From Death through Resurrection: Days of Ash and Easter Lily

Last summer I began a blog series where I ranked U2's albums from worst to first.  I had heard rumors that the band was in the studio creating a new record and preparing for a new tour.  Here's how my ranking came out from 1 to 14.

1. The Joshua Tree

2. Achtung Baby

3. All That You Can't Leave Behind

4. Rattle and Hum

5. The Unforgettable Fire

6. War 

7. Boy

8. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

9. Songs of Innocence

10. Songs of Experience

11. Zooropa

12. Pop

13. No Line on the Horizon

14. October

On Ash Wednesday, U2 released a surprise six track EP titled Days of Ash.  A few weeks later on Good Friday, the band shocked their fans with a second EP called Easter Lily.  Since these are two EPs and not full LPs (though if you combined them, they would make one heck of a record) I won't attempt to rank them with U2's other work, but if these 12 tracks were a proper album they would rest firmly within the top 10.  Let's dive in.

Days of Ash 

Days of Ash begins with American Obituary which laments the senseless killing of Renee Good by Ice agents in Minneapolis on January 7.  The song is fueled musically by fuzzy garage rock style guitar riffs and a chunky bass line.  Bono passionately sings "I love you more than hate loves war."  And the song ends with a chorus of people singing "The power of the people is so much stronger than the people in power."  We can only pray that this will be true.

The next song on the EP gets its title from Richard Rohr's recent book, The Tears of Things.  This is a mostly acoustic track with lush strings and beautiful and intricately crafted poetical lyrics.  Bono uses the image of Michaelangelo's statue of David brought to life to lament the brokenness of this world, while still yearning for the next.  The song ends with a hope for universal salvation.  "Everybody is my people - let my people go."

Song of the Future is inspired by Sarina Esmailzadeh, a 16-year-old Iranian girl beaten to death by security forces during the 2022 protests against the killing of Mahsa Amini who had been arrested for improperly wearing her hijab.  Despite being inspired by dark events, the music is defiantly hopeful.

The next track is actually not a song, but rather the poem Wildpeace written by Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai and read by the Nigerian musician Adeola over a soundscape produced by Jacknife Lee. The poem claims that for peace to be lasting, it must arise organically.

Sticking with the theme of peace and reconciliation in the Middle East, One Life at a Time references the murder of Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen by an Israeli settler in the South Hebron Hills.  Though his killer may have wanted to eliminate the Palestinians one life at a time, the message of the song is that the world can be changed one life at a time.  

The EP ends on a high note struck from a dark place.  In collaboration with Taras Topolia of Ukrainian band Antytila and with English singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran, Yours Eternally is based on the 4-year struggle that Ukraine has endured as it fights for its freedom, resisting Russian aggression.  The music, and the lyrics are utterly hopeful and yet poignant.

Days of Ash walks the listener through the symbolism of Lent (self-reflection and self-denial, even death) to the promise of rebirth which brings us to Easter Lily.

Easter Lily

Easter Lily begins with Edge's chiming, arena ready guitar strums and then elevates the mood even further with church choir backing vocals.  Song for Hal was written for Hal Willner, a music producer and Saturday Night Live contributor who passed away during the Covid 19 pandemic.  Though an elegy of sorts, the first song of this EP already sets the expectation that this batch of songs is going to be about life, not death as the Edge sings "Did you hear 'Forever'?" on the opening line.  It's great to hear the Edge take lead vocals on a song again. 

The upbeat mood continues on In a Life where this time Bono sings, "I never achieved anything on my own."  This entire song is about the importance of human relationships and is musically reminiscent of All That You Can't Leave Behind era tunes.  

And though this record is upbeat, the vibe shifts slightly with the third track.  The Adam Clayton bass line on Scars sounds similar to the thumping on Iris and Volcano from the Songs of Innocence album.  Though new life is just around the corner, we are reminded that our scars sometimes follow us into that new reality, though we don't have to hide or cover them any longer.

The forever that was hinted at in Song for Hal is made explicit in Resurrection Song.  The idea of resurrection might seem either glib or silly in the 21st century, but Bono is not holding back as he joyfully bellows, "If I sound ridiculous, I'm not done yet!".  Bono claims that there are countless signs pointing to forever and echoing John Donne, he exclaims that even death will die too.

