Unforgettable Fire by U2 (CD, Oct-1990, Island Records USA)

In the mid 1980 s, U2 was at the top of their game. Or so we thought. Three impressive albums (Boy, October, War) within four years put them atop the list of best artists of the decade. Nobody could have foreseen the success that U2 was about to encounter. Nobody could have possibly predicted that 1987 s The Joshua Tree would go down in history as quite possibly the decade s best album from ANY artist. Bridging the gap between early U2 (Boy, October, War) and mid-career U2 (The Joshua Tree, Rattle and Hum, Achtung Baby) were a few live releases and one studio album. That album, The...

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, there was a U2 before The Joshua Tree. OK, I'm sure you knew that. And I'm sure you probably knew that they were already good before they busted out what many consider to be the greatest rock album of all time. Perhaps I've made the above statement as a reminder to myself, more than to inform you of U2's prior existence. Why? Well, the earl-to-mid-80's period of U2 output, while yielding some early classics, has proved to be the most difficult period for me to explore. Perhaps my backwards approach is to blame - I started with All that You Can't Leave Behind and...

There are moments in life when you feel something s about to change. You feel it coming... especially when change is what you live waiting and hoping for. There also are moments when you feel like putting it down, writing about it... sharing it with others. The questions, seeming answers, uncertainty and pain is all too much for anyone to keep them inside. U2 wrote an album. It's name is THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE. One might ask back in 1984, and quite reasonably: what in the world are they doing? They ve released 3 plus 1 live album in 4 years, and here s another one? Don t these guys wanna rest.

OK, OK, I know, five stars? And why would I, an avowed synth-o-phile and guitar-o-phobe, review a U2 album in the first place? Have I lost it? Verdict's still out on that one, but stick with me, my story gets better. Read other fine reviews on this website for a better overall sense of what to expect from "The Unforgettable Fire." I have chosen to address solely certain aspects that excite me in this album, at the expense of other ones, ratings be darned. It's me and Don Quixote, tilting at windmills yet again, as my opinions happen not to echo neatly those of seemingly every other reviewer...