[Z-man]

I clearly remember the night in High School when I was introduced to U2. I was working at the Gap at the time. During the day, we were forced to listen to the bubble-gum type music on the company approved tapes. Songs like Wake me up before you Go-Go (Wham!), Like a Virgin (Madonna), Only in My Dreams (Debbie Gibson)...and the like. (pardon me, while I gag myself with a fork!)

After closing, while we were cleaning up the store, Elke, one of the girls I worked with, figured out how to attach her walkman to the sound system. So she put in a tape and pressed play.

The songs 4th of July and Bad played. I was instantly mesermized by the haunting sounds of the guitars and Bono's voice. I asked her what group and album that was. It was U2's Unforgettable Fire. Picked up the album the next day.

Since then, I've worn through two cassettes of Unforgettable Fire, as well as two CD's. I finally have it on my computer and iPod. The Unforgettable Fire is still my favorite U2 album - it is also my favorite rock album. Nothing even comes close to the composition, feel and mood of that album. To me, it is just a magical blend of sounds, lyrics, and feeling. Though U2 gained more success with subsequent albums (Joshua Tree, Rattle and Hum, as well as Achung Baby, How to Dismantle and Atomic Bomb, and Vertigo), for me, U2 reached this pinnacle with Unforgettable Fire. There was still an innocence in their songs, but their music had matured and gotten refined a bit compared to October, Boy, and War.

I've seen U2 a couple of times their Achung Baby tour was amazing. Last I saw them was during their Veritgo tour -- their final oncore was Bad. They don't often sing that song at concerts anymore - but the whole stadium went wild. Like I said - they reached their pinnacle with Unforgettable.

I liked the way their last album went - kinda back to their roots. It seems that No Line on the Horizon is heading that same way - I'll have to pick up the album tonight.

Listening to Bad for the third time in a row right now...
-Z