BOY (U2, 1980)
Artist: U2 (C+)
Recording Dates: Mar – Sep 1980
Release Date: Octubre 20 de 1980, IRE
Record Label: Island
Producte: Steve Lillywhite
Rating: 8
Era: Punk (1976-1990)
Subgenre: Punk (1976-1980)
Best Song: Twilight or An Cat Dubh
Tracklist: 1) I Will Follow; 2) Twilight; 3) An Cat Dubh; 4) Into The Heart; 5) Out Of Control; 6) Stories For Boys; 7) The Ocean; 8) A Day Without Me; 9) Another Time Another Place; 10) The Electric Co.; 11) Shadows And Tall Trees.
Ah, Corvan, what's with your obsession with getting into trouble with complicated reviews? Why don't you review "Nevermind" or "OK Computer", where there's universal consensus? Nah , if this project were just about reviewing easy albums, I'd be posting every day. Eventually, we'll come across albums like this, where the same work can be considered either a gem or a snoozefest, and we'll get comments from readers defending their different points of view. This review is doubly difficult because we have to add a sort of band intro, a presentation and mini-biography in the style of Heroes del Silencio's debut album, since we won't be doing a proper intro for now.
But why is this album so difficult? Because it's one of those albums where each song individually is excellent, works well, displays tremendous energy, the drums sound devastating, the guitars are great, loaded with echoes and power, it's an excellent mix of a bunch of bands and genres, the melodies are well-constructed, and there's just the right amount of pretentiousness that makes the songs risky and effective on their own. So??? The problem with this album is that it's one of those you listen to in one sitting without the slightest difficulty, and then it suddenly ends and you're like: "Huh? What happened?" Were they saying something? "It's not that it's bad, but it seems that, except for the first three songs, it passes by without leaving a mark, it loses us. It's undoubtedly one of the best from U2's early period, but here the band's immaturity is evident in their failure to create enough hooks to distinguish the songs. It seems as if the entire album is a single track that doesn't change in structure, construction, atmosphere, or even in the instrument equalization or guitar echoes. They change in form (and barely at that) but not in substance, so you can listen to it perfectly well without getting bored, but if you don't deliberately pay attention, you also don't realize when one song changes to another, and suddenly the album ends without leaving anything behind. Like when you're reading and suddenly you get distracted thinking about something and you read a whole page without realizing what you read. It happened to me countless times while listening to it for this review, since I generally listen to, digest, and analyze the albums I'm preparing before I've finished the previous review, and I think this is the first time that..." I've come to the point of writing this after about 20 listens and I realize that "I heard it, but I didn't really listen." And it's not that it's lightweight, nor a bad album. In fact, I consider this one of U2's essential albums that everyone should own to understand where the band came from. All their subsequent albums would derive from this one; there would be no more major stylistic surprises, Bono's voice was already mature, The Edge wouldn't drastically change his use of his pedalboard, and the rhythm section would always remain solid without ever reaching virtuosity. All subsequent U2 albums are a reconstruction of " Boy". adding greater maturity, better-constructed hooks and riffs, sometimes more pop, and incorporating other influences depending on the era and the album, but always starting from this foundation. And that's why this debut is so important and why I can't and don't want to skip it after having started with "No Line On The Horizon." In short, this isn't an album for casual listening. “Easy” or “difficult” but rather intriguing, and requiring to be viewed from different points of view.
The sheer number of influences on this album is astonishing. However, they can't be accused of plagiarism, but rather of creating an impressive blend of styles that would have been unimaginable without " Boy". To begin with, The Edge's Gibson Explorer playing is heavily influenced by David Gilmour in songs like "Run Like Hell", which is laden with echoes, distortion, power chords, and fiery arpeggios, striving for mathematical perfection rather than emotive improvisation. The melodies are reminiscent of David Bowie in the late 70s. Let's not forget New Wave. U2 would be pigeonholed within this genre for much of the 80s because much of their sound owes something to bands like The Police and Talking Heads, especially in terms of final arrangements, echoes, guitar EQ, and pedal techniques. And finally, Punk. From the Sex Pistols to Patti Smith, their influences are subtly present in the lyrics, the anger, the political messages, and some of the simple harmonies and strumming patterns on this album. Thus, * Boy* can be seen as an excellent summary of the second half of the 70s and a prelude to what was to come in the nascent decade. Rock died in 1980, and this could be one of its funeral dirges, a requiem for a dying era and a lullaby for a new one, characterized by recycling, mainstream appeal (U2's political messages were never as dangerous as those of the bands of the 60s and 70s), mega-concerts, and the MTV era.
