What was your favorite era in the history of U2?

I think Boy was their best album but I liked their other albums as well.

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They lost me during the Achtung/Zooropa/Pop era with the makeup and wearing strange costumes but I was a fan again when they released All That You Leave Behind and now I have a greater appreciation of their music.

Joshua Tree is where they (BoBo) really started to become self righteous ****s, but musically up to that point they were "other people's music" to me. Kinda on in the background, other people played them not me. This album really connected with me, sound wise, feel wise, time wise. It made me look into their older stuff, and try to be more politically educated and understand the world i was living in better.

I cannot say it is their best stuff in an unbiased way, but it will always capture that late 80's, moving beyond "just metal" time to me. It represents starting to be more open minded, starting to make myself a better person, starting to move on to adulthood.

I say i miss my ex wife the way i miss Joshua Tree era U2, often. It is just shorthand for a time a place a feeling a "something" bigger than what came before.

I personally think Actung Baby is the best U2 album of all time. Didn't care for Zooropa or Pop nearly as much.

Achtung Baby/Zooropa/Pop

That was an easy vote. Achtung Baby is a top 5 all-time matsterpiece. I also really enjoy Zooropa and Pop has a few good songs as well.

I always considered UF to be part of the Joshua Tree era.

In any case, my vote is for AB/Zooropa. AB is not only a masterpiece, it's my favorite album from anyone ever.

I'd probably vote for Achtung Baby/Zooropa, but I'd prefer to leave Pop out of it. I'd rather end it at Miss Sarajevo and consider Pop to be its own era, or something.

I love Achtung Baby. Not so big on Zooropa, and even though the band has disowned it, I like Pop a lot. It's not all great the way Achtung Baby is, but I really like stretches of Pop. A lot.

War/Boy/October early 80's

I like Boy/October/War the best.

There are a ton of great-sounding boots from that era that are well worth seeking out.

I'd vote for those two albums as my favorite period. It's fair to lump Rattle in with Joshua, but I'm not a big fan of it.

UF/JT/R&H

with AB/ZOO a close 2nd.

Pop should be on it's own. (I love Pop, but it is totally a different era than AB)

I love Boy, October and War---and Unforgettable Fire is my favorite album by anyone ever. They kind of lost me with Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum. I liked AB, and I've still liked a bunch of songs here and there since then, and I don't think they "sold out" or went in any terrible direction---but I lost the connection I had with them. Seems to me they occasionally got overpowered by their influences in the later 80s and on---and their reinventions seemed a little too thought-out and less organic than their early albums, IMO.

Tough question for me because Achtung Baby is my favorite U2 CD, but I didn't really care too much for Zooropa or Pop.

The late 70s/early 80s is all I like by them. The days when you could see them play some small club. I don't even listen to the later stuff ever. They had something really special in the early 80s that they lost when they become huge ego driven rock stars.

Achtung Baby is the best U2 album, and Zooropa is a really fascinating experiment. Those get my vote. Every other strong U2 album is followed by a weak one (October after Boy, Rattle & Hum after Joshua Tree, Unforgettable Fire after War).

Best to Worst, IMO

Achtung, Baby (masterpiece)
Boy (best reverb-drenched post-punk production ever?)
Unforgettable Fire (especially side one, which is probably the best thing they ever did, IMO)
War (lots of good songs, but this is when some of the inevitable filler starts creeping in)
Pop (underrated and has some cool stuff, also the Passengers album from this era is pretty good)
Zooropa (A couple of cool singles and some throw-away stuff but they'd never be more Eno-esque)
Joshua Tree (too much chest beating, but you'd have to be a fool to deny "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", that song is epic)
October (unfocused and amatuerish, if you ask me)
Everything they're released since Pop (to be honest, I haven't really been paying attention as I found the first couple very bland, haven't heard "NLOTH" though)
Rattle n' Hum (awful... just awful)

-kd5-

Mixing live versions of recently released songs, covers of classic rock and new songs was just a hodgepodge and really tough to get into. I just think it was a badly conceived idea, not really an awful collection of music. Of the new songs Angel of Harlem, Desire, Van Diemen's Land, Silver and Gold and All I want is You would have made a great EP.

I actually like all the studio stuff from that. They should have done a quick album not unlike what they did with Zooropa. Then just release the movie on it's own...

But the back to back albums of JT and AB are really their two best B2B albums by far...(One major era to another)

The one-two punch of Achtung Baby and Zooropa do it for me, though I do love Joshua Tree.

Joshua Tree and Achtung weren't back to back. Rattle and Hum was in between.

This.

October --> War--> Under A Blood Red Sky got me into U2 in the early 80s. Eno ruined the band, IMO, although I'm in the minority on that one...

I despise those songs, with the exception of "Van Dieman's Land" which is OK. U2 has no business doing faux soul and blues numbers.

Yea, but I consider R&H as a live record with an ep of new stuff...not any different to me as a fan than, Wide Awake, Blood Red Sky, etc...

Strictly studio...

I don't care for the OPs breakdown.

UF + Joshua - R&T + Achtung

Works for me.