of 10 the payoffs for those bits are immaculate. That's why the show requires continued listening, even if it's annoying or something at first blush.

When they start "yes and" ing, it's comedy gold. At it's best the pod is a masterclass in improv. It's awesome. And I have a hard time imagining that U2 is as good at comedy as the Scotts, to be honest.

He actually says Achtung baby during the fly.

Just before the lead hits

I'm gearing up for the Joshua Tree/Rattle and Hum episodes of that stupid U2 podcast by playing Rattle and Hum. I suspect the hosts are going to hate that album, but I kind of like it. It's a mixtape more than anything. A real showcase of genre fuckery and a nice change of pace from U2's classic sound (though there are a few tracks here where U2 really sounds like U2.)

Hard to believe Angel of Harlem isn't a Springsteen cover.

The next journey! I am gonna make this one simpler since I don’t want to hang out with U2 for months. I fully admit here that I have never heard a full album of theirs and only know the greatest hits, so this is all new to me:

Boy

Admittedly, this sounded nothing like I expected. The band here is likely still figuring themselves out a bit, and both the playing and singing is imbued with a sense of urgency. There are many moments where they seem on the verge of falling apart musically, but are held together by the unsung stars of this album: Adam Clayton on bass (so much exceptional work by him here) and Larry Mullen Jr. on drums. Without them, Bono and Edge would feel like they were playing totally different things, and both feel like they are flourishes kicking around that rhythm center, at times a little out of place, which is why I go for 4 stars. But give them credit for successfully synthesizing the sounds of The Clash and Talking Heads in one place.

On a side note, in a short time, R.E.M.’s Murmur would come out which is a perfect compliment to this album.

I look forward to your review of everything post-Pop, which is where I got off the train.

Always on board for another liebzz journey!

I loved U2 most intensely during 2001-2002 -- somehow their music felt like just the right mix of hope of and cynicism in that weird post-9/11, early war on terror period. I still think their '90's albums are one of the best examples I can think of of a hugely successful band laying their success on the line for the sake of creativity, and that remains my favorite period of the band by a large margin.

Agreed 100% on the 90s period. Joshua Tree -> Zooropa is an incredible run of really strong songwriting, calculated risk taking, and artistic growth.

I really felt they fell completely flat around 2001 (actually beginning with Pop in '97). But it's interesting to think about music that resonated with us all after 9/11. Of course there are a ton of reasons as to why we may have gravitated towards a certain sound after 9/11. I personally got sucked further into Dischord Records, Kill Rock Stars, K Records etc because they seemed to have an ethos that pushed back against the crony capitalism that had become quite obvious in our day-to-day lives. U2 felt like part of the problem by that point, despite Bono's genuine attempts to promote good causes in the face of globalization.

Heady times that feel downright simple today. Zooropa will always be my favorite U2 record because it's the only one that works as ambient background music: Lots of deeper meaning in the album if you care to look for it, but I can also clean my kitchen without getting hung up in the Jesus Christ Pose Bono-ness of it all.

Most of my U2 listening in 2001-02 was backwards catalog discovery, with their contemporary stuff (the All That You Can't Leave Behind material) just one small element of it, so there was stuff like "Until the End of the World" and "The Playboy Mansion" and "Lemon" alongside the "Beautiful Day"s and the like. That dichotomy really resonated with me at the time. I was still mainly discovering music through mainstream sources at this time, and truthfully I hadn't quite accepted that modern rock radio was a dead force for me (I'd quit it pretty much completely by the end of 2002, which is when I really learned how to find music I liked through other avenues), so their music was a welcome change of pace from all that.

I think Achtung is their best album but I agree that Zooropa is the album I am most likely to play these days -- you can really enjoy the groove of it all without having to lock into Bono's hooks as the central force of the music. A number of years ago I also went through and lapped up all the singles from the Pop era, most of which contain extended remixes and semi-bizarre electronic reimaginings of album tracks, and they have the same impact on me -- hypnotic rhythms, and a diminished focus on Bono.

