Love or hate them, this really is U2 at the height of their powers. They still had their earnestness and honesty, but hadn't become insufferably preachy. They had mastered their instruments and embraced studio technology without being overly reliant on it. With one Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois-produced album (the Unforgettable Fire) under their belt, they had found their groove with the producers and were able to trust them and take risks with their sound.
I'd obviously heard a lot of this music (even before I'd bought the album), but I was still pleasantly surprised what a strong overall 'package' the album is. You have the awesome pop trio of "where the streets have no name" "Still haven't found what I'm looking for" and "With or without you" followed on by the atmospheric rock of "Bullet the blue sky". The quality doesn't dip on the second side with "Red Hill mining town" and the NZ-inspired "One Tree Hill".
As someone who isn't a rabid U2 fan, but appreciates parts of their oeuvre, I would still point to this as their pinnacle. Passion meeting studio-savvy without getting too far up their own arses in either of those aspects.
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