U2 is the most important rock band of the last 30 years. I know there are other candidates – Nirvana, Radiohead, REM. But nobody has made a bigger impact for as long since 1980. They are a classic case of turning limitations into strengths and innovating to overcome them. They are unabashedly heart on your sleeve and anthemic, and then unconvincingly try and tell you it is just a put-on and that they really are cynical and ironic (the 90’s). With no line-up changes for their entire existence, Bono, Edge, Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton have been about as consistent as they come. Having come to a creative dead-end at the close of the 80’s that would have consigned most other bands to mediocrity the rest of the way, they pulled off the most successful reinvention in rock history. I think that U2 were one of the last bands that felt important. From 1980 until about ’94, they were a band that inspired such fierce allegiance, being a U2 fan was akin to having an ideology. I don’t know that in today’s environment we could have a band that means as much as U2 used to mean to people. As albums get less important, so do big musical statements. It is sad that many of my students, who think U2 means “Beautiful Day,” have no clue what they were really all about when they really mattered. U2 has really done their fans right with their expanded, deluxe edition releases of all of their records up through 1991. Each has been remastered and features at least one extra disc of b-sides from the period, outtakes, live tracks, etc.
Boy (1980) ****
Still trying to find a signature sound and tentative in spots, yet the ambition is already undeniable. Edge’s guitar dominates here in all of its primitive, skeletal glory (before he discovered all of the effects). Unsurprisingly, this is U2 in its rawest form, yet the record sounds very cohesive, it works extremely well as a piece.
October (1981) ***
Probably the most neglected record in their catalogue. Odd to have such a crisis of confidence so early in a career; it wants to expand the boundaries of the first record, but doesn’t really know how. Noble effort, though, and there is some great moody music here, some darker tones. It does not have the cohesion (sameness?) of the debut. Supposedly they almost broke up at this point, as Bono had some serious writer’s block and a couple of the others were having a crisis of faith (can you be a good Christian and be in rock and roll? Not your average issue for a rock band. Obviously, they decided that you could). A cool destination if you’ve heard most of the rest of their catalogue to death, since you probably haven’t heard much from October.
War (1983) *****
The peak of their early arena rock period and one of the best records of the 80’s, here is where America first discovered these Irish seekers. Strident, martial, rocking and very political, they do not shy away from the issues of the day (“Sunday Bloody Sunday,” “Refugee,” “Surrender,” “Seconds”), yet they make it universal enough and so compelling that regardless of your views, you cannot help but be drawn in to some of the most passionate music of the decade. They became one of the few bands that, at this point, could be embraced both by the alternative crowd and the mainstream with neither side feeling that they were compromising.
Under a Blood Red Sky (live) (1984) ****
"So this is Red Rocks..." Relentless and concise live document (it is really an EP) that serves as an excellent summation of the band up to this point, especially in light of the change in direction that was about to come.
The Unforgettable Fire (1985) *****
A transitional record, yet it creates such a distinct and consistent mood. The hit was “Pride,” but the rest of the record is very much ethereal and transcendent in places. Producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois become essentially the 5th and 6th members of the band, their fingerprints are all over this record. Who else does a song like “Sort of Homecoming”?
Wide Awake in America (part live EP) (1986) ****
Only four tracks (2 live, 2 b-sides), it is all you could ask from an EP. The versions of “Bad” and “Sort of Homecoming” best the studio versions. I think it was right here where Bono’s voice peaked in its power, range and expression.
The Joshua Tree (1987) *****
I’ve written at length about TJT, listing as my favorite record on my albums list. Read the original write-up if you want to know why. About as perfect a rock and roll record as you will ever find, and perfectly produced too.
Live in Paris (live) (1987/2008) ****
Great live document (available only as a download on itunes) from the Joshua Tree tour with one glaring omission (no “Where the Streets Have No Name,” which may be the ultimate concert opener).
Rattle and Hum (part live, part studio) (1988) ***
The notorious unintentionally Spinal Tap-esque documentary film aside, the accompanying album was a bit more satisfying. It does sound like what it was, though, the dead-end of their second phase. Yet there are still some wonderful moments here (like “All I Want Is You”).
