With all the hoopla surrounding the twentieth anniversary of this album, I thought I'd dig out an old piece I'd written on it. Of course, this won't stop me from writing a new piece on it and why it's still a relevant piece of work today.
With the addition of Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno as producers on 1985's Unforgettable Fire, U2 proceeded to make emotionally geographic albums. These were albums that evoked a sense of place and time in the listener, a trait that made them both iconic and timeless. I remember the first time I heard The Joshua Tree and this certainly ain't it. This was better; darker, funkier and dirtier. The journey from the deserts of The Joshua Tree to the musical heartland discovered in Rattle and Hum was nowhere to be found on this disc. Instead, this was the musical Heart of Darkness, only if Conrad's classic novel was set in the darkest and dankest of underground metropolitan dance clubs populated by the most desperate hedonists this side of the new testament.
U2 set their stalls out immediately with the industrial groove of "Zoo Station." A hedonistic call to arms, this song makes a declaration to get lost- damn the consequences. Leaning on the reliable swagger of Adam Clayton's bass, they create a groove unheard since the earliest of their albums. Following up on any promise of anarchic glee, they move into "Even Better Than the Real Thing" in which Bono channels Jim Morrison at his poetically sleaziest. Exhorting the listener repeatedly for "one last chance," Bono plies for a rendevouz at the end of the world. Such promises and exhortations rarely come without consequence, however. Track three, the tragically misunderstood "One," quickly cuts to the real gristle and bone of the album. A more sincere and accurate portrayal of relationships would be difficult to find. Suckered in by the opening hedonism of the album, the themes of the album begin to surface quickly and brutally; love, betrayal, uncertainty, accusation and doubt. Whether it's the conversation taking place between Jesus and Judas in "At the End of the World" or the self recrimination of "Acrobat," no one gets out unscathed. Fear not, however, there is still plenty of fun hedonism to be found whether it's the contrarian mantras of "The Fly" or the mythic fascination of "Mysterious Ways." Ending with the dark, languid "Love is Blindness," this album sports every facet of romantic warfare and should not ever, ever be listened to during a break up. Unfortunately, due to its incredible breadth, it will be and it will hurt some feelings.
Best Moments: "Acrobat," in which Bono spurns the two predominant stereotypical associations made with his band; the church and Irish political movements. Or the opening guitar funk that opens the album in "Zoo Station."
The rest of their 90's Catalog? Zooropa, which featured the band at their most experimental in terms of song structure. At the same time, it also contained one of their prettiest songs; "Stay (Far Away, So Close!)."
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Pop, Giant lemons be damned. This was an awesome album and the ultimate result of their experimentation during the 90's. Or at least, it would have been if they took the time to finish it properly. Nonetheless, if this was the debut effort by a new band, it would have crushed the world.