The album opens with “I Will Follow”, a poignant song, brimming with vitality and hope. The Edge’s guitar work, forming an archaic riff, clearly reflects the punk influences we mentioned earlier. There’s a certain musical minimalism, though handled with more elegance than in punk. Delicate keyboard arrangements, like tinkling glass bottles, create a subtle, bell-like effect in the background, something unthinkable for the Sex Pistols, for example. The band’s lull at the two-minute mark, leaving Clayton’s bass practically alone while Bono sings, is reminiscent of The Police. The song is repetitive and has a very basic structure, practically unchanged, but the band manages to make it flow smoothly and not at all heavy. The lyrics refer to the death of Bono’s mother when he was 14, reflecting Lennon-esque traumas, but in a more spiritual and intimate way, as if he’s telling himself he’ll keep going, or that she’ll still be by his side even if she’s not physically present. There's a certain ambiguity, which led some Christian groups to say it was a song about God, who never abandons us. It doesn't really matter; I think that given the subject matter, it's well done, and this time, leaving the door open does more good than harm. The song is very simple, but well-crafted, powerful, blending genres, and an excellent choice to open not only this album, but the U2 catalog and the 80s in general.
“Twilight” is another of the album's standout tracks. It kicks off with one of The Edge's signature riffs, combined with a great bass line that has become a U2 trademark. The song builds rapidly to a powerful and furious crescendo, with Larry Mullen Jr. doing a solid job weaving the different sections together. In this respect, there's more variety. The Edge adds breadth to the song with his guitar work and delivers a decent solo, especially in that swaying section at 2:55. The backing vocals are perfectly distinct, with Bono screaming “Twilight!” at the top of his lungs, followed by that sinister and dark bass line that leads back into the verses. Then there's the "chat" section where they drop the tempo, and where they actually sing “ sha-shadow .” The lyrics are enigmatic once again. It's supposed to reflect the pain of a boy becoming a man, with all the changes and doubts that come with adolescence, but the gay community ended up adopting the song and even forced the band to change the cover for the US version of the album, removing the boy from the original version and replacing it with a distorted photo of the four members, this to avoid any possible suspicion of pedophilia. Anyway, the song is very good, almost multi-part , with excellent atmospheres, powerful, and one of the few on the album that manages to be catchy and have its own personality.
The third song is “An Cat Dubh”, a slower track among those on this great opening album, but one that retains a devastating power in its cadence, in that great bass line that shapes the song. The band is more meticulous with the arrangements. Notice how the drums come in; it sounds like the world is about to end. The rhythm is mid-tempo , with the guitar wailing in the background, and Bono's voice sounds more pained and emotional. The lyrics this time aren't enigmatic; they're ridiculous, and it's clear they were practically improvised in the recording booth… but the music is magnificent. The little bells in the background contrast with the dark, oily atmosphere; it's as if a dark cloud is enveloping us, until the chorus arrives, catchy and optimistic with those “Woho!” "Ho ho HOOOO" like beams of light and Bono's whip-like clicking of his tongue. Great, huge track, and one that few know; in my opinion, it's the best on the album. I want to highlight Clayton's bass again. It's not original; it's basically the same structure that Taj Mahal uses for their version of "Ain't "That a Lot of Love", albeit with a slower tempo. Even so, the rest of the song is completely different, very sophisticated, so we can hardly call it a blatant or malicious plagiarism.
The end of “An Cat Dubh” seamlessly blends into “Into The Heart”, the next track, and this is where we begin to lose our way with the album as a whole. This song is much brighter than the previous one, with a long, tranquil introduction followed by just a few ambiguous and directionless verses where the tempo picks up slightly. It then returns to tranquility, ending in a state of relaxation. It's a very simple song, and The Edge deserves all the credit.
Into the Heart” ends, without a single second of transition, “Out of Control” follows, with a faster pace (Mullen sounds fantastic in the intro) and a very new wave riff, but one that works. The melody is very pop, but well executed. The lyrics refer to a teenager who realizes they are becoming an adult and must take control of their own life. There are some good rhythmic shifts, since continuing with the breakneck speed of the beginning would make the song too heavy. It's not bad, but here the songs start to get lost in the overall texture of the album.
