BCB 100 - U2

[jude]

Track: Sweetest Thing

I'm not sure of the story behind this. Was it an old track to support a greatest hits or something? Anyway, at a time when they had become totally overblown it was a reminder that they did actually have the ability to write a pretty decent tune.

It was originally a b-side from Where The Streets Have No Name (the original recording is on the b-sides disc in the limited edition best of 1980-90.

They re-recorded it and released it as a single to promote the best of 1980-90.

[RcL]

LP - Achtung
Song - Stuck In A Moment

Not a huge fan of it, but I think With Or Without You is a classic song - much better than the overrated schmaltz of One

[Dr Magus]

So, in summary then.

Best U2 song - none, they're all shit
Best U2 album - none, they're all wank

And that's all the weather.

Amen.

[The Red Heifer]

If only Bono had more 3somes with Patsy Kensit...

Album - October

Song - Party Girl

[mentalist (slight return)]

I'd probably go Under A Blood Red Sky for album (it's a nostalgia thing).

Song is a tough one - it has to be Desire, although on their day Lemon and Bad go down well.

[Bungo the Mungo]

Not a huge fan of it, but I think With Or Without You is a classic song - much better than the overrated schmaltz of One

like "with or without you" isn't meaningless, pseudo-deep bollocks. of all their supposedly good songs (the celebrated ones, the ones the FM DJ refers to as "a classic"), that one is the worst.

Yes.

'and you giiiiive yourself awaaay...and you giiiive yourself awaaaay....and you give....and you give....and you give yourself awaaaaay...'

[andymacandy]

U2 are a fine band, suffering like the Floyd with a 21st century image problem.
However, I do think they have seriously been treading water since around the time of "Pop", although I did like both "Beautiful Day" and "Vertigo".
Nobody has mentioned the Red Rocks live album yet, which is a pity, as it neatly sews up the "early period" stuff-"Gloria" and "New Years Day" are both fine songs.
"The Unforgettable Fire" was their last surprise, I think.The last time you didnt expect something epic and anthemic."Bad" and "A Sort of Homecoming"are both great tracks.
"The Joshua Tree" is an epic album.Probably the "Dark Side" of the 80's, which is a pity as there are some immense works on it."Trip Through Your Wires" is a great song, rarely mentioned.
If I was going to cheat, I might have picked "Wide Awake In America" as my favourite album, as there is no filler on it at all.The two studio outtakes are both excellent, and virtually unnoticed in the canon.
"Achtung Baby" is probably my favourite of all their albums, and I love all the tracks that have been mentioned above, especially the Okenfold remix of "Even Better Than The Real Thing",which was...........

[Love Vigilante]

Can someone enlighten me as to how the BCB 100 list has been chosen? As far as I'm aware, there are only about three BCBers who like U2. I am one of them, and another of them is the late Capt Sword.

Choosing one song would be a struggle, but I'd go for The Unforgettable Fire as favourite album.

[Prince Of Peace]

I am one of them, and another of them is the late Capt Sword.

He went on that Orange Order March then?

[Deebank]

Never really like them, but they had a spare economical charm in the early days - just read in the new JD biog that they used to stalk Joy Division and insisted on Martin Hannett producing their first single (11 o'clock tick tock?)

Anyhoo:

Song: Wire (dub mix)
Album: Under A Blood Red Sky
(although I ended up biting my copy in half to prevent it from being played at a house party. Stupidly, the more Welsh nationalistic of my friends and acquaintances at school thought it was OK to listen to U2 cos they weren't English . Why they couldn't apply this rule to the Jesus & Mary Chain or Velvet Underground I never understood - no weak pun intended)

[Snowdog]

Album: Under A Blood Red Sky (although I ended up biting my copy in half to prevent it from being played at a house party).

[Deebank]

Album: Under A Blood Red Sky (although I ended up biting my copy in half to prevent it from being played at a house party).

