Published on Nov 28, 2000
“Now
this is what should have released instead of
Pop,” an average U2 fan may say after listening to U2’s
latest release. After
Zooropa, U2 made a half-hearted promise to fans that their
next album would be more guitar-heavy and more back to their roots.
Actually,
Pop caught U2 fans so off-guard that many didn’t allow the
album to sink in. I still say that
Pop was a good record, but I, along with many U2 fans,
rejoiced after hearing
All That You Can’t Leave Behind.
U2 is now on a label that nourished the careers of such rebel
rousers as Nine Inch Nails, 2Pac and Marilyn Manson. And in a way,
U2 strangely fits in Interscope’s lineup, because the band is
rebelling against the current musical scene by getting back to the
basics with
All That You Can’t Leave Behind. While the title of the
album is somewhat of a task to get through, listening to the album
is no problem at all.
“Beautiful Day” makes it clear that this is U2 straight outta
The Unforgettable Fire and
The Joshua Tree era. The ringing guitars of The Edge and the
crisp playing of Larry Mullen are both evident 30 seconds into the
first song. One more thing about U2 is back with
All That You Can’t Leave Behind: optimism. In the swoony
ballad, “Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of,” Bono sounds like
the romantic schoolboy of lore. He hasn’t sounded this unabashedly
romantic since “One.”
While U2 spends a lot of time looking in the past, musically and
lyrically in
All That You Can’t Leave Behind, they do tweak their sound
in the experimental fashion that made
Zooropa and
Pop worthy additions to their catalog. The bouncy, club-type
groove of “Elevation” actually would have fit as a b-side to
anything off of
Pop.
Fans of old-school U2 may jump the gun and declare
All That You Can’t Leave Behind a masterpiece. It’s a great
album, but some songs almost sound too familiar. “Wild Honey” and
“Kite” are so-so numbers that are not quite as powerful as some of
the other tracks on the album. You almost wish that the band would
shake things up a bit and go
Achtung on us and make us say, “What the hell are they doing
in
that song?”
Perhaps my two favorite songs on
All That You Can’t Leave Behind, “Walk On” and “New York,”
have the elements that have made U2 a great band, in ALL phases of
their career. “Walk On” has Bono’s soulful voice pierce through the
dense sonic arrangement, however, The Edge does manage to get in a
guitar hook that will stay with you while driving to work, while
showering, while walking your dog while…argh! it’s the hook that
won’t let go!
And “New York” sounds like Bono is fitting himself to take over
as our generation’s Sinatra. When he croons, “New York,” you can’t
help but compare, but he injects so much sarcasm and irony into the
chorus, you remember that these guys have always had a cheeky sense
of humor.
All That You Can’t Leave Behind may not be enough to put U2
back at the top of the pop charts again, but judging by the first
couple of week’s sales, its obvious that the new approach is a
welcome approach for fans.
As much as I like
All That You Can’t Leave Behind, I can’t help but feel a tad
skeptical. For more than 20 years, U2 have made a policy of not
listening to what the critics say or even fans for that matter.
Listening to this album, you can’t help but wonder if the band did
this album to appease the fans. Who knows, the band may have wanted
to do something even further left field than
Pop. However, the inspired emotion of Bono’s lyrics and the
freshness of Mullen, Clayton and The Edge’s playing should put
those doubts to rest.
Either way, I’ll still listen to
Zooropa and
Pop, but I’m damn glad that
All That You Can’t Leave Behind is now in my CD player.