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The Unforgettable Fire [Island; 1984]

The Unforgettable Fire is U2’s first plunge into experimentation. No longer settled for writing the rallying rhythms that were so effective in their first three albums, U2 hired ambiance master Brian Eno to add buoyancy to their sound. They also hired Daniel Lanois, but Eno’s influence is predominant.

As their first musical sharp turn, The Unforgettable Fire has it’s moments of brilliance (U2’s track-ography would be sorely incomplete without “A Sort of Homecoming,” “Pride,” “Bad” and the title track) but it’s often unimpressive. Eno’s contribution to U2’s sound often weighs the songs down, except for “Pride,” which wouldn’t be the same astonishing track without Eno. But songs like “Promenade” and “4th of July” just don’t work. They feel so awkward when considering how energetic and free the band sounded a year ago, and they are still weak links post Joshua Tree. Sure, Eno and Lanois will refine and perfect U2’s sound the next time around, but all they did in The Unforgettable Fire was tell Bono he was too old to be waving flags around – it was time to sell some records.

7.3/10

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