The celebration continues on Easter Parade as the piano, bass, and synth drive the song forward while Edge's guitar licks add flourish in the background.  And this is as good a place to mention this as any.  Welcome back Larry Mullen Jr.!  Larry's drumming throughout both Days of Ash and Easter Lily is energetic and creative, providing ass shaking rhythms.  In this penultimate song we hear, "Something in me died, but I was no longer afraid...Kyrie Eleison (Lord, have mercy)."  

Brian Eno provides a synth background as Bono sings emphatically "I will bless the Lord at all times." on Coexist.  The last lines of the song are sung a cappella: "Changes, these changes, Will rain on this parade.  Changes, these changes I am not afraid.  The pages that enrage us - She tears them from the book.  'Save us, save us' sings the girl of Guadalupe." 

Between these two EPs, U2 takes the listener on a journey from death through resurrection and out the other side into new life.  With 12 tracks and over 50 minutes of music, this could have easily been the next U2 album, rather than two surprise EPs.  If these songs are any indication, the next U2 record should be a dandy. - Shay  

Ranking U2's Albums from Worst to First: #1 The Joshua Tree

From the opening keyboard drone of Where the Streets Have No Name to the closing drumbeats of Mothers of the Disappeared, U2's fifth and best album, The Joshua Tree takes the listener on a cinematic aural exploration of big themes - from Cold War political realities of the 1980s through the eternal personal, emotional themes of the human condition.  In fact, mixing politics and the personal is what U2 is probably known best for.  And when they do it well, they do it better than anyone else.

The Joshua Tree is not only a musical masterpiece, but lyrically and thematically it evokes a movie-like journey.  With the American desert as its backdrop, the narrative in song moves from the US to Central and South America to the streets of Dublin south to Africa and all the way down under to New Zealand.  Telling stories of love found and lost in With or Without You, wrestling with faith and doubt in I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, and exploring the full range of grief and bereavement in One Tree Hill, this record is profoundly personal.  In Running to Stand Still, we are taken into the dynamics of a relationship dominated by drug addiction and in Exit we hear the demented thoughts of a cold-blooded killer. But this album is also political.  Bullet the Blue Sky and Mothers of the Disappeared address the Cold War's effect on Latin America, and Red Hill Mining Town deals with Thatcher's policies in 1980s Britain.  

As always, Bono's words, The Edge's strumming, and the rhythm section of Adam and Larry catapults their audience on a musical adventure of imagination.  But where The Unforgettable Fire had been heavy with ambient tonality and an impressionistic feel, The Joshua Tree is more stripped down and straight forward.  It's 11 standout songs that fit together to make one of the all-time greatest records in popular music history.    

U2 The Joshua Tree - Released March 9, 1987

Album Charts - #2 Ireland, #1 UK, #1 US

Worldwide Sales to Date - 27 Million

Singles - With or Without You, #1 Ireland, #4 UK, #1 US.  I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For #1 Ireland, #6 UK, #1 US.  Where The Streets Have No Name #1 Ireland, #4 UK, #13 US.  In God's Country #48 UK, #44 US.  One Tree Hill #1 New Zealand.

Standout Songs - Every Single One

Weakest Tracks - None

Hidden Gem - Mothers of the Disappeared 

This brings us to the end of this blog series ranking U2's albums from worst to first.  U2 has released 14 studio albums of original material.  If they are not all excellent, they are all at least very good.  Their best, especially The Joshua Tree, are some of the all-time greats in rock n' roll history.  Will U2 release a new record soon?  Let's hope they still haven't found what they're looking for. - Shay 

Ranking U2's Albums from Worst to First: #2 Achtung Baby

1991 was one heck of a year for music.  Consider the following albums released that year: Pearl Jam Ten, the self-titled Metallica record, REM Out of Time, Red Hot Chili Peppers Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik, Guns n' Roses Use Your Illusion 1 and 2, and of course, Nirvana's Nevermind.  All of these are classic albums and to put the cherry on the top of an amazing year of music, U2 dropped Achtung Baby on November 18.  

