In 1975, four teenagers from Mount Temple School in Dublin gathered in a crowded kitchen to discuss forming a band. The drum kit just about fit into the room, the lead guitarist was playing a homemade guitar, the bassist could barely play at all and nobody wanted to sing. Over thirty years later, Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. are still together, bound by intense loyalty, passionate idealism and a relentless belief in the power of rock and roll to change the world.
In a epic journey that has taken them from the clubs of Dublin to the stadiums of the world, U2 have sold over 130 million albums, been number one all over the world, revolutionized live performance, spearheaded political campaigns and made music that defines the age we live in.
From the anarchic days of their Seventies punk origins through their Eighties ascent to superstardom with the epic rock of The Joshua Tree, the dark post-modern ironies of Achtung Baby in the Nineties and their 21st-Century resurgence as rock's biggest and boldest band, this is a tale of faith, love, drama, family, birth, death, survival, conflict, crises, creativity . . . and a lot of laughter.
Told with wit, insight and astonishing candour by the band themselves and manager Paul McGuinness, with pictures from their own archives, U2 by U2 allows unprecedented access into the inner life of the greatest rock band of our times. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Walk On: The Spiritual Journey Of U2
By: Steve Stockman
One of the world’s leading voices of faith and social activism also happens to be one of its biggest rock bands. The members drink, smoke and swear—yet a radical biblical agenda and faith fuel their life and work. Welcome to the dichotomy of U2.
This revised version of Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2 picks up where the first edition left off—amid the cathartic atmosphere of the post-9/11 Elevation tour that ushered in the aggressive spirituality of 2005’s Vertigo tour. It explores the controversy surrounding the deep-rooted religious themes of the band’s music and the outspokenness of their lead singer, Bono. Moreover, it is a spiritual companion to their albums, exposing the real meaning behind many of their songs and performances.
From the group’s beginnings in Dublin’s Shalom Christian Fellowship to their arrival as the world’s greatest rock band, Walk On shines a spotlight on the very real struggles and triumphs of the band members’ Christian faith. How has Bono transformed from a rock god to a key ambassador on the world stage? Why is the Church that once shunned U2 now claiming them as its own? More than two decades into worldwide success, have the boys from Ireland actually found what they’re looking for? Join author Steve Stockman in pouring over more than 20 years of interviews, analysis and insight in an unparalleled quest to answer the burning questions everyone wants to know.
About the Author
Steve Stockman is a Presbyterian Chaplain at Queen’s University in Belfast. He is a regular speaker at universities, college conferences and festivals across the world, and he has his own radio show on BBC Radio Ulster. He is married to Janice and has two daughters, Caitlin and Jasmine.
Anton Corbijn: U2&i: the Photographs 1982-2004
By: Anton Corbijn
The world bestselling title of 2005, in a hardcover, reduced size, reduced price, special edition:
For more than three decades Anton Corbijn has photographed the greatest artists in the music world and beyond. That made him one of the most influential portrait photographers of our days. In Corbijn's career, however, there has been one constant: the band U2, and their collaboration of 22 years. This publication is dedicated to Bono, Edge, Larry, and Adam, to their longstanding friendship, mutual inspiration, and shared experience of rock history that is part of the history of photography.
It was Anton Corbijn who "invented" U2's public image and he is still shaping it. The long way from their first encounter in February 1982 in New Orleans to their April 2004 Lisbon shooting for the most recent U2 album is documented in a wealth of private and so-called official pictures with hand-written annotations by the photographer.
About the Author
Anton Corbijn, born in Strijen, Holland, in 1955, photographer, filmmaker and designer, started his career in the 70s with portraits of David Bowie, Lou Reed, Miles Davis, and Peter Gabriel. He has produced numerous books, more than 75 music videos and many album covers. His photographic work has been widely exhibited throughout Europe, the US, and Japan.
U2, Irish rock band, by many considered the greatest rock band in the world, was founded in Dublin in 1978 by Paul "Bono" Hewson, Dave "The Edge" Evans, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr.
U2: Into the Heart: The Stories Behind Every Song
By: Niall Stokes
With over 24 pages covering the band's newest CD, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, U2: Into the Heart examines the behind-the-scenes influences that shaped U2’s internationally popular and critically acclaimed music. Included are original and revealing interviews with band members and the key people close to U2. The band’s rich cultural and social context is fully explored, providing a colorful backdrop to the songs. U2: Into the Heart traces U2’s meteoric rise from the early days of their career with Boy, their first album, to the spanning success of The Joshua Tree, Rattle and Hum, Achtung Baby, and Pop. U2 is a group that has become a world-class rock ’n’ roll band; a band that continues to invent themselves and are not afraid to take chances with their craft—as well as make a unique impact in the world of music with their raw, emotional energy.
