U2 At Their Best
I remember begging my parents to go buy it for me before they came to visit me on campus (in very rural Tennessee - no place to buy new vinyl). I was a freshman in college when this album was released. In my opinion this album was the culmination of the raw talent in U2 with the production skills of Eno and Lanois, producing U2's best, most creative work throughout their career. Sure, they became mega-stars later on, but never again did they release anything with the creative range this album offers. Eno and Lanois' were able to comprehend the appropriate mood and atmosphere for the topic of the songs and capture it perfectly in the studio, producing an album that stands out amongst many great ones.
My power went out for about 8 hours last Saturday night during a tremendous thunderstorm. Left with nothing but a fully charged iPod I lay in bed and listened to this album for the first time in a long time and remembered just how great it is, from Bono's soaring vocals to the layered atmospherics of Edge's guitar, and of course the driving rhythm section of Mullens and Clayton. I highly recommend listening to this from start to finish in a dark room with headphones - truly one of my all-time favorite albums. It's no coincidence that Brian Eno has had a hand in many of my all-time favorites (see Talking Heads' Remain in Light).
Powerhouse no.....this is U2
Maybe a pop powerhouse. U2 are not and will not ever be a powerhouse.
So many are missing the REAL beauty here
These are some of the best moments U2 has EVER created. I am absolutely amazed by the reviewers who state: "Promenade", "4th of July", "Indian Summer Sky" and, in particular, "Elvis Presley and America" are somehow weak or sub-par. This is clearly a band in the begining stages of musical and emotional maturation and unabashedly unafarid to put it out there as such.
His 1st person observation in "Promenade" is nothing short of breath-taking, and the way "4th of July" creeps into my skin is almost frightening.
The only thing that "Indian. . . " and "Wire" share in common is tempo, and even that's not quite the same.
A little known fact: Bono made up the lyrics on the spot to "Elvis. . . ", that's why it's so ethereal. it still makes me cry when he and the band crescendo together towards the end, begging to be forgiven.
listen to these songs again and TRY TRY TRY to remove yourselves from the constraints of pop music and what is only heard on the radio. allow yourself to feel and be moved by these gems, they are brilliant.
My favorite...not their best
"The Joshua Tree" and other later discs will be lauded by most as the bands best. This CD broke right about the time that I was finishing high school and heading off to college and U2 was bridging the gap between being a college radio Irish band and musical supergroup. . . bit this one is my favorite.
It is a monumental jump in craft and production from the anger fueled "War". Songs like "Promenade" "A Sort of Homecoming" and the "Unforgettable Fire" provide the sonic foundation for songs like "Pride" and "Bad" (Which ranks up there with "Rosalita" as the best songs that I have ever seen performed live. )
There are a few uneven moments, but even with that being said. . . I would not call any of them mistakes. Almost 25 years after release I still pull this CD up and listen to it from start to finish.
Remaster This Masterpiece NOW
None have yet to see a remaster job on the level of the new Joshua Tree reissue: Boy, October, War, The Unforgettable Fire, and Achtung Baby. Why are U2 making their legions of worldwide fans suffer through the excruciatingly awful sounding albums that remain on the market. Hell, even Rattle and Hum and the EP's Wide Awake and Under a Blood Red Sky need to be remastered from the original tapes (not just remixed from the existing stock). Am I the only one who would buy these? Soooo many lesser bands have had their entire catalogs reissued, why not one of the biggest selling bands in the world?
I'm not asking for vault-clearing excess, but I need to hear The Unforgettable Fire the way it was meant to be heard (some of the era's B-sides would also be nice). Yes, I know many have made it on to the Greatest Hits CD's. This is U2 nearing it's creative peak (culminating with JT) and picking up again with Actung Baby. Get this CD out now, please. Stop making lackluster "new" records long enough to correct this grievous error, and possibly win some new fans in the process.
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