Disco de U2: “Fly [UK]”

"... all kill their inspiration, and sing about the grief"

The Fly was U2's first single off of "Achtung Baby". This was the world's first glimpse of the "new U2". U2 were no longer pretending to be the good little political boys, but rather, they were now hamming up their roles as rock stars... giving the world a bit of rock with bite and attitude! Well, the song "The Fly" definitely has that edgy, ambitious rock with bite, and the lyrics have the attitude. Adam and Larry cook up a very fast-paced in-your-face drum & bass. The Edge demonstrates his ability at distorted electric guitar and fierce soloing. Bono's lyrics are full of contraditions, confessions and catchy phrases (see the title and first line of my review) while his falsettos and bad-boy vocal styles give diversity throughout the song. This is one of my all-time favourite U2 songs, and a highlight off of Achtung Baby.

So goodbye Joshua Tree/Rattle & Hum era U2. Hello Zoo TV/Achtung Baby U2!

1: The Fly. This is the identical to The Fly off of Achtung Baby.

2: Alex Descends Into Hell For a Bottle of Milk/Korovo 1. While the song is written by Bono and The Edge, the only vocals on this short track come from a choir of school children. This track was originally recorded for a modern soundtrack of A Clockwork Orange. This is probably the coolest non-U2 type U2 song there is. It's almost on the verge of electro-industrial music. A soft synth-type intro with the choir, climaxes into a frenzy of beats and noise, which fades out in the end into silence. This song is more or less a soundscape, and not your typical song. Note: in the written credits on the CD, you'll notice a thanks to Albert Bradshaw. Apparently Albert used to be U2's old music teacher while in high school!

3: The Lounge Fly Mix. The Fly gone "street smart"! If you've seen the music video for The Fly, this is where they get the intro music from. It starts off with Bono singing the falsetto of the chorus over a drum & synth loop. Then in comes the heavy bassline. The guitars eventually kick in, bringing the song into full gear. Bono actually changes a few lyrics in this version of The Fly. "A man will beg, a man will crawl, but it's never too late to take his call, it's no secret at all".

I believe the domestic release of this CD single is out of print. However, it's certainly worth the extra dollars picking up the import. (It usually is with U2 import singles in my opinion.) The Fly remains one of my favorite U2 singles ever. Appearing after a hiatus of a couple of years while the band was "reinventing" itself, this song blew me away with Edge's powerful guitar riff. If you listen closely, it seems like both The Fly and Ultraviolet (Light My Way) must have started off as the same song with a similar riff.

The Lounge Fly Mix is very cool indeed, and sounds exactly like the title. A little more laid back, and Bono even changes a line or 2. A solid remix that is not too dancy and not repetitive, but a perfectly subtle job of shifting the rhythm of the track.

And another B-Side gem is Adam Descends Into Hell for a Bottle of Milk, which was apparently utilized for a stage production of A Clockwork Orange. Fans of Passengers will certainly appreciate this track, which sounds like a techno-industrial soundscape. No vocals by Bono, but a haunting boys choir and some ominous and threatening industrial sounds followed by a really slamming beat and classic Edge guitar used to great effect.

Highly recommended!

If you're a U2 fan like me, you're probably only going to buy this for Alex Descends Into Hell and the Lounge Fly mix. Both are great, but it's a judgment call whether you want to spend money on 2 tracks. I will say that Alex is one of their better Achtung B-sides, but the Lounge Fly mix sounds too much like the album version except it's a little longer. The best part is the lilting intro & outro, and I wish they'd have kept that style throughout. On its own this is a decent disc, but there are far better Achtung Baby singles you could be getting. All in all you should only get this if you are a hardcore U2 single collector.