The sixth track is “Stories for Boys”, featuring another fantastic drum performance from Mullen and a much better-structured guitar riff. During the intro, there's a moment where the drums drop out and the bass launches into a tremendous line at the 25-second mark, before all the instruments join in around the vocals. Great harmonic constructions, tonal shifts, and rhythm changes. The song itself is very good; all the instruments sound massive, and it could easily have been a timeless classic for the band… but, it's noticeable that they're basically using the same formula in every song; there's little variety in the album's linear progression. But I wonder what would have happened if, for example, this song had opened the album.
“The Ocean” is more atmospheric. The truth is, it's such a short track that I'm not sure it's worth mentioning. It's so brief it doesn't even get boring, and it's one of the songs they added on the fly during the recording process.
“A Day Without Me” sounds like The Police, replacing the reggae spark with Brian Eno-esque rhythms. It's perhaps the most distinctly ' 80s track , thanks to that delayed guitar riff. Actually, all of U2 sounds like the '80s, especially considering they were the quintessential band of the decade, but you get the idea. This song is one of the most dated and new- wave-influenced on the album. Plus, the lyrics are arrogant. Bono wonders what a day without him would be like, somewhat selfishly, shouting to the world, "Hey!" I matter too! But in a very adolescent way... It's supposedly inspired by a close friend who attempted suicide and left them thinking deeply about the impact one person has on the world. This song is supposedly going to connect with "The Electric Co."
But let's start with "Another Time, Another Place". the ninth song on the album. It has another one of those tremendous rhythm sections, simple yet powerful, which then speed up in the chorus. The guitar is more screechy than what The Edge usually delivers during the verses. At 3:40, I'm not sure if it's Bono or The Edge himself, but the vocals transform and sound incredibly Jagger-esque, even the drums. That whole section sounds like the Stones in the seventies, but then they return to their comfort zone. It would have been interesting if the whole song had been like this, wouldn't it?
“The Electric Co.” starts off incredibly cool with a very electric riff, followed by a sort of bridge, and then in the verses Mullen is unrecognizable, deliciously shredding his drums. The song is powerful, experimenting with changes, with The Edge incisive and deploying all his tricks. The lyrics were said to be connected to a suicide attempt, as it can be interpreted as a boy who “picks up a toy that can blow a hole in his head” and ends up in a psychiatric hospital where he receives electroshock therapy. The song's ending is very The Who-esque, with a brief fade- in, and you can almost see the band unleashing their rage as they smash their instruments. When we talk about punk influences, we have to include this track on the list.
The album closes with “Shadow and Tall Trees”. Is it my imagination, or is Bono trying to imitate Mr. Bowie right from the start? Anyway, this is perhaps the most forgettable song on U2's debut. While not a complete disaster, the drums don't save anything this time, and there's a lack of harmony from beginning to end. The song is inspired by the book “Lord of the Flies,” and the title is one of the chapters. Honestly, I don't like it. They even repeat themselves too much when they start with the “Shadows-Shadows- Shadows” coda at the end, which sounds very similar to the “chatter ” at the beginning of the album (chatter, hahaha). A very weak ending for an album that gives the impression of starting tremendously strong and then losing momentum with each passing second.
And that's it. The album is solid song by song, but as a whole it sounds repetitive; I mean, there aren't even any breaks between songs, and that's why it seems to lose its direction when you listen to it all the way through. A concept album? Nah, U2 has never been THAT pretentious, and if the theme of youth problems does run through the album, it's not with the intention of making it a unified whole.
Furthermore, from our perspective, it sounds like a cliché. To clarify, at the time it was a tremendous fusion of styles that had never before converged in a single musical work, but U2 continued to repeat the formula not only throughout this album, but throughout their entire discography. The other albums are simply Boy II, Boy III, Boy IV, and so on, showing some evolution, incorporating some new influences, but always using this foundation. That's why today it sounds like a cliché; it sounds like U2.
The end of one era and the beginning of another. It's a transitional album, not just for a band, but for the classic era of rock, moving from it to the modern era. It's also a pretty good debut from the biggest band of the '80s. Some fans say this is the band's best work. I think that's an exaggeration; later came "Joshua Tree" and " Achtung Baby," where U2 set aside their vices to show us their more mature side. And it's not their worst either. Here, the band takes quite a few risks for the time; it's neither complacent nor easy like on " All That You Can't "Leave ..." or "How To Dismantle ...". As I said, it's not easy to review. Many will say it's good or bad. The truth is, it's very difficult to arrive at a definitive opinion, because for each person, it can be good or bad depending on their mood and the moment in which they listen to it. But one thing is certain: its historical importance is undeniable.
By Corvan
May/5/2009
