Rolling Stone have unleashed the results of their Readers’ Top 100 (mentioned before), and U2 have placed several times:
- #70 with Zooropa
- #53 with The Unforgettable Fire
- #49 with War
- #15 with All That You Can’t Leave Behind
- #10 with Achtung Baby
- #4 with The Joshua Tree
Each article has an interesting quote about the album from members of the band, so give ’em a look-see, won’t you? (And dig RS’s pretty new design, which was quite literally being posted while we read this feature, and switched over halfway through…)
Rolling Stone wrote:
“Essential track: “Pride (In the Name of Love),” even though it got the time of Martin Luther King Jr.’s death wrong.”
Uh, it was “early morning” in Dublin when Bono heard the news moments after it happened.
So damn American-centric these music rags ….
Rolling Stone wrote:
“Essential track: “Pride (In the Name of Love),” even though it got the time of Martin Luther King Jr.’s death wrong.”
Uh, it was “early morning” in Dublin when Bono heard the news moments after it happened.
So damn American-centric these music rags ….
Let’s analyze this, shall we?:
Out of 6 ALBUMS,
U2’s average sales per HIT album (U.S. only I presume)
is 5 MILLION DOLLARS! That’s a million for each band member and the managment.
The 3 #1 ALBUMS averaged almost 7 (6.7) MILLION DOLLARS AN ALBUM.
However, they have NEVER SURPASSED sales for JOSHUA TREE alone which was released in 1987 and 11 years into their music career. Eleven years AFTER earning 14 MILLION DOLLARS IN SALES and releasing ONLY 2 CHART TOPPING ALBUMS, they have released 4 MORE CHART-TOPPING ALBUMS and ONLY MADE 2 MILLION MORE DOLLARS the second time around. So, they’ve had to sale TWICE as much POP music in 14 YEARS to match their first decade in the music business. Whew!
U2 have managed to produce 2 CONSECUTIVE NUMBER ONE ALBUMS which TOTAL EARNINGS of 10 MILLION DOLLARS only equals their first #1 ALBUM JOSHUA TREE’s sales.
Thus, U2 are hitting #1 on the charts every 4th album but they are also declining in SALES by 1 MILLION DOLLARS. In conclusion, I predict that U2’s next album should hit #1 on the US charts and earn less than 12 MILLION DOLLARS in sales. :o) I got a C in economics.
Let’s analyze this, shall we?:
Out of 6 ALBUMS,
U2’s average sales per HIT album (U.S. only I presume)
is 5 MILLION DOLLARS! That’s a million for each band member and the managment.
The 3 #1 ALBUMS averaged almost 7 (6.7) MILLION DOLLARS AN ALBUM.
However, they have NEVER SURPASSED sales for JOSHUA TREE alone which was released in 1987 and 11 years into their music career. Eleven years AFTER earning 14 MILLION DOLLARS IN SALES and releasing ONLY 2 CHART TOPPING ALBUMS, they have released 4 MORE CHART-TOPPING ALBUMS and ONLY MADE 2 MILLION MORE DOLLARS the second time around. So, they’ve had to sale TWICE as much POP music in 14 YEARS to match their first decade in the music business. Whew!
U2 have managed to produce 2 CONSECUTIVE NUMBER ONE ALBUMS which TOTAL EARNINGS of 10 MILLION DOLLARS only equals their first #1 ALBUM JOSHUA TREE’s sales.
Thus, U2 are hitting #1 on the charts every 4th album but they are also declining in SALES by 1 MILLION DOLLARS. In conclusion, I predict that U2’s next album should hit #1 on the US charts and earn less than 12 MILLION DOLLARS in sales. :o) I got a C in economics.
Woah, someone likes capitals and the word “millions”! Seriously though, interesting point. I was surprised (but happy) that Zooropa made the list.
Woah, someone likes capitals and the word “millions”! Seriously though, interesting point. I was surprised (but happy) that Zooropa made the list.
It is really, really, really disappointing to find that the brilliant U2 album called POP is missing from this list!
It is really, really, really disappointing to find that the brilliant U2 album called POP is missing from this list!
