The Unforgettable Fire
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| The Unforgettable Fire | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Album by U2 | ||
| Released | October 1984 | |
| Recorded | Slane Castle, Slane, Ireland and Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin, Ireland, 1984 | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 42 min 19 sec | |
| Label | Island | |
| Producer | Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois | |
| Professional reviews | ||
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| U2 Chronology | ||
| War (1983) | The Unforgettable Fire (1984) | The Joshua Tree (1987) |
The Unforgettable Fire is an album by Irish rock band U2, released in 1984 (see 1984 in music). It is the group's fourth album and their first collaboration with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. The title refers to a series of paintings made by survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
It was recorded at Slane Castle and finished at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin. Contrary to expectation, the castle depicted on the cover is not Slane but Moydrum Castle [1] (http://www.u2faqs.com/geography/#1).
The album has an indistinct, atmospheric sound that emphasizes mood and ambience over hooks and melody and explores the intricacies of The Edge's uniquely minimalist guitar sound. Its recording was rushed to meet the band's tour schedule, giving it an unfinished feel that complements its somewhat recondite songcraft. "The Unforgettable Fire was a beautifully out-of-focus record, blurred like an impressionist painting, very unlike a billboard or an advertising slogan." --Bono, 1987 [2] (http://www.u2.com/music/index.php?album_id=6&type=lp)
Thematically, the album began the band's fascination with America and centered around the "two kings," Martin Luther King, Jr. and Elvis Presley. The former was elegized with the rousing, anthemic "Pride (In the Name of Love)"--the first single from the album, which cracked the UK Top 5 and the US Top 50--and the sparse, dreamlike "MLK." The latter is acknowledged by the murky, bumbling "Elvis Presley and America," an improvised track that takes the album's emphasis on feeling over clarity to its furthest extreme.
The album was a success, initially on the strength of "Pride" as a single and later due to the band's attention-grabbing Live Aid performance. In 1985, Rolling Stone magazine called U2 the "Band of the 80s", saying that "for a growing number of rock-and-roll fans, U2 has become the band that matters most, maybe even the only band that matters."
| Contents |
Track listing
- "A Sort of Homecoming" (5:28)
- "Pride (In the Name of Love)" (sample) (3:48)
- "Wire" (4:19)
- "The Unforgettable Fire" (4:55)
- "Promenade" (2:35)
- "4th of July" (2:12)
- "Bad" (6:09)
- "Indian Summer Sky" (4:17)
- "Elvis Presley and America" (6:23)
- "MLK" (2:31)
Music by U2, words by Bono.
Produced and engineered by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois.
"Pride (In the Name of Love)" and the title track were released as singles to support the album.
In 1995, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab remastered the album and released it as a special gold CD. This edition has slightly different running times, most notably an extended (2:39) version of the instrumental "4th of July."
In 1985, the band also released the supplementary Wide Awake in America EP, which offers a live performance of "Bad" along with a few collected B-sides (previously unavailable in North America). The same year, The Unforgettable Fire Collection, a collection of promotional videos about the album, was also released.
Personnel
- Bono--lead vocals
- The Edge--guitar, keyboards, vocals
- Adam Clayton--bass guitar
- Larry Mullen, Jr.--drums
- Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois--additional vocals, instruments, and treatments
See also
External links
- Discography entry at U2 Wanderer (http://www.u2wanderer.org/disco/alb005.html)--Comprehensive details on various editions, cover scans, lyrics, and more.
- Videography entry at U2 Wanderer (http://www.u2wanderer.org/disco/vid002.html)--Similarly comprehensive entry about The Unforgettable Fire Collection.
- Album lyrics (http://u2-lyrics.org/the_unforgettable_fire/)--Searchable album lyrics.
- U2 tours overview at U2-Vertigo-Tour.com (http://www.u2-vertigo-tour.com/all-u2-tours.html)--Includes setlists for every date on the Unforgettable Fire Tour.
- Quotes and information (http://www.geocities.com/cirrusminor9/html/tufinfo.htm)--Detailed background on each song.
- U2MoL (http://hem.bredband.net/steverud/U2MoL/)--Contains fan interpretations and interview excerpts for each song.hu:The Unforgettable Fire
