Product ReviewsBoy by U2 (CD, Oct-1990, Island (Label))

U2 'Boy,' is one of the best debut albums ever recorded.

I think for a bunch of nineteen and twenty year olds (never the less a debut album), this is an excellent piece of work. Sure, the only one that actually knew how to play at the time was drummer Larry Mullen, but the others fake it nicely. The Edge displays a distant sound and fully avoids ear-drilling solos, (most thought he was being modest, but in actuality, he couldn't play that well in the beginning), Adam Clayton gives a rumbling bass, Larry does an impressive job on songs like 'I Will Follow' and Bono makes you feel the pain of his lost mother and messed up childhood. Songs like 'A Day Without Me,' 'I Will Follow,' 'Electric Co.,' and 'Out Of Control'; tend to recieve the "play it 'til the record is ruined" treatment and, though greatly flawed for sheer inability to play so early in their carrer, is a testament of their talent, and a omen of things to come.Read full review...

Their first and still the Best.

This is U2's first album and still their best in my opinion... I owned it on vinyl twice, CD and cassette. From beginning to end this is a perfect album, every song is excellent. It has a very energetic, raw edged rock sound with a little bit of the punk thrown in for good measure. Its a simpler sounding band to the one we hear today but also more creative and rebellious. I must have listened to it at least a thousand times over the years and it is tough to choose what I would consider my favorite tracks since they are all so well written. Of course there is "I Will Follow" which for many of us was our introduction to the Irish phenomenon. "An Cat Dubh" and "Into the Heart" which I kind of consider one long song and is by far my favorite song ever written by U2. "Twilight" and "Out Of Control" are also among their best as well. If you don't know this band, which of course is unlikely, then this is a great place to start. Right at the begining.Read full review...

Great CD

I was basically duplicating my LP collection of U2 albums that I own into CDs.
So, it should be obvious that I like this CD enough to buy it all over again on CD.

Personally, I have always felt U2 really "broke out" on their 3rd album, WAR.
But the first two albums, Boy and October, both have some good songs on them too...

And any true U2 fan needs these.

I, personally, stopped enjoying U2 after the release of Zooropa.
That was the last good U2 album, in my opinion.

I owned POP for a while, but really hated the whole thing...eventually I took it to a used CD store to trade in...and they didn't even want it, because they already had several copies in stock. I honestly don't remember what I did with POP...probably just threw it in the trash.

Boy has U2's first hit, "I Will Follow". This was the album where U2 (and the Edge) were still finding their sound, and their way, musically.

Some of the other good tracks include "Out of Control" and "Shadows and Tall Trees".

If you've never heard this album, but you like the middle period of U2...
Albums such as The Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree, you will probably like this album a lot too.

If you're more into the more recent stuff...
Such as "Get On Your Boots", "Discotheque", "Vertigo", or anything from that awful iTunes disaster that they forced on all iPhone users (Songs of Innocence), then you might not like the songs on Boy. It sounds like a totally different band.

That's not always a bad thing...as many bands change and evolve over time...but U2 has not evolved gracefully. Their newer stuff is no where near as good as their earlier and middle period stuff.Read full review...

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U2's first album in the US

The early U2 sound from 1980 was very different from their later sound. I first heard U2 through the songs on this album played on alternative radio stations the year before it was released in the US, through a live performance in Boston produced as a promo. I still prefer the playing style and many songs on this album, I listen to the whole thing through, even though some of the songs sound similar, they create a whole sound for the album. The CD comes with a nice booklet. The audio is fine.Read full review...

BOY -- Where it all started

This is where it all started. A culmination of the 70's -- their first album --"BOY" in 1980. Almost "boys" themselves, these young, rebellious, but scrupulous Irishmen put a lot of emotion and energy into their original album. Political awareness meets talented song-writing and high emotion in this compilation of heart-felt tunes. Even as a young man, The Edge has some great riffs in this original album. Lead singer Bono Vox (meaning "Good Voice") sounds so young on this CD, but still awesome to listen to. Like a good novel, once this album starts playing, it is very difficult to ever turn it off.Read full review...

80s

The beginning of a great band and a long history of great music!

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Loved them every since!

I didn't know who they were until I first purchased their CD overseas in Italy. Loved them ever since. An excellent album to listen to.

Good

Good

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