You can read all the reviews by the professional music critics, but here, and only here, do you get the totally biased perspective of a fanatic.
I remember in college, my friend, Mark Hagen circa 1979, held up this album from a band called U2, and said, "This, this my friend is the future of Rock & Roll." I was suspicious, skeptical.. a classic doubter. We were both DJ's at our college radio station. We were part of a group of people in college radio that were hot for the new music of the day, not the stuff of pop radio. We were discovering the next wave of British music, and from 1977 to 1981, we took over that little college radio station at this small liberal arts christian college and blasted the Clash, the Jam, even the Sex Pistols through the college dorm lobby and along the cable radio stations. It was exhilarating to be a part of something rebellious, yet with a message. In the summer of 1979, I went to Europe, and counted my self among the fortunate to see Joe Jackson live in London. I had grown up on Yes, Pink Floyd and Emerson, Lake & Palmer - good stuff, but this simpler stuff felt raw and real.
I returned to Los Angeles, and we connected with the clubs and record (I'm dating myself) companies. We helped break the Police, and got to see them live with 350 people at the Roxy on Sunset strip. It was fun and we thought we were more important than we were.
30 years later, one of the few surviving Bands of that era is U2. I haven't loved all their work, but I was thrilled to see them reunite with Brian Eno & Daniel Lanois & Steve Lillywhite for this new album. I downloaded it from iTunes, and the first bars of the first song, and wow.... it is everything I hoped for and more. The sound, the lyrics. I want to crank it up so loud, but my wife is sleeping. It's great, it is, the future of Rock n Roll, and tonight, I remembered that Sunday morning when Mark held up his copy of War, and his prophetic words. Who knew? Well, Mark did, and a tip of that hat to you, mate. Good stuff & Thanks.
