my best friend mike is currently taking a journey through his cd collection. his music reviews have inspired me to start a new series here at the sky is big - my top 20 favorite albums of all time. over the next several weeks, on any given saturday or sunday, i'll give a short review of a favorite album of mine, as well as a corresponding photo that i have taken that fits with the album of choice.
today's image represents what i believe to be one of the greatest albums of all time. u2 has long been one of my favorite bands, and this might be their greatest work. i was not yet 5 years old when it came out in 1987, and it wasn't until i was much older that my friend phil introduced me to this collection of songs.
i purchased it first on vinyl in a yard sale, and then it was one of the first cds i ever bought for my sizable collection. i even had it stolen in south africa and then was given to me by a friend who graciously passed on her copy.while the album contains a plethora of songs that any casual u2 fan has heard - "where the streets have no name", "with or without you", "i still haven't found what i'm looking for" - it also has incredible songs that never made it big. songs that have deep dark imagery, like "running to stand still" or "exit".
it wasn't until i listened to this album on my ipod while wandering through joshua tree park a few years ago that this album really exploded to life. i can't quite explain the feeling of hearing an album in the perfect setting, but it ended up being pretty magical.
this album has always been a favorite of mine and i'm sure it always will be. stay tuned for the next album review.
