U2, All That You Can't Leave Behind Reviews

dferry08's review has yet to be rated - Be the first!
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U2. Without question the worlds biggest band. They began when most of the bands nowadays were in their nappies. They've gone from Dublin to Sarajevo, given us Flys and Lemons, and have a frontman in Bono who's had meetings with, among others, Nelson Mandela and The Pope. And have earned over £600 Million along the way.An impressive CV. Since their first studio album 'Boy', U2 have grown into one of the most important groups ever in music. A group who are according to Oasis star Liam Gallagher 'so good that it makes you sick.'As a fan myself, one of the things I have admired most about the band is the different directions they have taken over the years. From the politically charged albums such as 'War' and their catalyst 'The Joshua Tree', to the dark 'Achtung Baby' and the funky 'Pop', it appears that with 'All That You Cant Leave Behind', U2 have gone back to their roots. With mixed results.After the 'Pop' experiment, this is U2 stripped bare. Back to doing what they did best. This is outlined straight away with the opening track 'Beautiful Day'. A sure fire hit that was the perfect way to announce a return to the old U2. One that will remain on the set list for many years to come. Two of the other stand out tracks would include 'Walk On' and 'Stuck in a Moment that You Cant Get Out Of', but for me, the highlight of the album, is 'Kite'.The song is dedicated to Bono's father, Paul Hewson, who passed away shortly after the albums release. Suffering a long sickness, Bono prepared himself for the passing of his father when writing the song, with the tragic opening line stating 'Something is about to give, I can feel it coming, think I know what it is.' It's a real gem of a song that sticks long in the memory.Politics takes centre stage once again with the prayer-esque 'Peace on Earth', when Bono refers to the Omagh Bomb tragedy. Nice lyrically, the song does seem to lack something though, as do some of the others on the album.'Elevation' isn't as charged as the single version, and songs such as 'Grace' will have you pressing the skip button. In all, this is U2 without the Fly and the Lemon, just four men going back to basics. Not a classic album, but has glimpses of greatness that will have you playing it for years to come. In which hopefully, these lads will still be around.

Feathers McGraw's review has yet to be rated - Be the first!
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Anyone who has watched BBC1's 'Football Focus' in the past few years will be instantly familiar with the opener of 'All That You Can't Leave Behind'. Beautiful day is an amazingly catchy song that is quintessentially U2, and with moderately deep lyrics (Touch me/I know I'm not a hopeless case). In any case, 'Beautiful Day' is an impressive and powerful opener that bizarrely seems to be a cross between 'Vertigo' and 'City of Blinding Lights'. a fantastic and well earned 10/10

'Stuck in a Momen ...