“The Re-Assemble” Album Shows U2 at the Top of Their Game
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, Ireland's U2 reached into a drawer and decided to release not only the remastered original songs but also those unreleased tracks that would certainly not have been a disgrace back then.
There's no need to go on at length about songs that are already among U2's concert milestones. The album starts with a strong opening single "Vertigo", which still captivates with its energy. Bono's lyrics, touching on broad themes such as love, war and faith, remain relevant years later. Tracks like "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own" and "City of Blinding Lights" still show the power of U2 – and this was at a time when The Edge loved loud guitar playing and Bono was brimming with energy.
In addition to the familiar tour footage, the new Re-Assemble Edition contains several unreleased tracks that deserve our attention. The opener "Picture Of You (X+W)" is true rock bad-ass music with a groovy guitar riff and a hopeful chorus into which Bono has infused elements of sadness, joy and the beauty of what was but will no longer be. A punk rock chord sequence dominates the "Evidence Of Life" with an '80s nostalgia sound, while the immediately following "Luckiest Man In The World" bears the typical U2 signature: jangling guitars, darkly rumbling bass, as well as Bono's strong and passionate vocals.
"Happiness" retains an indie-rock edge in the spirit of Franz Ferdinand, including a loud riff and a choral refrain. The "Theme From The Batman" that the Edge composed for the animated series will make you smile. On "Treason" U2 experiment and remind of Muse, when jittery orchestrations touch Bono's urgent vocals, as well as on the ballad "I Don't Wanna See You Smile". Enchanting shoegaze in a goth-pop guise flows in "Are You Gonna Wait Forever?". A brooding charge with restless guitar playing recalls the atmosphere of "Achtung Baby" when Trabants lit up the stage and brought a wind of change to a stale central Europe.
As musicians, what can you appreciate about the album?
Surprisingly, Re-Assemble Edition retains its punchy character and a more artistic nature than one would expect from stadium matadors like U2. Some of the songs have their specific evolution, such as "Picture Of You", which was first called "Xanax & Wine", then "Fast Cars", and finally, with a minute longer running time thanks to the Edge's guitar, it was one of the album's standout tracks.
So all that's left to do is give U2 a round of applause for an unexpectedly released record that has a "nonpreaching" grandiosity, yet celebrates love and spirituality as the only way to a happy life. Musically, Re-Assemble Edition retains a similar hybrid character as the iconic Rattle and Hum, which is still one of the album milestones of the 1980s. The nostalgia here is underlined by the Edge's iconic jangling playing, punk rock rhythms ("All Because Of You 2"), as well as trip-hop elements calling back to the band's wacky period from the Zooropa days.
Re-Assemble Edition could have seen the light of day as a double album twenty years ago. Yet the rediscovered songs have perhaps pleased us more now, as U2 retrospect their legacy – which is considerable.
U2 – Re-Assemble Edition
Island Records, 00:40:12
Rock
80 %
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