Ranking U2's Albums from Worst to First: #2 Achtung Baby

1991 was one heck of a year for music.  Consider the following albums released that year: Pearl Jam Ten, the self-titled Metallica record, REM Out of Time, Red Hot Chili Peppers Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik, Guns n' Roses Use Your Illusion 1 and 2, and of course, Nirvana's Nevermind.  All of these are classic albums and to put the cherry on the top of an amazing year of music, U2 dropped Achtung Baby on November 18.  

As the 1980s came to a close, there was some fear that U2 might breakup, and as recording commenced in 1990 and 1991 for what eventually became Achtung Baby, the band had to work through personal and interpersonal turmoil as they "dreamed it all up again".  While recording in Berlin, the band came together as one while laying down the early sketches for what became their hit song, One.  Instead of being the moment that U2 splintered into oblivion, the Hansa Studio recording sessions became the springboard for what is in my mind their second-best album.  What makes this record so good is that it is not only filled with excellent songs, but they are at once both experimental and accessible.  There are addictive melodies, explosive guitar parts, rumbling bass lines, hypnotic drumbeats, boosted by sumptuous strings and electronic sound effects.  Some songs you want to dance to, while others make you want to jump in the mosh pit!  The first single released from this album, The Fly, was described by Bono as "the sound of four men chopping down The Joshua Tree."

Though sonically distinct from The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby is similar to the former record in that it carries a certain timelessness.  When U2 are at their best, they create music that has an almost eternal character - evoking at once both nostalgia and a longing for the future, taking the listener to another time and place and then dropping them back home again, not the same, but changed.  The words of TS Eliot capture the effect that a record like Achtung Baby has on a listener:

With the drawing of this Love and the voice of this Calling 

We shall not cease from exploration 

And the end of all our exploring 

Will be to arrive where we started 

And know the place for the first time.

If you haven't experienced Achtung Baby, what are you waiting for?  But don't just listen once.  Like all classic musical pieces, this record demands repeated listening, leading each time to new discoveries.  

U2 Achtung Baby - Released November 18, 1991

Album Charts - #1 Ireland, #2 UK, #1 US.

Worldwide Sales to Date - 18 Million

Singles - The Fly, #1 Ireland, #1 UK, #61 US.  Mysterious Ways, #1 Ireland, #13 UK, #9 US.  One, #1 Ireland, #7 UK, #10 US.  Even Better Than the Real Thing, #3 Ireland, #12 UK, #32 US.  Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, #4 Ireland, #14 UK, #35 US.

Standout Songs - All of them!

Weakest Track - None

Hidden Gem - Acrobat

Achtung Baby may be #2 on my list of U2's albums, but it is really more like 1B to The Joshua Tree. - Shay 

Ranking U2's Albums from Worst to First: #3 All That You Can't Leave Behind

The latter half of 1999 fittingly was a period of looking back on the 20th century and looking forward to the "new millennium".  Historians and cultural commentators spent time reflecting on the 1900s while pushing the public toward the possibility of a new beginning in the 2000s.  Of course, there were quite a few fundamentalists and conspiracy theorists who predicted either a global meltdown with Y2K or the imminent return of Christ, but neither of those things came to pass.

For creatives like musicians, poets, artists, and writers, 1999-2000 offered an opportunity to consider their previous output, even as they dreamed of a new beginning in the new century.  U2 had spent the 1990s experimenting with and exploring new sonic territory on Achtung Baby, Zooropa, and Pop.  They also released a record of imaginary soundtracks with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois.  They named their supergroup "Passengers" and the record, Original Soundtracks 1.  We are still waiting for Original Soundtracks 2.

So as U2 began work on their 10th studio album, it was inevitable that they too might be in a reflective mood as they pressed onto the third thousand years of the modern era and the third decade of the band's career.  What the band rediscovered was that they have a knack for creating catchy, yet timeless tunes.  Sure, guitar effects pedals can create cool sounds, synthesizers and strings fill out a sonic palate, and drum machines can enhance a rhythm when used appropriately, but there is no substitute for well-crafted songs.  And what the band released in October of 2000 was a batch of well-crafted songs.  The band continued to use the electronic toys and tools they perfected in the 1990s, but the songs on this record would be just as powerful played acoustically around a campfire.   Almost every single track on All That You Can't Leave Behind could have been released as a single, and the songs that were have become staples in the U2 catalogue.    

U2, All That You Can't Leave Behind - Released October 30, 2000

Album Charts - #1 Ireland, #1 UK, #3 US.

