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October (U2 album)

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Untitled

October is the second album by Irish rock band U2, released in 1981. The album featured spiritual themes, inspired by Bono, The Edge, and Larry Mullen, Jr.'s memberships in a Christian group called the "Shalom Fellowship", which led them to question the relationship between the Christian faith and the rock and roll lifestyle.[1] The album received mixed reviews and limited radio play.

Recording

After completing their Boy Tour in February 1981, U2 began to write new material. They wrote part of October during an extended sound check at First Avenue in Minneapolis.[2] The band entered the studio in July 1981 to record October, but the album's recording sessions were complicated when the briefcase containing Bono's lyrics was stolen by fans after a show in Portland, Oregon. The band already booked studio time through the end of August and thus had to continue recording in spite of this, even improvising lyrics on some songs. Bono said of the recording process of October, "I remember the pressure it was made under, I remember writing lyrics on the microphone, and at £50 an hour, that's quite a pressure. Lillywhite was pacing up and down the studio... he coped really well. And the ironic thing about October is that there's a sort of peace about the album, even though it was recorded under that pressure. A lot of people found October hard to accept at first, I mean, I used the word 'rejoice' precisely because I knew people have a mental block against it. It's a powerful word, it's lovely to say. It's implying more than 'get up and dance, baby.' I think October goes into areas that most rock 'n' roll bands ignore. When I listen to the album, something like 'Tomorrow,' it actually moves me."[3] The briefcase was eventually recovered in October 2004, and Bono greeted its return as "an act of grace".[4]

Composition

Influences, primarily Joy Division, Invisible Girls. A great example of how you can write a song and not know what you're writing about. A song called 'Tomorrow' is a detailed account of my mother's funeral. But I had no idea when I was writing it.

—Bono[5]

The record placed an emphasis on religion and spirituality, particularly in the songs "Gloria" (featuring a Latin chorus of "Gloria, in te domine"), "With a Shout (Jerusalem)", and "Tomorrow". About the album, Bono declared in 2005: "Can you imagine your second album- the difficult second album- it's about God?".[6]

The songs mainly refine U2's formula of riff-rockers with songs such as "Gloria" and "Rejoice", but the band also expanded its musical palette in a few ways. In particular, guitarist The Edge incorporates piano in songs such as "I Fall Down", "Stranger In a Strange Land", and "October". "Tomorrow", a lament to Bono's mother, who died when he was young, features Uilleann pipes played by Vinnie Kildruff later of In Tua Nua.[7] "I Threw a Brick Through a Window" was one of the band's first songs to highlight drummer Larry Mullen, Jr., while "Gloria" highlights bassist Adam Clayton as it features three styles of playing in one song (using a pick for the most part, playing with fingers during the slide guitar by The Edge, then a "slap & pop" solo towards the end).

"Is That All?" borrows the riff from "Cry", an older song the band has used as an introduction to "The Electric Co." live.

Release

October was released, appropriately, on October 12[8], 1981. Both of the album's two singles preceded the album's release; "Fire" and "Gloria" were released as singles in July and October 1981, respectively.

October was the start of U2's vision of the music video as an integral part of the band's creative work, as it was released during a time that MTV was first becoming as popular as radio. The video for "Gloria" was directed by Meiert Avis and shot in the Canal Basin in Dublin.

In 2008, a remastered edition of the album was released, featuring remastered tracks, along with B-sides and rarities. Three different formats of the remaster were made available.

Reception

Album sales indicate that October is the least popular of U2's studio albums,[citation needed] and it is frequently at the bottom of many U2 fans' lists and polls. Only one of the songs from October, the title song, was featured in the band's The Best of 1980–1990 collection, as a hidden track at the end of the album, although both it and "Gloria" (which, despite mostly poor album reviews, became somewhat of a hit[citation needed]) were staples of the band's live set throughout the eighties. On the other hand, October was ranked as #41 on CCM Magazine's 2001 list of the greatest Christian music albums of all time, one of two U2 albums to make the list, the other being The Joshua Tree.

