Zooropa

I'll admit that I hadn't heard of Zooropa, as I was a casual U2 fan before. I started going through their entire discography, and can say that I was missing out on some of their best work. Just because it isn't mentioned alongside Achtung Baby and The Joshua Tree, does not mean it isn't worth a listen. Here's a brief track by track review:1. Zooropa - Starts out slow with some static, but once it gets going, it's crazy how different the sound is from other U2 songs. It's very relaxed, but the instrumentation is rather electronic, which gives it a fresh feel. The last 2.5 minutes of this song are amazing. I really like this song, and it serves as an excellent opener for the album. (5/5)2. Babyface - I've seen that a lot of U2 fans don't care for this song, but I quite like it. It's not one that I would just put on, but within the context of the album, it's not one that I want to skip. I really like the chorus, especially the last part of it. (4/5)3. Numb - This is probably the most un-U2 song there is, but I think it's a neat change of pace. Edge is pretty monotone, but it serves the song well. The bizarre choppiness of the guitar also is neat. Bono and Larry also provide some nice backing vocals toward the end of the song. A weird song, but a good one. (4/5)4. Lemon - This is by far my favorite track on the album. A mix between Eno-esque electronics, Talking Heads type harmonization, and David Bowie (Ashes to Ashes) type guitar licks. Bono's falsetto is also a nice change of pace. This track clocks in at 7 min, but I wouldn't have it any other way. A haunting song that really stands out and is probably in my top 10 U2 songs ever. (5/5)5. Stay (Faraway, So Close!) - This is my 2nd favorite track on the record, and it's one of the more traditional U2 songs in terms of style and delivery, but that doesn't make it any less special. Bono's brief falsetto in each chorus is really great. Edge's guitar is on point, but it's his backing vocals that make the song a great one, especially at the end of the song ("Oh oh oohhhhh!"). This is a really special song. (5/5)6. Daddy's Gonna Pay for Your Crashed Car - This song is really bizarre, but it's grown on me since my first listen. I really don't know what I like about this song, but I find myself thinking about it a lot more than I thought I would. (4/5)7. Some Days Are Better Than Others - This song is quite subdued at the outset, but there's a tropical sounding explosion at the chorus, and the chorus is really good despite the lyrics being so basic. I love the whole beachy vibe the song gives though. The tribal-sounding drums and the odd tropical twang of Edge's guitar are just awesome. (4/5)8. The First Time - A song that sounds like it's straight from side 2 of The Joshua Tree (my favorite U2 album), I really like this track. The song's chorus has a piano focus which I really enjoy. The song really doesn't sound like anything else on the album, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. The ending is really amazing, too. (4/5)9. Dirty Day - A bit of a dud, at least in my view. The song really goes nowhere, and the instruments sound poorly mixed. I don'r care much for this song. (3/5)10. The Wanderer - I didn't look ahead when listening the first time, so I was quite shocked when I heard a voice other than Bono's singing. However, Johnny Cash serves this song quite well. I still think it would be better with Bono singing (there's a live performance tribute to Cash where Bono does a fantastic job on lead vocals), but I still love the sound of this song. The lyrics really shine on this song too, especially the line: "They say they want the kingdom, but they don't want God in it." I love that. The bass is also really well done, but I've read it's a synth keyboard, but I still like it. A nice closing track to a great album. (4/5)

As you look around for reviews online, wondering what the 2 LP vinyl reissue sounds like--I hope you read this. This (and Achtung Baby) sound excellent. And the pressing quality is fantastic, too. Even with Amazon's too tight packaging, I got copies of both the first time round that had minimal warping/dishing. Don't let the Hoffman forums sway you elsewise--this is a great set to get! Do it now, before it's gone. I wish I'd gotten mine earlier...

I love this little oddball of a U2 album and, even though I have been enmeshed in a constant remastered-listening-experience, with all of their remastered albums, this one is holding up quite well. I recommend it as highly today as I did back when it came out.

