From the outset, U2 went for the big message -- every song on their debut album Boy sounds huge, with oceans of processed guitars cascading around Bono's impassioned wail.
It was an inspired combination of large, stadium-rock beats and post-punk textures.
Without the Edge's echoed, ringing guitar, U2 would have sounded like a traditional hard rock band, since the rhythm section and Bono treat each song as an anthem.
Of course, that's the charm of Boy: all of its emotions are on the surface, delivered with optimistic, youthful self-belief, yet the unusual, distinctive guitar textures give it an unexpected tension that makes it an exhilarating debut.
The songs may occasionally show some weakness -- the driving "I Will Follow," the dark "An Cat Dubh," and the shimmering "The Ocean" stand out among the sonic textures -- yet the band's musical and lyrical vision keep Boy compelling until the finish.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I Will FollowBono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. | U2 | Play | 03:37 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 2 | TwilightBono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. | U2 | Play | 04:22 | 10 MB | 27 MB |
| 3 | An Cat DubhBono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. | U2 | Play | 06:16 | 14 MB | 38 MB |
| 4 | Into the HeartBono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. | U2 | Play | 01:58 | 4 MB | 11 MB |
| 5 | Out of ControlBono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. | U2 | Play | 04:14 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 6 | Stories for BoysBono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. | U2 | Play | 03:02 | 6 MB | 20 MB |
| 7 | The OceanBono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. | U2 | Play | 01:35 | 3 MB | 7 MB |
| 8 | A Day Without MeBono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. | U2 | Play | 03:13 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 9 | Another Time, Another PlaceBono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. | U2 | Play | 04:33 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 10 | The Electric Co.Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. | U2 | Play | 04:47 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 11 | Shadows and Tall TreesBono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. | U2 | Play | 04:35 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 42 mins | 96 MB | |||||
| 42 mins | 265 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steve Avril | Art Direction, Design, Typography |
| 2 | Bono | Composer, Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals |
| 3 | Adam Clayton | Bass, Composer, Guitar (Bass) |
| 4 | The Edge | Composer, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals |
| 5 | Iain Finlay | Photography |
| 6 | Steve Lillywhite | Producer |
| 7 | Larry Mullen, Jr. | Composer, Drums |
| 8 | Paul Thomas | Engineer |
| 9 | U2 | Primary Artist |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |