Which Version Of U2 Do You Prefer?

[A_Fly_On_The_Wall]

A question I’ve been thinking about more and more recently about our beloved band is how all of their albums tend to have such a differing collection of songs within from soft, slow ballad types to hard, fast rocking types.

What strikes me is how well U2 are able to accomplish this and how they sound at home in both categories.

It got me thinking though... which version of U2 do you prefer? Soft and slow ballads or hard and fast rockers?

Just a bit of fun, so over to you... 

(I’ve included a short list of, in my opinion, their best examples of these types of songs below for ease to differentiate just in case anyone needed it!)

Soft and Slow Ballads
1. Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own
2. With Or Without You
3. Moment Of Surrender
4. The Little Things That Give You Away
5. Bad

Hard and Fast Rockers
1. Red Flag Day
2. The Fly
3. Vertigo
4. I Will Follow
5. Bullet The Blue Sky

[Clarky]

They're all great when done well, but if I had to default to one I would probably lean towards their more heartfelt, slower tunes that pack a punch, like Bad or All I Want Is You.

[Racingfan53]

How am I supposed to pick between the two?!?  I'll take it all, thank you very much.  That's why I'm on the U2 fan website rather than any other band.

[DrDoom171]

My favorite type of U2 song is a bit different than either of these two choices.  I love their rock songs and ballads both, but I especially enjoy the "grandiose anthems" the most, which have elements of both songs in them.  You can put your own label on them but they all have a particular feel to me.  They start slow and then build up to the types of songs you shout from rooftops (here's lookin' at you, Streets).  They all seem to last longer....typically 5 minutes or more.  They need time to build through 3 or 4 different phases of the song.  Examples of these songs would be Where the Streets have no Name, All I Want is You, Bad, 40, One, City of Blinding Lights, Zooropa, Please, Kite (live versions), etc.

[miracle_al]

As a general rule, I prefer "angry" U2 to "artsy" U2.  That righteous anger is what got me into them at the very beginning.  They were so committed to what they were singing.

[JFW]

I think the fast song like on Boy are important

[Hustoninut]

Good question!  I would say it definitely depends on my mood and why I'm listening to music.  Ultimately it's impossible to choose, but if you do the proverbial, "you can only have one type and the other type doesn't exist," theory, then I would have to go with the slow ballads.  It's funny how difficult it is to even type that though because I love the rock songs.  I guess I just feel a more personal, emotional tie to the personal, emotional songs.  I probably wouldn't be married to my wife if it wasn't for "Love Rescue Me," "Love is Blindness," and "Lemon."  I mean seriously... "She is the dreamer, she's imagination. Through the light projected, he can see himself up close." Or, "In a parked car, on a crowed street, you see your love, made complete."  What girl can resist lines like that?  I'm telling you the truth... With Bono singing in the back ground and Edge's guitar's melody crooning, I was instantly better looking. 

Thankfully, this is what makes U2 the complete Rock and Roll band and we fortunately get it all.  Nothing better than seeing them live go from the classic, "I Will Follow" to "One" or from "Bullet the Blue Sky" to "Running to Stand Still."