U2 aimed sky-high on their 12th album, recording with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois and combining lessons from all over their career: their Joshua Tree-era anthems; their abstract, modern Nineties; and the renewed focus of their last decade. The result was an open-hearted disc with dizzying high points: The joyous "Magnificent," the locomotive title track, the party-hearty "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight." Bono infused everything with gospel yearning, even when he expressed doubt and dislocation in "Unknown Caller" — but most clearly, and gorgeously, on the on-your-knees testimonial "Moment of Surrender."

Related:
• Rolling Stone's Original 2009 Review

• U2, Live From Outer Space: Launching the Biggest Tour of All Time

• Photos: Three Decades of the World's Biggest Band, Onstage and Backstage