Cons: mediocre lyrics, sound doesn't necessarily go with the message, lack of melodiousness
The Bottom Line: Recommended to serious U2 fans, not the casual listener. "October" shows U2 as a young band a little rough around the edges, and gives some glimpses of potential greatness.
The experience that led to my acquisition of U2’s “October” was hearing the song “Gloria” for the first time. I had already been a U2 fan for years, and owned every album they released since “The Unforgettable Fire”. However, I had never been especially impressed with what I had heard of their early material; songs like “New Year’s Day” just didn’t speak to me much. But when I heard “Gloria”, I was blown away, from the song’s frenetic opening guitar lick to the joyous harmonies of its ending.
Once I first listened to “October” in its entirety, however, I was surprised by what I heard. This was a different U2 than the one I was familiar with. This U2 was noisy and sometimes dissonant. They played music far less accessible than that of their later pop hits such as “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and “Beautiful Day”. Certain parts of the album sounded as harsh and wintry as a late October wind.
And it rocked. Instead of solidly but quietly holding down U2’s rhythm section, drummer Larry Mullen and bassist Adam Clayton are heard prominently on “October”. On this album, thumping bass and crashing drums make a great rock-n-roll racket. Bono recently called U2’s new release “How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb” their “first real rock-n-roll album”. This is further proof that, despite his ability to write amazing lyrics, Bono has a stunning capacity to say stupid things. “October” rocks far more than “HTDAAB” ever will.
I didn’t like “October at first, but it began to grow on me over time. Despite the fact that U2 have a lot of youthful missteps on this record, they also manage to create some outstanding moments. “Rejoice” is a powerful rock anthem, from start to finish. “Fire” is unremarkable until toward the end of the song, The Edge suddenly plays these huge, glowing chords that send chills down the spine of the listener. “Tomorrow” begins with a nod to the band’s Irish musical roots; for the first few verses it is a slow, lilting ballad. Then clanging guitars barge in and the pace quickens, and the song morphs into angsty rock. At first I thought this was a symptom of silly machismo, of the band being too concerned about their rock credibility to do a version of “Tomorrow” that is all ballad. Later I changed my mind. I now understand that the song’s hybrid quality works for the subject matter, the death of Bono’s mother when he was only an adolescent. The sorrow and disbelief of first hearing of her death is represented by the quieter half, and the rock portion of the song represents the anguish and anger and soul-searching that occurs once the news has sunk in.
“October” was written during U2’s openly Christian period. Less-than-hip lyrics such as “be my brother, there is no other way out of here” and “no one is blinder than he who will not see” are accompanied by edgy New Wave music. The combination doesn’t really work. Besides, this album’s lyrics lack the depth of U2’s later material.
Still, “October” demonstrates the passion and energy that would contribute to U2’s subsequent worldwide renown. The closing moments of the album, on the song “Is That All?”, demonstrate these qualities. The Edge brings dramatic chords crashing onto the sonic landscape, Bono reaches up into his falsetto range, and Larry beats his drums like they just insulted his Mama. With “October”, U2 still had a long way to go in terms of melody and songcraft. But here is the sound of a band that believe in themselves, believe in their message, and are eager to make a big noise about it. That counts for something.
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