A Rich Landscape Of Experimentation.

Review Score: (8/10)
7-plus years since it's release, "Pop" can now be seen and appreciated as it what is, an experimental album with some intoxicating rhythms and words. True, this is not U2's best album, and it is fair to say there are moments when the band pushed the envelope to the point where they either had to return to their classic roots (which they did) or risk losing a powerful reputation and fan base. But "Pop" is not some kind of horrible failure, when it comes to club flourishes and the like, it's a good album with a lot of good songs and great playing. Bono proves here he can do dance vocals just as well as rock n' roll ones, just listen to his voice in "Mofo," he sounds like a dance club veteran. The Edge here displays his genius because unlike most of U2's work, he isn't creating basic guitar rock, he's playing rock but somehow masterfully mixes it with dance rhythms and club beats, while still PLAYING! The opener, "Discotheque" is pure fun while "Do You Feel Love" pulsates with electronica but still retains a sense of real emotion. "Mofo" is U2 REALLY pushing it, fans of their classic 80's anthems would never recognize the band by simply listening to this track without knowing who's playing (or at least until Bono's voice appears). But it's an intoxicating, driving number with cryptive lyrics. "If God Will Send His Angels" is a more comfortable return to the U2 mold, beautiful lyrics painted by wonderful melodies and atmosphere. "Staring At The Sun" is another noteworthy moment, it sounds like a hybrid of a 60's song with electronica touches. "Last Night On Earth" is a melodic rocker with a driving chorus. "Gone" is one of the album's best cuts, it does what the band was trying to achieve, it successfully mixes a sense of rock, emotion and dance club identity into one song. However, the new mix of the track found in "The Best Of 1990-2000" is vastly superior. The downers are "Miami," a lazy track that never seems to go anywhere and "If You Wear That Velvet Dress," which is actually a nice song but seems to be lacking in better production (the live version from the Popmart tour is actually better). "Pop" features the biggest band in the world trying out new colors, flavors and costumes with gusto and style. It's not a failure, but you can tell this band is meant for greater material and more soaring music. And eventually they did come back to what makes them special. But for U2 fans wanting a taste of just how far the group is willing to go to try and give us something new, "Pop" is the place to go.

More Reviews:

• U2's Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
• THE LAST U2 MASTERPIECE
• POP more now than HTDAAB and ATYCLB
• The bad, rockier, non mainstream U2.
• Missing something
• What a masterpiece is Pop now !!!!!
• The Metamorphosis
• pop goes the weasel
• Too cute for their own good
• The last in U2's Zooro-trilogy
• Techno? No. U2? Yes.
• A Sound That Drowns Out The World
• U2 that Actually Rocks
• "Daring".."Best Yet".......Hardly.
• U2s best album to date.
• Let's Go! Let's Go! Let's Go!
• One of U2's most daring albums...
• A natural successor to "Achtung Baby" and "Zooropa"
• Takes a While
• Eletronic meeting
• Rejected For All The Wrong Reasons
• Languid, Pulsing, Throbbing, Rock-Tech.
• Lame attempt by U2
• Best album since Joshua Tree
• Excellent Album
• Unusual U2 album mixes slow stuff with techno
• Extremely Strong Album
• Horibly Underated
• Don't know how well it will age, but ...
• Actually 3.5 Stars
• "Pop" goes U2's Greatness
• No it's not their greatest but it has a couple of stand outs
• sliding out from under
• Worst of U2's catalog. Without exception.
• Very underrated
• Experimental U2
• MOST UNDERRATED ALBUM EVER
• U2's uncelebrated classic
• U2 speaks from the head
• A masterpiece, SO SHUT UP CRITICS!!
• Good album
• There's Gems, but the experiment doesn't work so well..
• A good(ish) album
• As essential as the others.
• The Lovers, The Misunderstood, and Me
• Taking Steps That Make You Feel Dizzy....
• Techno Rock - Is it heck
• DISAPPOINTING
• U2's Pop is a half finished Masterpiece
• ahead of its time
• U2 at their best!
• Great U2 album!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• My opinion
• A Rich Blend of Rock and Techno
• Sweet
• Technical But Nothing U2 Fans Ultimately Couldn't Appreciate
• I love this Album
• Good If Not Quite Over The Top
• underrated is an understatement
• one of the most underrated albums of all time
• have it
• Reconstructive surgery?
• The most underrated, most prophetic album of all time
• This is the same band that wrote "Pride," right?
• Staying Ahead
• "Lookin for to fill that God-shaped hole..."
• U2 at thier best
• Boom Cha,Discotheque! (Whatever That Means...)
• U2-Pop
• A Very Misunderstood Album
• The most underated U2 album
• POP - Hint: Keep Listening!
• To say "Pop" grows on you is a HUGE under-statement...
• This album is better than you think - just give it time!
• The U2 album for people who don't really like U2
• U2's most underated album ever
• Old and New
• This is a Bunk and Roll and Rhythm and Blues . .
• Good CD, Although That's Not Exactly Original
• POP el mayor fracaso de U2
• Very underrated album
• Truly a monumental album.
• A piece of sheat
• U2's best album.
• Talkin' About Pop Music
• Proves U2 has the guts!
• Sweet POP
• Very Underrated--Give this a chance
• The U2 Learning Curve: Better A Year Later
• Uneven U2 Pop
• Mind Opening Music for Songcraft Aficionados
• Lapse of judegement
• It's U2 in your face!
• P-U
• I thought it was somewhat underrated
• pretty weak
• This is good U2!!!
• WAY BEFORE ITS TIME
• the best U2 cd ever!
• one of my favorites