"Boy" Appreciation Thread

[MacPhistoPT]

After a few months in this forum I realized that Boy and War are the albums that are less talked here IMO. So I start here a thread about one, "Boy".

Boy is probably in the middle of my chart. It has 3 of my favourite all-time songs but some others that I almost ignore.

Despite my preferences, there's a thing: it was here that it all started.

Concluding, I think this is a semi-imature album but it has already a great passion on it and a punch of great songs.

5/5
I Will Follow 4,5
Twilight 4
An Cat Dubh 4,5
Into The Heart 4
Out of Control 5
Stories for boys 5
The Ocean 2
A day without me 2,5
Another time, another place 3,5
The Electric Co. 5
Shadows and tall trees 2

Share your opinions.

 

[MsMofoGone]

Boy ranks as #6 in favorite U2 albums for me ...

My Top 5 Favorite Songs are ::

Another Time, Another Place
Stories For Boys
Twilight
A Day Without Me
I Will Follow

 

[Irishteen]

Shadows and Tall trees is a great song, and A day without me rules, right on with the rest

 

[Exit thru Wire]

Boy = another classic u2 album. Although I dont listen to it as regularly as AB, UF, JT or Zooropa - I find myself going back to it and loving what I hear.

I will follow is a great opener, and I really like most of the songs on there. My favs are The Electric Co. and Stories for Boys.

The only 2 off the album I dont really like are Another Time, Another Place + Shadows. They are alright but not great. I disagree with your rating of the Ocean, superb song.

I think they should have put 11 oclock tick tock, another day and things to make and do on there, then it would be amazing.

 

[ZeroDude]

Another Time, Another Place is a brilliant song, one of my favorites off the album, overall though it really just brims with passionate cries and great guitar, drums and bass

 

[Exit thru Wire]

my ranking would be
1. ab
2. jt
3. war
4. uf
5. zooropa
6. pop
7. BOY
8. r + h
9. october
10. atyclb
11. htdaab

#7 in my list - there is understandably a bit of competition. Albums 1 - 9, I enjoy all of, whereas the latest 2 I can only listen to parts of.

 

[Lil'Bono]

1/. Httaab
2/. Achtung baby
3/. Pop
4/. Boy
5/. Zooropa/War

 

[Nisse]

1. BOY
2. TUF
3. JT/HTDAAB/WAIA
4. War/UABRS
5. Pop
6. October
7. ATYCLB
8. Zooropa
9. AB/RnH

Boy is an awesome album, like Best of U2 1978-1980 (though with a few songs missing). The only flaw is the overproduced, semi-acoustic Shadows and Tall Trees. The live version is a lot better.

 

[VertigoGal]

I Boy!

I Will Follow and Out of Control are classics! I also particularly like Twilight and the Another Time, Another Place-->The Electric Co-->Shadows and Tall Trees trio. The one thing that sticks out the most to me about this album is how consistent it is, especially for a debut.

 

[Tombola]

It's a shame about the decision to include the clinking of milk bottles in I Will Follow. Never understood that.

 

[VertigoGal]

yeah and that glockenspiel!

 

[mirrorballman]

and dont forget the bikes!


boy is a very good debut album! "i will follow" is always the track thats gonna stand for the album, but i dont think thats particularly fair. the album has alot of great tunes!

out of control
electric co
an cat dubh/into the heart (just listen to it on this tour, it sounds more up to date than it did 25 years ago)
Stories for boys

 

[impy13]

An Cat Dubh

 

[Joshua87]

I love Boy, third fav from the 80's, I will follow, electric co.

It seems like the average person here likes Out of Control much better...but God, I Will Follow blows it out of the water, especially live

I Will Follow= in my top 10

Oh, yeah, Boy, great album

 

[Lancemc]

Boy is such an amazing album. The amazing thing being how great the music is coming from such a young band. Even their pre-Boy stuff is phenominal.

 

[Axver]

1. The Unforgettable Fire
2. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
3. The Joshua Tree
4. Boy

Boy is one of the greatest albums I've heard. It's a stellar effort; technically, it may not be special but that's not what matters, it's the feeling, emotion, and passion that it conveys that matters. At the end of the day, it is a pleasure to listen to, immensely enjoyable, and still fresh 25 years on. (When I first got into U2, I did not realise it was that old!)

I Will Follow - 5/5
Twilight - 5/5
An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart - 4/5
Out Of Control - 5/5
Stories For Boys - 4/5
The Ocean - 4/5
A Day Without Me - 4.5/5
Another Time, Another Place - 4/5
The Electric Co. - 5/5
Shadows And Tall Trees - 4/5

I think that just about the only way this album could have been enhanced would've been including 11 O'clock Tick Tock between The Electric Co. and Shadows And Tall Trees. However, it would have to be a re-recorded version like the live performances rather than the subpar single version.

 

[corianderstem]

For a long time, Boy didn't get much play in my stereo. But recently, I've been listening to it quite a bit, and wondering why I used to feel so 'meh' about it. It's great!

Maybe I should thank the current tour for reminding me to listen to this one.

 

[Jack In The Box]

great debut, so poweful, so innocent

 

[-macphisto-]

I love this album, I listen to Boy and October more then Achtung Baby and THe joshua Tree. THeres not a song I skip on Boy.... or october!

 

[MacPhistoPT]

Don't get me wrong, I like all songs on Boy but I wanted to detach the 3 songs on the album that are some of my all-time favourites: OUT OF CONTROL, ELECTRIC CO AND STORIES FOR BOYS.

I will follow is also a classic, probably one of their bigger classics.

 

[Nisse]

I agree about the production on 11 O'tock, it's the same with the Another Day single imo. the weak existing versions does not fit the rawer Boy sound.

 

[Irishteen]

They should have added the Fool in as well, what a great song.

 

[-Macphisto-UK]

Ihave really been getting into this album lately. I can easily put it fourth.

1. Actung baby
2. Joshua Tree
3. War

I Will Follow
Out of Control
An Cat Dubh
Stories For Boys
Electric Co
Shadows and Tall Trees

Infact when you go over all the great tracks I could probably put this 3rd above war.

I think if they had made this album when they made War, with just that little bit more know how, it would have been the album to bring them to international stardom, in the way the Joshua Tree. It really is that good, and it could have been even better (than the real thing).

 

[uwwedoogie]

i've been listening to this alot since they started playing the old songs again... you have your iwf/ooc/tec they're good...

but A Day Without Me... sorry,

 

[discothequeLP]

i think they shold have put "Another Day" on this album

 

[Nisse]

if Steve Lillywhite had had it re-recorded yes.

 

[Axver]

i think they shold have put "Another Day" on this album

A bit more in the way of lyrics and I'd agree.

I do not understand why The Fool missed out.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

A great debut...especially considering the guys were only 19, 20 years old when it came out (boy, that makes me feel lazy...*Is 20*).

My top 5 songs off of here...

1. I Will Follow
2. Shadows And Tall Trees (just something about this one, I just really, really like this song)
3. An Cat Dubh
4. Stories For Boys
5. Out Of Control & The Ocean

Yeah. That's some good music right there .

*Edited to say that "The Electric Co." really grew on me after hearing a live version of it. Very good song live *

Angela

 

[MacPhistoPT]

In Electric Co. I find the lyrics a bit weak bit it's a great rocker. Caught me from the first moment. So I gave it 5/5

 

[xtihn]

i was about to start a "Boy" appreciation thread but luckily i found this one instead.

i got into U2 through AB and i'm a big fan of the AB/Zoo stuff. I must confess that I am not too familiar with the older stuff (Boy, October, War), so lately i've been retroactively "rediscovering" U2. It took me a while at first because i LOVE the AB/Zoo era and their earlier stuff sounds remarkably different, so it was kinda hard for me to get into Boy.

However, after listening through the whole album a few times (and getting more familiar with the songs) I realize how remarkable this album is. I'm still in the process of familiarizing myself to the songs, but so far I like ALL of them! Boy sounds raw and a bit unpolished (which I kinda like...sometimes songs that sound too overproduced and slick are not too appealing to me) but it sounds like a band with SO much potential and a lot of heart and passion. and to think that this album was made when the band members were barely out of their teens! wow.