Remembering U2's Boy In A Retro Style Record Purse

In the eighties, I was a huge U2 fan, but, then again, it was the eighties, and everyone was. Like many young girls, I collected all the magazine articles and posters to thumbtack to my ceiling,

saved my pennies to see them live--(which I have done 18 times to date); bought their records the moment they were released--(which used to be on Tuesdays--that was new release day at the record store), attended the premiere of their film, was present at Justin Herman Plaza for the impromptu jam session, (where today, I sell U2 record bags--is that irony?) and fantasized about meeting Bono--(which I have not done).

I still love U2 and buy their music, even if it isn't forced onto my phone as some random, 'stalkery' gift? The early stuff, is still my favorite. I love October, War and Under A Blood Red Sky. But before, U2 became the stadium-storming men of the world and were years away from becoming the 'World's Biggest Band', these young Irish, punk-rock loving lads, gave us Boy. A raw, gritty debut, which sounds and feels like it was their first time; a little nervous, unsure; a lost audition tape from the ages. 36 years later, and I still love this sound and this album.

Boy was released on October 20, 1980, and does not even remotely sound like a band that will eventually change the face of rock. The Edge hadn't developed his 'signature sound'; Bono had not crafted all his songs around God and politics and U2, was just beginning. The minimalist approach and the obvious influence of English post-punkers, ie: Joy Division, The Smiths, Echo & the Bunnymen. Siouxsie and Bauhaus, resonating with every prickly guitar riff.

It was their first time in a studio; and that studio became ‘their studio’, ‘their ‘ground zero’ during the eighties, which gave birth to some of their best work. It was their first time working with producer Steve Lillywhite, who became ‘their producer’, and Boy spawned their first hit, I Will Follow , (which, like The Who's, I Can't Explain, defined who this band would become,) and Boy was the launch of their first tour, across Europe and the USA. They were young and Boy captures that, not only through the music, but the lyrics which are mostly about the frustrations of adolescence and youth.

One sunny Wednesday morning, a fellow artist, John Tunui, phoned and told me he was having coffee in North Beach and there was a big yard sale that had tons of records. He had wandered over and sifted through them, then gave me a call. Based on his description, I went over; and it was on that sidewalk, that I rescued this copy of Boy. I say, 'rescued', as something had been dropped on the record, permanently damaging one side and rendering it unplayable.

This, my latest record bag, is created from the North American version of the album cover. Of course, it has an adjustable strap, zippered top and is a statement of uber cool; but at the heart of Rock A Record, is that moment of shared nostalgia, where we wander back to the eighties and remember our first time, as sweetly and fondly as if it had never left.

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