U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind
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Free Music Notes for All That You Can't Leave Behind
Free Music Review: How Can I Rate A Flawless cd?
Hit: 5 Stars
I've bought many cd's and except for this one, there have been songs that I didn't like on the cd. This album has 11 great songs. The words alone are poetic and deep. When you add the music, it carries your emotions to a level where you can feel it deep inside of you. Few artists do that like U2. I wasn't around when the Joshua Tree came out. However, I have heard a majority of the songs off of it. It is great cd as well. Track Rundown. 1. Beautiful Day 7/5. This song is the highlight of the album. You have probably heard it on the radio. When I got this cd I looked at the lyrics while listening to it and it made me feel a certain deep emotion. It left me Breathless. "The skies of blue, shoot up from the stoney ground. There is no room, no space to rent in this town...It's a Beautiful Day..." The song is talking about even though the world is depressing, you don't have to be depressed by it. Look at the sky. It's a beautiful day anyway. 2. Stuck In A Moment You can't get out of 5/5. This song is a little bit different than most songs. I heard somewhere that it was kind of about a close friend who committed suicide. It definitely captures that emotion. 3. Elevation 4.5/5 This song is very interesting. When I first heard this song, I hated it. I thought that it sucked, but after listening to it a bit. Then I liked it a little. Now that I have heard it like a hundred times, It is now one of my favorite songs on the album. I like that it is different from the rest of the album. It gives a fresh feeling and the lyrics are awesome. It is a cool driving song. One that is good to pound out the riffs. 4. Walk On 6/5. This song as you may or may not know is dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi who is under house arrest. I don't know the story on it but I am sure it is a bad situation. I love this song. It is about leaving a sad situation or place and moving on to a better one. Whether it is refering to this life or the life to come, it gives hope to the masses. 5. Kite 4/5. A great song about a changing relationship. Most likely it is about breaking up and not knowing what the future will bring. Great Tune. 6. In A Little While 4.5/5. A cool oldie-style song. More like a pop style song from the 60's. It is about coming home to your family. I am sure it is a song that U2 can relate to. For that it makes tahe songs real to them and you can feel that emotion. 7. Wild Honey 5/5. Another song that is oldies style that is like a hidden song written by John Lennon. The Beatles are cool. That is why I like it alot. A good song about a relationship gone sour. About the good times of the past and the times in the future that aren't going to be good. Excellent. 8. Peace On Earth 4.5/5. This song is basically a prayer to stop the violence, stop the terrorism, stop the wars. U2 as a group is pretty adament about that. They support a bunch of causes that are against things like that. It think it is a profound realiazation on what times whe live in. 9. When I Look At The World 3.5/5. A good song about how the world looks from Bono's point of view. This song is a little too quiet but it does have cool lyrics. 10. New York 4.5/5. A cool song about living in New York and the people that live in New York. It shows the emotion of the city. 11. Grace 5/5. This song is a great song to finish the cd. It relates the word grace to a person named grace, using personification. It is another song about Peace. Peace is the overall theme of this album. Most Americans take peace for granted because it has always been around for them. As an overall rating out of 100. It gets 96. There are few similarities between this album and Joshua Tree, or any other U2 cd for that matter. The only similarities are Bono's captivating voice and the poetic and deep words. I know it is hard for big U2 fans to agree, but I find this their best work. I'm not saying anything against their other albums, but this is the album that I know best.
Free Music Review: NOT TO BE LEFT BEHIND
Hit: 5 Stars
All that you can't leave behind is the kind of album you can listen to all the way through. I love every song!I'll do a quick run-through of each song for you:
#1: Beautiful Day
this song, though overplayed, is one of the most beautiful I've ever heard. it is haunting and gorgeously crafted, and Bono does it once more with his sparkling lyrics. The harmony singing his very relaxing. a great one to sing to.
#2: Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of
this is a slower song, but the lyrics are more sophisticated.
"I was unconscious, half asleep/the water's warm till you discover how deep/ I wasn't jumping, for me it was a fall/ it's a long way down to nothing at all." the lyrics are so poetic, they sound just as good being recited as they are when they're sung.
