I’ve been thinking a lot recently about all the things that have happened over the years, all the reasons for there to never have been a U2, or for the band to no longer continue. To start with, when the band initially formed none of the guys really knew how to play their instruments.
Read MoreWhy U2? – # 40 – Humor
I often hear U2 criticized as being humorless, which is a complaint that I never got. I suppose, to someone who’s only ever seen the cover to The Joshua Tree and nothing else from the band, those four guys look mighty serious, but that’s far worse than simply judging a book by its cover. Judging […]
Read MoreWhy U2 #39 – The Songs
I was thinking last night about my “Why U2?” series of articles, and it occurred to me that I had yet to write about one of the biggest and most obvious reasons that I love U2, and that is the songs. I mean, really, that’s what it all boils down to, isn’t it? The songs; […]
Read MoreWhy U2 #38 – Christianity
It’s no secret to regular readers of my articles that I’m an atheist. Some have commented in the past on how unusual it is for someone who believes that there’s no god to be a fan of a band that references God in every other song, the singer of which has even publicly even proclaimed […]
Read MoreWhy U2 #37 – Bootlegs
I’ve been spending a lot of time lately working on my collection of U2 bootlegs. With a new tour right around the corner, now seems like a good time to get my collection in order so that I can add to it easily when new recordings become available. Over the years, I’ve kind of taken […]
Read MoreWhy U2 #36 – The Keys to U2’s Staying Power
U2’s longevity is one of the most praiseworthy aspects of the band. Over 38 years ago now, (longer than I’ve been alive) Feedback held their first meeting in Larry’s parents’ kitchen, and they haven’t looked back since. This is particularly noteworthy when one factors in the success that U2 has had – whether we’re talking […]
Read MoreWhy U2? #35 – It’s All About the Songs
I was thinking today about the ways in which Songs of Innocence did and didn’t meet my expectations – not so much with regard to how much or how little enjoyment I get from the record, but more in the ways U2 did or didn’t do what I thought they’d do. In the most important […]
Read MoreWhy U2? #34 – The Color of Music
Every band has moods to their music, I think, although that’s less true with some artists than it is with others. Some artists seem to focus on one mood – anger, for instance – throughout their entire body of work. Most, though have at least a a couple of songs that delve into romance or […]
Read MoreWhy U2 #33 – What Comes After Familiarity?
I noticed something in “So Cruel” tonight that I’d never noticed before – a kind of sliding click right before the main drum track kicks in. It sounds like drum sticks, but I’m not sure exactly what’s being done with them, The exact sound isn’t really the point anyway. The point is that it’s amazing […]
Read MoreWhy U2 #32 – Where To Next?
While I was driving home from my day job tonight, my iPhone randomly chose to play the following three songs for me, in this order: “Cedarwood Road”, “The Fly”, and “Mofo”. It struck me as the last of the three was playing that each of the three songs transported me to a very different location […]
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