'In the locust wind....'

1 Oct 201371

'And the fever, getting higher...'  It arrived a quarter of a century ago and here's some of the ways  Rattle And Hum was a special record. For starters... it's got Desire.



It's got The Memphis Horns on Love Rescue Me and Angel of Harlem.



It was a double album (remember them?) with nine new songs, only 18 months after The Joshua Tree.

It came with its own film.
 'If I had feet like that Lawrence, I wouldn't want them in the film.'
'If I had a head like yours, I'd bleedin' bury it.'


It's got the New Voices of Freedom. The church choir from Harlem found the gospel truth in I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, sent the band a tape and asked them to church. Next thing you know they were onstage at Madison Square Garden and pressed in vinyl on Rattle And Hum. Praise the Lord!

'When you get to the bottom/ You go back to the top of the slide...' It channels the spirit of rock'n'roll from Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles to Bo Diddley and Elvis.

It went into the past to find a way into the future - with thanks to Bob Dylan (Hammond Organ on Hawkmoon 269, backing vocals on When Love Comes To Town, co-writing lyrics Love Rescue Me). 'If I'm honest this was the end of a journey that Bob Dylan had sent us on.' explained Bono. 'In 1985, sitting backstage at his concert in Slane Castle, he said to me, 'You've got to look back. You've got to go back. You've got to understand the roots.'
'I think we wanted to ground all the electricity that was going through us and to understand the past better. And it really did help us. Listening to black music helped us get the groove ready for Achtung Baby. Listening to folk music helped me develop as a lyricist. But this was a work in progress; gauche and awkward as it might have been, I think it was a necessary part of our development.'


Some of it was written in the bath. The band had been to see BB King, with Bono promising to write him a song. But when BB came calling for When Love Comes To Town, it wasn't quite ready. 'I wrote the lyrics in the bath in about ten minutes, while he was waiting downstairs,' said Bono. 'Got out of bath, dressed, went down and gave him the song. He said to me, 'You're kind of young to write such heavy lyrics.'

It's got All I Want is You. 'Van Dyke Parks came into the studio,' recalled Edge. 'Listened to what we'd done, went off and wrote this absolutely gorgesous and incredibly haunting arrangement which lasted two and a half minutes. It was a great way to end the album in that it has a traditional basis but it was a truly U2 song.'



It's got 'a red guitar, 3 chords and the truth' from the day that All Along The Watchtower helped 'Save The Yuppies' in San Francisco.

It was the end of an era and cleared the way for the band to 'go away and dream it all up again'. 'The best live rock album ever made' announced Time Magazine, getting slightly carried away. Other reviews were distinctly less fulsome but as Larry pointed out, the criticism '... did inspire us to go and chop down The Joshua Tree.'

What does Rattle And Hum mean to you? Remember where you were when you first heard it? Is there a track that'll always have a special meaning for you? Where does it sit among the band's releases ?   Tell us below and check out the conversation already underway on the boards in the Zoo.

(If you're tweeting about the 25th anniversary, don't forget the hashtag #rattleandhum )

