 | Achtung Baby by U2
Buy new: $11.99 / Used from: $0.01 (1991,17M,R,L) U2's best is also their most consistent album to date. It also redefined them lyrically with songs about love and showed that they could actually write great music. The critics loved it and the ensuing ZOO TV tour played over 150 shows confirming them as the world's greatest band. Successful Singles include One, The Fly and Mysterious Ways.
|
 | Joshua Tree (Remastered / Expanded) (Super Deluxe Edition) (2CD/DVD) by U2
Buy new: $39.99 / Used from: $23.41 (1987,25M,SR,L) Catapulted U2 into superstardom. Aged in their mid-20s, the band produced an album that captured America's heartland with some superb songs about finding oneself. Arguably their best album, it unfortunately falls away in the second half. The first half, however, is possibly the greatest first side ever with the songs Where The Streets, I Still Haven't Found and With or Without You.
|
 | War by u2
Buy new: $9.99 / Used from: $6.84 (1983,8M,R,P) Perhaps a surprising choice for number three, but War is U2's only other consistent album after Achtung Baby. It was well received after the disappointing October album and spawned the hit single New Year's Day along with Sunday Bloody Sunday. An energetic album which showed the growth of the band.
|
 | How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb by U2
Buy new: $11.99 / Used from: $0.25 (2005,9M,SR,L) HTDAAB is the follow-up to All That You Can't Leave Behind in terms of style. While it does have lots of great songs there are some weak efforts. The best moment is Bono's tribute to his father in Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own along with the first single Vertigo. Not consistent enough to be up there with the top two, but fantastic nonetheless.
|
 | All That You Can't Leave Behind by U2
Buy new: $11.99 / Used from: $0.24 (2001,12M,SR,L) Some would say this is U2's third masterpiece. It is certainly U2's third great comeback. Although the first 5 songs are brilliant, the problem is the second half which is terrible. While, ATYCLB didn't have the impact of Acthung Baby or Joshua Tree, it did well with the singles Beautiful Day, Elevation, Stuck in a Moment, and Walk On.
|
 | Boy by u2
Buy new: $30.99 / Used from: $14.07 (1980,3M,R,L) U2's first album is full of adrenalin and boyish charm. Buoyed by the single I Will Follow, Boy showcased a raw and energetic band with The Edge's guitar being the star. Great debut.
|
 | Pop by U2
Buy new: $11.99 / Used from: $0.76 (1997,7M,E,L) Originally ridiculed by the music press, Pop is not as bad as many would have us believe. Most of the problems lay in that band had to rush to meet deadlines and so the album wasn't quite finished and the early shows were underdone due to a lack of rehearsal. Pop isn't consistent, but it has some great moments like Staring at the Sun and Mofo.
|
 | UNFORGETTABLE FIRE
Buy used from: $0.68 (1984,8M,E,P) U2's first album with Brian Eno again produced some great songs like Pride, Bad and The Unforgettable Fire, but it feels half-finished. It was too experimental for them at this point in their career. U2 needed a new canvas but they didn't have the musical vision that Eno required to weave his magic. Therefore this album is hard to gauge; but according to my criteria, it sits lowly.
|
 | No Line On The Horizon by U2
Buy new: $9.99 / Used from: $5.09 (2009,?,R,L) No Line On The Horizon has not been well received. It doesn't have a hit single, but is a consistent album. While you can easily listen through the whole thing, there isn't really anything to excite the listener.
|
 | Zooropa by U2
Buy new: $12.99 / Used from: $0.61 (1993,8M,E,L) Zooropa was written and recorded during the Zoo TV tour and was their most experimental album to date. Careful to avoid the same criticism that they encountered with Rattle and Hum, U2 purposely understated the album which earned it more respect in the end. Again, there are only a few good songs; Lemon being the best.
|
 | Rattle and Hum by U2
Buy new: $11.99 / Used from: $1.47 (1989,14M) Rattle and Hum, like Zooropa, was written on tour. Unlike Zooropa, it is a strange mismatch of live, reinvented and newly recorded songs. The critics hated it. So while the new songs like Desire and Angel of Harlem are great, the interspersed live songs don't present an accurate portrayal of the Joshua Tree tour. The most telling blow was seeing how naive U2 were.
|
 | October by u2
Buy new: $9.99 / Used from: $6.45 (1981,3M,R,L) U2's second album was ordinary with only the first single Gloria showing any form. Luckily for us they got over their crisis of faith.
|
Listmania!