#3: Elevation
one of my favorites. it has a great dance beat and that funky electric feel. whenever I put it on, I get this impulse to dance. a great song to play at parties. my brother's friend, who hates rock music, absolutely loved this song, and even he started dancing!
#4: Walk On
this song is like a ballad, and I beleive that it holds the heart of the whole album. it is so sweet and sad...., a gorgeous song. "and if the darkness is to keep us apart/ and if the daylight feels like it's a long way off/ and if your glass heart should crack/ and for a second you turn back/ oh, no, be strong/ walk on...." this is one that you won't want to miss out on.
#5: Kite
another of my all-time favorites, this song is so soft and light and heartfelt, it's just magical. the vocals are incredible in this one, they just soar. " who's to say where the wind will take you/ who's to say what is will break you/ I don't know where the wind will blow..." I could see this being a hit song for graduation.
#6: In a Little While
I love the string work in this song, it has a great beat.it has cute lyrics, and I'm really suprised that it hasn't been more popular on the radio.
#7: Wild Honey
this song is really beautiful, and holds special meaning for me, personally. it reminds me of a friend I was had.....anyway, definately listen to it. the lyrics are gorgeous.
#8:Peace on Earth
this song demonstrates the versistility of U2. the fact that this band can pull off everything from electric funk to a soft, mystical and reflective ballad like this is truly remarkable. this song is so true and thoughtful and especially relevent in the new, post-september eleventh world.
#9: When I Look At The World
this song, while not a favorite of mine, is still impressive. it is like a description of society, written by someone who took a step back and looked closly at our society and it's faults. it's also a love song. very deep.
#10: New York
I love this song. you may think it would be popular because of the tradegy in NY, but it really doesen't have much to do with NY, although it describes NY with familiarity and accuracy.
#11: Grace
a wonderful, peaceful close to a stunning album, "Grace" is truly astounding. The lyrics are pearlescent and glossy, with many folds of meaning.
"Grace, she carries the world on her hips/ no champagne flute for her lips/ no twirls or skips between her fingertips/ she carries a pearl in perfect perfect condition/ what was once hurt/ what was once friction/ what left a mark/ no longer stings/ beacause Grace makes beauty/ out of ugly things.
really, this album is a sweet string of verses crafted so delicately and magically, they are like spider-webs. they are above all other rock music, they hold meaning, the most important thing in the world, and what you take away from them is sacred in importance. while listening to this album, don't be suprised if you learn a lesson or two, cry a few tears, laugh, dance, or sing. listening to this is like listening to pure, sweet, water, flowing from a stream from the depths of the earth. enjoy it while you have the chance.
Free Music Review: You'll Be Glad You Didn't Leave This Behind
Hit: 5 Stars
1. 'Listenability' - this album passes my foolproof 'skip' test - in that there is not one time while listening to it that I am tempted to hit the 'skip' button on the cd player due to a dull or annoying track. I'm sad to say that 'Pop' didn't pass the 'skip' test, nor 'Zooropa'; this is the first since 'Achtung Baby' which makes it through the cd player unscathed.2. 'Musically' - Sure, it's a return to elements from older albums, but they are fundamental elements - so missing in most of the trash released today that they sound fresh in today's market. Even if similar to past albums, if the past albums were ones with an almost magical quality to the composition of them, I don't see anything but a benefit in returning to a former style, but blending in new elements. Besides, if I can feel over 10 years younger in listening to it - hey, they could sell it on that alone!
If you listen to this album over and over (which I have) you will constantly be struck by new sounds within the tapestry of the songs; everything weaves together beautifully - and you appreciate it even more when you listen closely to see how the individual elements of the song are working together.
3. 'Lyrically' - Well, they've done it again. At several points in my life, U2's lyrics have spoken to me about something I was going through, or helped me look at things with a new perspective. 'Stuck in a Moment' and 'Walk On' are the two here which speak to someone who sometimes wonders how they wound up so far off where they thought they'd be in their life, and with the baggage from their past they wish they could leave behind.