Yes it is disappointing Joost, but as long as the USA continues to diss progressional(I am aware this might not be a word HAHHA) rock it’s something we have to put up with. Another reason it pisses me off is because it is probably my fav U2 album most of the time.. On a different tangent: I am really pissed off at the new mix of Staring at the Sun, I really liked the original one a whole lot better. The new one sounds very shit and it sounds more like a demo than a finished product.. I just really hope they don’t do the same thing to Discotheque, Gone, Numb and especially Gone
Yes it is disappointing Joost, but as long as the USA continues to diss progressional(I am aware this might not be a word HAHHA) rock it’s something we have to put up with. Another reason it pisses me off is because it is probably my fav U2 album most of the time.. On a different tangent: I am really pissed off at the new mix of Staring at the Sun, I really liked the original one a whole lot better. The new one sounds very shit and it sounds more like a demo than a finished product.. I just really hope they don’t do the same thing to Discotheque, Gone, Numb and especially Gone
I voted for Joshua Tree to be No.1, and I think they used an idea of mine under the “You Said:” thing… Yes Pop and all the other U2 album deserve to be on here, but Joshua Tree being better than top 5 will do I suppose!!! Is anybody else suprised that RTSS was the essential track??? I can see why, but Streets is on here to… My opinion is there isn’t a non-essential track on this album!!!
I voted for Joshua Tree to be No.1, and I think they used an idea of mine under the “You Said:” thing… Yes Pop and all the other U2 album deserve to be on here, but Joshua Tree being better than top 5 will do I suppose!!! Is anybody else suprised that RTSS was the essential track??? I can see why, but Streets is on here to… My opinion is there isn’t a non-essential track on this album!!!
Well, RTSS is about heroin, so it appeals to rolling stone. Seriously though, it is the best song on the album next to “streets”.
Well, RTSS is about heroin, so it appeals to rolling stone. Seriously though, it is the best song on the album next to “streets”.
I don’t trust the READERS of Rolling Stone to tell me what albums I should listen to…I never have. I’m looking at the list to compare myself to what others have said and done. I think it’s safe to say that most people don’t know what they’re buying when buying albums. I assume the charts are based on AIR play and not album sales, thus the major discrepancy. The confusing thing about this list is that people look at ONE song off the album instead of the entire list of songs to determine the value/rating. EVERY SONG on JT and AB and ZOOROPA are good songs. If I had to take one song from each and make another album, like U2 had to do, then I would have picked Bullet the Blue Sky because lyrically it’s better than In God’s Country which is my fav too; Zoo Station from AB because it really sets the mood of the album and I can’t decide between UTEOTW, Fly and Acrobat; Stay from Zooropa because it sets the mood for all the other songs-Some Days and Dirty Day. Wanderer is like a throw back to JT and Achtung so it doesn’t really represent the NEW album which is POST ZOOTV. One doesn’t represent every song on AB and is a throw back to JT. Running to stand still is a good Essential track because it’s totally U2’s sound.
I don’t trust the READERS of Rolling Stone to tell me what albums I should listen to…I never have. I’m looking at the list to compare myself to what others have said and done. I think it’s safe to say that most people don’t know what they’re buying when buying albums. I assume the charts are based on AIR play and not album sales, thus the major discrepancy. The confusing thing about this list is that people look at ONE song off the album instead of the entire list of songs to determine the value/rating. EVERY SONG on JT and AB and ZOOROPA are good songs. If I had to take one song from each and make another album, like U2 had to do, then I would have picked Bullet the Blue Sky because lyrically it’s better than In God’s Country which is my fav too; Zoo Station from AB because it really sets the mood of the album and I can’t decide between UTEOTW, Fly and Acrobat; Stay from Zooropa because it sets the mood for all the other songs-Some Days and Dirty Day. Wanderer is like a throw back to JT and Achtung so it doesn’t really represent the NEW album which is POST ZOOTV. One doesn’t represent every song on AB and is a throw back to JT. Running to stand still is a good Essential track because it’s totally U2’s sound.