re: 90's U2 - Achtung Baby, Zooropa and Pop

I loved them at the time, but haven't listened to one of them in over a decade or two.

I think what has really hurt the way I listen to U2 is that a friend described to me how they write songs. He worked in a studio they were recording in at the time, and said that they seemed to piece cool sounding parts together. That, coupled with The Edge's exchange with Jimmy Page (This Might Get Loud) regarding the chords of I Will Follow, and the fact that I can't imagine many U2 songs performed a capella or unplugged, with just the chords and melody carrying the song, have made it harder for me to like what I'm hearing. That probably sounds a bit unfair, but that's where I am.