The Best of 1980-1990 (compilation and b-sides) (2008/1980-1990) ****
U2’s music unfolds so logically when listened to chronologically, so I don’t know why they sequenced the compilation seemingly at random. It was valuable upon original release because for a limited time it contained a bonus disc filled with the excellent b-sides and rarities from the same period.
Achtung Baby (1991) *****
The greatest reinvention in rock history. Their American obsession culminated with the ‘Rattle and Hum’ fiasco (the film, not the record), and here they return to Europe and somehow capture the zeitgeist of the times with the Velvet Revolution, the fall of the USSR and opening up of the East (sonically, not lyrically). They embrace industrial sounds and dance rhythms, generally loosen up, and are able to evoke some Bowie Berlin magic as well, but it is more than that.
Zooropa (1993) ****
This was intended as a toss-off, but in my view, it actually succeeds more fully in trying to capture that Euro mood than its more substantial predecessor.
Original Soundtracks 1 (collaboration with Brian Eno, released as The Passengers) (1995) ***
A cool collaboration where Brian Eno is actually a full-fledged member of the band. Experimental to some extent, but it comes across as the minor side project that it was meant to be.
Pop (1997) **
The first failure. What was a breath of fresh air with Achtung Baby and Zooropa became stale here. It especially takes a nosedive in the second half. Also, they had pre-booked the tour, and so ran up against a deadline to finish the record before it was, well, really finished. Listen to the remixes of the three or four songs that appear on the Best of 1990-2000 set, and they are all stronger versions reflecting the arrangements that they worked out on the road after the record came out. They are an indication of how much better this could have been had they taken more time to finish it.
All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000) ***
Best of 1990-2000 (compilation and remixes) (2002) ****
How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004) **
U218Singles (compilation) (2006) ***
No Line on the Horizon (2009) **
Songs of Innocence (2014)***
Since 2000, U2 has settled into a comfortable neo-classicist style, reflecting their more anthemic 80’s style with only touches of the more experimental 90’s. But overall, the sound has a sameness about it that is disappointing. The lyrics have dipped noticeably too, as Bono has gotten more generic and he clearly is spending more time as globetrotting do-gooder (and he does some serious good, by the way) than working on his writing craft (although his writing was quite good on the autobiographical SOI). The rest of the band, too, seems to have settled into a comfortable cruise control. This is not necessarily all bad, about half of each of these three studio records is good pop/rock faire. But the other half is completely forgettable. HTDAAB may be their most disappointing record overall so far, though. The failures of Pop are at least interesting failures, but HTDAAB is just dull.
Bottom Line: Boy, War, Under a Blood Red Sky, Unforgettable Fire, Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, Zooropa…all essential records from the last 30 years bolstering my proposition that U2 are the most important band since 1980. The hits collections are nice, but U2 is an album-oriented band, so there really is no substitute for diving into the best of their records. It is worth your while.
7 comments:
RayDog,
So, I read this post and immediately thought to myself, "Goddamn it, Ray. You can't say ridiculous shit like U2 is the most important rock band of the last 30 years."
But I let it go without comment. Magnanimously.
I did note, however, the gaping hole in my iTunes library where all the U2 should be. Much of their early stuff, it appears, I owned on cassette and had never replaced. After a brief appeal to the Swedish sea gods of Pirate Bay, the sucking chest wound was plugged.
5 hours of on-and-off listening later, I am wrapping up the 80s with Rattle and Hum (the record, not the film), and I gotta admit, Ray. You've made some good points. It's been an impressively consistent series of strong albums. I'm even a bit more charitable towards October and Rattle and Hum, if slightly less overwhelmed by The Unforgettable Fire, than you.
But it all comes to a crashing halt in 1988. Their reinvention produced a pair of catchy tunes and nothing else worth deforming perfectly good vinyl for.
All of which is a very long winded way of finally getting around to saying goddamn it, Ray. You can't say ridiculous shit like U2 is the most important rock band of the last 30 years. It's great stuff. But they aren't fit to tune the snare drum of the most important rock band of the last 30 years.
Which is probably Mastodon.
