I agree to an extent. I think the ballads on Crush and Bounce (excluding RSOW) are absolutely awful and do neither album any good. And the reason I think they are so bad is because they are "I love you, you love me, the world's great" kind of ballads. I remember Bono once said that he hated love songs that didnt have an edge to them and I absolutely agree. "Bed of Roses", "Always" and "I'll be There for You" all had an edge to them that ensured they weren't just mushy crap, personally I think BOR is a magnificent and honest song and some of the best lyrics Jons ever written.

Also if you dont think Always is good live take a look at the Live from London DVD, its one of the best live performances I've seen of any song. If you've seen it and still think its not any good then I give up.......