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The Unforgettable Fire..

LikeAnOceanLikeAnOcean Posts: 7,718
edited January 2006 in Other Music
OK, I know there's some anti-U2 on this board, but I seem to be liking them lately. I've had their greatest hits albums from both the 80s and 90s for some time now and am thinking about buying my first official album. Bad, A Sort of Homecoming and The Unforgettable Fire have really been hitting it home for me so I'm thinking The Unforgettable Fire seems like it may be my first choice. Any input, reviews on it compared to other U2 albums?
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  • LadymelonheadLadymelonhead Posts: 91
    hey! I admit, i am a big U2 basher... i hate, absolutely hate everything that they have put out in the last little while... mostly the vertigo album and the one that came out before that.

    BUT... I also have to admit that Achtung Baby is one of the best things my ears have ever encountered, beautiful album... i can listen to every second of it on loop for days.

    now, i wont ever say that again and i will deny saying it if asked ;) hehehe


    cheers,

    stef
    * Molson Amphitheatre - June 28, 2003
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  • trappedinmyradiotrappedinmyradio Posts: 1,189
    LikeAnOcean wrote:
    OK, I know there's some anti-U2 on this board, but I seem to be liking them lately. I've had their greatest hits albums from both the 80s and 90s for some time now and am thinking about buying my first official album. Bad, A Sort of Homecoming and The Unforgettable Fire have really been hitting it home for me so I'm thinking The Unforgettable Fire seems like it may be my first choice. Any input, reviews on it compared to other U2 albums?

    no review, but i say that it's awesome. i love that record.
    I'll dig a tunnel
    from my window to yours
  • jmlsoaresjmlsoares Posts: 14
    U2 bashing? Now on U2 will have at least one supporter in this board.

    The Unforgettable Fire is indead a great album... probably 3rd U2 best album. It flows incredibly well. And A Sort of Homecoming, Pride, Bad and The Unforgettable Fire are amazing tracks
    It's like his thoughts are too big for his size
  • LedZepFanLedZepFan Posts: 1,009
    Its a good album but the songs you mentioned are a few of the best on it and the best songs on that album are so amazingly good that the other songs seem very weak i comparison, thus making UF feel like an unbalanced album. If thats what youve been feeling lately go for it, but most people would suggest you get Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby first. Those two albums are widely regarded as U2's peak and personally I find Achtung Baby to blow away anything else theyve done.

    Oh by the way, U2's my 2dn favorite band, nice to see some positive stuff about them on here
    I've faced it, a life wasted, and I'm never going back again.

    Some die just to live.
  • RamblingBlingRamblingBling Posts: 80
    LedZepFan wrote:
    Its a good album but the songs you mentioned are a few of the best on it and the best songs on that album are so amazingly good that the other songs seem very weak i comparison, thus making UF feel like an unbalanced album.
    If thats what youve been feeling lately go for it, but most people would suggest you get Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby first.

    I agree with you about UF. youare right come to think about it...but you forgot Wire

    I love josh tree and actung... the 2nd side of jt is brilliant...
    holier than Thou
    Bring it on cause i'm no victim
  • Atomic PunkAtomic Punk Posts: 2,941
    The Unforgettable Fire is my favorite U2 song...followed closely by Bad
  • tybirdtybird Posts: 17,388
    "The Unforgettable Fire" is one those albums that I can listen to and listen to and listen to and listen to for weeks on end in the car's cd player. It might be my favorite U2 album,and I own all of them including the un-remastered shit for quality versions of "Boy", "October" and "War." I would not purchase them until they get re-mastered on cd. Buy the fire.
    All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a thousand enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
  • Being EnlightenedBeing Enlightened Posts: 5,746
    Atomic Punk wrote:
    The Unforgettable Fire is my favorite U2 song...followed closely by Bad

