Fly-on-the-wall view of U2

Press, 1 November 1984, Page 11

Fly-on-the-wall view of U2

“Radio With Pictures” on Sunday night will feature a half-hour documentary on the Irish band, U2.

Neither an in-concert special nor an interview, the programme — called “The Unforgettable Fire,” after the band’s latest album — is a fly-on-the-wall look at the band recording the album in Slane Castle in Ireland. The home of an Irish peer, Slane Castle has a huge ballroom with a ceiling 10 metres high. U2 wanted to use this big, ambient room to record in, instead of a traditional re-

cording studio. The documentary mainly shows the band and the producer, Brian Eno, working on “Pride (In the Name of Love)” — the first single from the album and a recent New Zealand number one.

When U2 toured New Zealand in September, the guitarist, The Edge, was quoted as saying: “I think we recorded ‘Pride’ about five times before we were happy. It was a very troublesome piece to record satisfactorily. I don’t know why, there were all sorts of troubles getting it to sit right, to work emotionally.

It’s just as well, because I think the original versions are just a shadow of the final version.” “The Unforgettable Fire” is U2’s fourth album, the others being “October,” “War” and the live'album, “Under a Blood Red Sky.” The title is that of an exhibition the band saw in Hiroshima, Japan, featuring paintings by victims of the nuclear holocaust there. U2 emerged from Dublin five years ago. The band members — Bono Vox, vocals, The Edge, guitar, Larry Mullin, drums, and Andrew Clayton, bass — are all in their mid-20s.