Worldwide Sales to Date - 12 Million

Singles - Beautiful Day #1 Ireland, #1 UK, #21 US.  Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out Of #1 Ireland, #2 UK, #52 US.  Elevation #1 Ireland, #3 UK, #4 US Adult Alternative Chart.  Walk On #7 Ireland, #5 UK, #2 US Adult Alternative Chart.

Standout Songs - All of them cannot be left behind, but one (see below).

Weakest Track - New York

Hidden Gem - When I Look at the World 

After a decade of pushing their limits and exploring all the soundscapes that might be utilized in producing an album, U2 discovered that at the heart of every good record and every good song is a beautiful melody, a solid bass and drum line, and a catchy guitar lick.  Those three things they took with them into the 21st century. - Shay 

Ranking U2's Album's from Worst to First - #4 Rattle and Hum

 

In 1987, U2 appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, with the periodical's headline declaring the band to be "Rock's Hottest Ticket."  U2 had climbed to rock 'n roll's summit and the view couldn't be better.  They had a #1 album with The Joshua Tree, more hit songs than they could fit into a single set list and were the darlings of the media and public not only in the US, but around the world.  But most bands discover that staying at the top is harder than getting there.  What would U2's next move be?

While on the latter half of The Joshua Tree Tour, a Canadian director named Phil Joanou convinced the band to let him record some of their live shows and to conduct interviews and capture behind the scenes footage for a "rockumenatary".  Initially, the project was to be released in art house theaters, but Paramount Pictures decided to purchase the film, and they released the movie in mainstream cinemas, hoping to turn it into a blockbuster.  The film titled, Rattle and Hum was by no means a flop, but since most hardcore U2 fans saw it in its opening weekend, public interest in the movie soon waned and it was pulled from theaters.  Some critics loved it, while others thought that it was U2's attempt to place themselves alongside the great rock 'n roll pioneers like Elvis, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and BB King.  Actually, what U2 was doing with the film and the accompanying album was paying homage to their heroes who had come before.  And it is the accompanying album, Rattle and Hum that is the #4 record on this ranking of U2's albums from worst to first.

Rattle and Hum is unique in that it is a kind of hybrid recording.  Nine songs are new and recorded in studios, four are U2 originals, recorded live in concert, two are live covers, and two tracks are snippets of other artists performing live.  The double album clocks in at over 70 minutes and the live recordings are interspersed with the studio tracks.  Somehow, this montage fits together nicely and works as both a live and studio album.  Consider the strengths of the studio recordings.  Imagine U2 releasing a new record with the following songs.  

1. Van Diemen's Land, 2. Desire, 3. Hawkmoon 269, 4. Angel of Harlem, 5. Love Rescue Me, 6. When Love Comes to Town, 7. Heartland, 8. God Part II, 9. All I Want is You.  

That's a classic album on its own.  When you throw in live original and cover tunes like Helter Skelter, All Along the Watchtower, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, and Pride (In the Name of Love), you have a classic record with a few bonus tracks to boot!  And though most of these songs are rooted in American blues, country, and rock 'n roll, there are hints in God Part II that the band was beginning to move to a more experimental sound.  

U2 Rattle and Hum - Released October 10, 1988

Album Charts - #1 Ireland, #1 UK, #1 US.

Worldwide Sales to Date - 14 Million

Singles - Desire #1 Ireland, #1 UK, #3 US.  Angel of Harlem #3 Ireland, #9 UK, # 14 US.  God Part II (did not chart).  When Love Comes to Town #1 Ireland, #6 UK, #68 US.  All I Want is You #1 Ireland, #4 UK, #83 US.

Standout Songs - Van Dieman's Land, Desire, Angel of Harlem, Love Rescue Me, When Love Comes to Town, Heartland, God Part II, All I Want is You.

Weakest Track - None

Hidden Gem - Heartland

Rattle and Hum is a fitting ending to the first chapter of U2's work and a creates an interesting segue to their next chapter in the 1990s. - Shay 

Ranking U2's Albums from Worst to First: #5 The Unforgettable Fire

 

In 1984, after wrapping up the War Tour, U2 had climbed nearly to the top of the mountain of rock n roll greatness without having quite yet summitted.  They had released three records with two of them being smash hits.  They had gradually gone from being the darlings of college radio to being a feature on FM pop and rock stations.  They had sold millions of albums, but they were also in danger of simply churning out the same kinds of songs that had given them success in the first place.  If they had climbed so close to the rock n roll peak, the last thing they wanted to do with their fourth record was plateau.  So, in early 1984, the band enlisted the assistance of ambient musician, Brian Eno (of Roxy Music fame) and the young but prodigious talent of Daniel Lanois to produce their next album.

Rather than going straight into a normal recording studio, the band decamped to Slane Castle for added inspiration as they created the soundscapes and audio tapestries that became The Unforgettable Fire.  This record is at once full of hit rock anthems, most notably Pride (In the Name of Love), while also featuring ambient and even esoteric tracks like Promenade, Elvis Presley and America, and MLK.  Somehow, Eno, Lanois, Hewson, Evans, Clayton, and Mullen held it all together, creating a classic record that was not bettered in the 1980s until three years later when the same group of men wrote, recorded, and produced The Joshua Tree.  If the latter record might be compared to an Ansel Adams photograph, the former album might be a Monet or Renoir painting.

     

U2 The Unforgettable Fire - Released October 1, 1984

Album Charts - #53 Ireland, #1 UK, #12 US.

Worldwide Sales to Date - 8.1 Million

Singles - Pride (In the Name of Love) #2 Ireland, #3 UK, #33 US.  The Unforgettable Fire #1 Ireland, #6 UK.  Wire #31 US Main Rock Chart.  Bad #19 US Main Rock Chart.

Standout Songs - A Sort of Homecoming, Pride (In the Name of Love), Wire, The Unforgettable Fire, Promenade, Bad, Elvis Presley and America, MLK.

Weakest Track - 4th of July

Hidden Gem - Promenade 

The Unforgettable Fire is an abstract masterpiece. - Shay

Ranking U2's Albums from Worst to First: #6 War

 

In the early 1980s, "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland were still raging.  For over 60 years Ireland had been divided into two separate political entities.  The Irish Free State, later becoming the Republic of Ireland, consisted of 26 counties and the majority of the island.  Six northeastern counties made up Northern Ireland which remained a part of the United Kingdom.  Hence the official name of the UK is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.  Most Roman Catholics, North and South in Ireland desired the UK to give up its control of the 6 northeastern counties and allow the entire island to be united under the government of the Republic of Ireland. However, in the late 20th century, Protestants (the descendants of Scottish and English planters first given land in Ireland under James I) still made up a majority of the population of Northern Ireland and wished to remain British.  Over time, the tension between the two communities in the north bubbled up into outright hostilities, climaxing in atrocities committed by both sides against one another (and sometimes even against each other).  The British army was called in to "keep the peace", but as is typical with occupying forces, at times the "shit hit the fan".  In January of 1972, British soldiers shot 26 unarmed peaceful nationalist protesters in Derry, killing 14.  It is this incident that informs the narrative of U2's classic song, Sunday Bloody Sunday, released on the War album in 1983.

"The Troubles" in Northern Ireland formed the basis for much of the themes on War, but the idea of human conflict in all of its various permutations is explored on this record.  From the Polish Solidarity struggle in New Year's Day, to the threat of global nuclear holocaust in Seconds, to the immigrant fleeing political violence in The Refugee, to the interpersonal struggles that dating and married couples experience in songs like Two Hearts Beat as One and Surrender, the album takes us down the human path of most resistance.  Bono jokes that it was on his honeymoon that many of the ideas for War came to him!  

Thematically, this album is tightly wound together, both lyrically and musically.  After a brilliant debut record and then a bit of a misstep on their second effort, U2 rebounded fantastically with War.  And with this output, they began to explore some new musical textures, adding violin to Sunday Bloody Sunday and horns to Red Light.  The album ends with a Davidic prayer taken directly from Psalm 40 and simply titled, 40. It is with this album and the subsequent tour that U2 grew from cult status to one of the biggest bands in the world.    

U2, War - Released February 28, 1983 

Album Charts - #16 Ireland, #1 UK, #12, US

Worldwide Sales to Date - 11 Million

Singles - New Year's Day, #2 Ireland, #10 UK, #53 US.  Sunday Bloody Sunday, #7 US Main Rock Chart.  Two Hearts Beat as One, #2 Ireland, #18 UK.  Surrender #27 US Main Rock Chart.

Standout Songs - Sunday Bloody Sunday, Seconds, New Year's Day, Drowning Man, Two Hearts Beat as One, 40.

Weakest Track - Red Light

Hidden Gem - Drowning Man

If Boy is possibly one of the most underrated debut records of all time, War is probably one of the most underrated rock albums of all time. - Shay 

Ranking U2's Albums from Worst to First: #7 Boy

The shimmering, echoey, and hopeful sounds of The Edge's guitar announced to the world that a band that was not so much rooted in the past but moored to the future had arrived as I Will Follow blasted from the needle of record players through hi-fi wires and out stereo speakers into the universe and beyond.  U2 had arrived with the martial wallop of Larry Mullen Jr.'s bombastic drumbeats, Adam Clayton's unorthodox bass lines, and Bono's earnest, if not quite yet refined shouting (I mean, singing).  I Will Follow might be the best lead-off track of any debut album in rock history.  45 years after the fact, the song and the album still sound fresh.  If all U2 had ever released was the album, Boy, it would have been enough to cement them as rock legends.  And yet, this first record of theirs is "only" #7 on this countdown of U2's albums from worst to first.  

