Album Essentials: U2 - "Boy"
By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor
As the 1970's were giving way to the 1980's, there was a lot going on in the world of music. The punk rock hangover had crashed and burned, in the best way possible, splintering off into a hundred different directions, encompassing a wide variety of sounds and styles along the way. Record stores and radio were awash in everything from power pop heroes like the Knack, Plimsouls, and Cheap Trick, to the post punk stylings of Siouxsie & the Banshees, Joy Division, and Wire. Elsewhere, the sounds of the new Two-Tone/Ska movement were raging alongside the NWOBHM, aka the new wave of British heavy Metal. Anything was fair game.
Into this open air market of music wandered this Irish combo called U2. They were unassuming to the core, simple traditional lineup - guitar, bass, drums, vocals. They hadn't adopted a 'look,' and they seemingly sprang from nowhere with their debut album, 'Boy,' in the fall of 1980. Once the needle hit the first groove on that LP, however, all bets were off. This was something unique and special.
The opening chiming guitar riff of 'I Will Follow' was like an alarm ringing people out of complacency, casting a sense of urgency that sounded like no one else. That urgency ran throughout the entire album and seemingly won over all who heard it at the time. The album is stocked full of gems, 'Twilight,' 'Out Of Control,' 'Stories For Boys,' and 'The Electric Co.,' are fire full on, but not in an expected way. It was powerful without being heavy, forceful without being delivered at full speed, and familiar without being cast from any one mold.
'An Cat Dubh' had a psychedelic glow about it, while 'Shadows And Tall Trees' stood on more familiar 'post punk' ground. The production from Steve Lilywhite was fresh, and the performance was rock solid. It was, and remains, an incredible first step from a band who would in short order, go on to conquer the rock world with a series of impressive albums and dynamic live shows. For many, they were thee band of the 1980s. Without taking anything away from the triumphs of 'The Unforgettable Fire,' 'The Joshua Tree,' or 'Achtung Baby,' after 43 years as a recoding unit, I will happily go out on a limb here and say that they never again reached the highs set in stone on 'Boy.' It was a truly unique listening adventure that still has that freshness to this day, thus, it truly is Essential from start to end.