your first U2 album

[all_i_want]

what was the first U2 record you bought, what was the occasion, and what did you feel after you finished listening to it for the first time?

mine was ATYCLB. i had downloaded some songs, pride, beautiful day, walk on, stay, and i thought they were pretty good. so i bought the album, went home, put it on, and elevation, BD, walk on, kite were instant hits for me. it was a month after 9-11, and as the world watched the men dig into the rubble, walk on gained a lot more meaning. i loved wild honey, for its simplicity, when i look at the world was a pretty contemplative song, POE, the part with the omagh bombing victims brought tears to my eyes, as i went through the liner notes. i felt the rush hour in new york, and the comfort in grace.

the whole album was so much more than it was with the confusion 9-11 brought. something terrible had happened, and there was nothing anyone could do to reverse all that.. the only thing you could do was, to walk on.



'what youve got they cant steal it, no they cant even feel it'

that was my experience, becoming a U2 fan. what's yours?

 

[HelloAngel]

Mine was Achtung Baby bought at a Walmart in West Palm Beach and it changed my life overnight.

 

[xana dew]

Mine was 'The Unforgettable Fire" which was given to me as a gift from my mother. It was the vinyl version, which I played on my record player incessantly.

I can't remember what I felt after my first listen. Too much time has passed. Some memories remain however. For instance, back then album sides really had significance. Side one of "Fire" was rock brilliance as far as I was concerned. Grand, dramatic, powerful, unique -- it sounded unlike anything I had ever heard before.

Side two was more ethereal. The songs were mysterious, distant yet refined. And the second side also contained "Bad", which to this day moves me deeply.

"The Unforgettable Fire" was, to me, a sophisticated, passionate work of art --miles above the dreck of the day that was so popular with my peers, like Ozzy Osbourne.

 

[starsgoblue]

the whole album was so much more than it was with the confusion 9-11 brought. something terrible had happened, and there was nothing anyone could do to reverse all that.. the only thing you could do was, to walk on.

Great comment, sums up easily why I have the Elevation suitcase tattooed on my ankle.


Um, I stole all of my mother's albums right up through Joshua Tree...she had them as I was growing up. Then I bought my own after that....I turned into a rabid U2 fan when I was 15. It's been a wonderful ride ever since.

 

[Axver]

My first album was the Best Of 1980-1990. It was the first CD I ever bought. I was eleven, it was 1998, I had some money, I thought I'd like some music. I went to the shop with my mother, saw the U2 album, and knew I had to have it. I'd grown up with U2's songs played heavily on the radio and some members of my family had their albums, like my father in New Zealand, and as soon as I saw the Best Of, I decided to not even bother looking at anything else.

That was the start of an incredible journey. That Best Of has gone everywhere. The cover currently is broken and doesn't really sit properly over the CD but I make it stay there because otherwise the disc will fall out!

 

[u2granny]

Here's where we show our age. Mine was War.

 

[david]

I got Achtung Baby in 1992 when I joined columbia house. It was one of 12 cds I got and listened to on my "discman" which was like 110 dollars back in 1992! Now you can go buy a discman at target for 12 dollars.

 

[financeguy]

The first album I actually bought using my own money was Achtung Baby in early '92.

 

[Pearl]

My first was ATYCLB.

Achtung Baby was almost my first. I was working at a CD store then, and it was my last night, so I wanted to take advantage of the discount. I chose several CDs, one of them was AB. It was played a lot in the store, and I really liked it. Right before I bought everything, I remembered I needed a new pair of headphones. Since I didn't have enough money to simply add the headphones to the pile, I had to leave out of one of the CDs. It was an agonizing decision, but I chose not to buy Achtung Baby. I wasn't a big fan yet; it was developing and wouldn't hit until the 2001 Grammys. But I did eventually buy the CD later that summer. But I wish that one had been my first U2 CD.

I bought ATYCLB a few weeks after the Grammys. I had a break between classes, and I went to Best Buy to pick it up. During the bus trip back to school, I read all the lyrics. I really anticipated the CD, because I was already convinced that U2 was incredible and Bono was the greatest singer/songwriter ever. ATYCLB didn't really blow me away but I was really amazed with Kite. That song instantly became my first U2 favorite. I ended up playing the CD over and over for a while after my first listen.

 

[Yahweh]

I bought Achtung Baby, Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum all at the same time

 

[intedomine]

It was my 17th Birthday and the year was 2002.

Best Of 90-2000, immediately followed by Best of 80-90.

I knew that U2 was a band for over 12 years. But those beautiful and amazing songs on the radio, I had no idea that they were all by the same band. The announcers never seemed to say they were U2 songs.

I knew U2 wrote Streets, Gloria, Sunday Bloody Sunday, New Years Day, One, beautiful Day, Stuck In a Moment, Discotheque...


.....but when I got the best ofs, i finally realised that they were also the writers of such songs as I Will Follow, Desire, Angel of Harlem, Pride, With or Without You, Mysterious Ways, Numb and Hold Me Thrill me kiss Me Kill Me.

From that moment on I added album by album to my CD collection and eventually completed my election by acquiring Zooropa in October 04 and The BomB in November 04

 

[indra]

Here's where we show our age. Mine was War.

Ha! Ain't that the truth!

I think mine might have been War as well, but I'm not absolutely sure.

If it was War, I bought it because I'd heard and quite liked New Year's Day and Sunday Bloody Sunday on the radio. Don't remembers exactly what I thought, but it must have been good since I soon acquired Boy, October, Under A Blood Red Sky, and then the albums and EPs as they came out until the end of the 80's (my tastes had kind of changed by then).

