Due to extreme laziness I'm virtually retired from Ciao, although I'll still read and post the odd o...
Due to extreme laziness I'm virtually retired from Ciao, although I'll still read and post the odd op every now and then......
Member since:16.01.2001
Reviews:369
Members who trust:124
This album cam after U2's mega breakthroughs of "THe Unforgettable Fire" and "The Joshua Tree". It was accompanied by a film that caused a lot of ill will as the band came across as pompous and pretentious.
After the stadium rock of the previous albums this was a "back to the roots" excercise in which U2 toured America to discover their R'n'B and Soul influences. The album is part live and part studio and contains both old and new material.
The first single from the album was the incendiary "Desire", three chords, and three minutes of blistering rock, proving the band needed nothing but the absolute basics to sound absolutely awesome.
The album opens with a live cover of the Beatles "Helter Skelter" which is every bit as frightening as the original, especially with its associations with the Manson "family". This segues into a beuatiful acoustic ballad "Van Diemen's Land" about transported criminals.
They also cover Bob Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower", and there are live versions of "Pride" and "I Still Havent Found What I'm Looking For", the latter featuring a gorgeous gospel choir.
There are collaborations with established American stars such as "Love Comes To Town" featuring B.B. King an excellent R'n'B work out, "Hawkmoon 269" with Bob Dylan, and the closing beauty of "All I Want Is You" featuring Benmont Tench.
Other moments of note are "Angel of Harlem" featuring the Memphis Horns, which is wonderfully uplifting rock and soul combination with a great brass section riff, and the forty second of "Freedom for My People" by Sterling Magee and Adam Gusso, two buskers who the band took a shine to, included on the album, and therefore made a tidy bit of money.
There's a school of revisionist thought which deems this album as a poor record, and a misguided project. The music itself is still stunning, even if the film was a tad self-indulgent. It's my least-played U2 CD, but on reading your review I realised there are a lot of tracks on it that I love.
janehammill 27.03.2001 21:07
great op on this classic,you clearly know your stuff! cheers jane
WILMA 26.03.2001 11:46
I am a great fan of U2, and this was a great op. Cheers for the advice.
Helter Skelter - (Live) Van Dieman's Land Desire Hawkmoon 269 - (With Bob Dylan) ... more
All Along The Watchtower - (Live) I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - (Live) Freedom For My People - Sterling Magee And Adam Gusso Silver And Gold -...
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