Track listing

All tracks are written by U2, with lyrics by Bono

No.TitleLength
1."Gloria"4:14
2."I Fall Down"3:39
3."I Threw a Brick Through a Window"4:54
4."Rejoice"3:37
5."Fire"3:51
6."Tomorrow"4:39
7."October"2:21
8."With a Shout (Jerusalem)"4:02
9."Stranger in a Strange Land"3:56
10."Scarlet"2:53
11."Is That All?"2:59
Total length:41:05

2008 remastered edition

On April 9, 2008, U2.com confirmed that October, along with the band's other first three albums, Boy and War would be re-released as newly remastered versions.[9] The remastered album was released on July 21, 2008 (2008-07-21) in the UK, with the U.S. version following it the next day. The cover artwork for the remastered version was changed to crop the whitespace and track names. The remaster of October was released in three different formats: [9]

  1. Standard format: A single CD with re-mastered audio and restored packaging. Includes a 16 page booklet featuring previously unseen photos, full lyrics and new liner notes by Neil McCormick. The 11-tracks match the previous release of the album.
  2. Deluxe format: A standard CD (as above) and a bonus CD. The bonus CD includes five live tracks from Hammersmith Palais, three live tracks from the BBC, the "A Celebration"/"Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl" single released after October, the two b-sides from the album's singles, four additional live tracks from the Boston Paradise show and two other rarities. Also includes a 32-page booklet with previously-unseen photos, full lyrics, new liner notes by Neil McCormick, and explanatory notes on the bonus material by The Edge.
  3. Vinyl format: A single album re-mastered version on 180 gram vinyl with restored packaging.

Bonus CD (2008 Remix Deluxe Edition)

All tracks are written by U2

No.TitleOriginal broadcast/releaseLength
1."Gloria" (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London -- December 6th, 1982)BBC Radio 1 (January 8, 1983)4:43
2."I Fall Down" (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London -- December 6th, 1982)BBC Radio 1 (January 8, 1983)3:02
3."I Threw a Brick Through a Window" (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London -- December 6th, 1982)BBC Radio 1 (January 8, 1983)3:52
4."Fire" (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London -- December 6th, 1982)BBC Radio 1 (January 8, 1983)3:32
5."October" (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London -- December 6th, 1982)BBC Radio 1 (January 8, 1983)2:22
6."With a Shout" (BBC session -- September 3rd, 1981)BBC Radio 1 (broadcast September 8, 1981)3:34
7."Scarlet" (BBC session - September 3rd, 1981)BBC Radio 1 (broadcast September 8, 1981)2:46
8."I Threw a Brick Through a Window" (BBC session - September 3rd, 1981)BBC Radio 1 (broadcast September 8, 1981)4:18
9."A Celebration""A Celebration" single2:57
10."J. Swallo""Fire" single2:20
11."Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl""A Celebration" single2:36
12."I Will Follow" (Live at The Paradise, Boston -- March 6th, 1981)"Gloria" single3:44
13."The Ocean" (Live at The Paradise, Boston -- March 6th, 1981)"Fire" single2:15
14."The Cry / The Electric Co." (Live at The Paradise, Boston -- March 6th, 1981)"Fire" single (without "Send in the clowns")4:28
15."11 O'Clock Tick Tock" (Live at The Paradise, Boston -- March 6th, 1981)"Fire" single4:57
16."I Will Follow" (Live from Hattem -- May 14th, 1982)"I Will Follow" (Live) single3:52
17."Tomorrow" (Common Ground remix)Common Ground compilation album4:36
Total length:59:46

Charts and certifications

Chart Position Certification
United Kingdom 11[10] Platinum[11]
United States 104[12] Platinum[13]

Personnel

See also

References

  1. ^ Flanagan (1995), pages 46–48
  2. ^ Keller, Martin (August 4, 1999). "Young Spuds in a Longhorn Daze". City Pages. Village Voice Media. p. 2. Retrieved 2009-11-16.
  3. ^ "U2 at the RDS". U2 Magazine, No. 2. February 1, 1982. Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  4. ^ BBC NEWS | Entertainment | U2 lyrics returned after 23 years
  5. ^ Wenner, Jann (2005-11-03). "Bono on the Records". Rolling Stone: 60.
  6. ^ News: Transcript: U2's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Speeches
  7. ^ McGee, Matt (2008). U2:A Diary. Omnibus Press. p. 76. ISBN ISBN 978-1-84772-108-2. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  8. ^ http://u2.com/discography/index/album/albumId/4001/tagName/studio_albums
  9. ^ a b "Boy, October, War: Remastered". U2.com. April 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-09.
  10. ^ "U2 albums". Everyhit.com. Retrieved 2010-01-23. Note: U2 must be searched manually.
  11. ^ BPI
  12. ^ "U2: Charts and Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-01-23.
  13. ^ "Gold and Platinum Database Search". RIAA. Retrieved 2010-01-23. Note: U2 must be searched manually.

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