Not Bad at all (The Unforgettable Fire - U2)

Member Name: indiecater

Product:	The Unforgettable Fire - U2
Date:	07/11/00 (35 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: U2 at their glorious best.

Disadvantages: Where did it all go wrong

With the buzz created by the release of their 'Best Of, The Early Years'
it was quite evident that a lot of people had mistakenly forgotten about U2
pre 'Achtung Baby'. This is to do U2 a great disservice because U2's most fertile years
spanned 1980 to 1987. 'The Unforgettable Fire' was released in 1984 and had 2 successful singles lifted from it, 'Pride' and 'The Unforgettable Fire'. I can
remember buying 'Now that what I call music 5' (eek!!!) and 'The Unforgettable Fire' stood majestically above everything else on it. U2's fifth album was recorded in Slane Castle, which could explain the sumptuous sound that the album possesses.
Unlike many things released in the 1980's it had aged very well (except perhaps the bombast of 'Pride') and would fit nicely beside the likes of Travis on any teenagers CD shelf. The album spawned U2's crowning glory, 'Bad', a song that was made legendary at Live-aid and later by the 'Wide Awake in America' EP. The album has U2 playing it straight, a stripped down band letting the melodies and hooks save the day. Witness the understated glory of 'Promenade', all shimmering guitars and solid bass-lines protecting Bono, sounding forlorn and lonely.
It remains a great shame that U2 did not follow this approach right through their career, although 'All that you can't leave behind' does hint at the old days.
'The Unforgettable Fire' will warm the cockles of your heart and convince you that once upon a time, U2 were the greatest band in the world.

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