Hallucination said:
You guys are on crack and I mean that in the nicest way possible. Bono is not the most important and neither is The Edge. Without either one of them nothing happens. Without Larry and Adam nothing happens. We should know this by now. You can't have a U2 song without Larry, without Adam, without Bono or without The Edge. Yes The Edge comes up with most of the structure to a song, but he doesn't write the drum parts and I'm sure Adam can play his own bass, and Bono writes the words and is the voice of the band. U2Man we can wonder all we want about how far Bono would have gotten without The Edge and producers but where would The Edge have gotten without Bono? The answer to both questions is nowhere.
Most of all the creative energy from the band, especially early in the stages of recording is all about Edge playing stuff and Bono coming up with ideas. Since Bono was disconnected from the process for at least a portion for all the reasons we all know about, then his part was slightly diminished if not more.
While Adam and Larry are doing their part, it's my opinion they really, especially initially, only play to compliment the original idea. It doesn't make much sense for Larry to say "Edge you should plat the F sharp there". When he is likely just trying to find a flow for ever changing ideas.
So between Bono being absent here and there, Larry and Adam only playing their part, Edge was the guy really pushing the envelope, writing the stuff. I mean, the conclusion on HTDAAB was that they spent a lot of time on stuff that at least half the band didn't like, the rhythm section.
So, are we going to pretend that Larry sat around playing drums on songs for a year and a half thinking that they sucked the whole time? I don't. I think he played his role and I don't believe his role is really important to the creation of the songs, INITIALLY. I think where Adam and Larry, as the rhythm section come in is really bringing the song around when it's taking form.
So yeah, they need all the parts of the band to make U2 be U2.
There is no denying than a subtraction of any member would make it cease to be U2. But when Paul McG and Adam remark that they have 15 or 20 songs for the new record, as they did the last two albums. Are these songs written by Bono, Adam or Larry? And if so how exactly did this happen? Maybe Bono writes a song on his acoutic guitar or two, so even if you make a few exceptions here and there, who is coming up with the rest of this stuff?
It;s not as if I disagree with what you said. We are both right. This band does a great job of taking equal share, credit and blame. But the truth is both #1-they couldn't do it as "U2" without each other and #2-Edge is creatively far more important than the other 3, maybe combined to actual writing.
Why do Eno and Lanois work so well with the band, outside of personal relationships? I think it's because they are primarily musicians whom U2 allow to mold ideas and songs with. They are essentially invited into the band for at least recording time. They are there to assist Edge with a framework of a song, and to take Bono's ever changing ideas and make them come to life. The basic song takes shape and they just keep revamping it and revamping it, Larry and Adam changing with the flow and so on.
So yes, they are all 4 part of the process and they all take even credit for the songs. I am saying the ignition switch to the engine that is U2 is definitely Edge. If you listen to the Salome Achtung outtakes, you do hear Bono shouting out orders and such, but what are they playing the whole time, what is the mold of clay that they are forming as they write and record, Bono does his Bono-ese and the other 3 jam? They are using whatever the hell Edge came up with in the first place. Bono probably contributes a bit in terms of notes, and chords and all that, but he is not really the type of artist who writes a whole song on his guitar alone. He barely plays the fucking thing on the 150+ songs U2 have already written. Almost doesn't at all in the studio.
HTDAAB sessions started with a demo disc that Edge had of stuff he had been working on. They give them names to differentiate them. One was called Full Metal Jacket and became Vertigo. It is essentially the Edge's idea, the riff is the bass line more or less, the drums follow the beat, Bono rewrote his lyrics 10 times probably going from Native Son to Vertigo and who knows what in between. All the while the riff was the idea that the whole song was built around. Reading article after article, and hearing the outtakes and all of it, using a musicians guess, I'd say of the 150+ songs U2 have done most of them started off of Edge's fingers and along the way they became U2 songs instead of just Edge riffs. So I'll say there are two parts to the equation, and I think we are both right, at least in my opinion.
That's too bad cause I think it would definately be a perfect match musically at least. Smith's vocals would be perfect as backing vocals on a few songs no doubt and his probably the most sublime guitar player I've ever heard. I could just picture some dark assed Achtung Baby meets Bloodflowers.
Very fine post with several good points! 
