Through the 1980s, U2 had gone from upstart punks to political firebrands to stadium superstars, reaching the critical crossroad of either delivering what people expected and remaining creatively stagnant or reinventing their sound and risk alienation. By all accounts, 1991's Achtung Baby managed to position the band as a force at the beginning of the decade creatively, commercially and critically. That comes with its own risk, as one reinvention begets another - as the earnest and sincerity of the past is replaced with irony and spectacle. With Zooropa and the Passengers project with Brian Eno, the band continued to evolve sonically, but the U2 of The Unforgettable Fire and War was essentially retired. Depending on who you talked to, the band reached their 90s apex or nadir on 1997's Pop, forcing the band to release their greatest hits collection shortly after, and then to dial back the disconnect and on 2000's All That You Can't Leave Behind. With our guests, we dig deep into the U2 of the 90s, and try to figure out what what right, went went wrong, and where it left the band at the start of the new millenia.
Special thanks to Sudio Sweden for providing our May giveaway - a pair of Regent headphones. Join us at Patreon by May 15th to be eligible to win, winner announced on episode 384. We’re following up on our previous Tre and Regent reports, if you like what you hear and want to grab a pair, use the code DIGMEOUT for 15% off your purchase.
Intro - Discothèque from Pop
25:17 - The Fly from Achtung Baby
30:37 - Mysterious Ways from Achtung Baby
40:28 - Numb from Zooropa
43:47 - Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
Outro - Staring At The Sun from Pop
Creeper Lagoon - I Become Small and Go | Album Review
Tom Waits - Bone Machine | Album Review
90s Guilty Pleasures | Roundtable
Wellwater Conspiracy - Brotherhood of Electric: Operational Directives | Album Review
Pinback - Pinback | Album Review
Ida - Will You Find Me | Album Review
Deftones in the 90s | Roundtable
Ned’s Atomic Dustbin - Are You Normal? | Album Review
Wicker Man - Wicker Man | Album Review
Rusty - Fluke | Album Review
Collective Soul - Disciplined Breakdown | Album Review
Double Albums of the 90s | Roundtable
Widespread Panic - Bombs and Butterflies | Album Review
Swell - Too Many Days Without Thinking | Album Review
#547: Hash by Hash
#546: Make A Pest A Pet by The Age of Electric
#545: Lollapalooza in the 90s
#544: Throwing Copper by Live
#543:Golden Duck by Moler
#542: Maximum Sincere by Big Heavy Stuff
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