Looking for opinions on U2... positive, negative all welcome!

[Aero]

I would say that the Edge is the greatest guitarist... for U2.

He's over-average for sure. I actually like his style of playing but I haven't heard any memorable guitar licks from him recently.

 

[Khor1255]

He never really was a riff master. It was more about coloring and tone along with busy rhythm playing. Kind of like Andy Summers but even Andy's playing is far more riff heavy and in an almost completely different approach.

 

[Musikwala]

No disrespect meant to Edge. He obviously is an adequate guitarist for U2's music, and he is a millionaire for it. But it's a bit ridiculous to compare the Edge to classic rock titans like Jimmy Page or Jimi Hendrix.

I would say that the Edge is the greatest guitarist... for U2.

Agreed. He is good enough for what U2's music requires. But I do wish he would go crazy sometimes. He is adequate.

 

[Jonny Come Lately]

No disrespect meant to Edge. He obviously is an adequate guitarist for U2's music, and he is a millionaire for it. But it's a bit ridiculous to compare the Edge to classic rock titans like Jimmy Page or Jimi Hendrix.

I would say that the Edge is the greatest guitarist... for U2.

I agree on both counts, The Edge can't solo in the ways Hendrix could and Page can, but U2 would have been a completely different band had they had Page, Hendrix or an equivalent guitar hero in their lineup.

Having said that I think his guitar playing is good in the sense of 'less is more', I think I read a quote from him once where he stated that he thought 'notes are expensive' and when you listen to him through that lens it's probably easier to appreciate his contribution to their music.

 

[Musikwala]

Having said that I think his guitar playing is good in the sense of 'less is more', I think I read a quote from him once where he stated that he thought 'notes are expensive' and when you listen to him through that lens it's probably easier to appreciate his contribution to their music.

Very true. He is a minimalist.

But you know, he does have a handful of great solos in songs like...

 

[Metal Health]

I love them. Great band, but definitely underrated. I always wondered the same thing though. Well... sorta. They don't deserve to be with the Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin, The Who and Pink Floyd is because they aren't the same type of music. The bands above are classic rock/hard rock. Pink Floyd is actually psychedelic. They are all great bands, U2 included, but U2 is more pop, not rock.

As you mentioned, @Dr. Love, the other reason is musicianship. Most of the band are just kinda average musicians. That being said, The Edge's solos aren't very complicated at all, at least compared to Page's, Townshend's, Gilmour's, and even Richard's. But, he is an outstanding guitarist, period. Look up the video on YouTube where him, Jack White, and Jimmy Page play Seven Nation Army. He keeps up very well with White and Page and the stuff they are playing is pretty similar as far as skill goes.
And Bono, listen to his songwriting and singing. His voice is above average but his songwriting is perfect.

 

[mrJim]

the "minimalist" feel comes from their roots... they were an alternative band. The pop stuff came later.

The Edge deserves a lttle bit more credit than what it feels like folks are giving him here.. but he is what his roots are.

As far as strong Rock that's they aren't planted in that full time never were.

Jim

 

[JimJam]

That minimalist aspect, or The Edge's playing less to achieve more without much studio overdubs, is well exemplified on War, my favorite U2 album. Other than occasional songs from the '90s and '00s, i consider their best music to be from the '80s.

 

[stepcousin]

about 10 years ago I re-discovered U2 when I bought some of their 80's CD's in a thrift store for about 50 cents each. I figured what the heck, they got some classic radio songs n such. I really liked their '80-88 output the most. I rarely listen to anything of theirs from '91 on but occasionally I listen to Joshua Tree, Un. Fire, War, October, some of Rattle & Hum, and the best of the singles. I have 4 vinyl records of theirs (Red Rocks, Joshua, Un.Fire, and R&H) and if I ever see any of their first 3 on vinyl semi-cheap, I'll snag 'em.
So, I suppose I like them alot but not really a huge fan.

 

[AboutAGirl]

Boy am I glad this thread popped up! I wanted to search for a U2 thread but, uh, "U2" is too small a term to use in the search function!

Back when U2 had that big scandal because their new album was automatically downloaded on iphones... Well, it wasn't automatically downloaded onto my iTunes but it WAS free on iTunes, and even though I didn't expect to ever really listen to it I downloaded it because hey it's free. My music taste is always changing so I grab up anything I can and store it for later.

Well I have to say now that this record is really great! It's truly stellar, much better than I would expect from a band at this stage of their career. Pretty fresh and vibrant, moreso than a lot of their latterday hits like Vertigo. Volcano, oh, that is a starkiller of a song right there. It's fabulous. U2 isn't really my style of band, but this Songs of Innocence album is about as awesome as a U2 record could sound to me.