10 Great U2 Guitar Songs

According to Gibson website, the following are the 10 best U2 guitar songs:

New U2 albums are always a celebrated affair. While nobody knows whether U2’s long-awaited The Songs of Ascentwill arrive this year, it’s possible, if you believe frontman Bono.

“We’re working on three albums at the moment and we haven’t decided what order we’re going to put them out but The Songs of Ascent have the kind of beautiful intimacy that we’re speaking of now,” Bono said in a post on U2.com last year. “They fit into this moment, the mode of some of these artists that I was hanging out with on Christmas Eve.”

Whether or not we get new U2 this year, here are 10 great U2 songs that show off the band’s spunky Irish post-punk roots and show the chaps at their best.

“Beautiful Day,” from All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000)

Writing a happy rock song can be a daunting task, but U2 pulls it off with “Beautiful Day.” The song is a tribute to all the simple pleasures in life, told through Bono’s descriptive lyrics and the band’s anthemic, powerful sonics. From the opening reverberating electric piano to the closing, fading guitar lines, “Beautiful Day” makes one feel grateful for life’s blessings.

“I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For,” from The Joshua Tree (1987)

Who can’t relate to the experience of finally reaching a major goal, but feeling like something is still missing? U2 captures that sentiment in their anthem “I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For,” thanks to Bono’s longing lyrics and the Edge’s soulful, spiritual guitar playing.

“Mysterious Ways,” from Achtung Baby (1991)

“Mysterious Ways” is one of U2’s greatest love songs. The rock track features a dance-happy beat, the Edge’s funk-driven guitar hooks and Bono’s chivalrous lyrics.

“New Year’s Day,” from War (1983)

“New Year’s Day” marked a breakthrough for U2, since it was the band’s first single to chart in the U.S. Coming off that initial success, the song helped shaped U2’s direction as a socially-minded rock band, as the song was actually about the first non–communist party-controlled trade union in Poland. Musically, it follows U2’s traditions of warm, sweeping guitar lines and near-spiritual lyrics.

“One,” from Achtung Baby (1991)

“One” is one of U2’s most celebrated songs, presenting heartfelt vocals, relatable lyrics and big, grandiose instrumentation. The song was first released to support AIDS charities, although it was originally written about the band’s splintering relationships at the time. Regardless, it’s a U2 classic.

“Pride (In the Name of Love),” from The Unforgettable Fire (1984)

U2’s “Pride in the Name of Love” pays homage to the late, great Martin Luther King Jr., and in addition to the emotive lyrics, the Edge’s guitar work really makes the song soar. The track boasts one of the Edge’s most famous guitar solos, painting a sonic of hope and optimism, while Bono’s lyrics (“Free at last/They took your life/They could not take your pride”) are simply inspiring.

“Sunday Bloody Sunday,” from War (1983)

The Edge’s guitar soloing really stands out on “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” as it breaks through the song’s steady, march-like vibe with moving, sweeping lines. War, in general, highlights the Edge’s guitar work, and “Sunday Bloody Sunday” is a stand-out.

“Walk On,” from All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000)

Like many of U2’s songs, “Walk On” takes on a socially-conscious aura, as the track was inspired by Aung San Suu Kyi, who was under house arrest in Burma from 1989 to 2010. The song won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 2002, thanks in no small part of Bono’s poignant lyrics and the Edge’s guitar lines that sing and soar.

 “Where the Streets Have No Name,” from The Joshua Tree (1987)

The Joshua Tree was a breakthrough album for U2. The album was U2’s first No. 1 release and thrust the guys into the rock ‘n’ roll spotlight. “Where the Streets Have No Name” gets the set off to a strong start, with sparkling textures and an epic presentation.

“With or Without You,” from The Joshua Tree (1987)

“With or Without You” brings it all together for U2: Bono’s divine vocals, the Edge’s elevated guitar lines and the band’s overall angelic aura. It’s one of U2’s biggest hits and represents the moment when U2 went from being a great rock ‘n’ roll band to one of the most influential groups on the planet.

Learn more about The Edge’s guitar sound here.

 

Anne Erickson

http://www2.gibson.com

Best Seat In The House

Joe O'Herlihy at work

'I've got the best seat in the house,' explains Joe O'Herlihy, the band's veteran sound engineer. 'When the show is over people turn round and walk by front of house and you just see them smiling ear to ear. It's such a brilliant feeling.'

In the second part of the video interview, Joe talks about the 'pillars' of U2's sound, the songs they played thirty years ago and still drop in the set today and the 'uplifting' reaction of the audience.

"My biggest thing is that every single person there (1000 or 100,000) have to be able to understand every single word..."

To watch Joe talking about it all, click here:

U2 ; News ; Best Seat In The House

www.u2.com

Another Sound Win

The U2360° Tour has won the  award for Best '2010 Tour Sound Production' at the annual TEC (Technical Excellence and Creativity) Awards in Los Angeles.

U2's Joe O'Herlihy won in the category of Front of House Sound Engineer while 360 crew members Alastair McMillan, David Skaff, Richard Rainey and Niall Slevin picked up the award for Monitor Engineers. U2360° Tour partner Clair won Best 'Sound Company'.

The awards are known as 'the Grammy's' within the rock touring production industry and the U2 sound crew were up against talented competition from touring personell working with Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Metallica and James Taylor and Carole King. ML Procise from Clair, who have worked with Joe and U2 for over thirty years, accepted the award on behalf of the 360 Tour.

'It's a fantastic accolade at beginning of the year,' said Joe, when we caught up with him in Dublin. 'These are the awards  made by your peers in the industry and they recognise outstanding creative achievement so it's pretty special for us to win.'

Joe and the U2 crew were also winners in 2002 for the Elevation Tour and in 2005 for Vertigo and he said this win was a special tribute to the 16-strong audio team led by Jo Ravitch, Senior System Engineer.

 'This makes it a hat-trick of wins for us but not only is the competition getting tougher every year but  this time, with this 360 tour, we're doing something quite revolutionary which required us to completely rethink how we deliver great sound in the round in stadiums. We're delighted!'

And after a few weeks off, the team are already working on preparations for next months dates in South Africa and those in South America that follow.

'South Africa will be amazing particularly as in Johannesburg we'll be opening in the new stadium where the soccer World Cup Final took place last year. And we always love heading over to South America, the audiences are extraordinary, that latin passion is something we all look forward to. I'll never forget those nights shooting the U23D movie, it'll be great to be back.'

www.u2.com