U2 - The Unforgettable Fire
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Free Music Notes for The Unforgettable Fire
Free Music Review: An Inspired Change of Direction
Hit: 5 Stars
With "U2 Live: Under A Blood Red Sky" (1983) the early U2 had reached the end of the road. Their crusade had taken them to the Holy Land, which in their case was Red Rocks. As Bono turned into a cheerleader and the band became drunk on their own power and the delirium of the crowd, U2 desperately needed a new direction to maintain their cutting edge creativity. They found it in the Unforgettable Fire. U2 proved their depth of character by swopping producers (Eno and Daniel Lanois for Steve Lillywhite), dropping much of the bombast and recovering the rapt, personal quality that gives their best work its integrity. The Unforgettable Fire (1984) sounds like the band made it themselves. The hit Pride (In The Name Of Love) kept the breastbeating element of their audience happy and ensured that the global reputation continued to swell, but the album is distinguished by the warm, ambient textures of the production and a hard won lyricism that turn A Sort of Homecoming and the title track into gradually building dramas whose impact is all the richer for not being signposted by one of those trademark swelling choruses.
Titles like 4th Of July and Elvis Presley And America were evidence that U2 were finding new subjects during their constant US tours but the album's high spot, Bad, focused on the plight of friends and Dublin ..addiction. Bono's singing was charismatic throughout and he seemed to have finally controlled his Joan of Arc complex.
Free Music Review: The start of a more mature U2
Hit: 5 Stars
The Unforgettable Fire was an album of change for U2. They no longer made the kind of hard rock music they made on their first three albums", Boy", "October", and "War", and their first live album, "Under A Blood Red Sky", but instead they made a softer, more sophisticated, more satisfying kind of music. The biggest reason for that was, of course, that U2 were maturing and wanted to play more mature music, but another big reason for it was that they let go of producer Steve Lillywhite and brought on producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, who are still with U2 to this day. The most popular song on this album is "Pride(In The Name Of Love)", and it's also one of the most radio-played U2 songs ever. Other great songs on this album are the title track, "The Unforgettable Fire", "A Sort Of Homecoming", which was the second of two great live performances from U2 at Live Aid in 1986, "Wire", "Indian Summer Sky", "Elvis Presley And America", "Promenade", the closer, "MLK", and then "Bad", the first of the two U2 performances at Live Aid in 1986. It's one of the best single live performances I've ever heard, and it's of a song that's already great to begin with, even if it is a drug song. This album, along with that performance, put U2 into the mainstream. This album is another of U2's many masterpieces.Free Music Review: The power of rock
Hit: 5 Stars
As an objective music fan, I don't expect to be blown away by much. This album, which I first heard on vinyl from my roommate's mother's record collection, first struck me as simply mediocre. As an entire album, it lacks the consistency of other U2 work like Achtung Baby, October, and All That You Can't Leave Behind, but The Unforgettable Fire will always remain my favorite because it truly showcases the positive power of rock music."Pride (In The Name of Love)" is one of the most powerful songs ever written. Not only does it have catchy pop appeal to endear it to the shallow listener (I will never forgive the makers of the "Moulin Rouge" soundtrack for sampling it as "one night in the name of love" - as if it had anything to do with the lustful whims Hollywood glorifies as "love"!), but it is truly inspiring, with its references to Martin Luther King and Jesus Christ as individuals who gave their lives "in the name of love."
Musically, this album soars - "Bad" will always characterize the beauty of U2 for me. The soaring guitars by Edge, soulful bass by Adam, powerful percussion by Larry, and of course, Bono's beautiful bass-to-falsetto vocals are solid, smart, and inspiring.
The profundity and emotion expressed in this modest production mean more to me than any other work of the 1980's. I highly reccommend it to those who still believe that rock can uplift.
Free Music Review: An "Unforgettable" Masterpiece of The Eighties
Hit: 5 Stars
U2's "The Unforgettable Fire" is one of the most versatile albums I have listened to, either in the car cruising down the highway or even while cleaning the home. From the very beginning of the stage-amicable "Bad," which automatically offers an incredibly paenean sound to UF, and the retrospectively captivating ballad of "Wire," to the eighth track, "Indian Summer Sky," this album keeps you alive and desirous for more. It is impossible for these songs to become of hackneyed status as so many of the songs of the current music scene have accomplished, a majour justification in the apparent regression of such musical careers. "Elvis Presley in America," in a way, casts out the immortal presence of this album to a point with its pseudo-hydraulic vocals and musical accompaniment. However, "MLK" revives the spirit of UF with a comforting vocal enhancement to the additional instrumentation, providing a sound that puts the listener in a mystic aura of quietude.
Initially produced by the respected Eno/Lanois duo, this is a chef d'oeuvre in the eyes of many (including mine) and is most definitely the chocolate cake that is to be found in my collection. This is candy to the ears, mind, and soul. 1984 was a good year (or so, I've heard). All this album did was make it even betta. :)
Free Music Review: soulful, mysterious - and groundbreaking
Hit: 5 Stars
This album cemented my status as a lifelong U2 fan. Every album for U2 up to this point has been a great leap forward, but this one steps into another universe. The guitar textures added by the Edge alone constitute a huge breakthrough. Bono does some of the best singing of his career. At the time he said that soul music is when you reveal rather than conceal through singing and Bono is able to convey a lot of feeling this way."A Sort of Homecoming" starts off the album, but it is not the strongest track. People have accused it of being muddy, although that's not really the case. There's just a lot of guitar overdubs. The biggest problem is the vocal delivery and the lyrics ("I'll be there tonight") which have already become U2 cliches. After that though, "Pride" gets the blood pumping as one of U2's biggest songs, a heartfelt tribute to Martin Luther King. As the song climaxes toward the end, Bono's overdubbed harmonies sound like a choir of angels.
Every other song on here is fantastic so I won't ramble. I'll just mention that "Elvis Presley and America" (probably the most controversial song on the album) is incredible with Bono rambling improvised lyrics and a slow burning build-up. And "Promenade" is my absolute favorite. This is one of those albums that can really evoke a time, a feeling, a memory that claims a place in your heart.