    Same here, Atomic Punk. :) Go an git 'er, LikeAnOcean!!! :D The Joshua Tree album is also really good, IMO--"Running to Stand Still", "Exit" and the radio favorites like, "Bullet The Blue Sky" and "With Or Without You" ....sheesh, for that matter, Rattle & Hum was an old fave of mine and I still love to hear the song "Hawkmoon 269" from that. :)
    Forget your perfect offering, there is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in. - Leonard Cohen
  • LikeAnOceanLikeAnOcean Posts: 7,718
    Well I bought 'The Unforgettable Fire' today, my first U2 album and it is blowing my mind. Keep in mind I'm 27, so I've had many chances to get into them before. I've owned the greatest hits for quite a while now. I really bought the album for 'A Sort of Homecoming', but 'Indian Summer Sky' is quickly becoming a favorite...
  • merkinballmerkinball Posts: 2,262
    Check out the 'Wide Awake in America' EP (I know its on iTunes, among other places). It has live versions of Unforgettable Fire and Bad, and both are amazing, plus two b-sides from the Unforgettable Fire singles.
    "You're no help," he told the lime. This was unfair. It was only a lime; there was nothing special about it at all. It was doing the best it could.

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  • tybirdtybird Posts: 17,388
    merkinball wrote:
    Check out the 'Wide Awake in America' EP (I know its on iTunes, among other places). It has live versions of Unforgettable Fire and Bad, and both are amazing, plus two b-sides from the Unforgettable Fire singles.
    The version of "Bad" that's on the movie version of "Rattle and Hum" is absolute killer. Why they made us endure another version of "Pride (In the Name of Love) on the soundtrack album, but not this version of "Bad" is beyond me. :confused:
    All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a thousand enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
  • PoncierPoncier Posts: 16,921
    Probably not the place most casual U2 fans would start (Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby likely), but I highly recommend it.
    It was a bit of a change up in the sound from the first 3 albums, Edge getting a little more ethereal with the guitar sound.
    Some great songs on there, an album with a moody feel to it, in fact "Pride" almost seems out of place on the album.


    "Coca Cola football radio radio...."
    This weekend we rock Portland
  • PoncierPoncier Posts: 16,921
    LikeAnOcean wrote:
    , but 'Indian Summer Sky' is quickly becoming a favorite...
    You have great taste...I always wondered why this song got ignored by radio (and frankly by the band as well).
    This weekend we rock Portland
  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    i LOVE u2 and have all their albums (minus the 'wide awake' ep). oddly, unforgettable fire is in the middle of the heap for me. ive been really obsessing over 'boy' lately. but if you like unforgettable fire... i suggest picking up 'the joshua tree' or the newest one next. stylistically they're probably the most similar.
  • WhiteMaleRatWhiteMaleRat Posts: 301
    Joshua Tree
    Achtung
    Zooropa
    Pop
    ATYCLB
    HTDAAB

    plus you got the greatest hits, that's all you need. If you still crave more, go for the pre Joshua albums. IMO, they are weak, hard to get into, only the diehards really like them.
    "This guy back here is giving me the ole one more....one more back to you buddy."

    - Mr. Edward Vedder 7/11/03


  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    WhiteMaleRat wrote:
    Joshua Tree
    Achtung
    Zooropa
    Pop
    ATYCLB
    HTDAAB

    plus you got the greatest hits, that's all you need. If you still crave more, go for the pre Joshua albums. IMO, they are weak, hard to get into, only the diehards really like them.

    you're insane! war is a weak album?
  • tybirdtybird Posts: 17,388
    soulsinging wrote:
    you're insane! war is a weak album?
    I agree soulsinging....."War" is a masterpiece...."it takes a second to say good-bye....." "Can't stop dance....baby, this is my last chance.." This album and the live ep, "Under a Blood Red Sky, that serves as its bookend launched U2 into the atmosphere. Well, that and tearing it up at LiveAid.
    All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a thousand enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
  • PoncierPoncier Posts: 16,921
    War and Boy are 2 of my favorites. (Of course I suppose I am classified as a die hard).
    But to embrace U2, you kind of need to hear where thay started, when thigs were raw, less produced and straight forward.
    Kind of like saying you love Yield and Riot Act and Ten and Vs. are just weak.

    But to each his own, thats why they make chocolate and vanilla.

    LikeanOcean, I would highly recomend that if UF continues to pique your interest in U2, definitely get War and Boy at some point. If you like Indian Summer Sky, my guess is you'll enjoy songs from those albums such as "Like a Song", "Surrender", "Electric Co", "Stories for Boys, "Out of Control" along with the better known songs like I Will Follow, Sunday Bloody Sunday, New Year's Day and Two Hearts.
    This weekend we rock Portland
  • WhiteMaleRatWhiteMaleRat Posts: 301
    soulsinging wrote:
    you're insane! war is a weak album?


