U2

BOY announced the arrival of four young men from Dublin who would conquer the world in short order. Bono and company were barely out of their teens when they recorded their first album, and their youthful vigor lights up every track here. Full of ambition, driven by a politicized (though not yet explicitly so) sense of purpose, the songs give listeners an idea of what it's like to come of age in a strife-torn country and count on rock and roll as your means of transcendence. Bono's clear, strong voice rings out over the already-anthemic arrangements. Though none of the band members had yet developed much instrumental facility, their commitment and emotion are palpable in the simple-but-perfect parts they play. "I Will Follow" was BOY's calling card, unfolding with brashness and a sense of wonder as it chronicles the journey from boyhood to manhood, a trip the band had only just taken recently. BOY stands as an auspicious beginning to a long, successful career.

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