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All That You Can't Leave Behind
by Interscope Records
| List Price: |
$13.98 |
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$9.97 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. |
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$4.01 (28%) |
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Audio CD
Publisher: Interscope Records
The foursome come roaring out of the blocks with their latest collection. The album's first single, "Beautiful Day," raced to the No. 1 slot on the U.K. singles charts and received a similar rapturous reception stateside. From its shimmering preamble to its sweeping, infectious chorus, it perfectly stakes out the middle ground between the anthemic U2 of the '80s and the more grounded group of the '90s. With Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno sharing production chores again after having taken a break with Pop, the U2 team enters the new millennium with their lineup--and mission--intact. --Steven Stolder
If U2 hadn't used the title already, "A Sort of Homecoming" might have suited this, their 10th studio album. All That You Can't Leave Behind sounds, at various points, like any or all of U2's previous albums, as if the band is sending postcards back from a protracted ramble through previously conquered territories. The euphoric opening track, "Beautiful Day," reintroduces Edge's signature delay-laden guitar, which has been pretty much absent since The Unforgettable Fire. Elsewhere, the gospel stylings of Rattle and Hum resurface on "Stuck in a Moment," and the deranged, Prodigy-influenced dance textures that characterized 1997's Pop crop up on "Elevation." None of which suggest that this commendably restless bunch is running out of ideas. Having spent the '90s making three of the most bizarre and adventurous albums ever delivered by a stadium-rock band (the consecutive masterpieces Achtung Baby, Zooropa, and Pop), it's as if they're now trying to figure out what is the one particular thing they've always done best. Based on the evidence presented here, their forte remains a facility for making the epic statement alongside Bono's increasing lyrical intimacy: "Walk On" and "Peace on Earth" are two of the best things he's ever written or sung. All That You Can't Leave Behind confirms that U2's laurels are still making them itch. --Andrew Mueller
| Customer Reviews: |
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| Awesome |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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I love U2 and this album is a MUST have in the U@ collection. It has excellent sound quality and everything you could expect from U2
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| I LOVE THIS CD!! |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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My favorite U2 cd's-The Unforgettable Fire,All
That You Cant Leave Behind,The Joshua Tree,
Achtung Baby,Pop and Zooropa.
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| Soul Music |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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This is the first U2 album I ever listened to, and I would have to say that it is still my favorite. I've heard a lot of people whine about how "it's not a rock album." Well, I don't think it's supposed to be a "rock" album in the way most people think; in other words, it's not Achtung Baby. I've always thought of All That You Can't Leave Behind as a chilled-out album. To me, it's a soothing, thought-provoking album with beautiful songwriting that's not meant to be a head-bangin' rock CD (with "Elevation" being the exception). If you are up to speed on your U2ology, then you would know the circumstances and mindset under which the band wrote this album and might appreciate it more (if you don't already). I highly recommend it to all the intuitive, deep thinkers out there, but not to the head-bangers.
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| Leave some of this behind |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
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Even if I prefer the experimental-minded predecessor way more, one cannot accuse ATYCLB of continuing to alienate past fans. Instead this plays as a welcome return for those craving the more accessible, radio-friendly incarnation of our morphing rock stars. The disc is consistent, with some of their tightest more straightforward songwriting making it's case on most of the first side, though the inevitable musical mushiness does tarnish a less invigorating second half.
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| All That I... I won't even try |
| Customer Rating: 1 out of 5 |
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Wow, I just can't believe how U2 can stay around with the crap they make today. I'm a fan of U2's old stuff, but after Achtung Baby, they just fell off. Even as a fan, I have to admit they had some slip ups before that too (Read: October, The Unforgettable Fire, Rattle and Hum).
I've talked with people online over the years about this album and How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (equally awful IMO), and opinions are sharply divided about both of them. A lot of people find both to be some kind of personal revelation (which is kind of creepy with a band like U2), while people like me think it belongs in the garbage.
Beautiful Day was the only song I heard before I bought this, and I love Beautiful Day. But Beautiful Day can't even warrant me to give All That 2 stars, no matter how much I like it. As soon as the opening drums for Stuck In A Moment hit, I know I just wasted $10. The rest of the album is just... blah. I try to hang onto each song after Beautiful Day, but each song is just too long.
That's the biggest problem with All That, it's WAY to long. Each song after Beautiful Day is about 1-2 minutes too long, and I get too tired and bored to go on with that song. Every time I listen to the them I think, "OK, is this going to end soon?" I look back at iTunes, and there's still 1/2 minutes left on said song. That might not be such a problem if each song wasn't so flat.
The reason old U2 could be so great at times is that they could keep the listener interested by changing the way the song was going, or they kept the song short enough to not lose interest. They try to recapture that muse with All That, but fail. Horribly. Not to say they don't change it up, but it's usually not enough to make much of a difference. Next is the lyrics.
The lyrics on All That are horrid. Bono lost his singing voice and song writing talent long ago, but still acts like he can make meaningful deep, and complex songs. They just turn out to be silly in the end though, like with Peace On Earth:
Heaven on Earth
We need it now
I'm sick of all of this
Hanging around
Sick of sorrow
I'm sick of the pain
I'm sick of hearing
Again and again
That there's gonna be
Peace on Earth
Where I grew up
There weren't many trees
Where there was we'd tear them down
And use them on our enemies
They say that what you mock
Will surely overtake you
And you become a monster
So the monster will not break you
Yeah, deep and complex, right? The rhyming is also really mediocre, like with Elevation:
High, higher than the sun
You shoot me from a gun
I need you to elevate me here
At the corner of your lips
At the orbit of your hips
Eclipse, you elevate my soul
I've lost all self control
Been living like a mole
Now going down, excavation
I and I in the sky
You make me feel like I can fly
So high, elevation
Deep, complex, AND with great rhyming? Oh Bono, you're obviously on a plain of existence higher than the rest of us. We're just too simple to even begin to comprehend each personal revelation. Only the few elite(ists) can fully grasp how you are the next Sting, Paul Simon, or Bob Dylan. The bigger problem is that this mediocre song writing has since spread to other bands, most notably Coldplay.
I remember my first time listening to X&Y, and lamenting over the cheesy, corn-ball lyrics that ruined almost every song (exceptions being Square One, and Twisted Logic). Chris Martin used to make awesome lyrics ala Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head, but those days are long gone. I didn't understand how he went from so good to so bad until now. Reading about how U2 is such a big influence on him, and listening to the awfulness of City of Blinding Lights and Elevation make it a no brainer.
To close my review, I present a message to U2: Please stop. Stop before you ruin more bands. Stop before you make more awful lyrics. Stop before you ruin your reputation among teens like me. I'm 14, and whenever I try to talk about old U2 with people at school, all they talk about is how awful Vertigo is.
Only the most elite and devoted U2 fans could like this, and they're also the ones who inflate U2/Bono's ego even more. So please, all of you, just stop.
U2 is not the best band ever, and is not even close.
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Beautiful Day
Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of
Elevation
Walk On
Kite
In a Little While
Wild Honey
Peace on Earth
When I Look at the World
New York
Grace
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