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After bidding the crowd a rousing goodnight, Bono implores, "Up on your feet. The original is more cutting with rawer emotion but this is a worthy reinterpretation. I would've liked to hear live versions of "Stranger In A Strange Land" along with a few other favorites, but everything here is a real treat for true U2 fans. ***** tracks 12-15 recorded live at the Paradise Theater, Boston, March 6, 1981 -- 12) "I Will Follow" - I had this B-side on vinyl back in the day and it's a truly electric performance. Disk 2: Every Deluxe CD edition from U2 thus far is superior in quality and OCTOBER is no exception. ****3/4 tracks 6-8 BBC Studio recordings recorded 9-3-81 -- 6) "With A Shout" - a tuneful, very powerful version featuring some of my all-time favorite U2 drum parts. The bonus CD is heavy on live versions and they're all top notch with excellent sound (The Edge himself supervised the Deluxe edition remasters). Excellent take.
The crowd participation on "October" in particular is remarkable. The sound on OCTOBER is harder, more forceful, more skillfully played - more rockin'. ***** 9) "A Celebration" - I've always loved the "get up and go" of this track - it's very raw and off-the-cuff. The rare pictures, covers of the single releases and notes from the Edge are all stellar. Improvised in the studio in under an hour's time, it's become a U2 classic.
***** 14) "Cry/ Electric Co." - "Cry" became a fantastic live intro to this scorcher from BOY. Breakdown: tracks 1-5 recorded live at Hammersmith Palais, 1982 -- These early recordings are hungry, revealing the desperation of a band struggling to be heard and the inner turmoil inherent in these songs. Edge flexes his sonic delay effects and Bono, largely improvising in the studio, pours out his heart to deliver some of his most passionate, soul-stirring vocal performances ever. There's an excellent essay about how the album came together that makes a very good case for its greatness. Bono's warbling voice sounds unhinged and the mix is murky and mysterious. lays down some of his heaviest, most complicated drum parts on record.
A very cool, unique sounding B-side. OCTOBER is one of U2's least highly regarded albums but it's a personal favorite of mine and I consider it to be one of their best. Good version but maybe a little road weary. Adam Clayton and Bono did this remix with Donal Lunny on bouzouki, bodhran and keyboards and Sharon Shannon on accordion.
****1/4 11) "Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl" - without a doubt this is one of their strangest, most unique recordings. Bono's voice can be very uplifting but he's never been afraid to expose his negative feelings either. Swallo" - a really cool sounding studio experiment - believe it or not, this could be considered to be a sort of proto-trip-hop groove considering the way the beat was slowed down in the studio. ***** 8) "I Threw A Brick Through A Window" - another killer OCTOBER cut, full of angular guitars and some effective sonic touches. Bono isn't always reliably in control of his voice but he's passionate as ever and the audience is very enthusiastic. Every group member rocks and Larry Mullin Jr. I love this sort of mysterious, atmospheric song that U2 do so well - some of my absolute favorite U2 cuts ("Walk To The Water," "Deep In The Heart") have a similar feel.
For many reasons (not enough new songs, Bono's stolen lyric book, intra-band tension), this was a difficult album for U2 to make yet it manages to be a step forward for the band, as most of their albums are. ****1/2 10) "J. Bono delays singing the opening line as members of the crowd can be heard jumping the gun. ****1/2 15) "11 O'clock Tick Tock" - a confident, muscular take, Bono belting out "la la la's" at the top of his lungs toward the end of the song. Intense - one hell of a rock n' roll hoedown.
BOY is a fantastic debut, but I'm more likely to reach for OCTOBER when choosing a U2 record to hear. Up off your feet." - it's hard to believe anyone was sitting down by the end of this concert. ***** 13) "Ocean" - a gorgeous version, the guitar notes are resonant and lush. **** I love the way Bono thumbs his nose at some of the more negative aspects of life as he rallies his followers: "And you.
can go there too." Quite different from just about anything else the band recorded. To my mind, this album is essential U2. **** 17) "Tomorrow (Common Ground Remix)" - this remix was done in 1996 about when trip-hop was peaking and it definitely has that slinky, dark and sexy trip-hop sound. ***** 7) "Scarlet" - beautiful simplicity. It's a pure pop song, a celebration of independence.
