Often Worth Returning to Boyhood
Fans already familiar with U2 may feel a pleasant surprise or a jolt to Boy. For those old enough to have bought it around the time it was released, they undoubtedly have a different perspective than mine own. It is a deceptively good little album. The Boys and Steve Lillywhite were really just kids who really knew little idea of what they were doing, either with their instruments much less in a studio.
The words popularly used to describe it in reviews are words like "raw" "youthful" "innocence" etc and I those are undoubtedly the case. I think unbridled, earnest, mature and humble are some others. "Cat Dubh" was a favorite of mine with these slinky, almost sultry, guitar riffs. "Out of Control" ("Our first single! We hope you like it!" for those who've seen U2 Go Home Live from Slane from 2001) shows bits of their anthemic future within it. The innocence is surely there in "Stories for Boys" and "The Ocean" in its airy waviness was often used to both start and finish their shows at the time.

All in all, a weighty, modest, and gently inspiring first effort.

One of the most underrated albums
No need to go into detail about "Boy." "Into The Heart," "An Cat Dubah," "Stories For Boys," "I Will Follow," "The Electric Co.," "Out Of Control..." are all timeless classics and propelled U2 into their universal acceptance and popularity.

You never see it mentioned in Rolling Stone or Billboard these days, or talked about as an influence by popular or indie musicians, which is too bad. Before U2 finally laid an "Atomic Bomb," next to the Stones, they have the longest running legacy in rock music, and this album is where it all started.

Boy
U2-Boy *****

Hardly the band they would become but still amazing. If anything the boys from Dublin seemed to have more heart back then opposed to modern times. Maybe not more heart, but certainly more angst. More of a punk band than the rest of the groups releases, and yet their is hardly anything to call political or socially conscious here, it's just the album feels more honest than any of the bands other offerings, more true, more angry, more passionate than anything the band ever released. Now don't get me wrong I not saying this is U2's best album, it isn't but it truly is one of their top albums.

For a debut they knew what they were doing. 'I Will Follow' stands out among all other songs the band released, even with 'One' from Achtung Baby, and 'With Or Without You' from The Joshua Tree. The religious rocker is nothing short of stellar! Truly one of the bands lost gems. 'Out Of Control' rocks just as hard as anything the band ever released. 'A Day Without Me' is spacey and slightly on the verge of A Flock Of Seagulls with it's very new wave feel, but is saved by Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton's rhythm section. 'Shadows And Tall Trees' closes the album with a hint of what was to come, leaving fans wanting more, as all closing tracks should do, and that is saying a lot because it is the weakest song on the album.

The Edge hadn't totally found his sound yet as a guitar player, and Bono hadn't really found his "Godly voice" as his name suggest and his lyrics weren't as imperative to the bands music but I still cannot give this album less than five stars in good faith. The heart in this album is unmatched by just about everything that would come in the following decade of disposable music, and for that I have to give Boy a five star rating and a massive recommendation to anyone interested.

it's called boy as in, boy what a great album
Easily one of U2's most underrated albums, Boy is a very melodic and interesting album from start to finish. This was when U2 was in the beginning stages of their career, and focused on writing memorable hooks and quality songwriting. One the bands best albums in fact, right next to October. A masterpiece like this has to be treated with the respect it deserves.

No the best but a great one
"I will follow" is by far the best song of U2's debut album. BOY is a great sample of this band's potential. Songs like "Out of control" and "Stories for boys" sell the album as well, but the rest of BOY doesn't reach the level of these three classic hits.