Shadows and Tall Trees
| Boy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by U2 | ||||
| Released | 20 October 1980 | |||
| Recorded | July–September 1980 | |||
| Studio | Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin | |||
| Genre | Post-punk | |||
| Length | 42:52 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer | Steve Lillywhite | |||
| U2 chronology | ||||
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| North American cover | ||||
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| Singles from Boy | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| The Austin Chronicle | |
| The A.V. Club | A |
| Chicago Tribune |  |
| Entertainment Weekly | B |
| Pitchfork Media | 8.3/10 |
| Rolling Stone | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| Sounds | |
| The Village Voice | C+ |
Boy is the debut studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Steve Lillywhite, and was released on 20 October 1980 on Island Records. It contains many songs from the band's 40-song catalogue at the time, including two tracks that were re-recorded from their original versions on the band's debut release, the EP Three.
The album was originally slated to be produced by Martin Hannett, who produced the band's first single for Island, "", but he was ultimately replaced by Lillywhite. Boy was recorded from July–September 1980 at Dublin's Windmill Lane Studios, which became U2's chosen recording location during the 1980s. It was also their first time working with Lillywhite. He employed unorthodox production techniques, such as recording Mullen's drums in a stairwell, and recording smashed bottles and forks played against a spinning bicycle wheel. The band found Lillywhite to be very encouraging and creative, and he subsequently became a frequent producer of their recorded work. Thematically, the lyrics reflected on adolescence, innocence, and the passage into adulthood, themes represented on the album cover through the photo of a young boy's face.
Boy received generally positive reviews and included U2's first single to receive airplay on US radio, "I Will Follow". It peaked at number 52 in the UK and number 63 in the US. The album's release was followed by the group's first tour of continental Europe and the US, the Boy Tour. In 2003, the album was included at number 417 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". In 2008, a remastered edition of Boy was released.
Originally, Boy was slated to be produced by Martin Hannett, who had produced U2's 1980 single "" as well as the group Joy Division. However, after the suicide of Joy Division's lead singer Ian Curtis, Hannett was allegedly too distraught to work. Producer Steve Lillywhite, who had produced other post-punk bands, was sent a copy of U2's first release U2-3 by Island Records to gauge his interest in producing their first album. After seeing them perform live, Lillywhite agreed to produce their single "A Day Without Me". Although the song failed to chart, the band had an enjoyable working experience with him and agreed to have him produce their debut studio album.
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