***** 16) "I Will Follow" - live May 14, 1982, Hattem, Holland. Cool, but not as good as the original.
Live jams and experimental noddeling could be U2's asset, but it could also be a liability as well. While I like them, I merely find them interesting. Neil McCormick correctly points out the following set of problems in his essay, an album of music fragments, half finished songs, inarticulate lyrics in some cases with an overt Religious theme. The live tracks from The Boston Paradise Theatre are great.
"A Celebration" is an excellent song, and a pointer to what the band would do with the "War" album. "J. U2 suffers from the same kind of mythologizing at this point. For example, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Zeppelin have become so mythologized, it has become almost impossible for many to fairly assess the merit of their music, in each case, however great it might be overall, each has been `hit and miss' with their catalogue. To be honest, I have never been an especially big fan of the first three albums.
The album becomes spotty with the remaining tracks, "Shout, Stranger, Scarlet," and "Is That All." These tracks illustrate the problem I noted in my previous review with parts of "Boy", a lack of song craft with songs that are left feeling like nothing more than blueprints, and this doesn't always make compelling listening.Now onto disc two which is the real treat for any completist, personally I have had a longtime fascination with U2's B-sides. The live tracks from "October" solve some of the problems with the studio tracks, they are more focused. The Piano piece, "October" is another stunning track to come out of such a young band. To not be intellectually honest, and admit that any band or artist has their strength and weaknesses, is actually a disservice to that band from their fan base.U2 faced the challenge that many bands face when following up their debut, the difficult 2nd album, the sophomore slump. The best songs, the ones that sounded the most focused, we're the ones they had already performed live, such as "I Fall Down" and "Fire".
In spite of the fact that the drum pattern on "I Threw a brick" feels a little self conscious, a nod to the rhythm's of some other UK new wave bands of the time, "Brick" is fairly interesting. As a longtime U2 fan, having started to listen to them as far back as 1983, I realize this review will put me at odds with many U2 fans. This is also true to a degree with the BBC Session tracks as well. The three B sides are rather interesting.
"Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl" became a standard of their live sets during this early part of their career. While not a great song, the use of the keyboards hints at the ambient textures they would go into later. I can't say the live track of "I Will Follow" from Hattem seems all that essential, and the alternative recording of "Tomorrow" from the Common Ground album is merely interesting and not vital.The sound of these remasters is an improvement from prior CD editions and welcomed.
Let me explain philosophically that I really don't care for mythologizing Rock bands or Musicians. Credit really has to be given for the wonderful packaging, Neil McCormick's essay is a slight improvement over Paul Morley's essay (Boy), The Edge's comments are also interesting, lyrics and rare photos are included. That isn't to say there's not some inspiring moments here, "Gloria", in what one would assume is praise to a woman is actually a celebration of faith.
"Tomorrow" is one of the more stunning tracks with its use of the Oillean Pipes, and the track precludes the ambient textures the band would use with Eno. Swallow" is an interesting experiment. This reissue is an ideal model for how CD reissues should be handled in the future, should be of note to other compilation producers, although some fans will beg to differ about what might have been overlooked.
The booklets are pretty good, and the bonus material is welcome just because it's (finally) the 'official' releases (and usually) the best quality. The production is a bit warmer and deeper than Boy---U2 is a band heavily influenced by the producer on all its studio albums. This should be way cheaper, and should have more material, considering a) it's U2, and b) fanatics probably own most of it. If you love complete shows, then the random addition of dates and venues can be maddening, but for song selection, this is good material for the fan.
It was admittedly rushed, and Bono famously had his songwriting notebook stolen during the making (it was actually recently returned) and so he had to slap some words together, etc, etc. The earlier CDs suffered from the same syndrome that so many discs did---that flatter sound of analog tapes released on digital format without tinkering that so many albums had.October is probably one of the least-cited U2 albums, and the fanatics find that shameful. I think the awful album cover (which was not originally intended) does not do justice to the sound inside.imagine something more like the muted tones of the early 80s Cure albums, and that would be a better fit.Regardless, this is still a very solid album, and certainly moodier than the energetic Boy. Yes, Bono was sculpting what would be perhaps the most formidable mullet of the 80s, and he soon starting waving white flags and climbing the lighting rigs during shows, but if you just sit back and listen to the music and the songs here, it's very good rock.