As the 1980s came to a close, there was some fear that U2 might breakup, and as recording commenced in 1990 and 1991 for what eventually became Achtung Baby, the band had to work through personal and interpersonal turmoil as they "dreamed it all up again".  While recording in Berlin, the band came together as one while laying down the early sketches for what became their hit song, One.  Instead of being the moment that U2 splintered into oblivion, the Hansa Studio recording sessions became the springboard for what is in my mind their second-best album.  What makes this record so good is that it is not only filled with excellent songs, but they are at once both experimental and accessible.  There are addictive melodies, explosive guitar parts, rumbling bass lines, hypnotic drumbeats, boosted by sumptuous strings and electronic sound effects.  Some songs you want to dance to, while others make you want to jump in the mosh pit!  The first single released from this album, The Fly, was described by Bono as "the sound of four men chopping down The Joshua Tree."

Though sonically distinct from The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby is similar to the former record in that it carries a certain timelessness.  When U2 are at their best, they create music that has an almost eternal character - evoking at once both nostalgia and a longing for the future, taking the listener to another time and place and then dropping them back home again, not the same, but changed.  The words of TS Eliot capture the effect that a record like Achtung Baby has on a listener:

With the drawing of this Love and the voice of this Calling 

We shall not cease from exploration 

And the end of all our exploring 

Will be to arrive where we started 

And know the place for the first time.

If you haven't experienced Achtung Baby, what are you waiting for?  But don't just listen once.  Like all classic musical pieces, this record demands repeated listening, leading each time to new discoveries.  

U2 Achtung Baby - Released November 18, 1991

Album Charts - #1 Ireland, #2 UK, #1 US.

Worldwide Sales to Date - 18 Million

Singles - The Fly, #1 Ireland, #1 UK, #61 US.  Mysterious Ways, #1 Ireland, #13 UK, #9 US.  One, #1 Ireland, #7 UK, #10 US.  Even Better Than the Real Thing, #3 Ireland, #12 UK, #32 US.  Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, #4 Ireland, #14 UK, #35 US.

Standout Songs - All of them!

Weakest Track - None

Hidden Gem - Acrobat

Achtung Baby may be #2 on my list of U2's albums, but it is really more like 1B to The Joshua Tree. - Shay 

Ranking U2's Albums from Worst to First: #3 All That You Can't Leave Behind

The latter half of 1999 fittingly was a period of looking back on the 20th century and looking forward to the "new millennium".  Historians and cultural commentators spent time reflecting on the 1900s while pushing the public toward the possibility of a new beginning in the 2000s.  Of course, there were quite a few fundamentalists and conspiracy theorists who predicted either a global meltdown with Y2K or the imminent return of Christ, but neither of those things came to pass.

For creatives like musicians, poets, artists, and writers, 1999-2000 offered an opportunity to consider their previous output, even as they dreamed of a new beginning in the new century.  U2 had spent the 1990s experimenting with and exploring new sonic territory on Achtung Baby, Zooropa, and Pop.  They also released a record of imaginary soundtracks with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois.  They named their supergroup "Passengers" and the record, Original Soundtracks 1.  We are still waiting for Original Soundtracks 2.

So as U2 began work on their 10th studio album, it was inevitable that they too might be in a reflective mood as they pressed onto the third thousand years of the modern era and the third decade of the band's career.  What the band rediscovered was that they have a knack for creating catchy, yet timeless tunes.  Sure, guitar effects pedals can create cool sounds, synthesizers and strings fill out a sonic palate, and drum machines can enhance a rhythm when used appropriately, but there is no substitute for well-crafted songs.  And what the band released in October of 2000 was a batch of well-crafted songs.  The band continued to use the electronic toys and tools they perfected in the 1990s, but the songs on this record would be just as powerful played acoustically around a campfire.   Almost every single track on All That You Can't Leave Behind could have been released as a single, and the songs that were have become staples in the U2 catalogue.    

U2, All That You Can't Leave Behind - Released October 30, 2000

Album Charts - #1 Ireland, #1 UK, #3 US.

Worldwide Sales to Date - 12 Million

Singles - Beautiful Day #1 Ireland, #1 UK, #21 US.  Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out Of #1 Ireland, #2 UK, #52 US.  Elevation #1 Ireland, #3 UK, #4 US Adult Alternative Chart.  Walk On #7 Ireland, #5 UK, #2 US Adult Alternative Chart.

Standout Songs - All of them cannot be left behind, but one (see below).

