Customer Reviews

All That You Can't Leave

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"All that you can't leave behind" is not U2's best album - my personal favourite is "Achtung Baby", where every song is a masterpiece and every note sounds as if it were the best that could possibly have been chosen. Whilst ATYCLB is great, it doesn't quite achieve that perfection, but then, an imperfect U2 album is twice as good as many other bands' best. To call them "past it" is to ignore the incredible creative power of this group.

The theme in this album is change. Moving on, but being true to yourself. This is mentioned in several songs: for example, "Stuck In A Moment" and "Walk On". It sums it up really, for lack of another theme: this does not have the angry rock style of their early albums, the acoustic simplicity of "The Joshua Tree", the dark intricacy of "Achtung". It is an amalgamation of these, and yet none of them, but still U2; craftsmen of music, emotion and thought.

"Beautiful Day" deserves to be classed with the greatest U2 tracks - it combines subtly intelligent lyrics and fantastic music in the classic U2 song structure, building up into a euphoric climax. "Stuck In A Moment" juxtaposes a cheery gospel tune with tough but sensitive lyrics. "Elevation" is a cracking tune with an infectious sense of fun, although the lyrics are a bit too silly. "Walk On" is my favourite off the album - a classic, emotional swelling song with beautiful and intimate lyrics. "Kite" has truly great moments, although the structure is uneven (the tongue-in-cheek last lyrics don't seem to fit with some of the rest of it). "In A Little While" is a simple, sexy little rhythm; like another reviewer said, I dare you to sit still through it! "Wild Honey" is a nice tune, hints of country ... sounds a lot like a feelgood version of "In God's Country". "Peace On Earth" sets hard-hitting lyrics to a simple, soulful tune - it is reminiscent of a few songs from the early albums (eg. "October","War"). "When I Look At The World" is a sweeping, richly textured song with one of the best Edge riffs ever. "New York" is confident, restrained mostly but bursting into occasional loudness, with U2's more 90's lyrical ambiguity. "Grace" is not my favourite song, although it can be surprisingly enjoyable when relaxed enough - it had potential for more. Lastly, having heard "The Ground Beneath Her Feet" off my brother's "Million Dollar Hotel" CD, I held out for the bonus track, and I recommend you do, too. It may seem a bit dark and electronic compared with the rest of the album, but at its heart is U2 musical emotion and Bono's amazing voice, and the classic "building up" structure also used in great songs like "With Or Without You".

This album is a must buy for any U2 fan, not necessarily because it is the best, but because it is an essential part of their immensely creative, multi-faceted body of work.

I bought this in London on a trip and it seems that the release is limited to UK.

It's the same as the US release with a bonus track - worth getting. The packaging is also different (paper).

Since this is a import, you might want to go to amazon.co.uk and notice the significant "value" you could save if you order it directly from them!

The same goes for other U2 singles for ATYCLB that were not released in the states.

In all honesty, spend the extra bucks and make sure you get the version with "The Ground Beneath Her Feet", it's one of those U2 songs that are never gonna make it to main stream radio, but is a real classic for people who actually listen to the whole album and not just the singles. ATYCLB is easily one of U2's best albums to date, it's a great record that will stain your life with memories and emotion forever.

I follow the theory that says you can't be a fan of the band if you're not willing to follow them where-ever they go(musically, that is). If you fall of the wagon, you're just a fan of some of the music. I am an U2 fan, I follow (and even WILL follow), but I beg of you : Don't start here. If you're looking for a jumping-off point for an U2 experience, one of the following will serve you far better :
Boy
The Unforgettable Fire
Rattle & Hum
Achtung Baby.

I, myself, started with October, but then, I didn't have a wise woman like me to take advice from. ^_~

This album has been a great triumph for a band that I have been listening to since the early eighties. Every time U2 comes out with a new album I have to change my choice of favorite cd. If you think I am lying, contact me and I will show you the light. Now walk on