U2 Album: “October”

This album is overlooked so much and is always so underrated, and that upsets me because it has some great music on it. The music and lyrics on this album are almost completely about the struggle U2 had in their early days with Christianity and Rock and Roll. And although that's probably one of the reasons why it's overlooked so much, it's also one of the reasons why it's great. The album opens with "Gloria", which has lyrics that are commonly mistaken as being Bono talking to a girl, but are really a reference to God. It is the most popular song on the album, and one of the best on it, but not the best. My favorite song on the album is "Tomorrow", a song that's about Bono's mother and Christianity. Other classics on the album are "I Fall Down", "Fire", "Rejoice", and the title track "October". This is the most underrated U2 album, and a lot of people consider it their worst work, but I don't. If you're a U2 fan at all, this album is a must-have.

Most people when they think of U2 usually don't think of spirituality, but if you've read any of their biographies or really paid attention to their lyrics then you would know different.

Anyway, I've followed U2 since their beginning in 1979, and I must say that I believe in my opinion that this is their best album. For the emotion, because Bono's mother had passed away before its release and for its spirituality because I believe Bono's "walk" was stronger then than it is now, but that is another discussion.

However, October opens with "Gloria" giving thanks to God in latin during its chorus which so many people get confused thinking that Bono is talking to a girl but he's not. "I Threw a Brick Through a Window" is amazing. Bono is talking about being trapped in sin but being able to find forgiveness through his "brother" and through Christ. "Rejoice" is so obvious. "Tomorrow" is probably my favorite in that Bono is crying out to two people: his mother and to Jesus. The rest of the album deals with him dealing with his emotions of his mom passing and incorporating it with the love of his faith. And the music as always is amazing. What else could you expect from U2! (Other albums by U2 that are similar to October in lyrical content would be Unforgettable Fire, War, and The Joshua Tree.)

Many people first exploring U2's back catalogue hear that October is U2's worst album, a mish-mash of poorly written, overly religious songs that have completely failed the test of time. Newcomers are told to look elsewhere because this album is just not very good.

That's simply not true.

Until the release of Achtung Baby some ten years later, this was bassist Adam Clayton's favourite U2 album. Why? Because it's GOOD. It shows off the band's growing talents and adds elements of diversity to U2's music that weren't present in their debut, Boy. True, the band were under pressure to quickly come up with a second album in the midst of rigorous touring and Bono losing his notebook of ideas, and it's also true to say that they admirably rose to the challenge.

The album opens with a song criminally omitted from the Best Of 1980-1990, Gloria. This is a soaring, brilliant U2 classic, hinting at their anthemic glories to come. The chorus is in Latin and the themes are religious, though not overly so, and it features what may be the sole bass solo on a U2 album. Next comes I Fall Down, the first U2 song to prominently feature Edge's keyboard talents while Bono takes on the guitar duties. And now that Edge and Adam have had the chance to show off, Larry takes centre stage in the next two songs - I Threw A Brick Through A Window is a song about the stifling social conditions in Dublin at the time and is driven by powerful drumming, and Edge's ringing guitar on Rejoice soon gives way to a stellar drum solo.

The fifth song on the album was also the first single, and Fire is a song that is lyrically rich in Apocalyptic imagery. It also features Adam on backing vocals (at least live; they aren't readily apparent in the studio to me), though I personally find Edge's guitar to be the most enjoyable part of this song. Sixth comes the other highest point of the album, a song many fans consider a classic: the haunting, mournful, beautiful Tomorrow. It mixes religious feelings with Bono's longing for his mother, who unfortunately passed away when he was fourteen, and is the most emotional part of the album. It is followed by a song that is also haunting as well as spare: the title track, October, with Edge again on piano. This is the only song from October to make the Best Of 1980-1990, and in hidden form too - if you let All I Want Is You continue to play, you will hear this song.

Some fans consider the final four tracks to be the weakest point of October and overlook them, but I think that's very unfair. With A Shout is driven by the religious passion of the band at the time, and even if you don't appreciate that, it's still an enlightening insight into the mind of the band (or at least Bono, Edge, and Larry) at that stage in their history. Stranger In A Strange Land articulates thoughts prompted by touring, and Is That All? (which uses the guitar riff from The Cry, an unreleased song played in tandem with The Electric Co. live) articulates thoughts prompted by the struggles to record October.

I've deliberately mentioned Scarlet out of track order, as I think it deserves special attention. This is a subtle track, almost an instrumental, with Bono soothing "rejoice" over the top. One would speculate this is inspired by his faith at the time, but you don't need to share it to enjoy this track. This song is terribly overlooked, which is a huge shame considering how beautiful it is. My only quibble with October is that this isn't the concluding number: Is That All? feels a little harsh afterwards and probably should've been a b-side instead, as the album could easily cope with Scarlet as the concluding song.

I would highly recommend October to you. Not only does it contain some fantastic songs, it's also U2 without any masks: it vividly portrays exactly where the band were mentally, emotionally, and spiritually at the time of the recording. If you listen to October, you get to know the band much better.

I look at October, and think and know that this is not U2's best album. In fact, if I had to rank their albums this would be towards the bottom, but this album is still an excellent contribution. Boy and War are often thought of a great messages of U2's beliefs and stance on world politics and growing up, but October makes its own contribution.

In fact, October is a bold step because there are definite religious overtones throughout the album, more so than on any other U2 album. While the talent is still raw, maybe even rawer than Boy, the lyrical and music content are strong.

A few songs here are definitely among U2's best. Tomorrow is the jewel of this album I think, and it is a shame this is not considered one of their best. It also does the best to represent their Irish culture. October is another fantastic song, allbeit simple. It is just beautiful, and probably best foreshadows what was to come in the way of later albums. Gloria and Fire are a great rock songs reminiscent of Boy and the rest of the album is strong, though not quite up to War and Boy.

Overall this a great album, especially for those who like early U2 or like U2 in general. However, I would not prioritize this album over Boy or War.

OCTOBER is a classic album in the sense that it captured U2 at a crossroads;dealing with questions of faith and spirituality.The album showed U2's raw,vulnerable and emotional state of mind;the music providing a haunting background for the lyrical questions presented.Musically,a much more mature U2 surfaced from the innocence of the BOY album.Listening to OCTOBER in the new millenium,I am amazed by how far ahead of the curve this U2 album was compared to the other music out at that time (circa 1981).This album is full of unbridled passion.