U2 were not the most skillful musicians when they released their initial full-length album, but for the previous four years they had created a unique sound on the "toilet bowl" touring circuits of Ireland and the UK.  Since they weren't God's gift to musicianship, they were forced to create their own quirky, yet cool songs, rather than simply cover other artists works.  This, in the long run, forced them to craft their tunes in unconventional ways and when their playing caught up to their imaginations, they were on their way to the rock'n'roll hall of fame!

Boy explores the journey that all adolescent males traverse as they transition from boys to men, from teenagers to adults.  It is an album of loss and discovery.  It is a record of innocence as it transitions to the naive belief that you've arrived and have it all figured out at the age of 18, 19, or 20.  Boy is the journal in song of going, not so much from innocence to experience, but innocence to a false summit.  Oh, but what vistas are available, even from these pseudo-peaks.  If education is the path from cocky ignorance to miserable uncertainty, then Edge, Adam, Larry, and especially Bono are as confident and self-assured as any young man might be on their debut album.  Sure, at this point, they don't know what they don't know, but this first record of theirs is all the better for it.

U2 Boy - Released, October 20, 1980.

Album Charts - #52 UK, #63 US.

Worldwide Sales to Date - 5.7 Million

Single - I Will Follow, #81 US Charts.

Standout Songs - I Will Follow, Out of Control, The Ocean, A Day Without Me, The Electric Co.

Weakest Track - Twilight

Hidden Gem - The Ocean 

Boy is one of the most underrated debut albums of all time.  - Shay 

Ranking U2's Albums from Worst to First - #8 How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb

 In 2000, U2 stormed back into mainstream consciousness with the release of All That You Can't Leave Behind, an album that will feature later in this unofficial countdown of their 14 studio albums from "worst to first".  With the critical and commercial success of their 2000 release and subsequent world tour, the band carried much momentum with them into the studio for the follow up record.  Four years later, the band produced How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb which didn't quite live up to the critical or commercial success of its predecessor (it's hard to follow up an all-time classic) but is a solid record and has offered a number of tunes which still frequent current U2 touring playlists.

For this album U2 harnessed a gritty and almost "dirty" rock n roll sound on songs like Vertigo, All Because of You, and Love and Peace or Else (not that I particularly like this latter track - see below).  They also harkened back to some of their early 1980's material on songs like Miracle Drug and City of Blinding Lights.  It is a testament to U2's greatness that this is only the #8 album on my ranking and it is a record that spawned big hits and big sales - 10 million to date!  

U2 How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb - Released Nov 22, 2004

Album Charts - #1 Ireland, #1 UK, #1 US.

Worldwide Sales to Date - 10 Million

Singles - Vertigo, #1 Ireland, #1 UK, #31 US.  All Because of You, #4 Ireland, #4 UK.  Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own, #3 Ireland, #1 UK, #97 US.  City of Blinding Lights, #8 Ireland, #2 UK.

Standout Songs - Vertigo, Miracle Drug, One Step Closer, Original of the Species, Yahweh.

Weakest Track - Love and Peace or Else.

Hidden Gem - Miracle Drug

We are only half-way, and the best is yet to come.  In fact, it might be even better than the real thing! - Shay   

Ranking U2's Albums from Worst to First: #9 Songs of Innocence

 

On this date, September 9, eleven years ago, U2 released a digital version of their 13th studio album, Songs of Innocence without previously marketing it or letting either the press or the public know about it.  In fact, if you owned an apple phone, it was downloaded to your music library without your knowledge, or your consent.  Hey, free music - pretty cool.  At least that's what I would have thought.  I did not (nor still don't) own an apple phone and so had to manually download the album (still for free!), but many people who received the automatic download were appalled and offended by the seeming generosity of the band.  Others in the music industry felt it set a bad precedent to give away music for free.  At the end of the day, it was all a bit of a storm in a teacup.  

At any rate, 26 million people actively downloaded the album by the end of October 2014.  The physical release of the album "only" generated sales of about 1.1 million, but much of the focus on Songs of Innocence has centered around the band's "forcing" it down the public's throat, rather than on the artistic merits of the music.  

