Lacking consistently strong, well-defined material, the producers attempt to create dynamic tension in the tracks by focusing on discrete musical elements: the rich tone of Adam Clayton’s bass, the hypnotic possibilities of Larry Mullen’s drum patterns, the subtle symphonic swell of Eno’s own synthesizer. Singer Bono is certainly at home here - as well he should be, given that his vocals are way out in front in the mix. The album sounds formless and uninhabited.Īctually, that’s not entirely true. And what all his masterful marshaling of tribal-style chants, ethnoramic percussion and lush electronic sounds often serves to reveal here, dismayingly enough, is a creative vacuum where the band should be. ![]() But short of cowriting songs, he cannot supply the musicians’ art. Like the German producer Conny Plank, another post-Spectorian studio auteur (who was also considered for this project), Eno is able to express his own ideas through the artists he produces (or processes). In that narrow regard, Eno was an unnecessary addition to the team.Ī more serious problem was the band’s conceptual shortcomings. But with guitarist Dave “the Edge” Evans churning out squalls of post-psychedelic ambiance, U2 already had more atmosphere than it really knew what to do with. As a producer - as opposed to a producer-songwriter, the role he played with Talking Heads - Eno is most valuable as a conceptual organizer and sonic strategist, a master of atmospheres. It sounded like a brave gamble: art over gold.īut idealism is not art. The four members felt artistically constricted by their chart-tested monster-guitar format the right producer - somebody with serious art credentials - would understand their impasse, would be able to help them grow. Initially, U2’s decision to abandon the pop-conscious ministrations of its previous producers, Steve Lillywhite and Jimmy Iovine, and to hire instead the veteran experimentalist Brian Eno and his current collaborator, Canadian producer Daniel Lanois, seemed not only interesting but also admirably consistent with the band’s vaunted idealism. This is not a “bad” album, but neither is it the irrefutable beauty the band’s fans anticipated. Unfortunately, with The Unforgettable Fire, U2 flickers and nearly fades, its fire blanked by a misconceived production strategy and occasional interludes of soggy, songless self-indulgence. Over the course of three studio LPs and one live-in-concert item, this stormy Irish guitar band, borne aloft by its grand, anthemic roar and an earnest concern for social issues, had ascended to the verge of substantial rock stardom in this country. Limited Edition Box Set: containing 2 CDs (remastered album and bonus audio CD**), a DVD with live footage, documentary and videos, a 56 page hardback book with liner notes by The Edge, Brian Eno, Danny Lanois, Bert Van de Kamp and Niall Stokes, and 5 photographic prints.The title of U2’s fifth album is perversely suggestive. The remastered album was made available in four formats: Special formats of the new release, remastered by The Edge, featured bonus audio material, including two previously unheard tracks from the Slane Castle sessions: 'Yoshino Blossom', and 'Disappearing Act' (a track which the band completed for the rerelease), and a DVD including music videos, a documentary and unreleased live footage from the Amnesty International Conspiracy of Hope Tour in 1986. ![]() Recorded at Slane Castle, Ireland, The Unforgettable Fire was the first U2 album to be produced by Brian Eno and Danny Lanois, and spawned two top 10 UK singles - 'Pride (In The Name Of Love)' and 'The Unforgettable Fire'. U2's fourth album, The Unforgettable Fire, was released in remastered form in 2009 to mark 25 years since the album's original release in October 1984. 'This ain't mere genius, this is rock 'n' roll.' (Kerrang, October 1984)
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