RecordStoreDay.com
Continued from page 28
bass, woozy guitar, and reverb-drenched
jazz drum fills.
I’m unaware of the original purpose of
this music - if there was one. It may pro-
vide multiple “aha” moments to realize
that each musical movement is tethered to
a visual element or scene within an art film
I’ll likely never see. If not, someone could
produce a pretty compelling narrative
with no shortage of twists by writing with
this album in mind. Among the scant
information on the back of the LP's cover
is a note with an email address to send
song title suggestions. Try it. Who knows,
someone may respond with a note saying,
“Yes, that’s exactly what we were think-
ing.” You’ll be left to wonder whether or
not to believe it.
Virgo on Virgo is available in a limited edition
LP on yellow vinyl, with hand-screened
turntable slipmat. (thequietlife.com)
-Jeff Elbel
8
U2
The Unforgettable Fire
How to Dismantle
an Atomic Bomb
Colored vinyl reissues
(Interscope/UMe)
The U2 catalog boasts two avowed rock
and roll masterpieces in 1987’s The Joshua
Tree and the surprising reinvention of
1990s Achtung Baby. For many fans aboard
during the Irish quartet’s early develop-
ment, however, the real breakthrough was
the first entry in the string of LPs helmed
by producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois
– 1984’s The Unforgettable Fire. After War
fare like “New Year’s Day” and “Sunday
Bloody Sunday,” Singer Bono’s heart-on-
sleeve lyrics coalesced with “Pride (In the
Name of Love),” fusing protest and ideal-
ism in memory of Civil Rights leader
Martin Luther King, Jr. The sprawling and
emotive “Bad” and its lamentation over a
friend’s heroin addiction was deployed as
one of the most riveting performances at
Live Aid in 1985. Other key tracks include
“A Sort of Homecoming” with Larry
Mullen, Jr.’s urgent tom-tom pattern, and
sheets of the Edge’s shimmering guitar.
The twinkling and hypnotic title track
embraces the ambient textures promoted
by Eno and Lanois while spinning a
haunting confessional from a disconnected
and numbed spirit. The song draws fur-
ther inspiration from an art exhibition at
Chicago’s former Peace Museum by vic-
tims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki. The Edge plays slashing
and fervent guitar against a taut Mullen-
Clayton groove during the thrilling but
lesser-heard album cut “Wire.” Attractions
added in celebration of the album’s 35th
anniversary include a heavyweight, wine-
colored vinyl platter to match the cover
artwork. A 16-page booklet includes lyrics,
striking photos by Anton Corbijn, and
liner notes from Eno and Lanois. The
remastered vinyl was sourced from the
25th-anniversary release and the reissue
campaign surrounding the U2360 tour.
Compared to the original 1984 vinyl, the
fresh take exhibits enhanced clarity across
the spectrum. Particularly improved is the
sound of inner groove tracks. During “The
Unforgettable Fire,” top-end frequencies
have more sparkle, and Adam Clayton’s
bass is more present and resonant among
the wafting clouds of synthesized cellos.
Bono’s voice is more intimate and present
during the hymnal “MLK,” without the
saturation and distortion creeping into the
original mass-market pressing.
Also offered is a similarly refreshed
take on the hard-hitting, Grammy-sweep-
ing How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
pressed onto striking red vinyl. Clayton’s
bass rumbles while the Edge’s guitar rages
through
the
cathartic
“Vertigo.”
“Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your
Own” remains among Bono’s most vulner-
able, unflinching, and confessional exami-
nations, reflecting upon the turbulent but
elemental relationship with his father in
the wake of his father’s passing. “City of
Blinding Lights” finds U2 at its most star-
ry-eyed, shimmering, and optimistic, even
while Bono tempers his romantic procla-
mations by singing about lost innocence.
“Love and Peace or Else” emerged as a
bracing performance piece for drummer
Mullen during the Atomic Bomb tour that
also allowed the Edge to play raucous,
paint-peeling riffs. The package includes a
16-page booklet with lyrics and photos.
– Jeff Elbel
8 The Unforgettable Fire
7 How to Dismatle an
Atomic Bomb
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