Songs of Innocence is a quality record with raw guitar riffs, catchy melodies, and tight bass and drum rhythms holding the songs together.  As mentioned in the previous post, it is the first of a two-part album, with Songs of Experience coming three years later.  And as the title implies, the album echoes some of the band's earliest recordings, but with an extra 35 years of writing, recording, and touring experience.  It also deliberately references some of the band's earliest musical influences, both lyrically and musically (The Ramones, The Clash, and even The Beach Boys). 

U2, Songs of Innocence - Released, September 9, 2014

Album Charts - #2 Ireland, #6 UK, #9 US.

Worldwide Sales to Date - 1.1 Million (26 Million Downloads)

Singles - The Miracle (of Joey Ramone) #1 US Adult Alternative Chart, Every Breaking Wave #23 US Adult Alternative Chart, Song for Someone #13 US Adult Alternative Chart. 

Standout Songs - The Miracle (of Joey Ramone), Every Breaking Wave, Song for Someone, Sleep Like a Baby Tonight, The Troubles.

Weakest Track - Raised by Wolves

Hidden Gem - The Troubles 

Songs of Innocence is a batch of tunes that could fit nicely alongside late 1970s and early 1980s hits, as well as next to tracks from the 21st Century. - Shay

Ranking U2's Albums from Worst to First, #10 Songs of Experience

 In the last part of 18th Century, English poet and artist William Blake published his joint book of poems and illustrations titled "Songs of Innocence and Experience".  In 2014, U2 released their 13th studio album, "Songs of Innocence".  And then in 2017, they released the follow up album, titled "Songs of Experience."  It is this album, U2's last of original material (the album "Songs of Surrender" in 2023 contained reworked, reimagined, and re-recorded tracks from their previous albums) that comes in at #10 on this unofficial countdown of the band's catalogue.

The 2014, "Songs of Innocence" had echoed some of the stripped down, early 1980s songs, both sonically and thematically.  "Songs of Experience" echoed some of the material from 2014, but took it in new directions, much like U2 pushed their sound into new territory in the 1990s.  On repeated listens to this album, what stands out are the melodies.  Bono has always been a fantastic singer and an excellent creator of melodic atmospheres, and where "Songs of Experience" might suffer a bit from over-production, it is full of rich and catchy melodies.  

U2, Songs of Experience - Released, December 1, 2017

Album Charts - #1 Ireland, #5 UK, #1 US.

Worldwide Sales to Date - 1.3 Million 

Singles - You're the Best Thing About Me, #66 Ireland, #92 UK, #1 US Adult Alternative Chart; Get Out of Your Own Way, #3 US Adult Alternative Chart; Love is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way, #25 US Hit Rock and Alternative Chart, Summer of Love (did not chart), Landlady (did not chart).

Standout Songs - Lights of Home, You're the Best Thing About Me, Get Out of Your Own Way, American Soul, 13 (There is a Light).

Weakest Track - The Blackout

Hidden Gem - 13 (There is a Light)

By the late 2010s, U2 had honed their craft so much that they could write and record very "professional sounding" tracks in their sleep.  That is a positive but can also be a negative.  Here's to hoping that U2 might rediscover some of their innocent naivete to combine with their experienced song-craft on their next album. - Shay    

Ranking U2's Albums from Worst to First, #11 Zooropa

In the middle of the European leg of the Zoo TV tour, in between concert dates, U2 traveled back and forth between Dublin and the tour locations to record their follow up to their smash hit album, Achtung Baby.  Initially these hastily recorded tracks were to form an EP rather than a full-length record, but as the creative juices continued to flow, the EP grew to an LP titled Zooropa and was released in early July 1993.  

If Achtung Baby had been experimental, Zooropa shot the experiment through with a big fat dose of steroids!  But if you were to strip away the tracks of their added electronic embellishments, you would be left with a batch of solid songs.  Adam's thundering bass mixed with a little less martial sounding drum beats from Larry create a powerful wall of rhythm and the dance beats and synthesizers just make the guitar tones a little more playful and edgy (pun intended).  Bono's melodious singing soars, especially on songs like Lemon and Stay (Faraway, So Close!).  Though the album loses a little momentum on the second half, it ends brilliantly with Johnny Cash bellowing over a space age riff on The Wanderer.  

U2 Zooropa - Released, July 5, 1993.

Album Charts - Ireland 1, UK 1, US 1.

Worldwide Sales to Date - 7 Million

Singles - Numb, #2 US Modern Rock Chart, Lemon, #3 US Modern Rock Chart, Zooropa, #13 US Modern Rock Chart, Stay (Faraway, So Close!), #15 US Modern Rock Chart.

Standout Songs - Zooropa, Babyface, Numb, Lemon, Stay (Faraway, So Close!), The Wanderer.