Comments
71
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d_lowry
Soundtrack to major events
Bought it on release day. Wore it out with a crappy stylus. Copied the lines of my favourite songs all over my A level notebooks. Played Desire so often on the pub jukebox, the landlord turned it off in the bar and lounge. Played Heartland as I proposed to my girlfriend. My wife of 16 years walked down the aisle to all I want is you. Love, love, love this album.
pan360
accidental or everything happens for a r
In 1989 I was thirteen years old. I remember everybody at school was wearing t-shirts with bands and I didn’t have any. So, I said to my mother “I want to buy one too. I want a U2 T-shirt .” At that time I only knew the name of the band and I hadn’t heard any songs yet. A couple of months later I said to myself “hey, you are wearing a U2 t-shirt and everybody asks you if you are a fan... you need to really start listening to them!” So, I bought Rattle & Hum, their most recent album at that time and this is how my U2 love started!
pain_18_
REMASTERED !
I don't want to be 30 when they Remaster this... Please, U2, after you finish the New Album, get to remastering Rattle&Hum and pile up the rarities for the DeLuxe-Version !!!
dafro
the heart of the story
rattle & hum, but also zooropa and pop... each ones have great songs and deserve to have a deluxe edition like the others... they make their story !!! Like the others i'm sad that these albums are not in the heart of the group... Best regards from France
phllee
The Perfect MIx
To me, Rattle and Hum was the perfect mix, a blend of live songs and newly recorded music. Plus the chance to hear covers of the Beatles and Jimi were great as well. I still think Desire and God, Part II are really overlooked as some of the bands more powerful songs. I agree with everyone else here, it's time for a remaster, if not now, then the 30th anniversary for sure......
pain_18_
Remastred & DeLuxe
This album definitely needs the remaster and deluxe treatment, would love to hear my favourite song (God Part II) in remastered quality !!!
sortof_jos
Best song on the album
I had All I Want Is You sung in a special edition on my wedding day back in 1998. It will Always be a special song for me and my wife.
robinwillams2008
Rattle And Hum Remastered
C'mone u2, we're asking, you need to do it. remaster rattle and hum. it needs it. plus theres alot of rare tracks that go along with it. love you guys
Reggie Thee Dog
Remaster This Album...
it deserves to be updated and re-examined. Desire, All I Want is You, Angel of Harlem all songs in the upper echelon of U2's musical history. 25 years later this album glows a little more than it did when it was first released with all the hype that accompanied U2 and the movie. And this is the transitional album from The Joshua Tree to Achtung Baby...wow!
paul-hastings
Addiction...
The first U2 album I ever bought, I was sixteen at the time. It will always have a special place in my heart, and evokes so many memories. VDL is highly underrated, and the live version of Bad is a little piece of magic!
moanya
Rattle & Hum remastered!!
Rattle & Hum was the moment when I definitely gave my heart to U2. A feeling I will never forget, a 15 years old girl who went to theatre to see - for her first time - ROCK AND ROLL!!! Please please please release a deluxe edition of this great album and movie, that would be a beautiful gift for all the fans!! ROCK AND ROLL STOPS THE TRAFFIC!!!
lucvanhout
Diamond
Great songs, nice movie, that Desire- sound at Point Depot, black-white, powerfull Gods Country, Larry's words in Sun Studio, Streets' start in red, drums in With or Without, everything is that briljant. Yeh, all I want is "Rattle And Hum" = a diamond on the ring from U2 !!!
dquan81
Great memories!!
In 1989, my mom bought my dad the cassette for valentines day because he really liked Angel of Harlem. We listened to it all the way to Florida on vacation that spring. Fast forward 13 years and All I Want Is You was played at our wedding reception during our picture slideshow. Great memories associated with this album! Love it!
abraham1
Rattle a Hum special edition
Just to tell that All I want is you was played on my wedding day. As a fan I want and I need a Rattle & Hum special collectors and fans edition, just like other records. What musical press and musical critics said during eighties(you heard me Rolling Stone) it did not really matters, was senseless words. This album always will keep a special place in my soul, besides all I want, songs like Heartland, God part II, When loves come to town and many others are power songs. All musical genius influences in this records made a reference for any rock record from forward times. Again please produce a very special collectors and fan edition of this record, it deserves just like Joshua or Achtung. Rattle rocks.
wolle01
A lot of emotions young man, thats alrig
Cannot say which album I listened to more, Joshua Tree or R+H. Both fit together like Achtung Baby and Zooropa. I like the mix between live and studio recordings and the way deeper into the blues. But the emotional side of the U2-music comes out very good on this album, with some of my alltime-favorites All I Want Is You and Hawkmoon 269. GREAT!
Inger1971
For a friend
I got hooked when I was 9 (in 1980). My older brother was given a cassette tape with a picture of a little "Boy" for Christmas, so I have been there all along which is quite special for me. I went and saw the R&H movie with 2 great friends. Afterwards, we went to a R&H release party in a long gone night club in Copenhagen - absolutely fantastic evening! R&H will always have a place in my heart as I lost one of my friends from that evening the following year - the bastard who took her life away has never been found! So I have lots of emotions attached to R&H. All I want...is U2 :-)
