Out of Control: A Defense of Early U2

I think Bono is a moralistic asshole. I don't think U2 has released a noteworthy song in over fifteen years. I find the skull cap The Edge perpetually adorns annoying.

Nonetheless, U2's debut recording, "Boy," is an incredible record and showcases the young band's immense talent. The group's first three albums were re-released by Island last year and all deserve a listen. (These three albums are also highlighted on the amazing 1983 concert film, Under a Blood Red Sky: Live at Red Rocks, which helps to validate the band's larger than life image.) "Boy" emerges as the group's strongest album; it is anchored by sonically cascading post-punk guitars and accessible lyrics of universal adolescent longing. U2's first single, "I Will Follow," is arguably the best song the group has ever written and remains a mainstay of their live set to this day. The anthems that fill this record have that bombastic arena-rock quality without being fully consumed by a megalomaniacal image. The band comes across as angsty and beautifully human, not nauseatingly self-righteous. I picked up my copy of "Boy" for a mere $3 at a local record store and I've spun side A countless times. Listening to "Out of Control," almost makes me forget the Bono always wear rose-tinted sunglasses indoors.

I Will Follow

An Cat Dubh

Out of Control

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