Weakest Track - Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car

Hidden Gem - The Wanderer 

We are not yet even in the top 10 on this list, but Zooropa is not so faraway, and oh so close to a classic record. - Shay 

Ranking U2's Albums from Worst to First: #12, Pop

 My freshman year in college, U2 released Pop, their 9th studio album and #12 on this less than scientific countdown of their best records.  When this very un-pop album came out, I could not wait to pick it up as it had been nearly four years since their last output.  In the early 1990s, U2 had begun to experiment with electronic synthesizers and dance beats.  With the Pop record, they had taken this experimentation to a new level, although in hindsight, it was a much more rocking record than it initially was given credit for.  In fact, compared to what is considered alternative rock in 2025, Pop was not only ahead of its time, it could have just as easily been given the name "Rock" instead of "Pop".

Although the record has sold over 5 million copies in its 28 years of existence, it was not well received critically after its release.  Yet, if one goes back and gives it a listen today, one is reminded that U2 has always been a step or two ahead of the pack.  I would venture to say that if Pop would have been released between 2010-2020 it would have gone down as a classic.  It was just a little too ahead of its time, at the time.  

U2, Pop - Released, March 3, 1997

Album Charts - #1, Irish.  #1, UK.  #1, US.

Worldwide Sales to Date - 5 Million

Singles - Discotheque #1, Ireland.  #1, UK.  #10, US.  Staring at the Sun #4, Ireland.  #3, UK.  #26, US.  Last Night on Earth #11, Ireland.  #10, UK.  #57, US.  Please #6, Ireland.  #7, UK.  If God Will Send His Angels #11, Ireland.  Mofo (did not chart).

Stand Out Songs - Discotheque, If God Will Send His Angels, Staring at the Sun, The Playboy Mansion, Wake Up Dead Man.

Weakest Track - Last Night on Earth

Hidden Gem - The Playboy Mansion

As good as these U2 albums are, they will only get better! - Shay 

Ranking U2's Albums from Worst to First: #13, No Line on the Horizon

On February 27, 2009, after playing in a co-ed softball game, Juli and I picked up a pregnancy test and soon learned that she was pregnant. 8 1/2 months later, we welcomed Ashlyn Nicole Smith into our lives.  Earlier on that February day when we discovered that Juli was with child, I made a lunch run to Best Buy to purchase U2's 12th studio album, No Line on the Horizon.  It is a fine record and it's cool that it shares a significant date with my family, but even that isn't enough to get it into U2's top ten albums.  But lucky #13 is not so bad.

For a band like U2, none of their records are poor by the standards of most musical artists.  But the reality is that bands like U2 don't compete against the rest of the pack - ultimately, they compete against themselves and No Line on the Horizon just doesn't measure up to most of the rest of U2's catalogue.  

There are a few decent songs when heard in isolation, but what hurts this album as a whole is its desire to be both radio friendly and experimental.  The result is that it is not terribly experimental, and the hits were short-lived flash in the pan kind of songs.

U2, No Line on the Horizon - Released February 27, 2009 

Album Charts - #1 Ireland, #1 UK, #1 US

Worldwide Sales to Date - 5 million

Singles - Get On Your Boots, #1 Ireland, #37 UK, #37 US Modern Rock Chart.  Magnificent, #4 Ireland, #45 UK, #11 US Alternative Chart.  I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight, #11 Ireland, #69 UK, #66 US Hot 100 Chart.

Standout Songs - Moment of Surrender, Unknown Caller, Get On Your Boots, Breathe

Weakest Track - Standup Comedy

Hidden Gem - Unknown Caller 

For this to be the band's second worst record and to still achieve such commercial success, demonstrates that not only does U2 have a lofty ceiling, they also maintain a very high floor. - Shay 

Ranking U2's Albums from Worst to First: #14, October

Today marks the start of a new series of blogs here on Near St. Anne's and the Sea.  For close to 35 years, I've been a massive U2 fan, and I have a sneaky suspicion that sooner, rather than later they will be releasing their 15th album.  In anticipation of that momentous occasion, whenever it may be, I would like to spend a few posts counting down their previous 14 records from worst to first.  When I say worst to first, it's a little like ranking your children (though in my case, I only have 1, so she's definitely #1).   But you have to start somewhere, so today we start with #14 - October.

In the past, when bands were just getting started, they often spent months, if not years grinding it out on the live circuit, perfecting their sound.  If they were afforded a record contract, they had years of their best material to put on that first album.  Usually, the record companies would have expected a second album soon after the group toured their first record, and so it was more common than not for bands to struggle to match the artistry and sales of their first effort.  This is certainly true of U2 and their second album, October.  It is their weakest effort, by far, and yet it still has quite a few standout songs.  But its weakness stems from the rushed nature of the writing, recording, and production of the record.  

