U2 from Greatest Rock Bands of All Time

Im not sure why everyone associates U2 as being a 'hit' band because it is not true at all. infact none of my favorite songs by them are the most popular at all. I wouldnt say im obsessed with u2 but i think they are amazing and i truly appreciate they're beautiful contribution to the world of music. and i love the comment by holdenandthejets. 1. achtung baby 2. josua tree 3. war 4. the unforgettable fire

It's strange to me that people either love this band to an obnoxious degree or hate them to death. U2 really are a good band, but I guess it's "cool" to hate them. At the end of the day, they are a singles band. Their albums struggle too much with consistency. When I listen to a U2 album, there's typically two or three awesome tunes, half a dozen mediocre to good songs and a song or two that is terribly subpar. I do think The Unforgettable Fire is the exception to this rule as it holds up pretty well. The only weak track on that particular album is the one that Brian Eno forced them to put on the record, so I can forgive them for that misstep.

I've tried to understand why they are loved by so many. I certainly don't think they're terrible, they're a good band, no more, no less.

wow guys, what a joke. u2 is one of the best bands of all time (big fan of where the streets have no name). why give them so much hate? @intomost the worst band ever? have ya seen some of the junk produced nowadays??

They inspire so much hatred because people have no sense of context. Hate him all you want, so many people have handled half the fame Bono has with no grace whatsoever. They deserve every penny they make and every bit of praise they receive.

Some of their later stuff is admittedly catchy—even anthemic, but I prefer the early stuff, before they got too pretentious and too self-congratulatory. About 25 songs by U2 get regular rotation in my shuffle (a blasphemous concept on an all-albums site, I know); 10 of them are from War, which is brilliant. Boy and Unforgettable Fire are good records as well. I may not be enamored with U2, but I do respect their talent. And Edge is terrific; I could listen to him play guitar all day.

Everything previous to this comment is correct; good & bad. A band that splits opinion more than any other I would suggest. I both love & hate them in equal messure. Love, because they made some of the greatest albums ever, Joshua Tree, Rattle & Hum, Achtung Baby, Blood Red Sky, Boy. Need I say more? Then they go & do Pop & How to Dismantle... & I think, what a waste of talent. They are certainly past their sell by date & Bono really gets on my nerves big time(when talking rather than singing) but the legacy is brilliant.

I know Bono is a pretentious git and somewhat of a hypocrite. I know they've gotten bloated and irrelevant lately. However, from the early 80s until the late 90s, U2 not only became the biggest band in the world, they pushed music forward with their riffs, melodies, thoughtful prose and dynamic live show. Those who say that U2 became repetitive - who else has reinvented themselves multiple times? They changed dramatically in the early 90s, again the in the late 90s, and again post-2000. A great band.

If I were to rate them up to Achtung Baby it'd be 100, Zooropa had a few good tracks but had completely lost me by 97's Pop catastrophy.

I have been much preferred rock bands who at least includes guitar, bass, drums, and KEYBOARDS, but U2 is one of my biggest exclusions (the others such as The Police and Rush). U2 is a type of bands that have their glory days at the beginning of their career, since (IMO) their albums start from Zooropa showed them to try other genres which not always succeed. But in the end, there's no way to say U2 is poor band, since they have existed for more than 30 years without any break-ups or line up reformations while many bands just come and go without significant influences. Two big thumbs up for U2!

My favorite band until All That You Can't Leave Behind. Some great songs after that and I really like No Line, but both No Line and How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb were weak. I think they are going the way of the Stones and have passed their time. Zooropa should be ranked higher, but would agree their best work is chronologically War, Joshua Tree, and Achtung Baby. Although everything up to All That You Can't Leave Behind were holistic, great albums. If they can't reinvent themselves with their next album...they should call it quits.

It's hard to believe that U2 has been around THIS long! There's no denial. They're a great band with a great deal of talent and they know how to work as a band and produce quality stuff. Although, they've yet to make a top-notch album, their body of work over the past 30+ years is extraordinary (yes, listen to the compilation albums). Forget the flashy videos...forget Bono's attempt to save the world...forget the politics. Just listen to the music...it's good...it's VERY good.

What unfortunately hurts U2 is their comercial legacy and their "we are saviors of the world" attitude, however no one can deny that they have recorded some of the best albums in the last 30 years so I guess that is that. It's difficult for me to think they are overrated just becaus they aren't a metal band.