I agree that Achtung is the best album; it's a tour de force from all parties involved. But similar to your recent take on Radiohead, it does feel a bit overworked, and fairly onerous to digest in one sitting.

I feel Bono was one of the best lyricists from Unforgettable Fire through Pop. After that it seemed like he just saw how many words he could fit into a song. The lost all art and emotional impact.

October

If Boy was the band sort of on the edge - not quite where I would have expected them to be, but taped together by the aforementioned rhythm section, October finds them in a bit more familiar space for them. A band coming to terms with their early sound. That rhythm section still sounds good and is not pushed into the background, but Edge in particular has started to play within that section rather than as an out layer. That’s the good news here. The bad news, for me, is that they didn’t really move the ball forward on the songs themselves. In fact, on the whole, I preferred Boy’s songs to these, but can say that this sounds more like I anticipated U2 to sound. Gloria stood out to me immediately with regards to them playing more in unified purpose. Rejoice is the perfect amalgam of this early sound while Fire is the most successful track at giving this album a purpose insofar as it concerns their sonic development. Is That All? also brings something to the table to close out the record. This is all good stuff. If Boy is that very good album hinting at greatness, October feels to me like a very slight migration to that signature U2 sound but without replicating that sense of almost dangerousness that captures their first album.

Im a huge fan from their 90s album. Huge. Masterpieces...then i love How To Dismantle and No Line from their 2000 output. As for their classic 80s album i guess i love some songs but for some reason i dont listen to them that much.

War

An early pattern has developed and that is U2 like to front load their albums and put their singles right up top. This is the third straight album that does that, but I am glad for it. The title of this album is apt, as this band is on a mission. Sunday Bloody Sunday to me still reads like one of the great rock protest songs. Seconds follows behind it, and is only forgotten to some extent because it is sandwiched in between the opening song and New Years Day. For me, these are two of the best U2 songs. They are also the meat of this album, even though U2 shine on tracks where they are pushing things around a bit and stretching their sound, like on Drowning Man, The Refugee, Surrender, and “40.” This might not reach that their album height of a Born to Run or a Damn the Torpedoes, but it’s one hell of an improvement in terms of band chemistry, song writing, and direction.

The U2 tour shows post 9/11 are just off the chart. I don't think a band with a near 20 year catalogue of music has ever been better situated for world events. A band that trades in sincerity, doing a stripped down show to focus on the emotional elements of the music. Stripping away years of irony, aloofness and onstage characters to un-ironically give a two hour show of healing. Where Springsteen sings "You're hurt, let me heal it", U2 is at their best when Bono can sing "I am/we are hurt, let us heal it together". He delivered that in spades on this tour. The show from Boston on the All That You Can't Leave Behind deluxe set is pure magic. So many highlights, the last 30 seconds of Kite is among my fave music moments of all time, Stay, Bad into Streets with an MLK interlude and ending with Walk On. Liebzz I hope you listen to this show, even just for pure pleasure and not necessarily to review.

I will throw it in.

I think both U2 and Bruce both benefit from the sense that they are stadium anthem ready bands that unify audiences with a sense of a common experience. They are very skilled at reaching out to a big audience and giving that big audience experience. That can speak to a collective healing in moments of existential crisis like a 9/11. I can’t say one is more equipped than the other. They both have that power without seeming like they are pandering or profiting off others’ pain.

Under a Blood Red Sky

This is a quick live release that I dare say would only scratch the surface of a live experience. It’s ultimately not that useful because the big songs here (Gloria, Sunday Bloody Sunday, New Year’s Day, and I Will Follow) sound great but are not much more than slightly intensified versions of the album songs while the rest is good but doesn’t hold your attention - kind of filler. It just seems like there wasn’t much effort put into curating this. If we are to imagine U2 as one of the great live shows, this isn’t the evidence you are looking for.

i think i'm the only rm'r what was at this concert...7th row left side wearing a lined jean jacket..it was cold and awesome

No I was there too

what were you wearing?