buffyleigh
3
I haven't listened to this album for ages, but it was one of my favorite releases back in the 1980s. It contains some of U2's best songs ever, no fillers. The production is superb.
This is arguably hell of a record. Whatever U2 became, they were able, in the '80s, to release albums that were commercial success with really interesting music, ambiant sounds, a bit of experimentation, far from the easy and obvious stadium pop-rock other produced at the same time. After a few seconds I was already far, far away, taken back to old memories with this unforgettable riff. The album is a bit too long though and the second part of the album has less obvious hits than the first part.
Ok, I know that Bono is a pompous arse and that the band have turned avoiding tax into an art form, not to mention that I had an ex that played this all the time, but the opening to this album still makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. I suspect that is mainly due to the production work of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois who conjure huge soundscapes evoking a mythic America. The wiki is a fun read especially Eno threatening to burn the master tapes!