U2: Pop (2LP) [ISLAND]

Why you'll love it

This remastered 2LP set on 180g vinyl comes in a gatefold jacket with a download card. Pop went to No. 1 in 35 countries, including the UK and the US.

This edition

• 2LP set
• 180g vinyl
• Remastered
• Gatefold jacket
• Download card included

About the album

After Achtung Baby and Zooropa, U2 kept running toward the dance floor. Pop is the furthest they went, built with producers Flood, Howie B and Steve Osborne from loops, samples, drum machines and sequencers, with techno and trip hop sitting right alongside the guitars. Sessions began in 1995 while drummer Larry Mullen Jr. recovered from a back injury, so the others started writing around loops and beats, then reworked the songs together once he was back.

"Discothèque" kicks off with a fuzzed-up groove and a disco wink, "Do You Feel Loved" slinks, and "MOFO" is a pounding club track with Bono at his most raw. "Staring At The Sun" is one of their prettiest singles, "Last Night On Earth" barrels along, and "Please" and "Wake Up Dead Man" are some of the most searching music in their catalogue. Six singles came off it in all.

The PopMart tour that followed opened each night with the band stepping out of a giant mirrorball lemon. It's still the most memorable entrance we can think of, and we say that as people who come into work by the back door next to the bins.

Also at Kops: more U2 on vinyl · browse Rock

Tracklist

Listen

On Island (cat# 5796999), a reissue of the 1997 album.