U2
This is a direct excerpt from UNCLE JOE'S RECORD GUIDE - The Eighties, Copyright (c) 1996 by J. Benson Unlimited. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.
In many ways, U2's is a classic rock & roll story: school chums form a garage band; become the biggest rock & roll group in the world; then continually reinvent themselves artistically and continue to grow commercially as well. A fantasy life!
When they formed in Dublin in late 1976, guitarist/vocalist Paul 'Bono' Hewson and bassist Adam Clayton, both 16, and drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. and guitarist Dave 'The Edge' Evans, both 15, barely knew how to play their instruments. They had no perspective of the history of rock & roll and virtually no musical role models to imitate. None of them would have guessed in their wildest dreams that only six years later, U2 would become more successful than any other Irish band - or that 12 years after forming, they would be hailed as the musicians of their generation - "The Band Of The Eighties!"
Bono once compared the chemistry of U2's four musicians' to the magical creative relationships of the members of the Beatles, Rolling Stones and the Who. The four musicians had a special bond that transcended normal working relationships. Like R.E.M., U2's musical creativity was largely intuitive and non-calculating. Although Bono penned the bulk of the group's lyrics, all of U2's songs were group compositions, and each number was a true by-product of the group's interaction. Lyrically and spiritually, from their earliest overtly religious work, through later reflections on life and death, personal relationships and society's ills, to the purposely overstated grandiose statements of the Zoo TV and Zooropa tours, U2 never hesitated to speak out through their music. Even their mysterious group name was a unique statement. Its multiple inspirations included the American U2 spy plane, the German U2 submarine; EverReady's biggest selling batteries in the U.K. (the U2), and a simple abbreviation of the inclusive "you too."
This book also documents another unique factor in U2's approach to music: their consistent use of B-sides. While other artists - most notably Bruce Springsteen and R.E.M. - have released extensive bonus track catalogs, U2's motivation was unique from the very beginning. The severely depressed economy of their homeland prompted U2 to specifically market their singles to people as a good value. To this end, U2 consistently used outtakes and live tracks as B-sides on their singles - thus insuring their fans were getting more than another copy of song from their latest album.
As U2's live performance and songwriting evolved in the early Eighties, the Pretenders became the first internationally successful "new wave" band, then the Police became the first true rock & roll superstars of the decade. As U2 began to achieve platinum record sales in the mid-Eighties, Bruce Springsteen finally captured the imaginations of rock fans around the world as his Born In The U.S.A. album sold over 16 million copies and his record breaking world tour stretched for 14 months. In 1987, even U2's most fervent fans were surprised by the depth of material - and huge popularity - of the band's The Joshua Tree album. "The Band Of The Eighties!" Time Magazine proclaimed. But while the Police broke up after they hit the top, and Springsteen retreated to a more quiet place, U2 moved on and grew. Their next release - Achtung Baby - and tour were even bigger artistic and commercial successes!
U2's is a classic rock & roll story, with far more success on every level - commercial and artistic - than anyone would ever dare dream.
U2 Birth Dates
Adam Clayton - March 13, 1960
Dave 'The Edge' Evans - August 8, 1961
Paul 'Bono' Hewson - May 10, 1960
Larry Mullen, Jr. - October 31, 1961
U2
The Joshua Tree(24-27)
6th LP, released 3/87 - about a year and a half after The Unforgettable Fire and 10 years after U2 first began playing live gigs. On November 11, 1985, a short four months after they played the huge Live Aid benefit concert, U2 gathered at bassist Adam Clayton's home studio to start work on a new album. When songs began to emerge from the rehearsal jams, U2 summoned the co-producers who had helped with the experimentation that resulted in The Unforgettable Fire: Daniel Lanois [pronounced lan-WAH] (who'd also worked with Peter Gabriel) and Brian Eno (who'd worked with David Bowie). Together, a decision was made to "capture the moment" with live in-studio recordings, and to totally develop each song within its own structure -- something U2 had never really done before.
In early 1986, the band returned to Slane Castle near Dublin where they began to work intensively on their new music. The 200-year-old castle allowed the opportunity to extensively experiment with new acoustic and recording techniques. In early May 1986, U2 debuted some of their new material at the Self Aid concert in Dublin. Two weeks later, they took a break from recording to join Sting, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed and a few others for the 15-day Amnesty International Conspiracy Of Hope benefit tour of America. Those shows marked the first time U2 acknowledged their rock & roll roots through the inclusion of cover songs such as Bob Dylan's "Maggie's Farm," Eddie Cochran's "C'mon Everybody," and an incredible reworking of the Beatles' "Help."
By January 1987 - a year after they began to record this project - U2 had worked up over 30 songs, and the 11 tracks that were to become this album were almost finished. Lyrically, The Joshua Tree drew from Bono's experiences working in an Ethiopian refugee camp, traveling through war torn Central America, the death of a friend and considerable religious musings. Even the title had spiritual implications, as the Joshua Tree is supposed to point the way towards the promised land. Musically, this album revealed a band at its intuitive and creative peak.
The Joshua Tree was U2's first album in which most of the basic tracks were recorded live as a group - a technique long used by Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty. But this new approach proved more time-consuming than U2 had planned, so as the release deadline approached, the band found it necessary to bring back their original producer, Steve Lillywhite (who had been working with the Rolling Stones), to help with some of the final mixing. The Joshua Tree was finally finished in mid-February, just weeks before its release date. At that point, bassist Adam Clayton was 27 years old, Bono 26 and drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. and the Edge were 25.
This was the defining album of U2's career - the album that made them a household name. The Joshua Tree hit the top of the charts a month after its release, and stayed there for nine weeks in Spring and Summer 1987. It sold over five million copies in the U.S. and over 10 million worldwide. In April 1987, U2 were featured on the cover of Time magazine, an accolade previously received only by the Beatles, the Who and Bruce Springsteen. U2's music had captured the essence of the Eighties just as the Eagles had done with their Hotel California album in the Seventies.
