Before he became a globe-trotting messiah of egotistical goodwill in gigantically fashionable wrap-around shades, Bono was just  a wide-eyed Irish kid with an expressive voice and a mullet more impressive than Billy Ray Cyrus.  I mean, he had a LOT of hair--but so did Adam, Larry, and the Edge.  Collectively, they all were just another of many contenders: not for the mantle of arena rock superstars, but, more modestly, for the title of greatest post-punk/early college rock export from the British Isles.

As their opening statement, Boy is a pretty straightforward guitar rock album; angular and melodic in many parts, a bit dull and same-sounding in others.  An easy comparison to make is that this is to U2 as Pablo Honey would be to Radiohead over a decade later.  But if Radiohead boasted a downer anthem for slackers in "Creep", U2 offered pretty much the opposite: an upbeat anthem of hope to future do-gooders in the evergreen "I Will Follow".  This is still one of their greatest songs and, really, one of the greatest singles ever.  As the opening track, it casts a long shadow but one that is absolutely crucial as a statement of purpose, correctly announcing U2 as a band that is just a bit more ambitious, just a bit more socially conscious, just a bit bigger than their superficially similar left-of-the dial peers.  Put another way, the DNA for The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby is here, in small doses, ready to be transcribed, then translated in successive years.

The remastering on this disc might upset some audiophiles complaining that it is merely louder and with a reduced dynamic range compared to the original CD.  I have not done a side-by-side comparison, but to these ears the sound is full and clear and ultimately quite satisfying.  The deluxe 2-CD edition of this album is for rich collectors or obsessive completists only--these are the only early songs you really need.  The reasonably expansive booklet is a nice souvenir, but I sort of wish they would have went for the abstract, Rorschach style cover used on the original domestic CD release instead of the vaguely pedophilic photograph resurrected from the original LP.  (In fact, I have a theory that the boy looks so angry on the War cover because he's still mad at his depiction on this album!)
Before he became a globe-trotting messiah of egotistical goodwill in gigantically fashionable wrap-around shades, Bono was just  a wide-eyed Irish kid with an expressive voice and a mullet more impressive than Billy Ray Cyrus. I mean, he had a LOT of hair--but so did Adam, Larry, and the Edge. Collectively, they all were just another of many contenders: not for the mantle of arena rock superstars, but, more modestly, for the title of greatest post-punk/early college rock export from the British Isles. As their opening statement, Boy is a pretty straightforward guitar rock album; angular and melodic in many parts, a bit dull and same-sounding in others. An easy comparison to make is that this is to U2 as Pablo Honey would be to Radiohead over a decade later. But if Radiohead boasted a downer anthem for slackers in "Creep", U2 offered pretty much the opposite: an upbeat anthem of hope to future do-gooders in the evergreen "I Will Follow". This is still one of their greatest songs and, really, one of the greatest singles ever. As the opening track, it casts a long shadow but one that is absolutely crucial as a statement of purpose, correctly announcing U2 as a band that is just a bit more ambitious, just a bit more socially conscious, just a bit bigger than their superficially similar left-of-the dial peers. Put another way, the DNA for The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby is here, in small doses, ready to be transcribed, then translated in successive years. The remastering on this disc might upset some audiophiles complaining that it is merely louder and with a reduced dynamic range compared to the original CD. I have not done a side-by-side comparison, but to these ears the sound is full and clear and ultimately quite satisfying. The deluxe 2-CD edition of this album is for rich collectors or obsessive completists only--these are the only early songs you really need. The reasonably expansive booklet is a nice souvenir, but I sort of wish they would have went for the abstract, Rorschach style cover used on the original domestic CD release instead of the vaguely pedophilic photograph resurrected from the original LP. (In fact, I have a theory that the boy looks so angry on the War cover because he's still mad at his depiction on this album! )