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Pop

U2 - Pop Audio CD

A fair review of the U2 "Pop" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all U2 reviews here, or go back to the U2 tabs.

Band: U2
Title: Pop
Rating:

Release Date: 1997-03-04
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Discoth�que 2: Do You Feel Loved 3: Mofo 4: If God Will Send His Angels 5: Staring at the Sun 6: Last Night on Earth 7: Gone 8: Miami 9: Playboy Mansion 10: If You Wear That Velvet Dress 11: Please 12: Wake up Dead Man

Parental Advisory
" Are they so big they don't require a label that would have been printed on a rapper's cover? Beyond that, I don't understand why he thought it necessary to say that in a Christian song by a Christian band to begin with. Some good tunes, but I don't understand why there is no Parental Advisory label for when Bono drops the F-bomb during "Wake Up Dead Man. I would give it 4 stars minus that.

U2's weakest album...
For a band like U2, even their weakest albums are still pretty good. Let's be clear, I don't think this is a "bad" album. But it's fair to say that this is the "least great" U2 album. It was billed at the time as an even more experimental album than 'Zooropa', but in fact it represents a pullback from that album. Rather than continue their self-consciously ironic direction, parts of 'Pop' return to the social and religious themes of the band's 80's work. In addition, several songs are more anthemic, fueled by guitar riffs rather than dance beats. The idea seems to be to merge the anthemic passion of 'War' and 'Joshua Tree' with the experimental music of 'Zooropa'. It's a nice idea in theory, and it worked beautifully with 'All That You Can't Leave Behind'. But on 'Pop', the execution was flawed.

In some ways, 'Pop' reminds me of REM's 'Up', in that it contains some reflective, thought-provoking songs that would have been better suited to a stripped-back arrangement. The dance beats and studio effects just don't suit the lyrical concerns of 'Mofo', 'If God Will Send His Angels' or 'Wake Up Dead Man'. 'Please' gets by solely because it is such a great song, no number of string and keyboard effects can ruin it (although they try!). And as for 'Miami' and 'Playboy Mansion'. . . . let's not even go there. I don't know what they were trying to do with those songs, but I'm glad they haven't tried it again since.

The best moments are where U2 actually succeed in matching the music to the lyrics. The opener 'Discotheque' at least captures the sense of fun and irony present on 'Achtung Baby' and 'Zooropa'. The three rock-oriented songs 'Staring At The Sun', 'Last Night On Earth' and 'Gone' work because of their simpler, less cluttered arrangements. And the ambient, seductive 'If You Wear That Velvet Dress' is one of the best songs here. It's just a pity a couple of the other songs weren't given as much room to breathe.

Nowadays, U2 take 4-5 years between albums, and it's hard not to wish the band had held off on 'Zooropa' until around 1995-6. Some of the better songs from the 'Zooropa' sessions could then have been mixed with the best few tracks from 'Pop', and U2 would have had another classic. As it stands, 'Pop' is still a reasonably good album, but the rather haphazard implementation of some of its new ideas means it is their least consistent. .

Underrated Gem From U2
It only sold to gold status, had hit singles that fizzled and no nods from the Grammys. This much-maligned album from U2 was relatively unsuccessful. It marks a self-conscious reinvention of a band that reinvented reinvention with their 1991 smash-powerhouse Achtung Baby. Here they try to do the same thing that they did on that album but less successfully. They reinvent themselves to include techno in their sound and they give their music a more danceable approach.

In one case, the ballad If God Would Send His Angels, the techno electronica thrown in ruins the song. In other songs we get a "the world is going to end while we're out here having fun" message. This should've been a fun, carefree album with less rant and more rave (as in rave party). It is still a great album but in this case; U2's need to save the world backfires. Long-time fans don't know whether to love it or leave it and casual fans miss it altogether for the lack of hits. It's more of an acquired taste but once you're open to whatever it brings, it unloads some of the best songs of their career. Highlights:

Discotheque
Do You Feel Loved
Mofo (Yes, a U2 song)
Staring At The Sun
Last Night On Earth
Gone
Please

This is not on par with Achtung Baby in terms of quality, but with 7 songs as highlights, this would've been a monster hit in the old days. I wouldn't recommend it for casual fans or the uninitiated, but for old fans and fans of art-rock in general, it's an exceptional album that grows on you with time.