'Peace on Earth' is particularly special to me, as I did human rights work in Belfast (and U2 is the reason I got interested in AI and International Human Rights all those years ago). The images in the song make me think of the children's faces in the family's house I was staying in, lit up with the blue light from the helicopters above - while vehicles were being hijacked and blown up outside, and people were screaming and throwing broken glass at one another. It was a wonderful and tragic place all at once. I have never been in a place where family or love is valued so much, and where it is in such danger of being blown apart. They are 'sick of the sorrow', and I'm sick of wondering if the latest tragedy in Northern Ireland on the news is someone I met, someone I care about. Listen to that song carefully, and pray for peace - please, please let it finally come.
I am so glad to have back a piece of the U2 which feeds the little part of my soul that's at the very 'core'. Listening to the new album has made me feel really wonderful this past week, and I'm not likely to tire of it any time soon.
This album makes me remember why I went to Dublin by myself and walked the ages it took me just to *see* Windmill Lane Studios, to walk the 'signature alley' behind them, to visit the 'Kitchen' in Temple Bar and the Clarence, just to feel like I'd been on pilgrimage.
I'd encourage everyone to really appreciate this album, then take that and go back to the older albums and really listen to the lyrics over again - you'll be amazed at all the pieces of yourself you'll find you haven't left behind, the ones you're GLAD you didn't leave behind.
My only regret is that I was unaware of the impromptu Mtv appearance in Times Square (I'm near NYC and coincidentally was off from work that afternoon, but only caught it on TV!!), and that I have no way personally to ever let the band know how much of a difference they've made in my life, how they've inspired me to try and follow their example in improving situations for others, or how profoundly grateful I am that this album is there to keep the inspiration alive.
If this review prompts even one more person to listen, or appreciate, I guess that satisfaction will be enough.
Free Music Review: An excellent addition to a great body of work
Hit: 5 Stars
There are U2 listeners under the mistaken impression that U2 is The Joshua Tree, and that everything after that was untrue to their image. Then there are those that realize that The Joshua Tree was just one of the many images the band has employed throughout their career, and was never meant to be permanent. They have continually evolved their sound through the years. To listeners of Boy and October, the U2 of The Joshua Tree was commercial and a divergence from their true self. To listeners of The Joshua Tree, the U2 of Pop was commercial and divergent from their true self. Then there are those that realize that the songs are always the same: it's how the band plays them that changes.How does U2 play those songs on All That You Can't Leave Behind? Very well.
"Beautiful Day": When you lose everything, you can still stop, look around, and realize, Yeah, I'm broke and destitute, but isn't it beautiful out today? The first single, though that honor likely should have gone to "Elevation", which will likely find greater chart success.
"Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out Of": A Motown-flavored ballad. A song about suicide; or, rather, suicide prevention. About realizing that wherever you are at right now, you won't be there forever. Every moment ends. This feeling you're feeling now won't always be there. Also a likely single, because the lyrics are dichotomous enough that it sounds like a straightforward love song. Should find the same audience that doesn't realize that "Every Breath You Take" is about stalking.
"Elevation": A sort of "Even Better Than the Real Thing," in that "Take me higher" could have been lifted from that song and dropped in here without missing a beat. Following the pattern set by the previous two songs on the album, it's about finding inspiration and learning to leap up out of the blues. A great rocker, with some of the dance rhythms the band experimented with on Pop held over for subtle use here. Would make a great show opener. Favorite lyric: "At the corner of your lips / As the orbit of your hips / Eclipse / You elevate my soul"
"Kite": Probably my favorite song on the album. Flying away, floating on a leisurely breeze like a kite in the wind, is the metaphor. Just go with the wind. You can't control it, so just learn to enjoy it.
"In a Little While": An unusual little number for the band, with a great guitar lick by Edge kicking off a sweet song about missing someone; about being able to stop and enjoy missing someone.
