Music over the years

As I sit here listening to my iPod, I find that I have a few bands on here that have been around for about 20 yrs or longer. And I got to thinking about how good/bad they are and what has changed over the years. So here is a little breakdown...

Van Halen
Whether you are David Lee Roth fan or a Sammy Hagar fan, you have to admit that Van Halen can rock. Eddie Van Halen - incredible guitarist. I am not a huge David Lee Roth fan, his constant screeching kind of bugs me, but there are some songs from VH that just rock with his voice. Plus he was a pure showman on stage. A few of my faves:
Unchained
Everybody Wants Some
Panama

And a lot of fans will say that Van Halen went soft when they replaced DLR with Sammy. And yeah i will admit, their style changed, but I still like it. A few of my Sammy faves:
Cabo Wabo
Get Up
Poundcake

I would have to say that my favorite Van Halen albums for each singer are:
David Lee Roth - Fair Warning
Sammy Hagar - For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge

Even though I liked Extreme, let's not even talk about Van Halen III with Gary Cherone as lead vocalist. He was a good singer, just not a good fit.

U2
I didn't really get into U2 until around 1989 when I heard Desire from Rattle and Hum, and I was hooked. I had heard a few of their songs from earlier albums, but was never really a huge fan. Then when Achtung Baby came out in 1991, I was blown away. "How had I not been a fan of these guys already?" Thus began my love affair with Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. I had bought every new album since that day, and a few of the older ones.

Once I got Joshua Tree, I was again baffled at how I did not already own that album. I must have been in a daze from the whole transition from 80's rock and pop, to the grunge of the 90's.

As for a band growing over the years, U2 is the perfect case study. Achtung Baby was a different style for them, but it worked wonderfully. Then came Zooropa which I liked, but found a hard time listening to the whole album. They had gone toward the techno/dance side here, and continued that way on Pop. I liked that style, but still found it hard to listen all the way through Zooropa. Pop is considered to be their worst album, but I have to disagree. I think Zooropa is their worst, but we all know I am no music expert.

We all know the huge success that All That You Can't Leave Behind and How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb has seen around the world. I do love these albums as well, but I am starting to get annoyed with Bono and all his world missions. Not to mention the stupid U2 iPod frenzy that they inked with Apple. Thank god I didn't buy one of those!

I do recommend anyone to go see U2 live in concert, they are incredible. The Zoo TV tour was incredible, but I have only seen it on video. It is amazing how U2 has survived for almost 30 years in the music world, given all of the style and genre changes. They are definitely here to stay, and I will continue to buy their albums.