 

[CPTLCTYGOOFBALL]

I'd bought The Unforgettable Fire after seeing U2 at live aid. I knew Pride and liked it, but not enough to buy it, then saw Bad performed. I bought it the next Monday but I really didn't get the album, and ended up just listening to those two songs.

About a month later, and I'm not sure why since I really didn't get into TUF, I bought War-I immediatley Liked the album, then finally "Got" TUF and it's now one of my faves. By the time the Joshua tree was about to be released I was pumped.......

 

[XHendrix24]

The Joshua Tree (since I had heard so many rave reviews about it). Early last year.

 

[Zoots]

I'm not sure if it was Achtung Baby or Joshua Tree but it was definitely a cassette and it was in 1997. 1992 was when I got into their music but until 97, I only knew the hit songs and music videos. After watching the Pop videos on TV, I got the album that I'd wanted to get for a long time. I'm pretty sure it was Achtung. The album blew me away but the intro to Zoo Station didn't shock me at all cos I knew nothing about their re-invention back then. I think after that, I purchased JT and worked up thru their catalogue. Only about 3 or 4 years back did I replace all my tapes with CDs and I have all studio albums now except for Passengers.

 

[tink]

I bought ALTYCLB first in ... January 2001.
The Best of 1980-1990 followed about a fortnight after and I was sold Spent the rest of the year trying to buy as much of the back catalogue as I could afford...

 

[mads]

My first album was the Best Of 1980-1990. It was the first CD I ever bought. I was eleven, it was 1998, I had some money, I thought I'd like some music. I went to the shop with my mother, saw the U2 album, and knew I had to have it. I'd grown up with U2's songs played heavily on the radio and some members of my family had their albums, like my father in New Zealand, and as soon as I saw the Best Of, I decided to not even bother looking at anything else.

That was the start of an incredible journey. That Best Of has gone everywhere. The cover currently is broken and doesn't really sit properly over the CD but I make it stay there because otherwise the disc will fall out!

my story is nearly exactly the same. i too was 11 when i bought that album in 1998. i had been in love with WOWY for quite some time (actually the first song that ever had an impact on me), and i decided that i needed to have it on a CD.
i remember standing in the music store with my mom, trying to decide whether to get the best of or the joshua tree.

...then i took it home, listened to it, and went back and bought 4 more U2 albums the following weekend... including the joshua tree, heh. spent every bit of my money.

 

[Zoots]

As an after-thought, I'm wondering if Achtung Baby being my all-time favorite (not just by U2 but by any band) has anything to do with it being my first purchase and the time I got into the band. How about you? All those who bought say, ATYCLB first and then the back catalogue... Is ATYCLB your all-time fav? Just curious.

 

[tink]

.

Originally posted by Zootlesque As an after-thought, I'm wondering if Achtung Baby being my all-time favorite (not just by U2 but by any band) has anything to do with it being my first purchase and the time I got into the band. How about you? All those who bought, say ATYCLB first and then the back catalogue... Is ATYCLB your all-time fav? Just curious

It's taken me a while to arrive at my favorite U2 album, but it would have to be Achtung Baby for me. It was the third or fourth U2 album I bought, but it's the one I return to most often

 

[financeguy]

As an after-thought, I'm wondering if Achtung Baby being my all-time favorite (not just by U2 but by any band) has anything to do with it being my first purchase and the time I got into the band. How about you? All those who bought say, ATYCLB first and then the back catalogue... Is ATYCLB your all-time fav? Just curious.

It is a good question, the first three U2 albums I bought were AB, JT and UF and I still consider them my three favourites, so there is something in what you say.

 

[U2Girl1978]

My first U2 album I bought was HTDAAB....

I've liked U2 for years and didn't really pay much attention to them even though my friend and my dad sometimes talked about them.... One day I heard the song Vertigo on the radio and I was totally surprised that it was U2. It got me hooked. I ended up borrowing my dad's cd(greatest hits 80-90) and from then on I've bought all of their albums...now I'm buying their singles...and well the rest as they say is history..I'm now going to 5 of their shows...

 

[LostAtMoon]

October. I used to sing Gloria all the time.

 

[Zoots]

My first U2 album I bought was HTDAAB....

I've liked U2 for years and didn't really pay much attention to them even though my friend and my dad sometimes talked about them.... One day I heard the song Vertigo on the radio and I was totally surprised that it was U2. It got me hooked. I ended up borrowing my dad's cd(greatest hits 80-90) and from then on I've bought all of their albums...now I'm buying their singles...and well the rest as they say is history..I'm now going to 5 of their shows...

First song you liked, Vertigo in late 2004.... to 5 shows live??? Your love for them seems to have escalated exponentially!

 

[Sicy]

Joshua Tree on tape

 

[U2Girl1978]

First song you liked, Vertigo in late 2004.... to 5 shows live??? Your love for them seems to have escalated exponentially!

Oh yea! You better believe it.

 

[Zoots]

Oh yea! You better believe it.

This'll be the first time live for me. So hard to get those damn tickets.

all_i_want: Good thread, by the way!

 

[U2Girl1978]

Obviously this is the first time I'm seeing them. I'm so excited!

 

[LostAtMoon]

Obviously this is the first time I'm seeing them. I'm so excited!

It will also be my first time and I'm probably as excited as you. I still can't believe that I'm actually going to be there, as I'm so used to just watch them from a distance.

 

[typhoon]

Mine was Achtung Baby bought at a Walmart in West Palm Beach and it changed my life overnight.

Me too. I used to be a woman.

 

[Zoots]

Me too. I used to be a woman.

And then you had to do "a sex change... then an oil change" right on those streets of Berlin.