Hypothetical Scenario

[Chizip]

Assume that when U2 started, that either Bono or the Edge didn't see the note that Larry put up. Which would have been a more successful band...

Larry, Adam, Bono, and some random guitarist

or

Larry, Adam, the Edge, and some random singer


who has been a bigger driving force for the success of the band?

to me, the Edge is the substance while Bono is the style. while you need both, in the long run substance is what wins out. so i think the band with the Edge in it would be more successful....

thoughts?

 

[U2girl]

First option.

Big band needs a charismatic lead singer/frontman more than a non/solo guitar player.

 

[U2Man]

Shouldn't "random" be "mediocre" here?

I'd say none of them would have been successful.

 

[Hallucination]

Are they still called U2 regardless? If so I refuse to vote.

 

[U2democrat]

I don't think either would have been successful.

 

[adrball]

U2 could have worked without Edge, but not without Bono.

Strong frontman is a must for any longterm successful band. There are many very good guitarists out there and I think U2 would have simply been 'different' without Edge's unique style.

 

[U2DMfan]

Without Bono they never would have made it.

Nothing sets a band apart more than a great frontman.
Most of all it was his voice that gave them their break.
His instrument comes out of his body.
Any guitarist could manipulate themselves a good sound.

That said, Edge is the reason for their longevity and he's the creative driving force behind the band but like a lot of talented or even brilliant musicians, he could have easily been left on the scrap heap if he hadn't found a frontman that complimented his minimalist playing.

 

[phillyfan26]

I agree with U2Dem, neither gets anywhere.

 

[annie_vox]

I can't pick up one of those... It would not be U2... And since I'm in love with this band I wouldn't take off any member. Same goes for random bass player and random drumer...

 

[vaz02]

without adam u2 would of gone of the rails after BOY.
Without edge u2 would of never had that iconic u2 sound
without bono u2 wouldnt of had that famous political side
without larry we would of had shit to listen to.

 

[ponkine]

Live or in the studio?

Live, of course the band need Bono, and they couldn't have done it without him ... but in the studio is another story. Edge is the brain of the band in the studio and without him the rest couldn't have made it

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

choice b

if gavin friday had seen the note instead of bono, they still could have had a chance to be u2... they might not have been as big, but they'd still have the same u2 sound.

but the sound that is u2 was created by the edge... so while it's completely possible that they could still have been a huge success with a different guitarist, they wouldn't be u2, because the sound would be completely different. and frankly, despite what a huge mega-star bono has become, in the begining it was the sound that set them apart.

 

[jonnytakeawalk]

without larry we would of had shit to listen to.

Yes because mercy is shit

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

 

[WildHoneyAlways]

How the hell did this turn into a mercy thread?!?!?



(i do always appreciate the mercy toilet paper though. )

 

[JCOSTER]

Larry, Adam, Bono.....No frontman can lead you in and give you a religious experience like B can.


Good Question...

 

[love_u2_adam]

it wouldn't be the same with out any of them but it would be different with out bono soo i voted edge out and as for the rolleyes thing ..it's just awesome and i needed an awesome thread to put it in

 

[gman]

to me its like asking what is more important on a jet, the wings or the engines.

 

[AtomicBono]

to me its like asking what is more important on a jet, the wings or the engines.

hey, great analogy

I think Edge was more essential to the U2 sound in the beginning at least, but Bono's charisma and stage presence was probably a driving force in their early success. Either band could be successful, but I doubt either one would have been nearly as successful as the real U2.

 

[Meghan]

I think the Larry, Adam, Bono band would have been more successful, but the Larry, Adam, Edge band would have made better music.

 

[shortfuse]

The first option, I think excellent guitarists are easier to find than a frontman like Bono, I think u2 with Bono and w/o edge would make a more successful band than u2 with edge and w/o Bono.

 

[gman]

For what its worth, i would say that edge isnt an excellent guitarist, but he is unique, which makes him stand out and so he is worth his weight in gold. I would say that the u2 sound owes more to edge more than any other member of the quartet

 

[biff]

I wouldn't vote for either option.

Here are a couple of quotes from their new book, U2 By U2, that I found interesting. (I'm loving this book, by the way.):

Clayton:

"Without a doubt, Bono is the driving force. No matter how you might try to describe Bono, the words would be inadequate because there's so much more to him. To say he is a mass of contradictions barely does him justice. He his hugely intelligent and capable as a strategist with relentless logic, but he wouldn't know how to boil an egg. But that's OK. I suspect he's not interested in boiling an egg. He has what you might describe as classic Alpha Male programming. He has no difficulty deciding what he wants and he goes and gets it. He doesn't see limitations, he only sees possibilities. In some ways he is the psyche of U2; he represents things that are a part of all of us.

