For October, the Mental Jukebox is dialing it way back to the eighties and going deep. Deep cuts have always been an important element of music listening to me because they’re often the songs that resonate with me most. Deep cuts are usually the ones that the true fans appreciate most. I like my singles and hits, but I love my deep cuts.
Like any other band, there are varying opinions as to which album is the band’s best. Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby are often cited as their best, and deservedly so. Those albums are fantastic. But I would also put War and The Unforgettable Fire up there – and the latter is my personal favorite. The songs are great – a perfect array of bangers (“Pride”, “Wire”, “A Sort of Homecoming”), mid-tempo gems (“The Unforgettable Fire”, “Bad”), and ballads (“4th of July”, “MLK”).
“MLK” is a true album track. By itself, it’s great. But it’s infinitely better when played with the rest of The Unforgettable Fire in its totality. The element I’m most drawn to when it comes to U2’s music has always been The Edge’s manic guitar riffs. But on “MLK”, it’s missing. In fact, the only instrumentation is a sole drone note on the synthesizer that accompanies Bono’s vocals. It’s perfect as is. No guitar, snare hit or bass line can improve it.
“SLEEP, Sleep tonight And may your dreams Be realized.”