Number One Albums: #13

• U2 The Unforgettable Fire (Island)
• Week Ending 5th January 1985 (For 2 Weeks)
• Total Weeks On The Top 40 – 44

Oh God, U2.

(Cue joke about how in Bono’s mind they are probably one and the same thing).

It’s not unheard of for me to end up really liking a band who I didn’t especially “get” at first. What’s much less common is for me to end up really liking a band who I didn’t especially “get” at first, then becoming a massive fan, before developing a strong aversion to them.

In fact, U2 may be the one and only case of that kind.

Back in simpler and happier times, The Unforgettable Fire was the point where I came on board with the band and their music. Already popular in the UK with a #1 studio album (War) and a #2 live set (Under A Blood Red Sky) in 1983, U2 were eager to break out of the “anthemic rock” straightjacket and had ambitions for wider success. Brian Eno was persuaded to oversee their next album, along with his then little-known assistant by the name of Daniel Lanois.

Cue a plethora of dreamy soundscapes and ambient textures, helping to create a less orthodox take on Stadium Rock even while several of the songs would develop into enormodome-friendly anthems.

“Argh, not another feckin’ castle…is this the one, Bono? Nah sorry lads, I still haven’t found what I’m lookin’ for….

It still had some recognisably old-skool U2 anthems like Pride (In The Name Of Love) and Bad…while Wire was a frenetic, slithering guitar attack which ended up soundtracking one of the best episodes from Season One of Miami Vice.

The album was released at the beginning of October 1984, a week before then-peers Big Country unleashed their own eagerly-awaited follow-up to a chart-topping 1983 LP (Steeltown). However it wasn’t until I heard its title song on Radio 1’s lunchtime show just after Christmas (thank you, Gary Davies) that my interest in The Unforgettable Fire was awakened.

And what a stunning track it was, and remains. If Island Records had issued it as a single at the start of 1985, rather than waiting until late April, it would have been a certain #1 on my personal Top 40. However, they – and U2 – were playing a long game, not concerned about milking the album for hits or relying on a constant stream of singles to maintain their progress towards the summit of Rock.

The Unforgettable Fire was my last purchase of 1984, on a special trip to London’s HMV Trocadero just before New Year’s Eve, and my first #1 album of 1985. With no new releases to be distracted by, it was always a period where some catching-up could occur and albums belatedly found their way into my collection.