Weakest Track - New York

Hidden Gem - When I Look at the World 

After a decade of pushing their limits and exploring all the soundscapes that might be utilized in producing an album, U2 discovered that at the heart of every good record and every good song is a beautiful melody, a solid bass and drum line, and a catchy guitar lick.  Those three things they took with them into the 21st century. - Shay 

Ranking U2's Album's from Worst to First - #4 Rattle and Hum

 

In 1987, U2 appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, with the periodical's headline declaring the band to be "Rock's Hottest Ticket."  U2 had climbed to rock 'n roll's summit and the view couldn't be better.  They had a #1 album with The Joshua Tree, more hit songs than they could fit into a single set list and were the darlings of the media and public not only in the US, but around the world.  But most bands discover that staying at the top is harder than getting there.  What would U2's next move be?

While on the latter half of The Joshua Tree Tour, a Canadian director named Phil Joanou convinced the band to let him record some of their live shows and to conduct interviews and capture behind the scenes footage for a "rockumenatary".  Initially, the project was to be released in art house theaters, but Paramount Pictures decided to purchase the film, and they released the movie in mainstream cinemas, hoping to turn it into a blockbuster.  The film titled, Rattle and Hum was by no means a flop, but since most hardcore U2 fans saw it in its opening weekend, public interest in the movie soon waned and it was pulled from theaters.  Some critics loved it, while others thought that it was U2's attempt to place themselves alongside the great rock 'n roll pioneers like Elvis, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and BB King.  Actually, what U2 was doing with the film and the accompanying album was paying homage to their heroes who had come before.  And it is the accompanying album, Rattle and Hum that is the #4 record on this ranking of U2's albums from worst to first.

Rattle and Hum is unique in that it is a kind of hybrid recording.  Nine songs are new and recorded in studios, four are U2 originals, recorded live in concert, two are live covers, and two tracks are snippets of other artists performing live.  The double album clocks in at over 70 minutes and the live recordings are interspersed with the studio tracks.  Somehow, this montage fits together nicely and works as both a live and studio album.  Consider the strengths of the studio recordings.  Imagine U2 releasing a new record with the following songs.  

1. Van Diemen's Land, 2. Desire, 3. Hawkmoon 269, 4. Angel of Harlem, 5. Love Rescue Me, 6. When Love Comes to Town, 7. Heartland, 8. God Part II, 9. All I Want is You.  

That's a classic album on its own.  When you throw in live original and cover tunes like Helter Skelter, All Along the Watchtower, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, and Pride (In the Name of Love), you have a classic record with a few bonus tracks to boot!  And though most of these songs are rooted in American blues, country, and rock 'n roll, there are hints in God Part II that the band was beginning to move to a more experimental sound.  

U2 Rattle and Hum - Released October 10, 1988

Album Charts - #1 Ireland, #1 UK, #1 US.

Worldwide Sales to Date - 14 Million

Singles - Desire #1 Ireland, #1 UK, #3 US.  Angel of Harlem #3 Ireland, #9 UK, # 14 US.  God Part II (did not chart).  When Love Comes to Town #1 Ireland, #6 UK, #68 US.  All I Want is You #1 Ireland, #4 UK, #83 US.

Standout Songs - Van Dieman's Land, Desire, Angel of Harlem, Love Rescue Me, When Love Comes to Town, Heartland, God Part II, All I Want is You.

Weakest Track - None

Hidden Gem - Heartland

Rattle and Hum is a fitting ending to the first chapter of U2's work and a creates an interesting segue to their next chapter in the 1990s. - Shay 

Ranking U2's Albums from Worst to First: #5 The Unforgettable Fire

 

In 1984, after wrapping up the War Tour, U2 had climbed nearly to the top of the mountain of rock n roll greatness without having quite yet summitted.  They had released three records with two of them being smash hits.  They had gradually gone from being the darlings of college radio to being a feature on FM pop and rock stations.  They had sold millions of albums, but they were also in danger of simply churning out the same kinds of songs that had given them success in the first place.  If they had climbed so close to the rock n roll peak, the last thing they wanted to do with their fourth record was plateau.  So, in early 1984, the band enlisted the assistance of ambient musician, Brian Eno (of Roxy Music fame) and the young but prodigious talent of Daniel Lanois to produce their next album.