musicabona
Like a rhythm unbroken
Having heard "Desire" on the radio at the age of 14, I was fascinated by its powerful groove immediately and recorded it on tape. After "The Joshua Tree" (which I had received as a gift on my 15th birthday) "Rattle And Hum" was my second album introducing me to U2´s outstanding artistry to make heartfelt music full of soul and emotion. Listening to the record, I enjoyed following the band´s exploration of important genres such as gospel and blues. The music teacher of my school organised a trip to a cinema where my class and I saw the "Rattle And Hum" movie. Not having attended any U2 concert back then, I had shivers when watching the band perform on a gigantic screen. Since that very first impression I couldn´t wait going to a U2 show. For me "Heartland" is still a gem demonstrating a moving journey through America. From its morning atmosphere to its passionate chorus, it continuously unfolds its majestic beauty, telling stories about the Mississippi, deserts, valleys and cities. The mesmerising drumbeats of "Hawkmoon 269" wonderfully accompany an ecstatic song about a deep yearning for love. May U2´s rhythm be unbroken.
zooropeanspee
OK Edge, play the blues!
I have very good memories of this record. It was probably the second U2 album I ever bought. Has some great songs and some embarrassing ones. It should had been an EP with 5-6 songs. I still get goosebumps every time I hear that guitar solo on Silver and Gold. It had to be my first attempt at air guitar ever!
diegoqvu2
R&H
I got it in ...2001!!! This one is a really rock/folk album, For me, high points are Heartland and Hawkmoon 269 (they should play them for next tour!!) and All I Want Is You. Special mention for great covers like Everlasting Love and Unchained Melody (both my favorite b-sides). Obviusly, it deserves a Deluxe edition and should be: CD1 - The Original Album (remastered) CD2 - B-Sides, including rare songs like Wild Irish Rose and other demos like She's A Mystery To Me, Can't Help Falling In Love, Blow Your House Down (acoustic version), etc DVD - Lovetown Documentary
leomk2
Rattle and Hum.....
I was fifteen back then. First I bought the double LP record, and my record player broke down. Then I bought the cassette, and the batteries leaked in walkman and of course he broked down. Then I went on trip to Venezia and in one record store i bought the movie on VHS tape. You gess? My fu***n' TV broke down. I was desperate. Luckily U2 was so popular at that time that they was on radio stations all the time. Then I got my first job, and i bought new record player and double deck cassette player and amplifier, new Tv and I was ready to enjoy. Rattle and Hum cost me some money. Up to day I bought album on Cd,and movie DVD and a flag which is in son's room now. Great album!
chufi
Rattle & Ham Sounds even louder
A must, even twenty five years later
pain_18_
1988
I was 8 months old when this came out in 1988, need I say more ???
karl20
karl 20
please give away with the next membership free gift a special edition rattle n hum gift
bragi
//
rattle and hum I just want one..
febottini
Graceland
Despite all the criticism, Rattle and Hum is still my favourite U2 film! Because it´s not only a show but it includes backstage scenes, interviews... I love that part in Graceland playing Heartland and Larry statement. It´s very emotional and touching! A real fan talking about his idol... and it´s just like I feel about you. I´ve identified myself there. I still have it in VHS too but I agree with some people here: we want a deluxe edition too. Love, from Brazil.
BEALU2
Wow 25yrs
A Sneaky track is VDL by Edge..and of course Hawkmoon 269..25yrs and still timeless thanks B.E.A.L
lucvanhout
RATTLE AND HUM IS STILL MY FAVOURITE
I was 18 years old and already 5 years fan when these 4 Irish boys came out with this beautiful album and film. Thank you. Let's celebrate this 25th anniversary with new clotching and a DVD Happy Newyear at Point Depot 1990
forgrins
Have VHS of documentary
I'm proud to relay i still have the VHS of this documentary. Not only that (are you ready?), I still have a VHS player! Yes! If ain't broken, don't try to fix it! Am I right, Edge? You and your collection of cassette tapes! Love it!
Raheny66
Rattle and Hum
What an Album I have the original on Double album fantastic I have even got the cover artwork tattoo on my leg, best band ever cant wait for the new album and tour. Best song on that album difficult to say however I do enjoy Love Rescue me and Heartland
mitchymitch77
1st proper album i ever listened to
I remember this well. It was Spring 1989, I was 11 years old, on the ferry back from Zebruggee (Belgium) to Dover (England) on a school trip to Holland, our school is in Northern Ireland. My mate bought himself a cheap walkman on the boat, so naturally to copy him, I did the same. I obviously didn’t have any tapes on me as I never owned a walkman before, so I went around the boat asking some of the older lads from school for something to listen to. I would have been listening to 5star, Michael Jackson and judging by the jumper I was wearing in the school photos, Jason effin Donovan!! One guy who would have been 15 to 18 at the time gave me Rattle & Hum, so I put this into the walkman…well that was me hooked on the band. Yeah I had heard some of their singles from Joshua Tree on the radio but never had listed to a U2 album before…and that was what started my love of the band, and I immersed myself into their back catalogue. It’s probably why I’m always drawn to R&H. I also remember listening to the dave fanning show on 2fm waiting for the worldwide exclusive of their next release; The Fly. What the hell was this?????????? Turns out it was the future!!
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