U2 - The Best of Propaganda: 20 Years of the Official U2 Magazine
By: Ian Gittins
Started in the band’s very earliest days, from 1986 until the year 2000, Propaganda was the only official U2 fan-club magazine to ever exist. Each issue carried exclusive in-depth interviews, plus behind-the-scenes insights into U2 operations and unique never-seen-elsewhere photographs. An impressive selection of the best features appear here in this very first Propaganda anthology, offering a fascinating chance to see the extraordinary development of one of the biggest bands in the world through the writers and photographers who have been closest to them throughout their successful career. U2's Propaganda includes 250 color photographs--some of which have never appeared anywhere else, a tribute CD made up of various artists appearing in stores in October 2002, articles written by the band members themselves, exclusive band member interviews never printed before, and a full discography.
U2: At the End of the World
By: Bill Flanagan
Music journalist Flanagan (Written in My Soul) followed rock superstars U2 on the road, into the studio and into their private lives for three years to collect material for this authorized biography. It provides an interesting, if almost too comprehensive, account of day-to-day life for members of one of the most popular bands. Beginning with his subjects' arrival in Berlin to record an album as the Wall was coming down, Flanagan presents U2 as residing at the heart of politics and social change, describing their friendships with Bill Clinton and Salman Rushdie, their extralegal activities on behalf of Greenpeace and their efforts to provoke their massive audience into greater awareness through such projects as nightly updates on the war in Bosnia. Flanagan also encourages band members to spout off their philosophies on everything from music to religion and politics. An unabashed fan, Flanagan tends to lionize his subjects, but his minutely detailed accounts of them also render them compellingly human. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
For being about a rock 'n' roll group, this is amazingly good. But then, U2 is an amazing band: four Dublin kids who didn't know how to write songs, let alone play their instruments, but who had a dream. Flanagan treats the band as if they set out on a quest as trying as any traditional hero's journey. He paces their story as fast as their globe-trotting lives and makes it as inspiring as their fans find their music. He provides a remarkable glimpse into the hearts and minds of a group that has dazzled ears and eyes throughout the world, and in so doing, renders great service to U2. Raul Nino--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
One Step Closer: Why U2 Matters to Those Seeking God
By: Christian Scharen
A systematic exploration of small, medium, and large churches, their distinct personalities, and their place in God's kingdom.
Get Up Off Your Knees: Preaching the U2 Catalog
By: Raewynne Whiteley
A thoughtful and provocative collection of sermons by a group of preachers from across the international church spectrum who have been moved to theological reflection on the art and work of U2.
Authorized by the band, this is the inside story of U2's live career, from the very beginning to now-with more than 500 exclusive photos from the U2 archive, including many never-before-seen, behind-the-scenes shots.
Everything about U2 is huge-from their music to their tours to their influence on popular culture and politics worldwide. They are cultural icons as well as multimillion-album-selling pop stars.
Underpinning the band's popularity, from the beginning, is their passion for touring. For more than twenty years, U2 has been primarily a live band-hardly ever off the road. Performing live is what they love to do best. And it is their touring that defines their creativity and reflects the direction of the band. From the first bare-bones Tick Tock Tour of 1980 through the massive, seminal Joshua Tree and ZooTV tours of the eighties and nineties to the most recent, more intimate Elevation Tour of 2001, it is their live shows that have set U2's agenda.
For the first time, the band has agreed to chronicle this vital part of its creative energy. More than 500 photos from hundreds of performances have been handpicked from a twenty-five-year archive. Many of these photos are behind-the-scenes shots that have never been published before. The book includes commentary by Diana Scrimgeour, the official photographer on recent tours, as well as first-person accounts from band members, the core creative team, friends, and associates.
U2 and Philosophy: How to Decipher an Atomic Band (Popular Culture and Philosophy)
By: Mark A. Wrathall
Is it possible to be a committed Christian and a rock superstar? Can political activists make good music? Do hugely successful rock bands really care about AIDS and poverty in Africa, or is it just another image-enhancing schtick? U2 and Philosophy ponders these and other seeming dichotomies in the career of the Irish supergroup. For over two decades, U2 has been one of the biggest acts in rock music. They’ve produced over a dozen platinum and multiplatinum records and won 15 Grammy Awards. Critics everywhere have praised the band’s thoughtful, complex lyrics and the artistry of their music. At the same time, Bono, the group’s lead singer, has dedicated himself to political and social causes, blurring the line between rock star and respected statesman. Offering fresh insight into the band’s music and activism, these thought-provoking essays allows fans to discover philosophy through the eyes of U2, and rediscover U2 through the eyes of philosophers.
