Ranking U2 Albums

1. The Unforgettable Fire (1984) - A personal favourite. This album was created as a dedication to Martin Luther King Jr. and for it's time, was light years ahead of anything else produced at the peak of poppy crap in the 80's. Songs like Bad, Unforgettable Fire, Wire, Indian Summer Sky really take you to unforgettable places of melancholy, dreamy happiness and for me, memories of junior high house parties. The album title is a theme for me, reminding me of the passion I had for music then and how it impacted me on the rest of my life. This is the album that made U2, U2. Without the experimentation and learning done on this album, The Joshua Tree wouldn't have been as good as it is. I absolutely love The Edge's mega reverbed sound that Brian Eno skillfully produced.

2. The Joshua Tree (1987) - Like The Boss killed disco, with this epic album, U2 put the nail in the coffin for the upcoming death of hair metal and literally eliminated all the potential head bangers from my high school - save a few hardcores. Every song is excellent, memorable, and well produced - once again by Lanois and Eno. The song writing is simple yet the melodies are second to none. This is not only one of the best U2 albums, but one of the best albums of all time. It's a true "driving through the mountains" compilation of tunes as it talks about God quite a bit. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is Shlab's theme song as his journey in search for Godliness. "Running To Stand Still" steadies along so eloquently and passionately - I love the harmonica riff. But I actually prefer the second side of the album (back when there were 'sides'). "In God's Country" is a fantastic song with trademark "chunk-a-chunk" strumming from the Edge. Lots of harmonica from Bono gives it that real earthy feel. It's a dark album full of hope. "One Tree Hill" is one of my faves. The last songs of the album beautifully take you off into the sunset and into a starry night.

3. Achtung Baby (1991) - The band took a hard right turn with this awesome album. I still can't believe it's 14 years old! Absolutely cutting edge when it was made - the Edge got edgier, and Larry's drumming got funkier, while remnants of their old style with "One", "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" remain, "Even Better Than The Real Thing" - an in your face song echoed by their recent release "Vertigo".

4. Rattle and Hum (1989) - Followed up by a movie, this album reminds us of where and how rock n roll all started. It took us back to the roots. The re-made live songs were very well done and every one of the new songs weren't fillers by any means. A very dynamic album - it flows along and ends with one of the greatest songs and videos they've ever done - "All I Want Is You". (Boobie, you gotta give this album more credit.)

5. All That You Can't Leave Behind (2002) - Whew. We thought we lost 'em. But they're back. Although a few songs could have been left behind, the rest remind us what makes U2 so great, and the album title refers to that.

6. War (1983) - A rightful cynical album. It opens with "Sunday Bloody Sunday" - the modern theme song for the Irish conflict. "New Year's Day" has a brilliant piano riff with knife cut guitar, reminding us that in other parts of the world, war is war, and resolutions don't really change us. "Two Hearts Beat As One" has pumping bass and a pounding chorus exemplifying a heart beat.

7. Zooropa (1993) - Obviously an experimental album with hints of genius. I love the song they did with Johnny Cash. Sort of a retro-country tune. "Lemon" is sure a strange song, but catchy. Because I listened to it so much in the summer of 1993, it stuck with me. I sometimes play it again to relive the memories of that year.

8. Pop (1997) - Fun fun fun. I really like this non-U2 U2 album. Riding the mini disco comeback with "Discotheque", their Villiage People antics gave us some nostalgia there. U2's Popmart tour to Edmonton is something I'll never forget. "Mofo" is just a trippy electronica zinger obviously brought forth by producer Flood. Bono said, "We like it up here", and they did for a while, took their fans to new places, but forgot who they were.

9. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (1994). Starts off great with Vertigo, but then it's too much Bono lamenting. This album is a repeat of All You Can't.. but not as good. It may grow on me yet, as a lot of U2 albums do.

10. Boy (1980) - "I Will Follow", a great song, one that will always be played, marks the start of a "musical journey" for the band. The rest of the album is very early 80's kind of stuff.

11. October (1981) - U2's follow-up album, while not quite as good as 'Boy', thankfully wasn't so bad that it killed them.

Overall, U2's peak period was between 4 albums, "Unforgettable Fire", "Joshua Tree", "Rattle and Hum", and "Achtung Baby". The next two albums experimental. And the last two try to match the magic of their peak period. Bono seems tired at times. "All You Can't" is a dynamic album, but sappy at times. They have a bad tendency to write too many two chord ballad filler tunes. They need a cause to write - to bring the rebelliousness back - to rock again. "Vertigo" certainly does that for me - but I want MORE!