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  1. forget popularity - forget album sales - forget tour records (that's just money ain't it) - forget chart positions (subjective to say the least)

    this graph is my own opinion on U2's greatest creative output solely

    agree?

    (to me, passengers is a collaborative side-project and should be viewed as so)

  2. Ranking music is tricky. It's like if you were having work done on your house and an electrician, a builder and a plumber came in and someone asked you who is best. All of these albums are trying to do different things. The Unforgettable Fire has a different intention than The Joshua Tree and they both succeed well at what they set out to do. It seems unfair to criticize The Unforgettable Fire for not having songs like Trip Through Your Wires on it - they would be out of place.

    But this is an interesting take. Particularly the idea that Zooropa is better than Rattle & Hum and Pop better than everything since.

    I have the opposite view about post-Pop. Except for No Line, everything after Pop is is a step upwards creatively. For me, All That You Can't Leave Behind marks the beginning of a different band almost - one that knows how to write songs at a much higher level of craftsmanship and structure.

    I wouldn't even know how to attempt a ranking like this. The only one I agree with instinctively is October which seemed like kind of a flop even at the time and which I haven't returned to almost as much as No Line On The Horizon.

    It's odd to me the reverence that Pop gets from fans. I liked it at the time but I feel they've done much better since. Also, I don't get the significant difference in rankings between SOI and SOE. To me, they seem like a pair, almost like an A-side and B-side of a double album.

    Food for thought though. Thanks for sharing.

    btw, what's the tool you used to create this chart? Looks nice.
  3. I'd personally raise Zooropa a point, drop Pop a little and have Leave Behind, Bomb and Horizon all on the same plain. Also, that SOI/SOE distribution is the total reverse of what I would have. SOI is a vast improvement of everything post Pop and SOE drops way off again.
  4. Originally posted by germcevoy:I'd personally raise Zooropa a point, drop Pop a little and have Leave Behind, Bomb and Horizon all. on the same plain. Also, that SOI/SOE distribution is the total reverse of what I would have. SOI i a vast improvement of everything post Pop and SOE drops way off again.
    THIS...

    Especially about SOI/SOE
  5. I would agree with your rankings almost exactly, except Achtung goes higher and Dismantle goes lower. SOS wouldn't go that low for me.
  6. Mostly am in agreement on the overall pattern although I do think SOI has been underrated here. I would have it much higher (I think it’s their most cohesive album of the 20th century). And ATYCLB and SOS each up a notch.
  7. Originally posted by germcevoy:I'd personally raise Zooropa a point, drop Pop a little and have Leave Behind, Bomb and Horizon all on the same plain. Also, that SOI/SOE distribution is the total reverse of what I would have. SOI is a vast improvement of everything post Pop and SOE drops way off again.
    Pretty much.
  8. Interesting visual take. At first glance I agree apart from lowering ATYCLB a bit and bumping Bomb up to that spot, instead...

    ...and raising SOS quite a bit higher, too.
  9. Is SOS really among the heights of U2’s creative output? Aside from a few truly reworked songs, it’s piano and acoustic covers. Now if you think it’s great, then great. But that’s not the point of the visualisation. In terms of creativity, surely it deserves to be low?
  10. Passengers deserves inclusion ahead of SOS. Regardless of the name, it’s a u2 creative endeavour in its own right with fresh new material. SOS is just a compilation of previous tunes. It’s not an album of new material per se.
  11. ATYCLB and HTDAAB should shoot up after Pop,also Pop on a level with Zooropa?
  12. Originally posted by iTim:Is SOS really among the heights of U2’s creative output? Aside from a few truly reworked songs, it’s piano and acoustic covers. Now if you think it’s great, then great. But that’s not the point of the visualisation. In terms of creativity, surely it deserves to be low?
    A fair point I will concede. I suppose I should have been more specific in that I wouldn’t put SOS that low but also surely wouldn’t put it higher than any previous studio album of original material.