What is there to say about U2? They emerged from Ireland inspired by the UK post-punk scene, and soon developed their own voice, one that spoke of political and personal distress and redemption, compellingly and convincingly. For a time, mid-to-late-‘80s, they seemed like the most important band in the world. Lead singer Bono was a commanding, charismatic figure, and guitarist the Edge had a simple yet unique style. And when things started to feel stale, they reinvented themselves as pioneers of electronic music in rock.
U2 no longer feels like the most important band in rock—not that rock these days seems all that important any more to the age range of people likely to make that kind of statement. But they are certainly more than worthy of a deep dive into their music.
Playlist 1: War and More
I start your U2 listening experience with the best of their early releases, the breakthrough War (1983), before heading back for their earlier work. War spoke of political conflicts and their personal aftermaths, in both U2’s native Ireland and across the globe, and it still stands as one of the most powerful political albums in rock history. Tracks like “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and the phenomenal “New Year’s Day” still cut to the quick.
Playlist 2: Soul-Searching
The Unforgettable Fire (1984) is often dismissed as a transitional album, but it contains plenty of powerful material, on par with the two albums on either side of it; it also marks the first of their albums produced by the team of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. And The Joshua Tree (1987) was an absolute classic, an artistically and commercially successful soul-searching masterpiece. Although I often criticize a band for cheap sentiment and gratuitous bombast, U2 could be absolutely brilliant at sentimental bombast, earning every ounce of emotion they poured out in song.
Note: What was it with U2 and their b-sides around this time? The two Unforgettable Fire-era b-sides that were featured on the studio side of the Wide Awake in America EP (1985) were better than half the cuts that made the album. Ditto for some of the Joshua Tree b-sides. (It was only until after I’d wrapped up this playlist that I remembered that I’d bought most of the Joshua Tree singles back in the day just for the b-sides, when I already had the album. I’ve gone over my standard CD-length limit to add the excellent “Walk on the Water.”)
Playlist 3: Electronic Exploration
I applaud U2’s excursions into electronic/dance sounds in the ‘90s—they could very easily have settled into a generic repetition of their former selves. Good move. Listeners who grew up after the digital revolution in music will probably like this version of U2 best.
With Achtung Baby (1991), U2 purged themselves of much of the sentimentality and bombast that characterized their earlier work, at both its most accomplished and its most overblown. By embracing more electronic sounds, they created a whole new musical template for themselves. And they began to focus their lyrics on more personal themes, as well; the darker side of their own human nature rears its head plenty, unlike on U2’s more earnest albums (which seem to position themselves as wholesome observers of a corrupt world).
Achtung Baby proved to be necessary piece of ‘90s rock, a vital step toward new forms of musical expression, and an excellent album. Zooropa (1993) and Pop (1997) furthered their exploration into electronic realms. Playlist Three chronicles Achtung Baby and Zooropa.
Playlist 4: More electronics, and a return to form
Playlist Four features highlight from the tail end of their electronic period, plus some of the stronger tracks from their 21st Century “return to form.” It turns out they merely waited a decade to settle into a generic repetition of their former selves. Oh, well. It was bound to happen at some point—it happens to the best of bands, sadly.
More U2
I had planned a playlist of live U2, including several highlights from Rattle and Hum, but decided in the end there wasn’t enough there to make a full playlist of the same quality as the others.
As for more recent material, I don’t see much point in chronicling U2 past All That You Can’t Leave Behind. Nothing I’ve heard since has significantly moved me. The freshest thing about How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, by a wide margin, is the album’s title. “Vertigo,” its best song, might pack some musical punch but its lyrics feel like someone trying to sound cool, which makes the music sound likewise. The little I’ve listened to of No Line on the Horizon mostly makes me emotionally flatline. (Okay, it’s not that bad; but it ain’t that good, either—merely decent). For a band once obsessed with political justice and prone to introspective spiritual questing, their songs have begun to feel rather mundane, at least to my cynical ears. Granted, one can’t be angry and/or soul-searching forever, but they don’t have to keep talking when they have nothing vital left to say.
Cover Art:
- Achtung Baby: Source, Discogs.com, Fair use.
Recent Comments