Quest for Spiritual Enlightenment Through Music

http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/music/articles/2009/10/15/20091015u2hotlistrevised-CR.html

Anyhow, this is the new list, same as the old list, with one notable exception ('cause staying the course is for suckers).

1. "War" (1983) - "I Will Follow" was a great first move, but "War" is where they really came into their own, the first suggestion that you could be looking at the most important rock band on the planet. There's a sense of urgency, from the opening shot of "Sunday Bloody Sunday," its militaristic drum beat underscoring Bono's vivid images of "broken bottles under children's feet" and "bodies strewn across the dead end street." It's flawless, really, packed with any number of the greatest songs they'd ever write, from an impassioned "New Year's Day" to "Two Hearts Beat as One" and the jittery "Seconds," a jagged shot of post-apocalyptic funk where kids are doing the atomic bomb like it's the latest dance craze.

2. "Achtung Baby" (1991) - This total reinvention of the U2 wheel was sparked, in part, by their decamping to Berlin to work where David Bowie had recorded "Heroes" (and the Bowiesque opening track, "Zoo Station," clearly makes the most of that connection). This is also where they started dabbling more in hip-hop beats and electronic textures. But the biggest - or most notable - departure was Bono's ironic detachment. He hadn't turned his back completely on the achingly sincere, though. From the operatic grandeur of "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" to the devastated "One," there no shortage of heart on "Achtung Baby." It's just sexier is all. And darker, too. But rarely at the same time.

3. "The Joshua Tree" (1987) - "The Joshua Tree" is U2's "London Calling," the masterpiece that dared you not to pay attention. All wide-open spaces and stadium-ready choruses, it filtered Bono's youthful quest for spiritual enlightenment through a newfound obsession with all things American and backed it up with killer tunes. "Where the Streets Have No Name" pulls you in and they finish you off with two chart-topping singles, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "With or Without You." Sure, the sense of gravity is almost overwhelming, but between the Edge's atmospheric love affair with digital delay and Bono's soaring choruses, it never feels too heavy for its own good.

4. "The Unforgettable Fire" (1984) - This is the first they'd worked with Talking Heads collaborator Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, and the opening track sounds pretty much exactly like a Talking Heads song - at least until Bono starts singing. Then, the sound is unmistakably U2. An atmospheric stepping stone between "War" and "The Joshua Tree," this album features several of their greatest tracks, including "Bad," a song inspired by a friend who'd overdosed on heroin, and "Pride (In the Name of Love)," a stirring tribute to the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Other highlights of this flawless album range from the skittering funk of "Wire" to the moody soundscape of the title track.

5. "All That You Can't Leave Behind" (2000) - This Y2K return to what a lot of people see as U2's strengths was hailed in Rolling Stone on impact as the band's "third masterpiece." But 9/11 took moments as hopeful as "Beautiful Day" and "Walk On," in which Bono encourages listeners to carry on when "the daylight feels like it's a long way off," and repositioned them as something more profound than a prodigal rock band returning to form. Even the opening line of Bono's finest hour as a blue-eyed soul man, "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of," seemed to take on greater meaning in the aftermath of 9/11, hearing Bono reassure himself with "I am not afraid of anything in this world."

6. "Under a Blood Red Sky" (1983) - This is the sound of U2 proving they could rock the back rows of a stadium long before they got the chance. From those spirited howls in the opening moments of "Gloria" to an anthemic "New Year's Day," every gesture is bigger than life, even Bono's admittedly goofy disclaimer of "This is not a rebel song" while introducing a transcendent "Sunday Bloody Sunday." This is U2 in their element. And letting the audience have the final word on an album-closing "40" was a brilliant move. Although a lot of people wouldn't count this one because it's technically an EP, not an album, at just less than 35 minutes, it's longer than plenty of albums in my collection.

7. "Zooropa" (1993) - This rush-recorded effort may be U2's most experimental hour, pushing everything they'd dabbled in on "Achtung Baby" to its logical conclusion. Easing you in with the Bowiesque drama of the atmospheric title track, "Babyface" and "Numb" (on which the Edge takes the mike and delivers the lyrics like a sleepy-headed rapping robot), U2 hit the disco hard on the falsetto-driven funk of "Lemon." But they save the best for last - a guest appearance by the legendary Johnny Cash on "The Wanderer." If any voice could make the most of Bono's post-apocalyptic nightmares and spiritual fervor, it's the late great Man in Black, who was clearly no stranger to the dark side or the faith it so often inspires.

8. "Boy" (1980) - It kicks off with their finest hour of the pre-"War" era, "I Will Follow," making the most of the Edge's sonic shrine to Keith Levene of PiL while Adam Clayton lets it throb on bass and Bono crushes on a higher power. While there's not much else on "Boy" that reaches out and grabs you by the collar quite like that one, it's a solid post-punk effort, bathed in echo and other effects of the day. The dizzying arpeggio of "Twilight" makes another strong case for the Edge as U2's pre-"War" MVP and once you've ruled out "I Will Follow" and "Out Of Control," most highlights are as haunted as a meeting of the Bauhaus fan club. Or they would be if it weren't for Bono shining like an optimistic beacon in the darkness.

9. "How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" (2004) - It's kind of weird that a band as profound as U2 would return to the national stage after four years by placing a single that rocks with the spirited glam-rock abandon of "Vertigo" in an iPod commercial. But as odd career moves go, it sure sounds perfect kicking off an album. And if nothing else here rocks as recklessly as "Vertigo," there are plenty of anthems majestic enough to speak to those who like their U2 better when they're going for that "three chords and the truth" vibe, from "Miracle Drug," with its synthesized cello and spiritual fervor, to an aching "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own."

10. “No Line on the Horizon” (2009) — I may not hear this as their best since “Achtung Baby,” but I can see why other people do. The sense of atmosphere is rarely less than panoramic. Bono's vocals still sound like he didn't, in fact, “have a choice but to lift you up,” as he claims in the aptly named “Magnificent.” And the trip-hop-flavored “Moment of Surrender” is as breathtaking a ballad as they've put to tape in years, making the most of Brian Eno's melancholy organ sound. Even “Get On Your Boots,” the lead-off single that seemed so goofy back in January, with its talk of “sexy boots,” has held up surprisingly well as a playful aside, with Bono shrugging off his role as the stadium rocker most likely to shoulder the weight of the world with “I don't want to talk about wars between nations,” followed by a winking, “Not right now.”