U2: Two Views: Zooropa was supposed to be an afterthought, but instead
it was one of U2's most daring releases. The band's last album, Pop, was rumored to be a
dance record, but instead it was a dark, modern rock record. All That You Can't Leave Behind was hyped to be a
return to the old U2, but instead it is a triumphant melding of classic songwriting and
up-to-date sensibility. Bono, the Edge, Adam and Larry, in delivering one of their best albums,
defy expectations. "Beautiful Day" is unabashedly soaring and catchy; one would
have to be stone dead to be unmoved. "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" is sparse and
soulful. "Walk On," the album's "One," is an anthem for both stadiums and Discmans. These are
fully realized songs, not sketchy beats or riffs, and the effort shows. Yes, the middle of the album sags a tad, overcome by
mid-tempo drift typified by tracks like "Wild Honey." But Bono quietly rights the boat
with "Peace On Earth" with Lennon-like honesty. In reciting the names of children recently
killed during the Troubles -- "Sean and Julia, Gareth, Ann and Breda" -- he quietly snaps us
to attention with vulnerability and restraint. All That Can't Leave Behind is so perfectly uncool.
It's not rap or teen pop. It's not cynical or featherweight. It's not detached or
oblique. It's exactly what we need, whether we
realize it or not. Rating: 9 -- Burton Glass
At least I think I recognize this version of U2. For a long while there, the band whose posters
adorned my walls lo those many years ago didn’t keep their end of the social contract with me.
They were supposed to churn out strident anthems featuring ringing guitar solos, rock-solid
drumming and thinly disguised allusions when the lyrics weren’t in-your-face direct. We both
grew up, but I didn’t embrace their change as much as I embraced my own. Perhaps I drive a hard bargain. Occasionally mentioned in the same
breath with REM considering the trajectory of their careers, I consider REM's last two offerings among
the best in their discography after a protracted dalliance in wimp-pop. The early murmurings from Dublin
and first single "Beautiful Day" held some promise to my ears. The pre-release trial balloon
that the band sent over was that this album was going back to their unvarnished roots. Not quite.
Eno and Lanois are still the producers and I don’t feel they challenge the band enough anymore.
Simply put, this isn’t an updated Unforgettable Fire.
When Bono is on, both in voice and lyrics, All That Can’t You Leave Behind genuinely soars. The
album’s two best tracks, by an unforgettable mile, are "Walk On," dedicated to Nobel Laureate
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and "New York." The latter being a love poem to the center of the universe,
almost too obviously a Lou Reed sound-alike during the verses, until the Edge rescues the
chorus and Bono from falling into too much "Satellite" falsetto. You can’t help but smile when
he sings, "The Irish have been coming here for years/feel like they own the place."
These moments are few and far between. While never one to be mistaken for a subtle wordsmith,
too often Bono paints simple-minded word pictures. "Who’s to say where the wind will take you,"
goes the chorus to "Kite." Obvious, or is it just me? A song on one of those Steve
Lillywhite-produced albums had a break-out moment when Bono raged, "I’m so sick of it" about the
Troubles and a martial drum cadence kept the beat. His pacifist bona fides don’t need any
burnishing and the weak echo of "I’m sick of hearing again and again/That there’s gonna be/Peace
on Earth" rings with neither hope nor fury. Rating: 6 --Tim Frommer
All That You Can't Leave Behind (Interscope)
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