All That You Can't Leave Behind - U2 (CD 2000)

Nearly thirty years after forming in Dublin, Ireland U2 is still making excellent music. They began as politically charged new wave punk and have morphed into one of the most lauded pop/rock bands of the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. In thirty more years, the band will still have fans and will certainly be regarded in a musically revolutionary light.

The four members of the band have stuck together through thick and thin. Bono (vocals, guitar), The Edge (guitar, keys), Adam Clayton (bass guitar), and Larry Mullen (percussion) have become synonymous with consistently excellent music. Some people still find them to be safe or even bordering on annoying but for me U2 is far and away one of the best bands of the last few decades. Their music is evocative, their production is top-notch, their performances are excellent, and their songs are outstanding.

I proudly own each and every studio album U2 has ever released. My sentimental favorite is still 1988 s Rattle and Hum (a combo live and studio album), but albums like The Joshua Tree (1987), Zooropa (1993), War (1983), and Achtung Baby (1991) are also particularly amazing. In the years since U2 experimented on their uncharacteristically panned 1997 album Pop, they have matured. Their edges are less sharp but their heart is still prominently and proudly displayed on their lapels. It is impossible to not be impressed by the band s ability to still be relevant despite their advancing years and the changing times. I consider them to be very much the same kind of act as The Rolling Stones.

In 2000, U2 released All That You Can t Leave Behind. Despite slightly lacking in consistency, it earned widespread kudos in the form of positive reviews and statues (including seven Grammy awards). The album not only helped to retain old fans, it earned them new ones. That said, I still wouldn t go so far as to say that this disc is anywhere near as perfect as The Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby. Instead, it is U2 doing what they do best making concise, elegant pop-rock. What I will say is that at least a handful of these songs will be forever regarded among the Irish band s best.

Epic album opener Beautiful Day is an outstandingly moving song. Despite the relative newness it is the kind of song that was immediately identifiable and will forever be timeless. Bono sings breathlessly over the Edge s trademark guitar. There is what the band has always been about making touching songs that are immediately entertaining at the same time they are creative expressions. This song in particular was one of the most successful singles from this album.

Speaking of successful singles, Stuck in a Moment You Can t Get Out Of, Elevation, and Walk On were also release as singles and sold well. I m not as fond of the dour Stuck in a Moment You Can t Get Out Of as the other two. Elevation is an upbeat dance/pop track that was an easy choice for a single. It is exciting and elegant and features the band in all their glory. Walk On is something else entirely. It, like Beautiful Day, is a ballad. It has a bittersweet feel. U2 is telling their audience that it s important to move on from the good and bad you have to in order to develop. This is the goal that the band clearly had for this album. In fact, All That You Can t Leave Behind is the first in what will certainly come to be known as the band s third creative incarnation.

Following the first four songs, there is still so much worth hearing. Kite is a gentle, gorgeous mid-tempo track while In a Little While is a sparse country-rock inspired ballad. The first song that really doesn t capture my imagination is Wild Honey. My major problem with the song isn t that it is badly produced or performed. Instead, it sounds like U2 took a cue from The Beatles and wrong a jangly pop tune. I personally prefer them sounding a bit more like themselves and a bit less like their apparent idols. From this point forward I m definitely less impressed by this album.

Tragically, Peace on Earth bores me to tears, When I Look at the World lacks direction, New York is tiring, and while Grace is a pretty enough song it still doesn t go anywhere or make me feel anything. Overall, All That You Can t Leave Behind is a very good album even if the second half wanes somewhat in quality. Even at their very worst, U2 is still much better than the vast majority of bands. They are well aware of what makes a great song. Fans of the band will find great value in this album and people not yet completely acquainted with U2 will surely find this album to be effective.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Track Listing:
01. Beautiful Day
02. Stuck in a Moment You Can t Get Out Of
03. Elevation
04. Walk On
05. Kite
06. In a Little While
07. Wild Honey
08. Peace on Earth
09. When I Look at the World
10. New York
11. Grace
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