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U2 Reader
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 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.
- GenresMusicNonfiction
1 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2003
20 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 28, 2008
Most of the selections in The U2 Reader are light fare of short duration. It’s entertaining, enlightening and full of enough humor and surprises to keep it fresh and interesting.
The book is an anthology of articles, interviews, reviews, editorials and essays spanning U2’s career from 14 year old Larry Mullen’s 1976 posting of a “looking for musicians to start a band” notice at Dublin’s Mount Temple School to their ascension and reign as history’s Last Great Rock Band.
There are quite a few gems in this book. Teenager Bono proclaiming “we want to be as powerful as The Who and as sensitive as Neil Young” (1978); Edge, Larry and Bono deciding to give up U2 and enter the ministry after the second album and tour (1981); the decision to record one more album (War) (1982); the articles underlying their appearance on the covers of Time and Newsweek (1987); the bitter backlash (1988); the experiment that “worked” (1991); the experiment that failed (1997); and the triumphant return of the kings (2001). Sprinkled throughout are Wall Street Journal editorials, the Salman Rushdie essay, individual and collective interviews (by journalists and artists), Bono’s Class Day Speech at Harvard, critical assessments and other odds and ends.
The strength of the book – a collection of previously published material – proves to be its weakness – no new material except for the worthless chapter intros penned by the ‘editor’. (Worthless is charitable. These passages were a waste of ink and paper.)
The materials are not presented chronologically but rather by ‘subject’ as determined by the ‘editor’. Sometimes this works (as in chapters like “Politics” and “Spirituality”). But when it fails it fails miserably (as in a chapter titled “Rock Hunks”). Either way it makes little sense. A chronological progression would have made more sense and the book more enjoyable.
The book is an anthology of articles, interviews, reviews, editorials and essays spanning U2’s career from 14 year old Larry Mullen’s 1976 posting of a “looking for musicians to start a band” notice at Dublin’s Mount Temple School to their ascension and reign as history’s Last Great Rock Band.
There are quite a few gems in this book. Teenager Bono proclaiming “we want to be as powerful as The Who and as sensitive as Neil Young” (1978); Edge, Larry and Bono deciding to give up U2 and enter the ministry after the second album and tour (1981); the decision to record one more album (War) (1982); the articles underlying their appearance on the covers of Time and Newsweek (1987); the bitter backlash (1988); the experiment that “worked” (1991); the experiment that failed (1997); and the triumphant return of the kings (2001). Sprinkled throughout are Wall Street Journal editorials, the Salman Rushdie essay, individual and collective interviews (by journalists and artists), Bono’s Class Day Speech at Harvard, critical assessments and other odds and ends.
The strength of the book – a collection of previously published material – proves to be its weakness – no new material except for the worthless chapter intros penned by the ‘editor’. (Worthless is charitable. These passages were a waste of ink and paper.)
The materials are not presented chronologically but rather by ‘subject’ as determined by the ‘editor’. Sometimes this works (as in chapters like “Politics” and “Spirituality”). But when it fails it fails miserably (as in a chapter titled “Rock Hunks”). Either way it makes little sense. A chronological progression would have made more sense and the book more enjoyable.
December 6, 2014
This collection covers the first 25 years of U2's career, from their early start in 1978 until the book's publishing in 2003 (just before the band released How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb). It is a collection of magazine articles, reviews, interviews, and various snippets that is organized roughly by either chronological period (the first five chapters) or by content (politics, spirituality, touring, videos/film, business, etc.). The book is by no means comprehensive (I don't know how any book could be), but it's one of the best resources for understanding more fully the scope of the band's career. It might be a little overwhelming for someone new to the band, as it could be helped with comprehending some of the general themes and scope of U2's work, but it was absolutely fascinating for an avowed fan like me; I felt like every few pages I wanted to stop and write down a quotation or two that helped me understand the band a little more. This is a must-read for any true U2 fan, and my only hope is that there is an updated version in the works that will include material from the last decade.
January 24, 2015
A mixed bag as expected despite the thematic groupings of each chapter. Overall, this is worth the read for any U2 fan, if only to immerse oneself in the documentation of the obscure Irish punk band-to-global media juggernaut story that is the band's history. Note: there are far too many typos for a product of the respected music publisher Hal Leonard.
What really becomes apparent when reading a miscellany such as this is that there are always going to be a myriad of opinions on any subject. Bordowitz does a good job of providing articles which represent both sides of controversial U2 moves. You won't agree with all of them, but it's good to hear what others think.
What really becomes apparent when reading a miscellany such as this is that there are always going to be a myriad of opinions on any subject. Bordowitz does a good job of providing articles which represent both sides of controversial U2 moves. You won't agree with all of them, but it's good to hear what others think.
Want to read
September 20, 2007Oh my god, these early pieces are so cute! There's an article from when they won the talent contest in 1978, and it talks about how Larry and Dave are 16, and Adam and Paul are 17 and preparing for their leaving cert. *flails* I find this crazy-adorable, which I realize makes me very strange.
Gonna read this in tiny chunks so I can savor it.
Gonna read this in tiny chunks so I can savor it.
May 6, 2012
I would give this 3.5 stars if I could.
It is simply a collection of articles written about the band throughout their career. Most complimenrary, not all.
For a big fan such as myself there a quite a few more obscure articles I hadn't read but they don't shed alot of new light on the band, for me anyway.
Interesting, but not essential.
It is simply a collection of articles written about the band throughout their career. Most complimenrary, not all.
For a big fan such as myself there a quite a few more obscure articles I hadn't read but they don't shed alot of new light on the band, for me anyway.
Interesting, but not essential.
August 11, 2016
Nice compilation of (mostly) short articles and reviews of U2, dating back to their early days. This is text-only- not a glossy "coffee table" book. A fun,slightly dry read for U2 fans.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews