Boy (Euro Vers)

 

 

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I wasn't the biggest U2 fan growing up in the early 80's. As a teenager my attention was focused on hard rock and metal. A friend of mine at the time was from England and he latched onto these guys as the next big thing.Sadly I didn't heed his advice and it was only years later I would realize how brilliant these guys were and are.
Before they became rock giants they started out with this great debut album. Pretty much all the songs here are hidden gems. The best things about this albums are 1. U2's unique sound is raw and a precursor of the great riffs to come in the years ahead. Let's face it, no one sounded like the edge or has tried to since. 2. This album holds up well after 30+ years and holds up after repeated listenings. Some albums in your collection may only get listened to a half a dozen times.Not this one. If you can't find at least one or two songs that constantly pop into your head then you're not listening hard enough.

"Boy" is the debut release from U2, one of the greatest bands in the world from the 80's on. The original album was released on October 20th of 1980, but this particular item is the Deluxe Edition, which was released on July 21st of 2008. In some cases a debut album defines a group's sound, but in my opinion "Boy" probably sounds the least like U2 of any of their albums. That is not to say that it doesn't sound like U2 at all, or that the songs were written by anyone outside the band, but instead that one can hear how other groups influenced them more on this album than on their later albums where they have better defined their own sound.

The original album is on Disc One of this two-disc set. The first track is "I Will Follow", and unlike some of the other pieces it would be a song which helps define U2s sound. It is a song about a mother's unconditional love, written after his own mother had passed away. "Twilight" is the first song which takes on the major theme of the album, which is adolescence. "An Cat Dubh" (Black Cat) is a song which demonstrates the contrast between beauty and danger and it is linked to "Into the Heart" a song which is more about the innocence of childhood. "Out of Control finishes off the first half of the original album and it deals with the feeling that one has no control over one's life.

"Stories for Boys" starts the second half of the album and based on a quote from Bono it is a reaction against popular heroes and images that are impossible to emulate. "The Ocean" is a short piece which seems to be Bono reflecting on his own life and his desire to change the world. "A Day Without Me" is a song about the suicide of Ian Curtis, the Joy Division singer. It is also the first song the group recorded. "Another Time, Another Place" is about teenage sex according to Bono. "The Electric Co." is about electric convulsion therapy which happened to a friend of the band. The album closes (if one ignores the 34 second track which has not title) with "Shadows and Tall Trees" a song about the struggles of boyhood, and a reference to "Lord of the Flies" which is a book about the same subject.

The bonus CD in the Deluxe edition offers fans some additional treasures. It opens with a slightly different version of "I Will Follow". This was the first attempt at creating the final mix. Next up is the single "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" which was released in May of 1980, and it is followed the "Touch" single which appeared with it. Next there are a couple of outtakes from the Boy sessions "Speed of Life" and "Saturday Night", the latter of which would eventually appear as "Fire" on their "October" album. Next is a rare instrumental "Things to Make and Do" which was part of their live shows, giving Bono's vocals a rest. This version was the B-Side for the "A Day Without Me" single. Next up are the single versions which appeared on "3", "Out Of Control", "Stories For Boys", and "Boy-Girl". These are followed by the single versions of "Another Day" and "Twilight". Next up are live versions of "Boy-Girl", "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" at the Marquee Club in London, and finishing with a live version of "Cartoon World" which was broadcast live from the National Boxing Stadium in Dublin.

In the late '70's and early '80's, you had disco, new wave, some punk, and heavy metal to choose from as the most popular forms of pop music. Then in 1980, along came a quaint little Irish combo called U2.
If you are only familiar with the band's headier work, such as Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby, this album will surprise you. It only barely resembles the band that would go on to dominate the world of rock. It is more akin to a skeleton upon which singer Bono and the band added meat as they grew.
The basic elements of the band are here: Bono's soaring voice, while somewhat undisciplined, still is front and center, along with The Edge's rhythmic, jangly guitar landscapes.
The songs are simple and exude an energy and newness that must have seemed very odd for its time. It really doesn't sound like anything that was around then. That alone made some folks take notice.
Songs like I Will Follow, Stories For Boys, and Out Of Control have a certain innocence that evokes feelings of mourning for a diminishing youth. Other tracks have a slightly edgier (no pun intended) feel, such as the ethereal The Ocean, the sinister An Cat Dubh, and the foot-tapping The Electric Co. A Day without Me is a standout example of pure pop, with deceptive lyrics which seem to be about suicide.
The production is stark and clean, and the songs seem to bleed in and out of one another.
The only trouble is that the band's playing still has miles to grow, as do Bono and The Edge's writing skills. Also, about 2/3's of the way into the disc, the songs seem to all sound the same. The versatility wasn't there yet and some of the songs are forgettable. But it still works. It is a breath of fresh air at a time when music needed it. U2 may have still been flying under the radar, but they were creating a buzz. All in all, a great start for a great band.

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5.0 out of 5 stars The First and Still the Best
This is U2's first albumn and still their best in my opinion... I owned it on vinyl twice, CD and cassette. Read more

Published on Oct 30 2007 by Paul

4.0 out of 5 stars It's early U2, but that doesn't mean it's bad.
I have been a long time listener of U2. They were the first band I got into really seriously when I was a teenager. Read more

Published on July 3 2004 by Bryan Backas

5.0 out of 5 stars U2 Before They Were "U2"
The 1960s were a great decade for rock music. The 1970s were not so great, but they did have one upside: punk music. Read more

Published on Jun 23 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars The album that started it all
Boy, U2's first studio album is not just good, it's promising, uplifting, inspiring and cutting "Edge. Read more

Published on April 21 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars I KNOW, I KNOW....., BUT THIS ONE'S GOOD...NO, REALLY!!!!
This record rocks. Mainly because Adam Clayton plays bass like Cliff Williams: that relentless dunh-dunh-dunh-dunh-dunh-dunh-dunh-dunh-dunh-dunh... Read more

Published on Mar 18 2004 by robodisco

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Concept Album
I will never forget the 1st time I heard of U2. My friend had a birthday party and received Boy on cassette. It was 1980 and I was 10. Read more

Published on Feb 15 2004 by Pax

4.0 out of 5 stars Their first album and a great one
"Boy" takes a bit of getting used to if you grew up on mid-period U2 stuff like "The Joshua Tree," but their debut album kicks major ... Read more

Published on Jan 20 2004 by Daniel A. Marsh

5.0 out of 5 stars post-punk album
this album could belong to bauhaus, southern death cult, the cure with few differences (I didn't forgot bono).

Published on Nov 21 2003 by mrc1977

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the great debuts of our time.
On the short list that includes first albums by The Pretenders, The Cars, The Clash, and Elvis Costello goes "Boy"
Here we find a group with their own voice, their... Read more

Published on Oct 29 2003 by M J Heilbron Jr.

1.0 out of 5 stars I Won't Follow
"I Will Follow" and "Out of Control" are very good rock tracks but the rest of the material isn't the real U2! Read more

Published on Sep 10 2003 by Reijo Piippula

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