10 Worst Number One Rock Albums Of The 1980s
8. Rattle And Hum - U2
Off the back of their career-defining album, The Joshua Tree, U2 returned to the world stage with a new release; one that many felt was the band overstretching themselves.
Rattle and Hum, which came out in late 1988, was part studio, part live album, combining performances from both arenas to create a new sound that U2 hoped people would like. Whilst songs like Angel of Harlem have become classics, the reception to this experiment was mixed to say the least.
Some were not happy that U2, a group who had only recently achieved mainstream success in America, were attempting to position themselves amongst the all-time greats. The album contains live cover versions of songs by The Beatles and Bob Dylan, and it came across a little like the band were trying to compare themselves to these legends. Never a good idea, that.
Still, the public didn't seem to care, as they sent Rattle and Hum to the top of the charts for six weeks. Clearly they had the foresight to see that U2 would, one day, take their place on the rock pantheon.