    1. Sunday Bloody Sunday
    2. Seconds
    3. New Year's Day
    4. Like A Song
    5. Drowning Man
    6. Refugee, The
    7. Two Hearts Beat As One
    8. Red Light
    9. Surrender
    10. 40

    tracks 1 and 3 are killed by radio - plus he has the greatest hits.
    7. is decent, nothing special.
    10. great song.

    the rest are blah.
    "This guy back here is giving me the ole one more....one more back to you buddy."

    - Mr. Edward Vedder 7/11/03


  • PoncierPoncier Posts: 16,921
    WhiteMaleRat wrote:
    1. Sunday Bloody Sunday
    2. Seconds
    3. New Year's Day
    4. Like A Song
    5. Drowning Man
    6. Refugee, The
    7. Two Hearts Beat As One
    8. Red Light
    9. Surrender
    10. 40

    tracks 1 and 3 are killed by radio - plus he has the greatest hits.
    7. is decent, nothing special.
    10. great song.

    the rest are blah.
    Wheras I think track 4 is the album's best
    7 and 9 are great songs.
    The Refugee is the only truly weak song imo.
    This weekend we rock Portland
  • tybirdtybird Posts: 17,388
    Poncier wrote:
    LikeanOcean, I would highly recomend that if UF continues to pique your interest in U2, definitely get War and Boy at some point. If you like Indian Summer Sky, my guess is you'll enjoy songs from those albums such as "Like a Song", "Surrender", "Electric Co", "Stories for Boys, "Out of Control" along with the better known songs like I Will Follow, Sunday Bloody Sunday, New Year's Day and Two Hearts.
    The only problem with the early albums is that the cd versions are cheap analog to digital transfers and are not remastered. The sound quality is the shits. The music is still great, but you have to swim through the mud to hear it. :(
    All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a thousand enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.
  • LikeAnOceanLikeAnOcean Posts: 7,718
    I picked up War and Joshua Tree today. They're both great! Unforgettable Fire is still my favorite right now.
  • kdpjamkdpjam Posts: 2,303
    i haven't listened to them in awhile, in fact a long time, but i think unforgettable fire will always rate right up there. i saw them on that tour :) also achtung baby, war, and october for me.....
    lay down all thoughts; surrender to the void
    ~it is shining it is shining~
  • kenny olavkenny olav Posts: 3,319
    Its kind of funny... the album that got me into U2 was Zooropa, particularly the song Stay (Faraway, So Close). I was familar with their earlier hits, but they never caught me before. Probably because I was too young. But I was 17 when Zooropa came out and I heard Stay on the radio and it was just like WOW. The music sounded so cool, and the passion in the vocals was just amazing to me. I couldn't get the song out of my head, or out of my psyche, so I got the CD within a few days. Got home and played it LOUD. The opening track was the wildest thing I had ever heard. The whole record in general - I don't think there's anything else like it. Its almost hard to believe it was recorded on this planet. Its this bizarre mix of haunting melodies, crazy guitar playing and trippy beats. Very uncontrived too... you can tell they no longer cared about writing within the usual pop music format (not that they ever followed it too closely before). I also think its the last solid record they ever released. I think U2 tried to make a similar record with Pop, but whatever magic they had when making Zooropa (and Achtung Baby) had faded out.

    So once Zooropa got me hooked, all of the older songs like One and I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For that I had casually enjoyed on the radio sounded brand new to me. As soon as I could afford them, I went out and got War, Unforgettable Fire, the Joshua Tree, Rattle and Hum and Achtung Baby. Eventually I got all their records, although I still haven't got the last record. I don't think its bad, but it just doesn't interest me. No need for it, when Like A Song sounds so much better.
  • LikeAnOceanLikeAnOcean Posts: 7,718
    Kenny Olav wrote:
    No need for it, when Like A Song sounds so much better.
    I'm really liking 'Like A Song'! I just picked up War today and its my favorite from that album so far. It's nice to hear good stuff thats not played to death on the radio. These songs are brand new to me an they're amazing!.. I do however have 'How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb' and I understand how it can get boring. I do however love 'City of Blinding Lights'.
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