10 Overrated Rock Albums Of The 80s

Kicking U2 has become a fashionable pursuit these days, so we’re not going to do that here, other than to say their most acclaimed album, The Joshua Tree, is one of the most frontloaded records in rock history.

It comes out of the tracks with a three punch combo that can stand up against most rock records in history. "Where the Streets Have No Name", a rare song that strives for epicness and actually succeeds, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For”, beautiful quasi-gospel with Bono’s vocals at career best, and the heartbreaking "With or Without You".

Things go downhill pretty quickly with the rocking but often embarrassing “Bullet The Blue Sky”, but "Running to Stand Still" caps off the half nicely. The B side, bizarrely, is bereft of hits. The songs aren’t bad, but “Trip Through Your Wires” sounds pretty basic compared to what’s come before, “Red Hill Mining Town” is half baked, and "Mothers of the Disappeared" a limp ending to a record with such lofty ambitions.

It’s either a bold strategy or a band putting all their eggs in one half of a basket. A great record, but far from the band’s best.