The bonus disc isn't bad, either. There's an almost muddy, gray quality to the sound on October, making it sounds a lot like.the month of October, when the weather really changes, the leaves start falling, and the sky seems to get whiter. In those 'post-punk' days, U2 was already departing from their peers and going for something less cool. How many bands were singing lines in latin (Gloria). Finally, U2 got around the releasing deluxe versions of their albums, complete with 10,000 super-bit mega remastering, which was long overdue for the material recorded on analog (pretty much their whole 80s catalog).
Still amazing, though, that the Chameleons, who also had Steve Lilywhite production, never made it big though they were releasing more polished material at the same time. (Early material is collected on The Fan And the Bellowes).The remastering is good, and necessary. If you've been a U2 fanatic and at all into bootlegs, you likely own some of this material. There are some real plusses, like the BBC tracks finally released in their best quality compared to bootlegs (includes the only live performance of Scarlet). Or singing about.Jerusalem (With A Shout). But it sounds better than that. Again, you may have The Paradise tracks as it was widely bootlegged from '81, and the b-sides like J Swallow and Trash, Trampoline and The Party Girl are likely familiar.
Or singing 'rejoice' over and over (Scarlet). Or how about a title like I Threw A Brick Through A Window. All in all, I think the retail on these U2 remasters is way too high (compared with other bands releasing their deluxo versions) for the material that you get. Nevertheless, recommended on a sale, or for the fan who wants to hear these albums in remastered glory.
amzing start for this group, this is a masterpiece in all the extension of the word.
There are a few photos from the same session that are even worse, but hey, that's history. Not that they weren't good, but because the best songs were already on the live album and they sounded better.But of the three albums it was October that I liked best. To sum it up, I must tell you that I wasn't very impressed. If you are a fan, buy it. The band looks unease and dressed like a mix of A Flock Of Seagulls and The Chameleons (great band, by the way). On the down side, you get two virtually similar live renditions of "I Will Follow" that don't bring anything new to the version on Under A Blood Red Sky.
True some lyrics seem a bit sketchy, but the rest is just as good as anything on Boy.Like Boy, October kicks off with a raise-your-arms-to-the-air anthem: "Gloria" stands as tall as "I Will Follow" and both songs are the only indisputable classic on each album. Boy was a wild, rawer album, but October introduced a wider scope to U2s music. The rest of the album balances between rockers that somehow try to break from the mould left by Boy and a handful of lovely mellower tunes that sound a bit 4AD. "I Fall Down" adds the piano to the U2 palette; "I Threw A Brick Through A Window" marches through some odd rhythm patterns; "Rejoice" rocks harder then anything on Boy. I got to U2 through Under a Blood Red Sky and only after that did I look out for the first three albums. It may not be fully accomplished but October is a major stepping stone for what was to come.In fact I think that the major problem with October was BAD COVER DESIGN. Bad photo, bad models (where the hell is Bono looking at)., even bad lettering, and most of all, dreadful styling.
A cover like this doesn't really shine between Boy's and War's beautiful black and white close ups. So there you have it.As for this Deluxe edition, it is beautifully and carefully packaged with some interesting words to read and lots of photos. "October" (the song), "Scarlet" and "Tomorrow" may be considered a bit underdeveloped but they shine like little pearls among the band's wall of sound, and they are the reason why October is quite special. So I was quite surprised to know that this album was a bit under-appreciated, considered a miss-step sandwiched between Boy and War. And for the first time on cd the sound is excellent.The 2nd cd is basically live versions of some songs that sound very-much-the-same-but-better than the studio versions.
However it is the mellower side of October that truly brings some novelty to U2. The sonic landscapes U2 worked on these gems would echo on latter songs like "New Year's Day" or albums like The Unforgettable Fire. And there is "Celebration" and the studio version of "Party Girl". If not, stick to the single CD version.
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