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Bono names the two albums that inspired U2

Posted on by angelo
Bono names the two albums that inspired U2

Bono names the two albums that inspired the sound of

(Credits: Far Out / MUBI)

Although U2 seemed to compete with their Scottish counterparts, Simple Minds, in the early 1980s, their vision was generally more rock-centric. At a time when synth-pop was all the rage, Bono and his Irish cohort strove to push recent developments in the post-punk wave into new territories, drawing on unexplored lyrical themes and testing new approaches decomposition.

Without a doubt, as the main songwriting duo, Bono and Edge had plenty of talent and an eye for current trends. These attributes helped U2 gain market share, but a diverse pool of sonic influences ran the final leg, allowing the group to channel popular icons into nuanced, crossover material that was fresh, alluring, and proven accessible.

It’s easy to see why fans of U2’s early music might label the band “punk.” Songs like “I Will Follow” and “Twilight” certainly exhibited qualities attributed to punk, but U2 were punk in the same way The Police were punk: they had the energy and the riffs but brought far too much precision and precision. complexity to their music. music and it lacked an anarchist attitude. Instead, U2 is better described as a new wave band and among the first to define the post-punk era.

While punk was limited to a few simple chords, rules and styles, the path to post-punk was wide open by artists ranging from the colorful rhythms of Talking Heads to the melancholic rumination of Joy Division. U2 sits somewhere in the center of this imagined spectrum as a rock band with pop and punk affiliations but which also relies on tangible, affecting lyricism.

As a huge Bob Dylan fan and supporter of a charitable cause, Bono prides himself on writing catchy, socio-politically oriented protest songs. Long before his involvement in Band Aid, he received praise for his reflection on the Troubles in “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, among some other poignant and relevant creations.

If Bono sought to channel Dylan in his thematic vision, U2 generally distanced themselves from the troubadour’s folk rock style. Musically, they indulged in electronic anthems with a catchy and sometimes even danceable rhythm. This vision even goes back to the first album from 1980, Boy.

Bono - Frontman U2 - Far Out Magazine
(Credit: Moritz Hager)

Boy struck a chord and immediately earned U2 an enthusiastic following across Ireland and the UK. When writing and recording the album, the group was inspired by Joy Division. U2 started recording Boy in July 1980, around the time of Joy Division’s last album, Closerarrived and two months after the tragic suicide of frontman Ian Curtis.

In May, U2 worked with Joy Division producer Martin Hannett on their debut single, “11 O’Clock Tick Tock.” They were set to work with the legendary producer again for the album, but dropped him after taking issue with his uncompromising and upbeat attitude in the studio. Despite this separation, the band wanted to create a sound similar to that achieved by Hannett in Closer.

In the book Angel Race, Bono recalls recording “Another Day” as an abstract number similar to Joy Division’s later work and David Bowie’s Berlin trilogy. “I remember buying Edge an echo unit and telling him, ‘Use it because it will take us to another place.’ This will take us out of the concrete – into the abstract,” he said. “I just knew the echo unit would do that. Ambients – we were very interested in ambient music.

In Joy Division Closer and the aptly titled single “Atmosphere,” U2 could hear something worth pursuing: the path out of punk uniformity. “Punk started to seem incredibly limited. It seemed so rigid, not just musically, but it started to have rules and codes,” Bono continued. “And then I remember Joy Division came on, and I really connected to that because of the moods and the atmosphere. And that of David Bowie Weak – it was very interesting. That’s where we were. So we started with this thing.

“Another Day” is a bright, propulsive song that bears few similarities to Joy Division’s relatively austere material. However, you can hear the echo effect in the production that Bono and Edge were referring to. Additionally, Larry Mullen Jr’s percussion is reminiscent of a style and sound that Stephen Morris could have used.

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