The recording of the album coincided with guitarist The Edge considering quitting the band as he struggled to reconcile his committed Christian faith with the rock 'n roll lifestyle.  Thankfully, he and Bono decided to use their music as a vehicle for the expression of their faith, rather than a hinderance to it.  Spiritual yearning is certainly evident in these songs, but gracefully the band managed to express their wrestling with God in a non-preachy or Bible-thumping way.   

More than anything, October provided Island Records with its required second album, allowed the band to continue to tour and hone their craft, and laid the foundation for U2 to write and record some of rock music's best albums of all time in the mid to late 1980s.  

U2, October - Released October 12, 1981

Album Charts - #17 Ireland, #11 UK, #104 US

Worldwide Sales to Date - 1.5 million 

Singles - Fire, #4 Irish Chart, #35 UK Chart.  Gloria, #10 Irish Chart, #55 UK Chart.

Standout Songs - Gloria, Tomorrow, October, Scarlet

Weakest Track - Is That All? 

Hidden Gem - Scarlet 

The record is certainly worth a listen, if only once a year at the start of the month of October. - Shay 

Ten Reasons to Live in Ireland

On June 23, 2010, my wife Juli, my 8-month-old daughter, Ashlyn, and I landed in Dublin, Ireland to begin what we did not know at the time would be one of the greatest 5 years of our lives.  As of June 30, 2025, we have now been back home in the United States for 10 years.  The 15 years that have passed since our move to Dublin and the 10 years that have flown since we've moved back remind me of the singer Roddy Woomble's line: "I got older, while I was waiting to get older.  I thought it would take much longer."

Dublin is my favorite city in the entire world, and I miss living there immensely, though I've enjoyed the 10 years I've spent in the US since our move back.  With it having been 10 years since I've called Ireland home, I would like to share what I believe to be the top 10 things that make Ireland (both north and south) one of the best countries in the world.

10. The Food 

Compared to many other nations of the world, the Irish are not known for their food, but the things that the Irish do well - they do really well.  Warm Irish soda or brown bread cannot be topped, except with butter and jam which is also very good in Ireland.  You would also be hard pressed to find better stew on a wet day than in the Emerald Isle.  And there's not much better than a full Irish breakfast with the requisite fried eggs, bacon rashers, black and white pudding, sausages, baked beans, fried tomato, and homemade soda bread.  Of course, you have to wash it all down with a few cups of tea!

9. The Friendliness 

The Irish are genuinely some of the friendliest people you will meet anywhere.  When they say "hello" or "how are you?" or "good morning", they really mean it.  I've have personally witnessed Irish friends taking the time to show tourists to their destination (whether walking or by car), rather than simply giving them directions. 

8. Sense of Humor (the craic)

What makes the Irish so funny is that they are more than happy to laugh at themselves before laughing at others.  In fact, one of the big no nos in Ireland is to take oneself too seriously.  No matter how bleak the world becomes, the Irish have a knack for finding humor in almost any situation.  

7. Spirituality 

Ireland used to be known as an island of saints and scholars, though some today might better describe it as the isle of cynics and the skeptical.  However, I have noticed that compared to much of the rest of secular Europe, Ireland has maintained a stronger connection with its religious past.  There's room and opportunity for continued growth in this arena.

6. Pub Culture 

Shifting from spirituality to spirits, I confess that I do enjoy a nice pint in a nice pub.  It was once said that it was near impossible for a person to walk through Dublin and avoid passing a pub, no matter which route you may take.  Though many of the pubs across the country have closed and are closing, pubs still function like they have for centuries, as public houses where people meet to not only drink a beer, but to chat and to share life and community.  Some of my favorite memories in Dublin involve sharing a pint of porter and conversations of both faith and football.

5. Ireland's Way with Words 

Some of the best writers of the English language come from Ireland.  For such a small country, Ireland punches well above its weight when it comes to literary masterpieces.  From Joyce to Yeats and from Wilde to Shaw (not to mention, many more), the Irish have a way with words that captivates readers far beyond their shores.  In addition to this, the Irish take great pride in education and seeking to be deep thinkers.  You don't have to look hard to find intelligent conversation in Ireland, whether in a coffee shop, a church, or a pub.

4. Music 

I love traditional Irish music.  But I also quite like modern Irish music, especially the rock bands that have been launched from Ireland.  The 1960s and 70s saw the emergence of Van Morrison and Thin Lizzy.  The 1980s and 90s produced U2, Sinead O'Connor, and The Cranberries.  Since then, the success of Glen Hansard (and The Frames), Snow Patrol, Hozier, Fontaines DC, and Inhaler demonstrates that Ireland will continue to produce world class musicians and music for decades to come. 

