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Good God... where to begin. These 4 Dublin lads had a monopoly on 'cool' and never relinquished their throne. They are singularly responsible for constructing the mold of 'Anthem Rock' that bands like the Alarm, Big Country, Joan Jett, Simple Minds and New Model Army all fit nicely in to.

Legendary producer Steve Lillywhite built his massive reputation on U2's first 3 albums as well as some of the bands mentioned above. U2 just sounded larger than life with Bono's heartfelt vocals and the Edge's waterfall guitar licks as they killed us with "I Will Follow" in 1980, "Gloria" in 1981 and "Sunday Bloody Sunday"/"New Year's Day" (take your pick) in 1983. To this day, I contend that the greatest album ever made was "War" which was released in 1983.

The first time I ever saw U2 was the second time they ever visited the U.S. and it was to be their first show of this tour. I remember May... 1982 like it was yesterday when me and my 3 high-school pals drove to Chapel Hill, NC in the pouring rain to see a band no one at school had ever heard of.

Their performance was surreal as Bono grabbed a flag in the middle of "Sunday Bloody Sunday", wrapped his microphone around his neck and climbed up the lights along the side of the stage and then the along the lights over the stage. Once he reached the middle of the stage, he stood up, began waving the flag violently as he screamed "No More! No More! No More War!" in the pouring rain. This remains the single greatest concert experience of my life.

Well, blah blah, "Unforgettable Fire" and blah blah "Joshua Tree" and "Rattle and Hum", "Zooropa", "Achtung Baby" and the other albums, other hits, all the awards and all the press just kept coming. And coming. I could write a book, but that would be redundant at this point, right?!

U2 shifted my paradigm into sixth gear. The most phenomenal and jaw-dropping band of the 80's?! I dunno; you'll have to ask R.E.M.

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Do You Remember U2?

Do You Remember U2?

  • Anonymous user
    on
    u2 have built on wot the beatles did and improved it one of the most influential bands of the past 20 years best albumn in my opinion was unforgettable fire
  • Anonymous user
    on
    My best remembered U2 song is "Sunday Bloody Sunday", it's on their War album.
  • Anonymous user
    on
    A toss-up with the Beatles ??!! 'Vertigo' is a straight rip-off of Diana Ross' ' You Keep me Hanging On', it opens with the Spanish for : "One, two, three, fourTEEN". Granted, they've some good stuff &, music apart, Bono is to be commended for his humanitarian work. As good as the Beatles tho ? Don't think so...
  • Anonymous user
    on
    I love U2. They're almost a toss-up with the Beatles. I've got a couple of their cds and I've yet to buy more. I still think Bono is kind of sexy.
  • Anonymous user
    on
    It was early summer. I was at a friends house standing in the living room doorway, waiting for him to get in gear so we could go somewhere. His pain-in-the-neck little brother was watching MTV on the other side of the living room. I was talking to his Mom who had just walked in.Then I heard something. A low buzz, hum, from the TV. I found it a little annoying - though it did make me walk around so I could see what this weird high-pitched noise was. Right as I was rounding the corner, the words came."See the storm set in your eyes..."I stood transfixed. My friend was now ready. I didn't care. I did not move for the next 4 minutes. This was the first time I had heard the song. I stared forward and spent the next several hours in a daze. I never gave much thought to U2 before then. New Year's Day was all I had ever heard. I was not one of those underground band people, which U2 still was in early 1987. The precise orchestrations, Bono's painful pleading - With or Without You is a masterpiece. This is a song that almost 20 years later still sends a chill up my spine.

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