U2 producer poll

[SoxFan]

[Lyric]

1. I'm afraid you got your descriptors backwards.

Might want to fix that. :P

[SoxFan]

4. Nope

Eno gave the world the idiotic Zooropa era U2, turned Bono on to irony, and generally sent the band flying off the rails.

Not every band should dabble in artsy detachment, but Eno is too self-indulgent to grasp that fact. U2's career revived after Lillywhite was brought back into the fold for "All That You Can't Leave Behind", when the band actually recorded a U2 album.

[Lyric]

5. I actually can't stand that album.

I thought "The Joshua Tree" was the best album they ever recorded.

:hi:

[Phillycat]

6. ...which Brian Eno produced.

Along with the Unforgettable Fire and about 37 other amazing U2 albums. This poll is ridiculous.

[Lyric]

7. I agree.

Zooropa was awful, true, but I have heard it said that the mark of a truly gifted producer is the penchant for turning out albums that are awesome 80% of the time and horrid the other 20%. It has something to do with creativity and risk-taking.

[Radical Activist]

8. "All That you Can't Leave Behind" was a total sell out album.

That's when they returned to a much more traditional, radio-friendly sound that they knew wouldn't challenge anyone. It was an appeal to the lowest common denominator. Zooropa and Pop were much more creative albums that took the band in new directions after their sound had been getting stale and predictable. Brian Eno is a great producer.

[Phillycat]

2. Where the hell is Daniel Lanois?

Communist!

Seriously, though, are you kidding with this? Brian Eno is a musical genius. He produced The Joshua Tree.

[SoxFan]

3. Eno also gave the world the Zooropa era

Lillywhite doesn't have that sort of mess on his hands.

Eno's problem is that he wants every act to sound like him. That's not a producer's job.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

9. Eno gets a lifetime pass

Without Eno, we wouldn't have:

Talking Heads -- Remain in Light
David Bowie -- Low
U2 -- Achtung Baby
Genesis -- The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

All four of these are probably in my top 20 favorite albums, so, yeah, he's earned the right to pretension in my book.