Twenty years ago, four scrappy hooligans from Dublin’s urban wasteland released an album called “Boy”; an abrasive, political debut full of adolescent rants and religious confusion. There was even some Gaelic thrown in. You could tell they were trying to be The Clash. It was 1980, after all.
In the proceeding years, the young band developed and showed they could retain their political conscience and even sell a few albums along the way.
And now, with the release of their 10th LP entitled “All That You Can’t Leave Behind,” U2 has proved once and for all that they can evolve almost as fast as Microsoft and far more successfully than Madonna.
In a characteristic move, the latest album, released Oct. 31, is vastly different from earlier efforts. In the weeks (OK, months) leading up to the album’s long-delayed release, the word on the street was that the album would feature a stripped-down sound and a back-to-basics theme. Fans eagerly awaited the release of another “Joshua Tree” or “Achtung Baby.”
Fools.
About the only thing that is stripped down about this album is the cover art. “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” sounds nothing like the rock classics of the late ’80s or even the band’s more recent projects. But if you hated the 1997 electronic dance opus that was “Pop,” be sure to check out this gem of an album for a listening experience like no other.
The album marks the reappearance of the production dream-duo of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, last heard in 1991 on “Achtung Baby.” The complex layers of sound form thick, sensual, energetic rock; certainly not stripped down or simplified. The music definitely isn’t for the lazy listener — true appreciation demands full aural attention. Eno and Lanois’ collective genius can be felt in every musical nook and cranny, from the delicate strains of the mellotron — a first for U2 — on the intro to “Kite” to the swirling throb of the album’s first single, “Beautiful Day.”
But even if this album doesn’t sound like any of its predecessors, it is still uniquely and unmistakably U2. Look for “Elevation,” the energetic highlight of the album, which is reminiscent of “The Fly.” And guitarist The Edge’s trademark guitar chime rings clearly on “Walk On.”
Frontman Bono’s lyrics are as provoking as ever on the majority of tunes, such as “Beautiful Day,” which celebrates Jubilee 2000, a campaign to forgive the debts of developing countries: “See the Bedouin fires at night/See the oil fields at first light/See the bird with a leaf in her mouth.” But some of the songs’ words fall short, such as those on “Wild Honey”: “In the days/When we were swinging from the trees/I was a monkey.” But even with a few lyrical lapses, Bono drives his words home with his powerful voice and familiar falsetto.
So don’t listen to the people who are disappointed that “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” didn’t actually mark a return to the anthems of the mid-’80s. The album features top-notch songwriting, sophisticated production and a lovely listening experience.