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October (1981, Island Records)

When you’ve been around as long as U2, you’re entitled to a clunker or two. October, the group’s second album, is often deemed a misfire by critics and fans alike. Made at a time when the band was struggling to reconcile its religious beliefs with its sudden stardom, October, released in 1981, wears its spirituality on its sleeve. Does that spirituality overwhelm the record, or does this album have an undeserved bad rap? Let’s put it to the song-by-song review to get the answer.

Side 1

  “Gloria”
The furious rush of the music is reminiscent of “I Will Follow,” but then the chorus kicks in, and you’re wishing you remembered more of your Latin declensions and conjugations. I like how The Edge’s guitar weeps during the instrumental portion and how they switch to the major key for the big chorus reprise at the end. You can hear why this is the one song from October that gets significant airplay to this day.

  “I Fall Down”
It’s an interesting diversion that suggests a softer musical avenue not yet taken by the band, with piano driving the song and gentle, melodic verses. When the chorus comes though, with Bono wailing over The Edge’s monster chords, it’s vintage U2.

  “I Threw a Brick Through a Window”
If you don’t waste time parsing the lyrics for references to God, you’ll find that there’s some tough rock and roll on this album. This song, for instance, is an early precursor to the heavier stuff found years later on Achtung Baby.

  “Rejoice”
Bono tries to find faith in even the toughest times. But it’s hard to find too much faith in this generic rocker.

  “Fire”
Drummer Larry Mullen Jr. gets a lot of the spotlight on this album and he does a predictably great job. Again, you can read lyrics like these a number of ways, but again the fire Bono refers to here again and again seems to be the fire of belief.

Side 2

  “Tomorrow”
Whenever you hear Uillean pipes on a song, you can bet it’s not going to be a happy romp. But Bono’s pipes take center stage here, as he wails about his mother’s funeral in a pretty brave performance. The band takes a back seat to him and the mournful pipes early on, before coming on strong in the frenzied rush of the song’s closing moments. It’s a fine line between powerful and overwrought, and Bono tiptoes that line as he asks, over and over, “Won’t you be back tomorrow?”

  “October”
It’s just short of being an instrumental, but the poignant piano chords here might be the most moving thing on the entire album. Free of any sermonizing, this song gets the message across just fine.

  “With a Shout”
Again Mullen starts things off with a breathless beat that hints at African rhythms, and when The Edge’s guitar rings out, the band is in their wheelhouse. I don’t think you have to agree with Bono’s wish to find his answers in Jerusalem to appreciate his conviction or the band’s proficiency on this intricate number.

  “Stranger in a Strange Land”
The band goes for something a bit more delicate here, but they don’t quite nail it. Everything is a bit muddled, from the busy instrumentation to Bono’s overdone singing.

  “Scarlet”
This song, all instrumental save the word “Rejoice” and wordless wails from Bono, is like a template for the sound the band would utilize on The Unforgettable Fire. Check out the way Mullen and bassist Adam Clayton bounce off each other and build up the drama and you’ll hear the early blueprint for classics like “Bad.”

  “Is That All?”
It’s interesting that the title seems to let some doubt enter the picture at the very end of the album, leaving things unresolved. That’s well and good, but the song itself is non-descript.

The Bottom Line

If there’s a problem with October, it’s not the message itself. It’s that there aren’t enough memorable songs to get that message across. October is never dull, but it catches the band searching for a sound when they weren’t quite sure what they wanted to be. Needless to say, they figured it out pretty quick.

Go to Page 3 for a review of WAR >>

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