I still have the cover somewhere, for some reason I wrote Bangor City FC all over it in gold marker... Evidently I thought that was funny at the time.

This has nearly prompted me to investigate downloading some of UABRS - and searching out Wire (Dub Mix) too.

[Limpin' Jez McKenzie]

Staggering live band, patchier on records, weak start to album run kicked into life by Unforgettable Fire. Live tracks on Rattle and hum are excellent, but first half of career completely transcended by the run of albums from Achtung Baby, one of the all time classics, to Pop. Latest two albums are safer, easier to understand records, but still generally better songs than the early albums.
Album - Achtung Baby
Song - Miss Sarajevo.

[nathan]

Certainly not a band I play often, and I never really was that into them even though I do own all of their records from the past 17 or so years (though I skipped the last one because it really was ass). Whenever I do play them I am struck at how fantastic they really can be despite the fact that they are one of the most musically dull bands there ever was. But there is somthing about their primal thumping and repetitive riffs that really does work. And Bono's voice is one of the best when he doesn't drift over into that swooping holler that he has a tendency to do from time to time.

Song: Kite or maybe Hawkmoon
Album: Rattle and Hum (editing out the live tracks, obviously)

[Matt Wilson]

I never play them either and I understand the notion of becoming tired of them--they (Bono, especially) seem to become overfamiliar after awhile.

Still, they're a good deal better than some of the more overpraised acts on BCB. Echo and the Bunnymen, for example--who always released an album during the same year as U2 and they were never as good (save Ocean Rain, of course).

[funky_nomad]

I quite like 'em. I'm of the right age. It may be unfortunate, but they didn't pass anybody by who was born, say, between 1960 and 1975. They might not admit it, but it's true - we've all got a soft spot.

I fit snugly into that age group, but hated U2 from the first time I heard them, and nothing, but nothing, I've heard since has made me change my mind. This includes having numerous school and Uni classmates trying to convert me, and being forced to play Pride almost every week when DJing at the Uni disco.

Fucking awful band with four cunts (albeit on a sliding scale of cuntdom) to hate in turn.

[Davey the Fat Boy]

Not a huge fan of it, but I think With Or Without You is a classic song - much better than the overrated schmaltz of One

like "with or without you" isn't meaningless, pseudo-deep bollocks. of all their supposedly good songs (the celebrated ones, the ones the FM DJ refers to as "a classic"), that one is the worst.

Yes.

'and you giiiiive yourself awaaay...and you giiiive yourself awaaaay....and you give....and you give....and you give yourself awaaaaay...'

I knew somebody would eventually get around to trying to knock both of these songs. I'm not sure why it is such an attractive pose to assume but it seems that someone always will when U2 is discussed. Of course both songs are great. Perhaps imperfect, but extremely moving for most folks. If you are in the minority that is immune to their emotional pull, that's too bad.

[Clippernolan]

Album - I don't really consider them to be an album group, all the praise heaped on The Joshua Tree notwithstanding. If you pointed a gun at me, I'd say War for nostalgia purposes.

Song - Tough one. I'll say "Red Hill Mining Town". They are a very good singles band, but I feel no need to buy an album. They are like the likable, popular jocks in high school who you admire for their ability but don't really want to hang out with.

[Kinkhurt]

Album wise I'd go for war, the Edge is at his most innovative, on limited resources - I will follow, an cat dubh, into the heart, out of control, stories for boys - classics straight out of the box, they don't play much of that stuff anymore - but they did do 'Out Of Control' a couple of tours ago and that stood out for the gem it was and is. UFF and JT are better sonically and in a mature-musican sort of way, but the guitar on 'I will Follow' and 'Out Of Control' sounds like the cold harsh 80's to me, a wet rainy decrepid Dublin day before the fun pubs came, they were never more relevant. 5 years later they were selling roots back to the Yanks, pity.

[Kinkhurt]

boy, you mean.

oops - yep (its the same kid on the cover and a while since I've played it )