As the nine-month The Joshua Tree tour moved around the world, U2 supplanted Bruce Springsteen as the biggest rock & roll artist in the world. In early 1988, they were awarded the 1987 Grammy Awards for the Best Rock Performance By A Group and the Album Of The Year. At that point, the young Irish quartet had reached the absolute pinnacle of the rock & roll world without compromising any of their ideals.
** Special Notes: The Joshua Tree was dedicated to the memory of Greg Carroll (1960-1986), Bono's personal assistant/roadie and a close friend of the band. Greg was killed in a motorcycle accident while running an errand for the group.
U2 recorded the Woody Guthrie song "Jesus Christ" at the famous Sun Studios in Memphis during The Joshua Tree tour. In September 1988, "Jesus Christ" was released on the benefit album Folkways: A Vision Shared - A Tribute to Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly.
- "Where The Streets Have No Name" was a tune Bono had partially written in Ethiopia while he and his wife spent a month working in a refugee camp following the Live Aid benefit concert. Another of the song's lyrical references relate to some parts of Ireland, where it is possible to tell what street a person lives on just by their accent. After a long and complicated recording, "Where The Streets Have No Name" was mixed by Steve Lillywhite (the band's original producer) just before the album was finished. As the third American single from this album, it peaked #13 on the charts in October 1987. Since then, Bono has identified "Where The Streets Have No Name" was one of his favorite U2 songs of all time.
B-1: "A Race Against Time" was an outtake from The Joshua Tree sessions.
B-2: "Silver And Gold" was originally released in August 1985 on the Sun City anti-apartheid album. The original track featured Keith Richards and Ron Wood (of the Rolling Stones) as well as Robert Palmer (the blues critic, not the pop artist). The song evolved after Bono hung out with Peter Wolf (of the J. Geils Band) and Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (of the Stones). The three older musicians jammed on blues songs Bono had never heard, which caused him to realize his lack of knowledge about the blues and the true origins of rock & roll. Later that day, Bono wrote "Silver And Gold" about an imprisoned Black South African, from the prisoner's perspective. U2 recorded this version of the song during The Joshua Tree sessions.
B-3: "Sweetest Thing" was an outtake from The Joshua Tree sessions. - In May 1987, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" became the second single released from this album. By August, it was U2's second #1 charting, million-selling hit.
B-1: "Spanish Eyes" was one of U2's finest outtakes. Producer Brian Eno supplied the synthesizer parts, and the band handled their own production on the track. Because this was one of the Edge's favorite U2 songs, the group occasionally played "Spanish Eyes" in concert.
B-2: "Deep In The Heart" was an experimental outtake first released as a B-side in Japan. - "With Or Without You" was mixed by Steve Lillywhite (U2's original producer who had gone on to work with the Rolling Stones). The first single released from The Joshua Tree, "With Or Without You" became their first #1 charting, million-selling single in early May - while The Joshua Tree was locked in at #1 on the album charts.
B-1: The outtake "Luminous Times" was co-written by producer Brian Eno. B-2: Another Joshua Tree outtake, "Walk To The Water" was later featured in the Irish film The Courier. - "Bullet The Blue Sky" was directly inspired by Bono's experiences in Nicaragua and El Salvador following The Conspiracy Of Hope tour for Amnesty International. After making the trip to see first hand what human rights abuses were like in those war torn countries, Bono later had the Edge produce a guitar sound like jets dropping bombs on the Salvadorian countryside. "Bullet The Blue Sky" was also mixed by Steve Lillywhite. An alternate ending recorded and almost used changed the last line from "Outside is America" to "Outside is the world."
Note: "Bullet The Blue Sky" contained the lyric "In the locust wind comes a rattle and hum," the line that U2 later used for the title of their follow-up album and movie. - "Running To Stand Still" emerged from a 15-minute jam with co-producer Daniel Lanois on rhythm guitar. Lyrically, it was inspired by the problems of the youth in Dublin. Ireland had one of the youngest populations, and one of the highest unemployment and drug addiction rates in all of Europe. The lyric "seven high towers" referred to a despised housing project near Bono's parent's home. He later said that "Running To Stand Still" remained one of his favorite U2 songs.
- "Red Hill Mining Town" was directly inspired by the British miner's strike of the mid-Eighties. It was written about the tradition of Irish families working in the same mines (or any occupation) for generations.
- "In God's Country was a song about America - its greatness and its dark side. Released as U2's fourth single from this album, it peaked at #44 in the States.
Note: Bypassing any more outtakes, the group elected to release the album tracks "Bullet The Blue Sky" and "Running To Stand Still" as B-sides to the "In God's Country" single. - Bono later said that the catchy tune "Trip Through Your Wires was a throwaway song. With typical Irish humor, he compared it to the Beatles' "Norwegian Wood," which was anything but a throwaway!
- Named for a real location in New Zealand, Bono wrote "One Tree Hill" for the group's good friend Greg Carroll, who was killed in a motorcycle accident while running an errand for the band. Bono sang the emotional vocal in one take, and the group finished the arrangement afterward. Bono and Larry then performed the song at Carroll's funeral July 10, 1986, in Wanganui, New Zealand. This song proved so emotionally difficult for the band to play in concert, it was rarely done live after Carroll's funeral.
- The dark Eno-influenced sonics of "Exit" underscored the fact it was supposedly written about a murderer.
- "Mothers Of The Disappeared" was another track inspired by Bono's trip to Central America. Much like Sting's song "They Dance Alone," this tune was about the mothers of victims killed or arrested by right-wing death squads. (Those taken into custody were never heard from again.)
