The poll was symptomatic of my taste in U2 -- I grew up with Rattle & Hum, Achtung, and the middle-age U2. I never really realized how important War, October, et alum were until I did this poll. I do find it amazing how segmented U2 fans can be. I also find it amazing how many great albums they managed to put out.
The early albums are so important to us because we grew up with them - "the sound of our youth" ~ that and the fact they are better than the new albums... kidding.
I like Unforgettable Fire and Joshua Tree. Achtung Baby was also pretty great, except I had to hear it every day for the entirety of my first year at university. someone, somewhere was always playing the cd, loudly. i think every note of the album is embedded into my brain.
I had to think about it between Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby, in the end I picked Joshua Tree as a whole album. The Unforgettable Fire has some great songs, it or War would be 3rd to me, but isn't as strong from start to finish. I liked October and Boy as well, it is nothing like the sound they were in the mid 80s let alone more recent, but still good. Talk about a band that really should have quit after the 70s. Those guys were awesume at one time. U2 changes trends--the radio sounds like them because they influence other bands. Aerosmith has neither been able to sustain, outdue, or evolve beyond once they once did. It is such a drag to have to change Rock stations when they play much of this decade+ drivel. REM was OK, different planent from U2 though. Lots of other "alternative" 80s bands were better than REM as well. To borrow an expression in this thread, the extreme "sissy bands" The Cure and The Smiths were a lot more impressive than REM. If you have seen them you know U2 could kick ass in ways none of these bands could.
