Vorsprung Durch Technik

- Bono, during the Zooropa sessions


U2 was once my very favorite band. Achtung Baby was released when I was 12 years old, and, along with Nirvana's Nevermind, it set my musical tastes and interests on the path that I still follow today. Many love U2, and many despise them. Bono is an absolute God of a rockstar, and because of that, and all of his... extracurricular political activities, many loathe the man. But I'm here to tell you all one thing: U2 fucking rock. They kick-it hardcore. Bono likes to think that they're "the biggest band in the world", but none of that matters. We all know that the music is what's important, and if you think listening to U2 is a waste of time, I'm here to teach you a little lesson:

U2 - The Zoo Era.

It all started on December 30th, 1989. U2 was in the midst of a 4-night Dublin run of shows at the tail end of the Joshua Tree era. This included touring for that album, Rattle and Hum, and the When Love Comes To Town tour with B.B. King. This had been an incredibly successful time for U2, but it had also presented some stumbling blocks. The band was at a crossroads creatively, and nowhere was this more apparent than on this night, where Bono made this infamous statement:

"... this is just the end of something for u2. and that's why we're playing these concerts - and we're throwing a party for ourselves and you. it's no big deal, it's just, we have to go away, and just dream it all up again."

Now, U2 fans these days know damn-well to take anything Bono says with a grain of salt, but at the time this was a very ominous message, leaving fans praying that their favorite band wasn't going to break up. And although they would do no-such thing, the true meaning of Bono's words became un-mistakenly clear in November of 1991. Marking one of the most defining moments in the band's history, Achtung Baby was released on an unsuspecting world, and many would say that pop music would never be the same.


- Bono, on stage during ZOO TV


Emerging just two years after the end of the Joshua Tree era, Achtung Baby and the subsequent ZOO TV Tour would mark the most significant and successful artistic change a band had made since The Beatles' heyday.


- The ZOO TV stage in all of it's glory


Gone was the wholesome image that U2 had developed for the previous 10 years. Here to stay was Bono, certified rockstar. And, much like The Beatles, the experimentation that followed would produce the most interesting and rewarding music U2 would ever record.

- The Zooropa Babyface, now with 100% more space helmet


Although Achtung Baby would go on to become one of U2's most successful records, it was the follow-up, Zooropa, that would stand as their crowning achievement. Recorded during short breaks while on the road with ZOO TV, the planned E.P. blossomed into a 10-track album of European-flavored electronic pop. Everything, from the artwork, the lyrics, the music and on through the final leg of ZOO TV, re-dubbed the Zooropa and then Zoomerang tour, felt so fresh and unique that many long-time fans turned their backs, to which Bono noted, "We may lose some of the "Pop Kids", but fuck it. We don't need them".


- Bono and the boys dress-up for the Zooropa Tour


U2 would try to hold on to this innovative streak all of the way up to 1997 with the release of POP. And although that underrated album stands on it's own, the "magic" just wasn't there, and U2 would soon "change" once again by the turn of the century, recording music more akin to the Joshua Tree era than anything else over the previous 10 years. Like many things in life and history, U2 came full circle. And even though their last 2 albums, All That You Can't Leave Behind and How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, have had their strengths, only time will tell if they can ever record anything truly special again. Although, Bono's recent comment that, "... our band has certainly reached the end of where we've been at for the last couple of albums. I want to see what else we can do with it, take it to the next level; I think that's what we've got to do." sure rings, in this fans ear, as spine-tinglingly similar to those infamous words back in 1989.



If you consider yourself a fan of good music, I highly suggest you download this compilation.

Listen with an open mind, and prepare to be surprised with just how good U2 can be.


- Bono, as Macphisto


U2: ZOO ERA MIX
"Your wheels are turning but you're upside-down."

1. Zoo Station
2. Babyface
3. Mysterious Ways
4. Numb
5. Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
6. Lady With The Spinning Head (UVI)
7. The First Time
8. Even Better Than The Real Thing
9. Lemon
10. Slow Dancing
11. Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car
12. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses (Temple Bar Mix)
13. So Cruel
14. Stay (faraway, So Close!) (w/ Orchestra)
15. Love Is Blindness
16. Zooropa
17. One

Go HERE for less clicking.


U2: ZOO ERA VIDEOS




- Even Better Than The Real Thing




- The Fly




- Numb




- Numb (EBN Video Remix)




- Lemon


For more on U2, please visit these wonderful sites:

U2.com
@U2.com
Scatter o' Light
U2mp3s
Amazon U2



And yes, "Babyface" is about porn.

I told you they were hardcore. :)