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: Thank Goodness
Hit: 4 Stars
Following what I considered their most dreadful period (Zooropa and Pop-Mart) the band are back with a good listenable album. Granted, it loses steam after track 5, but the first five tracks are really solid. The CD is a good listen, though nothing even close to being on par with some of their greatest tunes (like With or without You, In the Name, Sunday Bloody Sunday, etc). Free Music Review: U2 get back to business
Hit: 5 Stars
U2 have always been nomadic in their constant pursuit of their muse. It has lead them down many, varied, paths. Be it the flag waving rebel-song singers of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" or "I Will Follow," to the searching, questioning souls of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" or "Pride (In The Name Of Love)," to eventually plunging headlong into the decadence of stardom with "The Fly" or "Discotheque," reinvention has often been the name of the game.
For some of us, that game derailed itself after the stunning "Achtung Baby," with Bono indulging his "I'm just a plastic pop star" phase to the hilt. Yet all this time, the concerts and the music was rarely less than amazing. Still, the CD's "Pop" and "Zooropa" weren't the awe-inspiring, transcendent moments that the band seemed capable of producing with barely a thought to the process. The U2 goal seemed to be, over and over again, to not get trapped in a moment they couldn't get out of, so to speak.
It seems then, that after almost a 4 year pause, U2 suddenly realized that just being U2 was really not so bad a day job after all. So they emerged with an album that concentrated on the band's strongest points as musicians. Not as personalities, not as saviors to the world (which seems to have become Bono's primary sideline gig), just to merely make great, awe inspiring, transcendent music - again. From the moment "Beautiful Day" juxtaposed its images of beauty and collapse atop a message of hope ("see the bird with the leaf in her mouth, after the flood all the colors came out"), you knew that the band had regained its footing and was ready to charge bravely ahead.
That message appears repeatedly on "All That You Can't Leave Behind," particularly in the two songs written after the death of Bono's friend, INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence. In "Walk On" and "Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of," Bono does the soul-searching lyric that he is best at, questioning both why Hutchence chose to end his life and also asking himself what more he could have done. "Walk On," to me, is as powerful a song as the band's classic "One."
"All That You Can't Leave Behind" works on that power. You will recognize a lot of older U2 here. "Elevation" mimics "Mysterious Ways," "New York," "Bad." The band, The Edge in particular, concentrated on the keeping the music as uncluttered and unfettered as possible. This is hardly a detriment. U2 entered the new century with a newfound self-confidence, secure in the knowing that - whatever tangents they may have steered through in the past - being the most amazing rock band in the world was probably the most gratifying business to be in.
Free Music Review: Sign of the Times
Hit: 2 Stars
This album came out in 2000 just as jangle rock was starting to peak (unfortunately, it still exists today). It is the type of music that was/is being played on AOR (Adult Oriented Radio) stations. This is especially popular on the female oriented radio network known as Alice.
On this album, U2 conforms to the music style of the day. This is very sad, since U2 used to be a leader. U2 used to be innovative and pushed the boundaries of rock.
U2 used to have something to say. Besides a few songs, like Peace On Earth, this is mostly Bono introspection.
U2 used to rock. I find this ablum to be pretty boring and mostly dead.
There is nothing wrong with a group changing, or trying new things. U2 had been very successful at it, moving from mostly a lite-punk style sound to a more lush sound on The Forgettable Fire. And then moving into blues on Rattle and Hum and a harder rock style on the Joshua Tree. Even later albums like Actung Baby and Pop were interesting new experiements. But, it is important that the group push it the music on its own terms instead of trying to match the sound of the day.
Things only get worse on the next CD, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb. With a title like that, you would expect a group to really have something to say. But, no....that is the CD that should have been titled "Pop".
I have heard some of these songs played live. Many are much better live than these lifeless studio tracks. In concert they play them with more emotion and energy and make them something interesting. However, some songs are still tedious, whether played live or in the studio.
For the next album, U2 needs to bring the energy and mindset of a live show to the studio, like they did in the 2 previous decades.
Free Music Review: yeah right!
Hit: 2 Stars
I allready knew some songs of U2 on the radio and I liked them. I allready had buyed a greatest hits cd of U2 which was nice(4 stars). But this cd is nothing. I am sorry for myself because I spend money on this. The songs that I heard on the radio were good, I allready knew them so that was not a surprise, but the rest just sucks. Below you can see how I rate the songs:
Beautiful Day: 9/10
Stuck In A Moment: 8/10
Elevation: 8/10
Walk On: 9/10
Kite: 7/10
In A Little While: 7/10
The first 6 songs are very good, but the rest just sucks!
Wild Honey: 1/10
Peace On Earth: 4/10
When I Look At The World: 2/10
New York: 2/10
Grace: 1/10
The 2 stars I give to this cd are the stars for the first 6 songs, if the rest of the album was as good as the first 6, then I might have given this album 4 or 5 stars, but no. So only buy this if you are a real U2 fan, if you are new with U2 then you should buy a greatest hits album.
Free Music Review: Worthless!!!!
Hit: 2 Stars
I thought U2 was nice, hearing the radio I never thought of the fact that the album could be a complete letdown. Well, I should have done that. I bought this, and it sucks, the first five songs are good, but then....:C, not good at all. Next time, I'll stick with the hits, and that is exactly what you should do. Here's my tracklist rating:
Beautiful Day: 8/10
Stuck In A Moment: 10/10
Elevation: 10/10
Walk On: 8/10
Kite: 8/10
In A Little While: 5/10
Wild Honey: 1/10
Peace On Earth: 2/10
When I Look At The World: 1/10
New York: 1/10
Grace: 1/10
See what I mean? Keep On Rocking!!!!