Track Listing

1. Sort Of Homecoming, A
2. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
3. Wire
4. Unforgettable Fire, The
5. Promenade
6. Bad
7. Promenade
8. Indian Summer Sky
9. MLK
10. Elvis Presley and America

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12763 in Music
• Released on: 1985-06-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 43 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
An appreciable leap forward in almost every fashion from the group's first trio of albums, The Unforgettable Fire is its first with the production team of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. And while they take a strong hand in wrestling U2's music out of the mainstream and into a more individualistic area, it's the songs themselves that demand a more subtle approach. Moody gems such as "A Sort of Homecoming" and the entrancing "Bad" set the table for more explosive fare such as "Pride", "Wire" and the title track. This is the album that made U2 a career act, showing that their music could grow by leaps and bounds, even at the hand of another, without sacrificing its soul. --Daniel Durchholz

CD Description
The title of this album was taken from an exhibition of paintings by survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It confirmed U2 as one of a handful of bands able to tackle such vast andemotive subjects with dignity and musical integrity. There are few artists capable of writing about religion, war, race, the Irish problem and life with such ferocity and global commercial success. 'Pride (In The Name Of Love)', a hymn to Martin Luther King, was a worldwide hit, and almost every track is an anthem sung by millions. The production by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois was a taste of things to come.

Customer Reviews

Operative word being "Unforgettable"!
This album is almost a debut for U2. No longer using Steve Lilywhite as producer, they also gave a dramatic gear change in style. Bono's songwriting here is a lot more ambient and all the more beautiful for it. Edge's contribution to this album is remarkable as he produces short, melodic riffs showcased magnificantly in "Pride: In the Name of Love" and the absoultely mesmerizing "Bad". There is not a bad track on this album (which was a first for U2 albums at this time because however good Boy, October and War were, there were some naff moments on all of these albums).

Just like The Joshua Tree had an absolutely explosive first three tracks, so does this in the form of "A Sort of Homecoming", "Pride:In the Name of Love" and "Wire", all of which are achingly beautiful songs. Then comes the title track "The Unforgettable Fire" that is the one of the few U2 songs more focused on the music than the lyrics. It is truly breathtaking. Then their are Promenade and 4th of July which are also very beautiful and, at times, heroic. Then theres Bad. A song about death caused by drug abuse. It's an epic song that truly takes your breath away. The last part of the album is toned down a little with the very serene numbers MLK, Indian Summer Sky and Elvis Pressley and America. All in all this album will always be remembered by people as the one before the Joshua Tree, but you really should look at this album for what it really is: timeless

Second Of Three Great U2 Albums In A Row
'The Unforgettable Fire' is one of the best albums ever made in my opinion as U2 once again demonstrated they could produce more than one classic album, 'War' was excellent, this was even better and 'The Joshua Tree' saw them at their peak. This album features some of U2's greatest songs. My favourite U2 song is on this album, in the form of the title track. It is an incredibly moving piece of music and despite it's subject matter, proves uplifting. 'Pride' is a also a classic, while 'Wire', 'A Sort Of Homecoming' and 'Bad' are unique gems, in their own right. All put together on this album it reaches classic status and is their second best album behind 'The Joshua Tree'. Essential to any true cd collection.

Timeless masterpiece
This was the first U2 album I heard back in the mid 80s and I was deeply attached to it. I must have listened to it hundreds of times, and yet it still sounds fresh now in 2001.

I followed them avidly until about 1990 until I began to lose interest. For me they have never bettered this album. Obviously Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois got the band to produce something special (interestingly I also love Eno's Apollo album which he recorded at this time - some of it rubs off here)