.

A Gem, if not a Classic.
The album the band and most of their fans have summarily disimissed. Pop. What a shame. Many of the tracks on this album are among the most interesting the band has ever produced. In fact, it isn't until the latter half of the album that it starts to unravel a bit. A couple of substitute tracks could've saved this album.
Had they just gotten rid of "miami," and "playboy mansion" and substituted "hold me, thrill me, kiss me, kill me" and the b-side cover of "happiness is a warm gun," this album may have been received very differently. Admittedly "miami" and "playboy mansion" suck. Then again there are missteps here and there on every U2 album, even on the so-called Classic albums. On achtung baby there's "who's gonna ride your wild horses," that song sucks, but no one dismisses achtung baby because of it. So it should be with Pop.
"Discotheque" is a pulse-pounding, rocket-flying, let-loose track, in the style of "the fly," "lemon" and "vertigo. " "Mofo," "do you feel loved," "If god will send his angels," "staring at the sun," "last night on earth," and especially the live ROCKER "gone" are seven straight stand-out tracks. "velvet dress" is probably the only truly substantial track of the latter part of the album, but that's ok with me. U2 have to screw around sonically to get where they're going next. Without those missteps maybe the need to create an album like "All That You Can't Leave Behind," never would have happened, and that album was CRITICAL to the band's survival. So at least 8/12 tracks here are outstanding. I usually buy an album as long as I like at least 5 tracks, so 8 is a definite must-buy. Forget the nay-sayers, and pick up one of U2's most interesting works.

One's trash is another's treasure
I bought it the day of its release and listened to it over and over again. I clearly remembered when this album was released. For some reason, I eventually shelved it. But I recently pulled it back out. The test for a great album is whether it stands up after a decade. I must say I actually believe this cd is even better now. Its a real tragedy that u2 took to heart the criticsm they recieved after the release of this album and the subsequent tour. In the 2000's, they have become a band afraid to take risks and really "f#@$ up the mainstream".

"POP" is an album addressing the stench of consumerism and fame and at the same time celebrating it. The lyrics find Bono desperately searching for salvation, sometimes in very dark places while in the music, you can almost see neon lights flickering on a sleazy street corner. In "Mofo", Bono screams for love, acceptance, and emotional embrace from his deceased mother. It may be the most gut wrenchingly personal song he ever wrote. The anger you hear in the techno pop drive of the song is almost unnerving.

Other glimpses into Bono's inner pysche are revealed. In "Gone", he reveals the weariness associated with being an icon. He almost sounds like he wishes it would all go away. Had they not released another album, it wouldnt have been surprising after hearing this song.

Even anger at God is heard. "If God Will Send His Angels" sounds at first like a pleasant song. But the message of the song is that we are so screwed up, even God cant help us. According to "Wake Up Dead Man", perhaps God is too preoccupied to help us. This isnt sacreligous; even David himself wrote of this kind of anger in Psalms.

"The Playboy Mansion" is really almost a joke. The subject of the song dismays at the world around him and pines for some type of paradise. The song seems to have a gospel feel and if one hadnt seen the title, the gates of the mansion could be mistaken for heaven. But then the singer reveals at the end he believes paradise is found at Hugh's house. Its really a metaphor for our misplaced conception of what paradise and salvation really is.

Its too bad that since the release of this horribly underrated album that u2 hasnt come close to this type of artistic risk again. They tried to recapture the sonic and thematic sense this album has when they wrote and recorded "No Line on the Horizon". While "No Line" has its moments and is more risky than their other releases of the 2000's, "Pop" is U2's last great record.

You can see a complete list of all U2 discography, or go back to the U2 tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.