I was first introduced to U2 back in the early 80s.  I cannot say I was one of the first fans, since I probably did not know a U2 from a YouTube back when they released their first album (Boy), back in 1980.  It was probably sometime in the Summer of '82 that I was first introduced to them (thanks to fellow beachgoers Mitch & Craig), and most probably listening to them on a cassette tape played on a boom box.  From the first time I listened to them, I could tell that there was something special about them -- not just in their music, but in their lyrics as well.  For those of you that could remember, there was a change that come to the world of music in the form of "new wave" and "pop-rock."  There were some artists that were pretty good, but many that were just horrible, making music to sell to the masses, instead of making music for the love of music.    U2 provided an alternative sound that was refreshing in the world of commercialism that existed.  They also brought back the sense of yesteryear from the days of Dylan and the Beatles that sometimes the message was sometimes as important as the music.  If you listen to the lyrics of U2s earlier albums, it told stories of despair, as well as hope.  The ideas of peace, freedom and equality rang out through the airwaves once again as they had once done in the 60s.

 

From 1982 through the end of that decade, I purchased the cassette (and then the CD) for each and every album they released, including the live albums.  In 1987, in my opinion, they began to get a little commercial on their Joshua Tour album, and some of the songs included "cheap" lyrics or pop-like beats more indicative of the music environment than their own historical sound.  However, all of the tracks were musically sound, and it grew into one of the top albums on my most-liked list. However, all the local radio stations (both rock and pop) were playing their music (ad nauseam), and listening to U2 no longer became edgy, but mainstream.  However, my faith in the group was renewed with their movie and soundtrack release of Rattle and Hum, which brought them back to their roots.  Soon after, I saw one of the most exciting concerts I had ever seen, and probably my second favorite ever, when U2 toured after the album's release.   It was at the Hartford Civic Center, up in Connecticut.  Although I cannot remember who the opening artist was, they played music on the loud-speakers between the acts.  Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through The Grapevine," which was experiencing a renewed interest because of the raisin commercials was playing and all of a sudden Bono came out and started singing along to the song.  A minute or so Larry Mullen came on stage playing, then Adam Clayton a minute later, then finally a minute later The Edge came on and they finished the song.  When Bono first entered the stage, everyone at the Civic Center stood up to watch, and no one sat down during the entire concert.  They finished their encore set singing "Forty" and just as they began the concert, also ended the concert with each member of the band leaving the stage one by one playing & singing the line "How Long Can You Sing This Song."  [Note: the original lyrics are "How long to sing this song"] This line was continued to be sung by the audience after U2 had left the stage.  We continued singing this line walking out of the Civic Center and people were even still singing it out into the street of Hartford. To me, it was not just a concert, it was an experience.

 

Then, the 1990's came.  In 1991, I purchased the Achtung Baby CD and it was the last U2 album I would would purchase for almost two decades.  The great thing about U2 is that they are able to change with the times.  In many ways, Achtung was a great album, but it just did not fit my taste in music at that time - or maybe I began rebelling against the band because they had become mainstream whereas I wanted them to go back to the stuff that made them what they were that I enjoyed in the 80s.  The Zooropa Album and associated tour were too much for me and I had given up any association I had with the band as a fan.  However, some critics claim that U2 was in fact being satirical of the world of music in this and the following Pop release. It was explained that the band was poking fun of commercialism by becoming overly commercial. It was not until 2004 that signs of the old U2 began to show up, and only briefly, in How To Dismantle and Atomic Bomb.  This is especially true in some of the less popular tracks on the album, which did not get much air play (no, I did not buy the album, but did borrow it from a freind).

 

Another five years had passed, and maybe Bono and crew listened to some of their "old" fans, but came back this year with the release of "No Line On the Horizon."  At first, when listening to the opening  track (and title track), I was a bit perturbed.  Although there were hints of the early band, there were also too many contemporary elements to it.  I also just did not like the song musically or lyrically.  It was also a let-down, since I was expecting a lot more after listening to some of the comments I heard from DJs on the local classic rock station.  Luckily, the second track, "Magnificent," brought me back to an earlier era of the band, with some good ole' fashion rock music with solid lyrics.  It still has time to grow on me before comparing it to their classic songs, but it does not fail to satisfy my decade old hunger for new "real" U2 music.  Although I cannot say that I loved every song on the remainder of the album, it was very satisfying to sit back and listen to some great music by a great band.  I cannot really say that the tracks fully go back to their old music, because there are two decades of "pop" influences that has melded into its music.  I would never have expected the band to sing anything like "Get On Your Boots" back in the 80s, and still may not like that song, but it part of who the band had involved into -- although the song does include a good beat and some interesting lyrics. I must also make a quick comment on "Moment of Surrender" - what is that annoying four bars that keep playing every few second over the music?

 

To me, the best part of the album comes at the end, with the last three songs - "White As Snow," "Breath," and "Cedars of Lebanon."  These are three very solid tracks with some purely great music and equally excellent lyrics.  Unfortunately, these are not the songs that will get much airplay or downloads -- but these are the songs that real fans should be listening to.

 

This album is not Boy, October or War, but there are many songs on this album that will make fans, both old and newer, very happy.  My faith in U2 has been restored, at least in part by this album -- now let's see what their upcoming tour will be like (and if it is affordable enough to go to).

 

How long will they sing this song?