3. Landscape 

I am drawn to epic and surreal landscapes, and for such a small island (you can fit about 8 Irelands inside of Texas), Ireland has numerous epic and surreal landscapes, especially alongside the coasts.  Though it doesn't have large landscapes like the Swiss Alps or the Saharan Desert, it has what I would describe as quaintly dramatic terrain.  You might call it beauty on a small scale.

2. Pace of Life 

Americans live to work, whereas Europeans, work to live.  This might be a bit cliche, but it's true.  I used to make jokes that the Irish show up late to work and make up for it by leaving early.  That's only partially a joke.  Really, the Irish just know how to work smarter, rather than harder, and their lives are all the better for it.  Things move at a slower pace in Ireland, but it's a pace that allows a person to breathe. As Mel Gibson's character in Braveheart said, "Every man dies, not every man really lives."  We might say that every American works, not every American really lives.  The Irish know how to live.

1. The Kindness of the Irish 

My wife, Juli, has often remarked that the Irish are kind people.  And it's true!  Not only are the Irish funny and friendly, they genuinely care about other people too.  I'm not sure if it is still true, but at one point Ireland gave more money to charity per capita than any other nation in the world.  Why?  They experienced a famine in the mid-nineteenth century and they haven't forgotten the devastating effects of that food shortage.  And until very recently, Ireland remained a poor country.  After the Celtic Tiger of the 1990s, Ireland joined the rest of Western Europe in standard of living, but they did not forget what it felt like to be poor, and they are more than willing to give back to those less fortunate.  And it is not just their financial generosity that makes the Irish "nice", it's their authentic care for the underdog and for those without a voice.  I would challenge you to find a kinder 5 million people anywhere in the world!

I don't know if I'll ever have the opportunity to live in Ireland again, but even if I don't, I hope to visit that fair island as often as I can.  One of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me occurred when I traveled back to Dublin for a visit a few years ago and was greeted by my friend, Tony Murphy with, "Welcome home." - Shay

Will Texas be Back Again?

I have lived for 48 seasons of Texas Longhorns football.  I've seen some truly terrible teams (many of those between 2010 and 2020) and some amazingly remarkable seasons.  A few years back, after Sam Ehlinger declared that Texas was back, I compiled a subjective top 25 of Texas seasons (not necessarily teams).  Unfortunately, we were not quite back after that big Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia.  But with the hire of Steve Sarkisian and two semi-final appearances, it's safe to say that we are moving in the right direction.  With that in mind, I've decided to update the list of the top 25 seasons in my lifetime.  Here's my admittedly subjective list.

25. 1982, 9-3, #17

24. 2020, 7-3, Alamo Bowl Champions, #19

23. 1979, 9-3, #12

22. 2000, 9-3, #12

21. 2003, 10-3, #11

20. 1994, 8-4, Southwest Conference Champions, Sun Bowl Champions, #23

19. 1996, 8-5, Big 12 Champions, #23

18. 2006, 10-3, Alamo Bowl Champions, #13

17. 1978, 9-3, Sun Bowl Champions, #9

16. 1998, 9-3, Cotton Bowl Champions, #15

15. 2007, 10-3, Holiday Bowl Champions, #10

14. 2018, 10-4, Sugar Bowl Champions, #9

13. 1995, 10-2-1, Southwest Conference Champions, #14

12. 1990, 10-2, Southwest Conference Champions, #11

11. 2002, 11-2, Cotton Bowl Champions, #6

10. 2001, 11-2, Holiday Bowl Champions, #5

9. 1981, 10-1-1, Cotton Bowl Champions, #2

8. 1983, 11-1, Southwest Conference Champions, #5

7. 1977, 11-1, Southwest Conference Champions, #4

6. 2004, 11-1, Rose Bowl Champions, #4

5. 2024, 13-3, Peach Bowl Champions, College Football Playoff Semi-finalists, #3 

4.  2023, 12-2, Big 12 Champions, College Football Playoff Semi-finalists, #3 

3. 2008, 12-1, Fiesta Bowl Champions, #3 

2. 2009, 13-1, Big 12 Champions, #2 

1. 2005, 13-0, Big 12 Champions, Rose Bowl Champions, National Champions, #1 

All in all, over these 25 seasons, the Longhorns compiled a 256-57-2 record, averaging just over 10 wins per season and a little over two losses.  Their win percentage over this quarter of a century of seasons was .813.  They finished with a final ranking of average of #9 during these years.  Hopefully, this list will have several more additions over the next decade - especially seasons that finish in the top 5 or 10.  Hook'em! - Shay