Revisiting: U2, Volume 1 (1980-1983)
If you walk into a group full of music nerds or pop culture junkies and merely mention the band U2, you're likely to get a fairly divisive reaction. There will be those who are ardent fans of the Irish rockers (or even just of an era) and there will be those who are highly outspoken against the band, mostly as it relates to Bono. It's understandable, after only 2 albums the band decided to let their politics shine through their music for better or worse. Simply put, you either love them or you hate them.
I bought my first U2 album, All That You Can't Leave Behind, when I was 14 and I was reasonably impressed but I was, for the most part, fairly indifferent to them. After several years I came to learn of the rift the band causes and decided finally to give their music a fair chance. Starting at the very beginning I'll be listening to every U2 record, critiquing it, ranting about it, and rating it here. I'll be organizing them by era, for instance, this first post is of their youthful era Boy through War. As we go through this journey, make sure to take note of the producers the band works with, it's a proverbial who's who of the past 30 years.
As I've gone through this process, I must say, SPOILER ALERT, I'm slowly but surely becoming a fan of these fellas, but more on that later. Let's start this thing off with their 1980 debut.
BOY (1980)
Producer: Steve Lillywhite
Much like the albums' namesake, this a youthful, chaotic, and sometimes meandering effort. However, they can't be faulted for that. As a band doing it's damndest to blend New Wave and post-Punk, I'd call the effort a success, but it's not U2 as we will come to know them. This is them at their most angsty and frenetic.
Tracks like "I Will Follow", "Electric, Co.", "Out of Control", and "Into the Heart" showcase that, at this point in the bands history, they work best at one of 2 paces: frenzied or patient. And I feel that's a learning curve a lot of bands of the era end up going through before they find their footing as a musical unit.
There's nothing wrong with this record, but there's also nothing that makes it reverberate the way future records would, it's simply a debut in the purest sense of the term. Take or leave it, Boy, much like the band, is still young.
6/10
OCTOBER (1981)
Producer: Steve Lillywhite
I've been trying to think of a way to differentiate U2's sophomore offering from their 1980 debut. You'd be hard pressed to distinguish one from the other upon a first listen. This record doesn't have the same punch that it's predecessor posesses, you would hope that after getting all of their super emoting and teenage energy out in one album they'd be ready to craft a RECORD instead of just write songs.
If there's one thing this album does successfully, it's cementing the guitar grandeur that is The Edge. The common argument against him is that he's too heavily reliant on pedals to craft his sound, BUT SO WHAT?!? Does the sign of a great guitar player have to echo the eras of Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, and Eddie Van Halen? The Edge's great quality shines through in his sonic adaptability. While Bono may be the de facto "leader" of the band, the band's sound is very obviously shaped, for the most part, through The Edge. And this record showcases that greatly.
The lessons of this album clearly set into the bands' mind because their next effort is the record to vault them. I just didn't get behind October but that's okay, because there's War coming.
5/10
WAR (1983)
Producer: Steve Lillywhite
From the opening drums of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (some of the most easily recognizable in rock) to the soft angelic ending in "40" this album reverberates conflict. The problem with their earlier efforts lay in a punch with no purpose, emotion with no message. It would seem that the band found their message in War. Being Irish nationals during the 80s and 90s provided the band with enough hard truths to expose in their music.
This album hits and hits hard. While The Edge's talents are on display, the MVP(s) of this record are quite clearly Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. i.e. the rhythm section. The sounds of war don't come from lyrics sung or clear melodies, they come from pulses, percussive hits, and rat-a-tat-tats. Mullen and Clayton evoke the uneasiness and intensity of conlict throughout and it works in the albums favor.
I seriously love this record. It was at this point that I was 100% on board with the band. Musically this is a real gem. This was easily my favorite album of theirs thus far and contains my (new) favorite song ("Like a Song...."). I would hope that this would be the record to give to any nay sayer to convert them.
9.5/10
The early era of U2's history is defined by a journey to find purpose and a path. A path that would guide them to make several monster records to come. War started them on the path to being both rockstars and advocates. And what I've learned thus far, is that you can easily love them for one and not necessarily the other. From 1980 to 1983 the boys of U2 became men.
On my next edition of Revisiting: U2 I'll be cataloging The Unforgettable Fire, Joshua Tree, and Rattle and Hum. An era that holds what many consider their defining record in Joshua Tree, I'll tell you why I disagree next time.
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