This is my second review of Zooropa. I am disposing of my original review because I now feel quite different about this album, thanks to repeated listenings and additional insight from other reviewers here who were able to get me to wake up and realize the genius in this particular piece of art. For truth's sake, I absolutely must submit this edited version.I originally stated that this album was "not essential" in the average U2 fan's library. I insisted that the "novelty wears off" after listening to it for a while. Well, now I'm just going to be blunt. This album is better than All That You Can't Leave Behind, and it may even be better than How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (two of U2's most recent offerings).Actions speak louder than words, and I find myself listening to this album (and genuinely enjoying it as I listen) quite a bit more often than ATYCLB and Bomb. It just clicked with me all of a sudden -- I finally "get it." Put simply, this album is fresh, innovative, and exciting, and it does a wonderful job of bringing us further into the uncharted, murky territories that we were introduced to with Achtung Baby.Some of my original contentions and descriptions still stand true (because I didn't *completely* dismiss the entire album in my first review), so I will repeat them again here. The opening of this disc is suspenseful, tense, and eventually turns into one heck of a crazed rocker. "Lemon" is upbeat, colorful, and mystifying. "Dirty Day" is an aptly-named killer song that will stun you with its simplicity. "The First Time" is soulfully deep, and there's even a guest appearance from the late Johnny Cash to be found in the hauntingly touching "The Wanderer."I can now even say some good things about some of the other tracks on this CD, which is something I didn't do the first time around. "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" is full of yearning heartache, "Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car" will pound your senses on all eight rock 'n' roll cylinders, and the fun and catchy melodies and lyrics in "Babyface" and "Some Days Are Better Than Others" allow the listener to take a soothing break from the frenzied chaos of the rest of the album.At this point, there's actually very little about this album that I *don't* like. Take "Numb," for example. It's really kind of a neat song, but its robotic personality and mumbled lyrics has a tendency to sometimes annoy me. "Some Days" is a great track, but in my opinion a better effort should have been put forth into providing its guitar solo. Still, these minor problems don't ruin the fact that this is a fine compilation of futuristic pop music.I will say it again, though: This is the U2 album that leaves you saying to yourself, "What the heck?" That, however, is mostly a good thing. I admit, I'm giving Zooropa four stars -- not five -- but that's only because this album isn't *quite* as epic as some of their other masterpieces like The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby. In addition, one of my original complaints was that some of the material in a way sounds as if it was left over from AB (and my understanding is that there might be some truth to that). What it amounts to, though, is that with this disc U2 needs to be commended for continuing to evolve a more daring sound and artistic persona, and I no longer feel reluctant to recommend this album to anyone. Pick it up -- you probably won't regret it.

REMASTERING WITH WONDERFUL AUDIOAND STILL INCLUDE 2 MUSIC BONUS TRACKS.We really were very anxious to hear this new remastering because we thought the audio of the first original edition had some flaws, and this one really corrected the flaws, everything was perfectand another great and wonderful point of the band have put in the side 4 2 bonus songs, or rather that remixes of 2 tracks that had their audio mastered with all care2 classic remixes compiled from eps

I always see Achtung Baby- the critically acclaimed supercharged German Made, Eno produced album and Zooropa as brother and sister albums. Both are fantastic Pop\Rock albums and saw U2 take a right turn in their musical direction and output. There are fantastic tracks on Zoo, Numb, Some days are better than others, a U2 signature Stay (faraway so close) plus the mighty Lemon and leftfield Johnny Cash Wanderer and my fave, the title track Zooropa. Eno adds his soundscapes, Oakenfold the remixes. This was a band at their peak observing what was going on at the time. Yet another MASSIVE 90's album. The best decade for music. FULL STOP.

After Achtung Baby I was initially disappointed with this album, it wasn’t bad just much more mellow. I recently bought it on vinyl and gave it a proper listen and enjoyed it immensely. After a great album like Achtung Baby, very few albums are going to live up to it. With time I no longer had that expectation and listened to it in it own right.

Album is fantastic and being a huge u2 fan makes it all the more better listening to, very prompt delivery as always with Amazon, would recommend album for all vinyl collections out there👍👍

I think that Zooropa is U2's most enjoyable and powerful studio album to date. Unfortunately it is exceedingly difficult to find new on vinyl. I bought this very slightly-used (green vinyl) copy in the absence of genuine new ones. It does sound a bit better than the CD, but unfortunately there is quite a lot of spurious background noise on the early tracks of side 1; this seems to decrease markedly on the later tracks. Whilst this is a little annoying it doesn't prevent me from enjoying the quirky brilliance of this excellent album.