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The Unforgettable Fire

The Unforgettable Fire Front Sleeve

The Unforgettable Fire
Front Sleeve | Purchase Album

Release Date: October 1, 1984

Highest Chart Position: UK: 1 USA: 12

Liner Notes:

Published by Blue Mountain Music Ltd. Produced and Engineered by: Brian Eno & Daniel Lanois. Additional Engineering: Kevin Killen. Assistant Engineer: Randy Ezratty. All tracks recorded in Ireland at Slane Castle, Co. Meath and Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin. Bono: vocals. The Edge: guitar, keyboards, vocals. Adam Clayton: bass. Larry Mullen Junior: drums. Additional vocals, instruments and treatments: Eno / Lanois. Music U2, Words Bono. String Arrangement: Noel Kelehan. Fairlight: Paul Barret. Managment: Paul McGuinness. Anne-Louise Kelly - Principle Management - Dublin. Ellen Darst - Principle Management - New York.

Track List:

  1. A Sort Of Homecoming (5:29)
  2. Pride (In The Name Of Love) (3:49)
  3. Wire (4:19)
  4. The Unforgettable Fire (4:55)
  5. Promenade (2:32)
  6. 4th Of July (2:15)
  7. Bad (6:09)
  8. Indian Summer Sky (4:18)
  9. Elvis Presley and America (6:22)
  10. MLK (2:32)

Catalog:

  • Australia: Island 822 898-2
  • Germany: Island 610 194/CID 102
  • Ireland: CBS 26209
  • Israel: Island BANU25
  • Japan: Island 28S1-252, Island PHCR-4705
  • Mexico: RCA LAE 605
  • Sweden: Island U2 5
  • UK: Island CID 102, Island U2 5, Island UC2 5, Island, IMCD 236, Island U212, Island 822 898-5 (Digital Compact Cassette), Island UC212
  • USA: Island 90231-1, Island 90231-2, Island 90231-4, Island 422-822 898-2, Mobile Fidelity UDCD 624, Mobile Fidelity MFSL-107

Media Review:

Review: The Unforgettable Fire

4 stars (out of 5)

By Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

In many ways, U2 took their fondness for sonic bombast as far as it could go on War, so it isn't a complete surprise that they chose to explore the intricacies of the Edge's layered, effects-laden guitar on the follow-up, The Unforgettable Fire. Working with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, U2 created a dark, near-hallucinatory series of interlocking soundscapes that are occasionally punctuated by recognizable songs and melodies. In such a setting, the band both flourishes and flounders, creating some of their greatest music, as well as some of their worst. "Elvis Presley and America" may well be Bono's most embarrassing attempt at poetry, yet it is redeemed by the chilling and wonderful "Bad," a two-chord elegy for an addict that is stunning in its control and mastery. Similarly, the wet, shimmering textures of the title track, the charging "A Sort of Homecoming," and the surging Martin Luther King, Jr. tribute "Pride (In the Name of Love)" are all remarkable, ranking among U2's very best music, making the missteps that clutter the remainder of the album somewhat forgivable.

About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by Jonathan published on October 1, 1984 7:18 AM.

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