I'm more that charitable towards 'October' on a purely personal level. In fact, I enjoy listening to 'October' over 'Boy,' but I know 'Boy' is a better record. (I also will usually pop in 'Zooropa' over 'Achtung Baby'). In fact, while I was listening to U2 over the week as I wrote this, I rediscovered how much I like 'October.'
And, it is not ridiculous shit. It is true shit. Obviously I was not including Mastodon or Poison in this analysis. They transcend time. But Mastodon and Poison (and Warrant) aside, name me any band since 1980 that has had more of an impact. Not just impact, but also massive commercial success to go along with it.
Nirvana? They put a lot of hair metal bands out of work and inspired a grunge era that lasted about 2 minutes. REM? You'd have some good arguments, but I still think U2 has them. Radiohead? Critics and elitist artrock fans appreciate them (as do I), but what kind of impact have they really had outside of their own adventurous music being justly appreciated? So who? And why?
By the way, there are bands from this era that I may like more than U2. It is not a matter of who you or I like. I probably dig The Police more than U2 on a personal level, for instance, but U2 is more significant than The Police.
I'm obviously a huge REM fanatic, so I probably carry no weight in this argument. But given that U2 (and I love "Achtung Baby," as you know, but that is the only great album they've made since '87) was a terrific but fairly straightforward rock band, and that REM essentially kick-started the mass migration of the entire college radio market from obscurity to the mainstream, whatever you think of their music, I think it's safe to say they were more "important." Importance to me has to do with influence on both other bands and the music scene/industry as a whole, and I just don't see how U2 -- as great as they were -- influenced anything much other than, say, Coldplay and their ilk, and I think we can all agree that there's nothing much to brag about in that.
A couple of other ways of looking at this, for me: What's more unlikely (and therefore, in a sense, more "important"), that a band that recorded "The Unforgettable Fire" would sell out a 30,000-seat arena, or that the band that recorded "Automatic for the People" would? Also, like the Velvet Underground, REM inspired a ton of bands. Many were terrible, of course, but that's always the case with wide-ranging influence. And some of the bands they inspired -- like Nirvana -- weren't just inspired to sound like them. I think that distinction is important, too.
Good points. If there was a band to compete with u2 it would be rem. To your unforgettable fire vs automatic question, I think both were unlikely. "Pride" aside, people forget how experimental UF was. Edge has been a hugely influential guitarist. The War album really opened the way for politics and music to once again merge, something that had been missing since the 60s. U2 is behind modern anthemic rock. Not just Coldplay, but Killers, Phoenix all owe a debt.
What I mean by politics and music is the kind of activism that followed with live aid, usa for Africa, sun city, bandaid, etc. U2 was also different with a complicated spirituality. And as I said in the post, they bridged mainstream and alternative like no other pre-joshua tree, like rem in a sense. Radiohead's left turn with ok computer and beyond? Precedent set by achtung and zooropa. Not so much in sound but in the move itself.
And all that aside, who has a more impressive discography over the last 30 years? It is just so great.
A few random notes
1) Miles Davis told Bono, apparently, that HIS favorite U2 album was "The Unforgettable Fire." For what that's worth.
2) Gary--don't agree at all about 88. I think "Achtung" remains their best album. I'd even say that "One" might be, for me, their single greatest song. Or, if not "One", "Until the End of the World."
3) I don't really like REM that much, as you all know, but I'd have to agree with JMW here; their influence was, ultimately, more profound and wide-reaching than U2's. I prefer U2's music, but I think they remain, to an extent, sui generis. Not that other bands weren't influenced by them--of course they were. But I'd suggest that U2's true influence wasn't so much musical but societal. Bono provided a new model for what a rock star could--should?--be. Sting, M Stipe, Don Henley--all the other socially engaged do-gooders that followed are affected, in some way, by Bono's courage. And I do mean courage; his utter lack of irony, his sincere desire to make the world better is easy to mock ("Am I buggin' you? I don't mean to bug you.") But Bono, probably more than any other rock star ever, HAS made the world better. His charity work in Africa has been ongoing, heartfelt, intelligent--and useful. In fact, I'm on record as saying that Bono will win the Nobel Peace Prize in our lifetime.
4) I, personally, LOVE "Rattle and Hum" (the album). I think "When Love Comes to Town" is a great, great song.
5) That's all, I think.
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