Edge is also very ambitious and driven but you might not see that unless you know him well because it is slightly obscured by his humanity and kindness....He is an amazing friend and colleague, with a razor-sharp brain. Bono is results-oriented whereas Edge is much more into detail. That makes for a powerful combination of creative forces."

Edge:

"Bono is chairman and founding-member of Over-Achievers Anonymous. He has an irepressible drive to be great and a lust for life. He wants to experience it all, which actually makes him very vulnerable. I sometimes worry that the media has created a myth about who he is and what he stands for. I hope the hype doesn't stop people realizing that he is just a man trying to find himself. It's part of everyone's struggle to figure out what they're doing and where they want to go. U2 write songs about the struggle but we are just as confused as anyone else.

I am driven in different ways to Bono. I have a curiosity which compels me to want to find ways to make music that are fresh and new, and I have the focus to keep going until we realize our goals. If Bono should be attending Over-Achievers Anonymous, I might have to take the 12 steps at Workaholics Anonymous. The two of us together really feed off one another's determination and concentration and energy."

 

[vaz02]

Yes because mercy is shit

each to there own

 

[Canadiens1131]

Bono is the face of U2, the Edge IS U2.
Still, rock bands need big-mouthed leaders who come off as egotistical and who make people bristle when their quotes are taken out of context...sooo

Looks like the Boner wins. Though U2 would have been a pretty shitty band considering Edge is almost completely responsible for the signature sound of the band along with whoever produced each album.

 

[Chizip]

you just hear about how during the vertigo tour edge would spend most hours of most nights alone in his hotel room working on songs, while bono is out getting drunk, hamming it up, eating, the normal bono activities, and it makes you think where would the band be without the Edge.

yes bono might have the visions of greatness and sees all the possibilities, but its the Edge that puts in all of the blood, sweat, and tears to make all of Bono's dreams a reality.

"If Bono should be attending Over-Achievers Anonymous, I might have to take the 12 steps at Workaholics Anonymous."

Bono is an overachiever because the Edge is a workaholic. If he didn't have the Edge, would Bono have overachieved, or would he have just ended up as one of the many dreamers.

 

[Canadiens1131]

Hell yeah mother******


If U2 were Apple Computer, Edge is Steve Wozniak (the hard working genius), and Bono is Steve Jobs (pretty boy profiting from and parading around the work of the other guy).

 

[U2girl]

Edge may write the songs and yes he is perhaps the key ingredient to their sound itself but I think both him and Bono are the creative team. They pushed for AB against Adam and Larry (didn't Bono in particular push them into going to Berlin?) and it was Bono's idea that they "may have an album" with Zooropa which was supposed to be an EP. They wanted to go with Bomb in 2003.

Edge may have the signature sound but he also gets ragged on for not playing solos/lack of skills. So...where would U2 be if they had a more technically skilled player?

U2 really lives live though. Maybe even more than their music in studio, they got big from their live reputation. Well before the massive stages and fancy productions. The guitar player may work all he want, but a singer with lungs and a charismatic frontman gets you noticed.

This is all a bit like asking whether Beatles need McCartney or Lennon more, or whether Stones need Jagger or Richards more or whether The Who need Daltrey or Townshend more or whether Led Zeppelin need Page or Plant more or whether Pink Floyd need Waters or Gilmour more.
A great band needs a good singer/guitarist that complement each other.

 

[biff]

It's hilarious how some people here are convinced they know more about the band than the band itself. Even when faced with actual quotes from actual band members, they still argue their own black-or-white, pick-one-or-the-other views.

 

[silvrlvr]

I think U2 would have gotten off the ground with Bono and without Edge, but it would have flamed out quickly for a lack of discipline, drive and definition. They would not have their longevity, let alone go through their stages of development. At best, we would see them on a VH1 Behind the Music show that discussed why the hit band of the 1980s fell apart in the 1990s.

U2 without Bono would have been a credible, even at times accomplished group. It would at best be arena rock, but it would not be filing stadiums, let alone appear on the Smpsons and become iconic. People would be having debates about Edge and what might have happened had he been able to twin with a frontman who demonstrated passion and idealism.

Sometimes God just points his finger and says, "I want you, and you, and you, and you, not you." Same with the Beatles. Sure, people could join the Beatles, just like people could join U2. But this combination of four very distinct people has led to something magical.