#417 U2 - Boy (1980)
MUSIC HISTORY WRITTEN BY HEAD WRITER DJ MORTY COYLE:
Released on October 20th, 1980 on Island Records and Produced by Steve Lillywhite this is the debut album from Dublin, Ireland, Post-Punk, Rock, band U2.
The title represents innocence and a fresh beginning and the songs explore youth, inexperience, adolescence, the passage to manhood, and the search for meaning,
In 1976 vocalist Paul Hewson, guitarist David Evans, and bassist Adam Clayton were all teenaged students at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, Ireland when fellow student, 14-year-old drummer Larry Mullen Jr. posted a note on the school’s bulletin board looking for musicians to start The Larry Mullen Band.
And speaking of old names.
The neighborhood gang nicknamed Paul “Bono” for a shortened version of “Bonovox”, a Latin phrase which means “good voice” and they nicknamed David “The Edge” allegedly because of the shape of his head.
The three of them as well as The Edge’s brother Dik Evans and a couple school friends responded and showed up to practice in the kitchen at Mullen’s parents’ house.
The two school friends dropped out but the five remaining formed the band “Feedback.”
They were influenced by nascent Punk Rock bands like The Jam, Sex Pistols, and The Clash and emboldened by the Punk Rock ethos of not having to be that musically proficient to make it.
Even though they were still mostly a cover band by the next year they were playing paying gigs and changed their name to “The Hype.”
A year later, after building a small following they changed it to U2 and started feeling that they would do better without The Edge’s now college-aged older brother, Dik.
As a four piece they entered and won a talent contest in Limerick in 1978 and the prize was some money and studio time to record a demo to be heard by CBS Records Ireland.
Winning proved to them how good they were, boosted their morale, and reaffirmed their belief in the band.
Although their nerves and inexperience in the studio made that session unsuccessful soon after they got Paul McGuinness as their manager and things fell into place.
By 1979 their popularity in Ireland had grown enough for them to record a three song EP for CBS.
It was an Ireland-only exclusive and only a thousand copies were made but it sold out immediately.
In early 1980 they put out another Ireland-only single on CBS and on the same day played to a crowd of 2000 at a stadium in Dublin. It was at that show that Island Records saw them and signed them.
In May they put out a single for Island called, “11 O’Clock Tick Tock” produced by Joy Division’s producer Martin Hannett.
The experience wasn’t pleasant for the band or the producer so after Steve Lillywhite produced another single for them and they all got along he was picked to produce their debut album at Windmill Lane Studios.
The band had over 40 songs to choose from and with an encouraging and creative producer who would explore interesting and innovative recording techniques the band flourished.
Lillywhite’s experimentation included playing bicycle spokes with forks, tapping glass bottles, and recording Mullen’s drums in the reception area hallway for the acoustics… but only at night because during the day the phone would ring and ruin the take.
They would go on to record their next two albums with Lillywhite at Windmill Lane Studios.
Boy came out and received mostly positive reviews.
And with the strength of the single, “I Will Follow”, which got them on US radio, the record went to #52 in the UK and #63 on the American charts.
They set off for their first tour of continental Europe and America and the rest is history.
They became one of the biggest bands in the world and are still going strong 40 years later with all four original members.