“It was a beautiful day…Don’t let it get away.”
These lines grace the refrain of the first song of U2’s latest album, “All That You Can’t Leave Behind.”
Before listening to this record, I thought that U2’s “Beautiful Day” was a thing of their past. No longer do songs like “With or Without You,” “Desire, or “Pride (In the Name of Love)” flow from their proverbial pens, but rather songs of a new generation, and electronic, do.
After their spectacular success with such albums as The Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum, U2 experimented with their traditional Irish rock sound. The result was a trio of unique albums: Achtung Baby, Zooropa and Pop.
While these albums produced various and sorted hits, such as “One,” “Mysterious Ways,” and “Discotheque,” they were not quite the same as their earlier efforts.
While experimentation and change of direction are not necessarily a negative approach, sometimes it works to alienate long-time listeners.
Not knowing what to expect from U2’s latest effort, I tried to throw out all of the negative reviews I had previously heard and listened with an open mind.
While the album is no The Joshua Tree, it is no doubt a step up from their mid-1990s efforts.
While their first single, “Beautiful Day is surely a fine effort, perhaps their best in a decade, I’m not entirely sold on the album as a whole.
That’s not to say, however, that the 11-song collection does have its high points.
The album’s second track, “Stuck In a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of,” is another fine effort by the band.
“I’m not afraid of anything in this world/There’s nothing you can throw at me that I haven’t already heard/I’m just trying to find a decent melody/A song that I can sing in my own company.”
This song is a standout track from much of the rest of the collection, though unique in a good way.
Another favorite of mine is the fourth track, “Walk On.” Other than containing the album’s title, I’m sure that the song’s lyrics will speak to star-crossed lovers worldwide: “And love is not the easy thing…/The only baggage you can bring/Is all that you can’t leave behind.”
In all, this is not U2’s best album ever, though it is a solid one, much more so than the band’s other recent efforts.
To the first-time U2 buyer, this may not be the place to start your collection, but for the long-time fan, it’s definitely not a waste by any stretch of the imagination.
Grade: B
