GibsonGirl said:
Early U2 was a lot less original than people would like to believe. Musically (and yes, even vocally) I think they were nothing more than an amalgamation of Television and Echo & The Bunnymen. The only difference between the bands in the period of 1980-1983 was in the passion of the lead singer. Bono's singing was a lot more passionate than Verlaine's or McCulloch's. Other than that...it's hard for me to hear the difference.
You're half correct.
I agree that Edge's guitar sound wasn't as original as many would like to think, but what he got out of that sound is far superior to what the others' you mention got out of it.
You credit Bono for bringing more passion to the music through his vocals, but what about Edge? The passion he brings to the music with his guitar playing blows the other guys you mention out of the water.
You're not giving Edge's vision and spiritual contribution enough credit. The rage, open-heartedness and vision that guided Edge's 'unoriginal' style gave those first 3 albums a dose of uniqueness that Television and Echo never got close to and that's not really a slap at those two bands because U2's uniqueness is why we're all still here 26 yrs. later arguing about this kind of stuff.