Rather than going straight into a normal recording studio, the band decamped to Slane Castle for added inspiration as they created the soundscapes and audio tapestries that became The Unforgettable Fire.  This record is at once full of hit rock anthems, most notably Pride (In the Name of Love), while also featuring ambient and even esoteric tracks like Promenade, Elvis Presley and America, and MLK.  Somehow, Eno, Lanois, Hewson, Evans, Clayton, and Mullen held it all together, creating a classic record that was not bettered in the 1980s until three years later when the same group of men wrote, recorded, and produced The Joshua Tree.  If the latter record might be compared to an Ansel Adams photograph, the former album might be a Monet or Renoir painting.

     

U2 The Unforgettable Fire - Released October 1, 1984

Album Charts - #53 Ireland, #1 UK, #12 US.

Worldwide Sales to Date - 8.1 Million

Singles - Pride (In the Name of Love) #2 Ireland, #3 UK, #33 US.  The Unforgettable Fire #1 Ireland, #6 UK.  Wire #31 US Main Rock Chart.  Bad #19 US Main Rock Chart.

Standout Songs - A Sort of Homecoming, Pride (In the Name of Love), Wire, The Unforgettable Fire, Promenade, Bad, Elvis Presley and America, MLK.

Weakest Track - 4th of July

Hidden Gem - Promenade 

The Unforgettable Fire is an abstract masterpiece. - Shay

Ranking U2's Albums from Worst to First: #6 War

 

In the early 1980s, "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland were still raging.  For over 60 years Ireland had been divided into two separate political entities.  The Irish Free State, later becoming the Republic of Ireland, consisted of 26 counties and the majority of the island.  Six northeastern counties made up Northern Ireland which remained a part of the United Kingdom.  Hence the official name of the UK is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.  Most Roman Catholics, North and South in Ireland desired the UK to give up its control of the 6 northeastern counties and allow the entire island to be united under the government of the Republic of Ireland. However, in the late 20th century, Protestants (the descendants of Scottish and English planters first given land in Ireland under James I) still made up a majority of the population of Northern Ireland and wished to remain British.  Over time, the tension between the two communities in the north bubbled up into outright hostilities, climaxing in atrocities committed by both sides against one another (and sometimes even against each other).  The British army was called in to "keep the peace", but as is typical with occupying forces, at times the "shit hit the fan".  In January of 1972, British soldiers shot 26 unarmed peaceful nationalist protesters in Derry, killing 14.  It is this incident that informs the narrative of U2's classic song, Sunday Bloody Sunday, released on the War album in 1983.

"The Troubles" in Northern Ireland formed the basis for much of the themes on War, but the idea of human conflict in all of its various permutations is explored on this record.  From the Polish Solidarity struggle in New Year's Day, to the threat of global nuclear holocaust in Seconds, to the immigrant fleeing political violence in The Refugee, to the interpersonal struggles that dating and married couples experience in songs like Two Hearts Beat as One and Surrender, the album takes us down the human path of most resistance.  Bono jokes that it was on his honeymoon that many of the ideas for War came to him!  

Thematically, this album is tightly wound together, both lyrically and musically.  After a brilliant debut record and then a bit of a misstep on their second effort, U2 rebounded fantastically with War.  And with this output, they began to explore some new musical textures, adding violin to Sunday Bloody Sunday and horns to Red Light.  The album ends with a Davidic prayer taken directly from Psalm 40 and simply titled, 40. It is with this album and the subsequent tour that U2 grew from cult status to one of the biggest bands in the world.    

U2, War - Released February 28, 1983 

Album Charts - #16 Ireland, #1 UK, #12, US

Worldwide Sales to Date - 11 Million

Singles - New Year's Day, #2 Ireland, #10 UK, #53 US.  Sunday Bloody Sunday, #7 US Main Rock Chart.  Two Hearts Beat as One, #2 Ireland, #18 UK.  Surrender #27 US Main Rock Chart.

Standout Songs - Sunday Bloody Sunday, Seconds, New Year's Day, Drowning Man, Two Hearts Beat as One, 40.

Weakest Track - Red Light

Hidden Gem - Drowning Man

If Boy is possibly one of the most underrated debut records of all time, War is probably one of the most underrated rock albums of all time. - Shay