The U2 Reader: A Quarter Century of Commentary, Criticism, and Reviews
By: Hank Bordowitz
The first in Hal Leonard's new series of artist readers, The U2 Reader presents the world's most popular rock band from battle of the bands beginnings through today, in all of its many facets. Editor and compiler Hank Bordowitz, who Publishers Weekly says "provides evenhanded treatment of highly charged issues" and Library Journal adds "never takes sides or passes judgment, yet brilliantly illuminates ... ," has gathered articles ranging from U2's first mention in a suburban Dublin newspaper to coverage of the group's appearance at the Super Bowl. The U2 Reader deals with every aspect of the band from the way they do business to the way their music and lives convey their inherent spirituality. It includes reviews of albums and the live U2 experience, as well as behind-the-scenes looks at the band, including their forays into pop and politics. The book features a who's who of music journalism, including Dave Marsh (Born to Run, The Heart of Rock and Roll), Bill Flanagan (A and R; Executive Producer of VH-1's Behind the Music), Jim DeRogatis (Turn On Your Mind, Let It Blurt) and more than a dozen others. Authors not normally associated with music, such as Salman Rushdie, are featured, as are U2 peers such as Moby, Bruce Hornsby and Billy Corgan. A must read for even casual U2 fans! Hank Bordowitz is the author of Bad Moon Rising: The Unofficial History of Creedence Clearwater Revival. He lives in Suffern, New York. John Swenson is the co-editor of The New Rolling Stone Record Guide and the author of The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide and the former editor of Crawdaddy! magazine.
Unforgettable Fire: Past, Present, and Future--The Definitive Biography of U2
By: Eamon Dunphy
Hailed as the "Band of the '80s" by Rolling Stone magazine, U2 is known for sinewy music and haunting lyrics. By contrast, this biography by Irish writer Dunphy, written with the band's cooperation, is bloated and boring. Filling some 300 pages, Dunphy offers overly detailed sketches of the band members (Paul "Bono" Hewsom "was a cranky baby"), a drawn-out account of how the budding rock musicians met, dime-store psychoanalysis and many obscenities. In the second half of the book, Dunphy presents instructive comments on U2's music (for example, the album Unforgettable Fire was inspired by drawings by survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings), but, overall, he focuses too much on the band members and not enough on their musical message. And one questions his claim that U2 did not censor any materialthere's scarcely a critical word in the book. Photos.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
U2 Live: A Concert Documentary
By: Pimm Jal de la Parra
Since their formation in 1976, U2 have played over 1,000 concerts to millions of fans around the world. Now updated to include their PopMart and Elevation tours, U2 Live: A Concert Documentary takes you along to every single U2 live performance - from their earliest shows in Dublin to the heartwarming spectacle of their 2001 Elevation tour. The book includes: Information, anecdotes and facts from virtually every single U2 show ever, from 1976 to 2003. Also covers: Dates, venues, set lists, radio and TV broadcasts, quotes from the stage and details of unreleased material and dozens of cover versions performed by U2. Contains an insightful commentary which traces the band s musical development over 25 packed years. With over 500 colour and black & white photographs, most previously unseen, which follows the band s evolution from Dublin teenagers to global megastars.
Religious Nuts, Political Fanatics: U2 in Theological Perspective
By: Robert Vagacs
Into the Heart: The Stories Behind Every U2 Song
By: Niall Stokes
Into the Heart examines the behind-the-scenes influences that shaped U2’s internationally popular and critically acclaimed music. Included are original and revealing interviews with band members and the key people close to U2. The band’s rich cultural and social context is fully explored, providing a colorful backdrop to the songs. Into the Heart traces U2’s meteoric rise from the early days of their career with Boy, their first album, to the spanning success of The Joshua Tree, Rattle and Hum, Achtung Baby, and Pop. U2 is a group that has become a world-class rock ’n’ roll band; a band that continues to invent themselves and is not afraid to take chances with their craft—as well as make a unique impact in the world of music with their raw, emotional energy. This edition includes over 100 black and white and color photos, provides a complete chronology and discography, and covers the band's newest CD, All That You Can’t Leave Behind.
U2: An Irish Phenomenon
By: Visnja Cogan
A Grand Madness, Ten Years on the Road with U2
By: Dianne Beeaff
A wise drummer (Clem Burke of Blondie) once said, "The ultimate fan transcends fandom and does it himself." Although Beeaff, a freelance writer living in Tucson, AZ, has not founded a band in her heroes' names, she has provided an earnest, perceptive account of the Irish supergroup's last four tours (that's 38 concerts!) in diary form. Unlike Bill Flanagan's U2 at the End of the World (Delacorte, 1995) and Carter Alan's U2: The Road to Pop (LJ 9/1/97), in which the authors enjoyed backstage/VIP status, Beeaff relates getting crushed in crowds, listening to soundchecks, dining at Denny's, waiting like a monk in the rain for autographs, admiring lead singer Bono's bonhomie (she meets him more than once), feeling Edge's "Bullet the Blue Sky" guitar solo snap her heartstrings again and again, and anticipating U2's next gestalt. Other fans will get vicarious kicks out of Beeaff's multiple pilgrimages to Dublin, the band's hometown, and wonder, "How in the devil does she afford it?" Recommended for larger public libraries that already own Flanagan's and Alan's works. -Heather McCormack, "Library Journal"
U2: The Complete Encyclopedia (Travelpack Periplus)
By: Mark Chatterton
Mark Chatterton has written extensively on many groups from the past 30 years, as well as numerous sleeve notes for a variety of artists. He is co-author of Blowin' Free - Thirty Years of Wishbone Ash. He was editor and publisher of the magazines All Flared Up and Silver and Gold, and has written for several music publications such as Record Collector, Blueprint, Hard Roxx and Wondrous Stories.
