U2

Pop

underrated is an understatement

Review Score:

(8/10)
Everybody has maligned this record, the third in a trio of records marking U2's decade of experimentation. These detractors seem to include the casual fans of the band and seem to be based more upon repeated viewings of the "Discotheque" video and the knee-jerk reactions of initial reviews than any substantive criticisms.

But get one thing clear right up front - this is no simple techno or dance record. To be sure, the first three songs have those elements, but so do alot of other U2 songs from records that do not garner such criticism (such as its predecessors 'Achtung Baby' (1991) and 'Zooropa' (1993)). Despite the title, 'Pop' (1997) requires the listener to "look for baby Jesus under the trash." Lyrically speaking, the most techno-drenched tune, "Mofo", is also one of Bono most laid-bare lyrical moments ever. And musically, for every tune with phat beats, there is a traditional balladesque number ("Staring at the Sun" and "If God Would Send His Angels") or a scorching rocker ("Gone" and "Last Night on Earth"). Indeed, an actual listen to this record should dispel any notions that the band lost connection with their musical influences and larger themes.

To be sure, there is clearly fluff that could have best been left to b-sides ("Miami" and "The Playboy Mansion") that keeps this record from being ranked among classics 'The Joshua Tree' (1987) or 'Achtung Baby' (1991). But if there is any fair comparison to its much-lauded, "return-to-form" successor 'All That You Can't Leave Behind' (2000), it would be the distinctive darkness of 'Pop'. From the outright cynicism of "Do You Feel Loved", to the brooding atmosphere of "If You Wear That Velvet Dress", to the spiritual pleading of "Wake Up Dead Man", this is one heavy mother. Nonetheless, it must be said that "Please" is simply one of U2's best lyrical and musical moments ever and was criminally-omitted from the recent 'The Best of 1990-2000' (2002).

In sum, in the same sense that there could not have been a classic like 'The Joshua Tree' without its experimental predecessor, 'The Unforgettable Fire' (1984), there could not have been an optimistic record like 'All That You Can't Leave Behind' without 'Pop'.

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