By: Tony Fletcher
It’s been two decades since the Dublin quartet U2 set out to become nothing less than the world’s biggest rock band, with singer Paul (Bono) Hewson scaling PA systems and Dave (the Edge) Evans providing stadium-size guitar riffs in small clubs and pubs — even as such antics jarred with the post-punk avant-garde in which the group announced itself. With U2’s commercial and artistic stature long since recognized, now comes the first compilation of those “early” years.
Most of the music has endured well, from the youthful excitement of 1980’s “I Will Follow” to the singles from 1987’s classic The Joshua Tree — “With or Without You,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and “Where the Streets Have No Name” — all remain brave and rewarding attempts to imbue stadium rock with human frailty. Other songs inspire or frustrate according to one’s desire for rock bands as self-appointed ministers of truth: “Pride (In the Name of Love),” “New Year’s Day” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday” are political anthems full of chest-beating self-righteousness that can discomfort precisely because they overflow with so much passion.
Early buyers will get a second CD of B-sides from the same era. Unlike the overtly commercial A- sides, this makes for abstractions and amusements aplenty, from the enthralling (“The Three Sunrises” and “Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl”) to the experimental (“Bass Trap” and “Walk to the Water”) and the bizarre (covers of “Everlasting Love” and “Unchained Melody”).
Curiously absent are early singles “Gloria,” “A Celebration” and “Fire,” whose inclusion would have helped define the group’s development. But compensation comes with “The Sweetest Thing,” an unfinished B-side from 1987 that’s now finished and promoted to A-side status.
An effortlessly simple singalong that looks set to be a major hit, it’s a useful reminder as U2 enters its third decade with an unchanged lineup and unrivaled track record that you don’t have to shout to be heard.
© Fletcher / Newsday, 1998. All rights reserved.