As band's grow and mature, they usually reach some sort of turning point. The infamous "point of no return," at which point they make a conscious decision to change the music they are making, be it to make it more "socially conscious" or to make it "more commercial" or even to make it "less commercial." For Irish rockers U2, that album was The Unforgettable Fire. Their first 3 studio albums, Boy, October, and War were all fiery efforts, full of punk energy and a political edge that hadn't really been seen by America, at least not for this long of a period.

While War set the stage for this album, much more importantly, this album set the stage for the greatest album of the 1980s, The Joshua Tree. There are some tracks that are obvious precursors to songs like With or Without You or Where the Streets Have No Name.

There are two tracks that get the most attention on this record, and with good reason. They are two of the finest tracks of U2's 20+ year career. They still resonate today, with the same revolutionary conviction and power that they held when this album came out in 1984. The first, of course, is the Martin Luther King Jr. tribute, Pride (In The Name of Love). For my money, it's the greatest tribute song ever written. It honors a man who not only championed some of the same causes that U2 themselves champion, but a man who until the day he died ("early morning, April 4, shots ring out in the Memphis sky, free at last, they took your life, they could not take your pride") was as punk rock as U2 ever were. (Yeah, I just called Martin Luther King punk rock, what are you gonna do about it?) I always felt the ringing notes of The Edge's guitar rang out the way King's speeches rang out. I always felt this song delivered hope to the masses the way King's speeches did. I just always felt this song. It's one of those songs that doesn't hold any personal connection for me, other than it being the song that turned me onto U2. I just think it's one of the greatest rock and roll songs ever.

The same could be said for the epic 6 minute ballad Bad. (Reviewer's note: the definitive version of this song will always be the 15 minute Live Aid performance...no arguments) While the ringing notes of Pride could be called hopeful, the ringing notes delivered by the Edge this time are...well I don't know. Part of me thinks they are mournful, sorrowful, like the lyrics of this song about drug addiction are. At the same time, a silver lining seems to shine through toward the end of the song. Bono's voice raises through it all to sound triumphant, his passionate yelling (for lack of a better term) on the "wide awake...wide awake" lines, well, music just doesn't get much better than that folks. Much like with Pride, I think there's a reason this song has resonated with so many people. I have other reasons to be drawn to this song (personal ones at that), but to me it's another one of those universal U2 songs where they just wrote a perfect song.

However, it should be noted that not every band achieves perfection with every song. This is true of U2 as well. Hell, that's obvious from their first 3 albums. Sure, the singles were great, but there was some real cr*p on those albums as well. Luckily the Unforgettable Fire isn't quite like that. However, I must say that to this day, Elvis Presley and America may be the worst song in the entire U2 catalog. It just goes on and on and on, really going nowhere and having no specific point.

That being said, I'm not a huge 4th of July fan either. Granted, it is only a two and a half minute instrumental, but it just seems out of place. At best, it sets the right mood for Bad. At worst, it sets the wrong mood for Bad.

That is about it for disappointments though. The rest of this album is very strong. The opener, A Sort of Homecoming is a great mid-tempo rocker that shows off the quick strumming guitar style the Edge would become famous for on The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby. However, as with most of the songs on this record, the real star is Bono's beautiful voice, shining through like the sun on a cloudy day. What I wouldn't have given to have heard this song back in June when I saw these guys live.

The title track is near-perfection as well. It has the keyboards that annoyed me on New Year's Day from the War record, but this time, they add a great texture and depth to the song. They aren't in front of the melody, but kind of hidden in the back. You don't necessarily have to really listen for them, they are high in the mix, but they aren't obtrusive to the driving rhythm section that makes up the most important part of the song.

The closing track is another Martin Luther King tribute, titled simple MLK. At barely two and a half minutes, one might wonder how much of a tribute it could really be. However, Bono's vocal performance may be his best ever. (Note, if I've said that before in this review, forgive me...as a whole, this album represents what I believe to be the best vocal performance he has given to date) His voice aches with pain and sorrow, mourning the loss of the slain civil rights leader. The at times bombastic punch of Pride is nowhere to be found here. This is, for all intents and purposes, a kind of funeral hymn. However, it ends a nearly perfect album that would receive 5 stars from me except that Elvis song cannot be forgiven.

In the end, The Unforgettable Fire is a remarkable record, one that was the true turning point of U2's career, and the record that catapulted them into a position to become the biggest band in the world with The Joshua Tree. Your collection isn't complete without it.




Recommended: Yes