Votes: 36
Highest Rank: 4th (1)
Lowest Rank: 11th (1)
Over the years U2 has not travelled as far over the map as the ratings for their electric debut album were. We had a 4th (my ranking), 2 5ths, 6th, 9th, 2 10ths and 1 11th. Initially, I decided to attempt to rank my albums based solely on the music each album contained. However, I've quickly realized that such an endeavor is nearly impossible - music is too wrapped up in both the memories of it in our heads and the environment into which it was introduced. In addition, to try and compare "Boy" to "Dismantle" without factoring in that the former is the product of teenagers in a small studio and the latter is the results of multiple producers, a band with nearly 30 years experience and millions of dollars is not only unfair, but completely impractical.
The bottom line: when viewed through the lens of what it was...the first effort by an unknown band that blew the doors off of radio, it succeeded wildly. To this day, when U2 strikes up the chords to "Out of Control", "I Will Follow", "An Cat Dubh/Into the Heart" or "The Electric Co." in concert, the songs could be off of their newest album. Could the songs on Boy use more production value? Sure. But as SONGS they are still brilliant. Personally, I'll never forget being in Madison Square Garden the month after 9/11, as U2 played "Out of Control" while sharing the stage with dozens of NYFD's finest.
So does "The Ocean" suck? Sure. Is "Stories for Boys" annoying? Possibly. But Boy is still one of the better debut albums of the past 30 years. It gave hints of what was to come, but still excels as an album in its own right.
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