Get on Your Boots

Well, my four and a half year wait ended yesterday when I, and the rest of the U2 community, were graced with the presence of their first single off of No Line on the Horizon, which is due out in early March. "Get on Your Boots" is, I'll admit, a strange title. But, it's better than what was going through the rumor mill a few weeks ago, which was "Sexy Boots." Anyway, this new U2 release is the thing I've most looked forward to in a long while. Friends of the band got the chance to listen to the album already and their reviews are all positive, from what I've read. Most will agree that a departure was necessary after the straight up and stripped down rock and roll of 2000's All That You Can't Leave Behind (to me, their third masterpiece, after The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby) and 2004's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. I caution you, I'm probably gonna get really into this one, so bear with me. Now, these two albums were good and all on their own: HTDAAB won the coveted Album of the Year Grammy in 2005, as well as 7 awards and had the second-highest grossing tour of all-time (behind the Rolling Stones). ATYCLB brought U2 back into the mainstream, away from the experimental trifecta of albums in the 1990s which undoubtedly galvanized U2's fanbase. 

Despite all of the success, and in special reference to Bomb, the songs were good on their own, but the album did not live up to them, unfortunately. It lacked the expansiveness and story-telling quality of The Joshua Tree and the complexities and darkness of Achtung Baby. In a way, the songs simply grew stale after an almost 2-year tour that saw U2 perform in every continent, save two. Here, another parallel is seen in the change from The Joshua Tree to Achtung Baby. At that particular point in time (1989-1990), the band decided a complete 180 must be taken or else they'd disband. And, sparing you the details, they nearly did during the recording sessions. Now, U2 realized the same risks needed to be taken and "Get on Your Boots" gives us a hint that they were successful. 

Now that I've given you a lengthy, although not nearly complete, history of U2's transformations (if you actually want to know more, let me know...), here's a link to their new single so you can listen as I review it:

First things first, you need to turn it up loud. Larry's drumming in this song is great. It's reserved when it needs to be and it explodes more than you think it can. It's a mix between the martial drumming from the War era of 1983 and the rhythms of the 1990s. Bono's voice is clearly better than last time around--probably his best since 1993. The quick-fire lyrics are reminiscent of many songs ("We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel and "Subterranean Homesick Blues" by Dylan immediately come to mind). The one thing you can easily see is that this song is FUN. It's danceable, easy to tap your foot to, and will be killer live (into that in a sec...). Their work for a time in Morocco is heard on this song--the "you don't know how beautiful" sections are very exotic as is the entire rhythm section. The Edge even manages to sneak in a small bit from what seems like their VERY early days (I'm talking pre-albums...1978-79) with those high, icy notes.

 "I don't wanna talk about wars between nations" sums it up pretty well. Separating the music from his other job as humanitarian is JUST what the record needed. It's simply a funky, electronic rocker. The "let me in the sound, let me in the sound!" section followed by that brief guitar riff by Edge will blow the roof off of arenas when they tour (that riff will be extended, as it should be). This is another key thing to keep in mind while listening: U2's intention when writing songs was and is to visualize it in a live context. This song may come across as strange to some people (it did to me on my first 2 listens), but trust me, it's a grower. U2's classic songs were never "instant" classics ("With or Without You" in 1987 was a crazy-strange sounding song considering the context of music it was played with on the radio, i.e. horrible 80s music. And "The Fly," which was the first thing fans heard from the "new U2" was met with derision).

Are there better songs on the album? Sure. Many are saying that this isn't the extent of the experimentalism that we'll see. If you're really interested, to me it's a mix of U2 songs "Discotheque," "The Fly," "Fast Cars," "Vertigo," and "Lady with the Spinning Head." Go check some of those out on YouTube and see for yourself. 

Oh and one last thing if you're not convinced that it's sounding different than their past 2 works. The song really has no typical song structure. Which part is the chorus? The "let me in the sound" part? The "you don't know..." part? The answer is really neither...or both. And that, I think, is the point. It's stripping away conventionality and replacing it with a fast-paced, in your face, multi-layered barrage, which, after it grows on you for a little, is an incredibly smart thing for U2 to do. Read my lips: this will bring the house down live.