October is U2's redheaded stepchild. Pegged by music historians as the typically difficult sophomore album, U2 lore remembers October more for the drama behind it rather than the music. The combination of Bono's stolen lyric notebook and the band's involvement with the Christian group, Shalom, tends to overshadow October. Even U2 does not seem to regard the album well and largely ignores it. This is a shame and unfair to an album that, despite its obvious faults, is worth a listen. Even just to track the path of the U2 sound.The Edge begins to make great strides and new sounds and instruments begin to round out the band. Edge's sound continues to evolve and he relies less on the echo unit to create textures. This time around, he even writes a few riffs. October is a natural, if too ambitious, progression from Boy. U2 stretches out and a better production gives them a fuller sound. The record is much closer to War than Boy is in many respects.
With only a few weeks left in the recording schedule, a couple of girls made off one night with Bono's briefcase. The contents included a few hundred dollars and most of the lyrics slated for the October sessions. Now rushed and unprepared, Bono could not get it together in time for the deadline.
At the same time Bono, Edge and Larry were also involved with a Christian fundamentalist group that applied pressure on them to give up rock and roll for a full time commitment. Shalom was unable to put an end to the band but certainly strained relationships for a time between the "believers" and "non-believers" in U2. The fervor imbued Bono's lyrics with religious imagery. He would later become adept at changing a few words - such as changing "God" to "you" - and have a song with a much broader appeal. He had not quite figured that out at this point. The lyrical rush at the end of the sessions leaves a few of the songs feeling like incomplete thoughts, but several tracks are knockouts. In the end, the Edge saves the day keeping each song driving, if not at least compelling.
The record is top heavy with the best songs running first - a trait that seems to haunt each U2 record. "Gloria," "I Fall Down" and "I Threw a Brick Through a Window" are each exciting songs where the band is firing on all cylinders. The upbeat elements of Boy breakthrough again to create the same kind of thrilling energy. Into "Rejoice" and with the second half of songs the record becomes muddy with Bono's rushed lyrics. "What am I to do/What am I supposed to say" becomes a common thread through the remainder of October. That and his struggle to make big statements that do not resonate. Just as on Boy, it feels like the band is on the verge of something special, they just cannot seem to hit the right spot.
So much of October is a precursor to what U2 would become much more so than Boy was. The band just is not able to connect the dots yet. What should have been grand came across as pompous. What should have been emotional felt cold and distant. These were all problems the band would overcome successfully in the future with War and The Joshua Tree.
The reason for the rather lackluster response to October may have been a cause of U2 wearing boots they were not big enough to fit into yet. The success of the "Gloria" video on the still new MTV went a long way to keep U2 afloat. At least enough success to be able to make another record, a luxury many bands now would not have. Boy succeeded as a very personal album, while October was far too broad and unfocused. October was the record U2 had to make to get to War.
