I had an unusual pre-AB connected with U2 experience that may have kind of kept me not totally in the loop for the arrival of AB at the time it debuted.
It was a small but real chance to show one of the top people then at Island Records a work up of a cover for what
would become R&H.
All I was told was that U2 were gong around the USA making a concert film. This was through a friend of a good relative.
The offer to do this
came out of the blue and between trepidation & stunned joy - wile realizing it was
not the biggest odds; i worked away at it!
One day on the bus I'd bought the NYTimes and saw an article that this person had suddenly died.
Well there went my chance.
I never saw R&H in the theater though 2 of my close friends who'd seen U2 and other incredible bands in concert with me
raved about it.
Must of been my then buried upset at the whole thing, since I felt then I didn't have the right to be upset b/c of the death.
Anyway I also ended up swinging into SF Fandom a while before this happened, so I was paying much more attention to that during the whole 5 yrs U2 were dreaming it up all over again.
Not sure how I heard about it -- probably over the radio....
so I missed the whole excitement/ that most fans were feeling, missed RS covers etc.
Also the Big REcession was still running high in the NYC area so i didn't have the $ to get it.
BUT what I heard : ZS, the Fly, EBTTRT, WGRYWH, UTEOTW, maybe Acrobat later....
...
I was instantly in love with the album !
I had been listening to U2 since 81.... but they were NOT the first major band I followed seriously, and I went through the whole Punk/New Wave scene that started in NYC/CBGB's .
So i'd been exposed to many bands , many styles of R&R and seenover ?280 concerts or more by that time.
AB remains my top U2 with NLOTH either at the same level or slightly below (it varies) and JT would be my #2.
SO glad with borrowed $ I even got to see 1 ZOO-TV show!