I couldn't agree with you more about old U2, I'm glad to see there's at least one other person out there who shares that opinion. I was a rabid, rabid U2 fan up until when the Joshua Tree came out. To me, the U2 sound peaked with War and The Unforgettable Fire. While I certainly recognize the genius of the Joshua Tree album, I also think it represented the death of the old U2 sound. The band changed fundamentally with that album, musically and otherwise--and for the worse, in my opinion. Bono was always a charismatic showman, but the mainstream fame that the Joshua Tree brought caused his ego to grow wild, corrupting the band's integrity. The earnest, idealistic Bono who was such an appealing frontman died with that album.