"Wild Honey": U2 idealizes The White Album, the album that gave us "Honey Pie" and "Wild Honey Pie". Now, U2 gives us the completely unrelated "Wild Honey". One of the few straightforward songs on the album. After Jimmy Buffet wrote a song about the misadventure he shared with Bono in Jamaica, it seems only fitting that the boys write something with Jimmy's flavor.
"Peace on Earth": Another straightforward song. With a title like this, it's hard to mistake what it's about, but it does contain some of the most meaningful lyrics Bono's ever written. A reminder to those who make the mistake that U2 left behind their care for the world with Zooropa and Pop. It's always been there; they just stopped beating people over the head about it.
"New York": After doing Miami last time and New York this time, I guess the only thing left is Los Angeles. Denver, maybe? Poughkeepsie?
Though more mellow than most of their albums, there is a lot here to listen to. One of the best albums the band has produced in their career, and certainly one of the best albums of the year.
Free Music Review: ATYCLB not U2's best, but compared to what's on radio now...
Hit: 5 Stars
If I were rating this CD based only on a comparison with U2's previous work, I'd give it 3 1/2 - 4 stars. It's far better than POP or Zooropa, but I wouldn't place it on the same level as the real classics. And as a fan since the "October" CD, I have to disagree that the two greatest U2 albums are the Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby. The best U2 albums are War and the Joshua Tree, closely followed by October, The Unforgettable Fire, and Achtung Baby in no particular order. The best U2 song in my opinion is "One Tree Hill" from the Joshua Tree. On the other hand, compared to the garbage being played on the radio today by the likes of Britney and the Backstrret Boys and so on, this is a masterpiece. The difficulty with rating a U2 album is that U2 have always been in a league of their own.
One poser below said people should "pass this CD by and dig the new breed." He said U2 were "trend hoppers" and "had their time in the sun." I'm sorry to burst your bubble, friend but U2 were the trend setters. It's people like yourself who are trend-hoppers jumping from one musical fad to the next. Much of U2's music will still be as alive and fresh 50 or 100 years from now as it was when it was released. There is material on October and War that sounds more progressive and fresh than 95% of the crap that comes from wannabe alternative bands today. Sure, they have had high points and low points, but their music has actually endured and will continue to do so. Like fine wine, the best music of U2 gets better with age. The same can't be said for most of the cookie-cutter bands out there today.
Now to the CD itself.
Beautiful Day is the first single, and although it is good, it is not the best song. It keeps growing on me though the more I listen. I hear strands of the Unforgettable Fire throughout.
I can see U2 doing something with Stuck in a Moment similar to what they did with Still Haven't Found what I'm Looking for on the Rattle and Hum CD. I can see them doing this with a black gospel choir - cool song.
Elevation is what POP could have been had they put their minds to it. It's not the best song on this CD, but it's better than most of the songs on POP.
Walk On is the first song that I think long time fans of U2 will fall in love with. It's just a phenomenally beautiful song. THIS song alone puts to rest the idea that U2 can't write great songs anymore.
Kite will also be a favorite of the long time fans. It also has hints of the Unforgettable Fire during the chorus.
In a Little While and Wild Honey are above average songs, but I think they are one level below Walk On and Kite.
I'm not sure why so many reviewers slammed Peace on Earth. Bono has always put his heart on his sleeve. This is another of those brutally honest songs. It's a sad but somehow hopeful song.
I'd put When I look at the World in the same category as In a Little While and Wild Honey. Above average, but not a classic.
New York is my least favorite song on the CD. Others may enjoy it. It may grow on me in time. But it reminds me of the songs on Zooropa, a CD I did not find enjoyable.
Grace is a beautiful ending to the CD. It's up there with Walk On and Kite. The music doesn't remind me of anything U2 has already done on their studio releases, but the lyrics bring back memories of "40" off the War CD (lyrics taken from Psalm 40) - one of the most hope filled U2 songs ever.
Grace finds goodness in everything.
Grace finds beauty in everything.
Grace makes beauty out of ugly things.
Thank you Bono, Edge, Adam and Larry for bringing beautiful music into an often ugly world.