The Edge is underrated

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ZeroDude

ZeroDude

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Put this way his style is the most imititated of recent times, guitarists such as Tom Morello et Johnny Greenwood cite him as an influence and listen to the Fly or BTBS live and come on, the simple things in WOWY and the magnificent AIWIY!!!!!!! He's a legend no doubt.........one of the best innovative guitarists ever and has more flat out skill than anyone gives him credit for.
 
I think he is definitely underrated. He is up there with some of the greatest guitar legends ever, but hardly anybody (besides us U2 nuts) talk about him like they would talk about a guitar frontman. What does the guy have to do, die, do be talked about?
 
:yes: I totally agree. It's way too easy for a lead guitar player to do the "heavy metal" solo's but being inventive and new is always something Edge is really good at
 
I remember i once saw a poll in some magazine about all-time best guitar players. And he was way down the list. Instead they had the big solo freaks up leading the polls.
I really felt that something was seriously wrong, because nomatter if people judge The Edge on technique or big solos then he should definitely be way up there in ANY poll.
He has amazing technique, and his solos are not just solos. They perfectly compliment whatever mood the current song is setting. He is not just bashing away, because thats the part of the song where they need a solo..

My all time favorite Edge solo is from The Fly..
 
If you want to be noticed, show off and play solos.

Edge, however, isn't in it for the recognition. Listen to his music. The man loves his guitar and he is an artist. Instead of showing off, he paints sonic landscapes (Streets intro and The Unforgettable Fire, anyone?). Some day, he'll get the recognition he deserves. For now, I think people will overlook his versatility. The fact this man can create songs as diverse as Van Diemen's Land and The Fly says it all. How many other guitarists out there play with such style, variation, and beautiful minimalism? Also, never forget Edge is an effects wizard and can play multiple instruments. Many guitarists rated higher than Edge couldn't play Running To Stand Still to save themselves.
 
I think one of the reasons Mr Edge goes so unappreciated (at least in general mainstream) is that Bono hogs the spotlight. Bono does most if not all of the global jet setting, most of the interviews, sticks his nose all over the place. He can be everywhere sometimes. I think Edge is ok with this too, he doesn't need to be in the forfront and Bono could never be in the background.
 
That he is but he should be no.10 or so in these lists that people have...............
 
i think he's tad overrated actually. he plays the same 'lines' a lot … listen to the Kite solo … that line is used in MANY songs. He's certainly not a gifted picker. He might be an innovative guitar sound engineer, … but how much of that is ALL him? How much weight should be put on getting sounds? As a pure guitarist, i think he's average.
 
EXIT_TO_THE_NORTH said:
i think he's tad overrated actually. he plays the same 'lines' a lot … listen to the Kite solo … that line is used in MANY songs. He's certainly not a gifted picker. He might be an innovative guitar sound engineer, … but how much of that is ALL him? How much weight should be put on getting sounds? As a pure guitarist, i think he's average.
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It's not all about technique dear boy, it's about Tone, Soul and originality!
 
The guy is a great improviser and the way he builds BTBS up is amazing
 
Yes, I do believe The Edge is underrated. A lot of people don't see how great he is. But he is only underrated by the people who think that the more the better and who can't really do a full search on the man's music. At the same time that he can do a lot with very little (I Will Follow, The Fly, Vertigo), he can make a song really dense and add many things to it (The Electric Co., UTEOTW, Beautiful Day).

It's all about what kind of song he wants to write and what the song needs. The Edge knows that, so you can feel that he is not trying to impress anyone, he's just trying to make good music. At times however I do feel like he retains himself a little to try to prove that point I just talked about, that he doesn't really need to add lot's of stuff to a song to make it better.

But isn't it all about if a song sounds good? I mean if a riff sounds good and original, who cares if he's using the same notes that he used for some other song, as long as what he is creating don't sound too alike it's okay. Every guitar player has a style. It's about feeling a song and making it happen through your instrument!
 
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I am currently in two fields of thought about The Edge. I do like his style of playing, it is supposed to be understated. When i get a u2 songbook or look at a tab, i often say to myself, "why didn't i think of that?" ultimately it is simple IMO.
i don't like the fact that his style is so dependant on effects. If this is what people most identify with Edge, then i agree with Exit To The North in that he is an excellant sound engineer
 
Why is it that it's soooooo damn hard to play some of the Edge's riffs? They look stupidly simple, but...argh!
 
kerc said:
Why is it that it's soooooo damn hard to play some of the Edge's riffs? They look stupidly simple, but...argh!
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Ugh, I know! I've tried to play some of Edge's stuff, I can even do New Year's Day's solo perfectly (or could when I last tried ... in 2003), but it just sounded totally wrong. There's something special when Edge plays.
 
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Axver said:


Ugh, I know! I've tried to play some of Edge's stuff, I can even do New Year's Day's solo perfectly (or could when I last tried ... in 2003), but it just sounded totally wrong. There's something special when Edge plays.
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I coulden't play that solo either when I tried. :ohmy: It's something about the way Edge uses his fingers and his picking. It's defenitly an important part of his sound. I'm always playing the riffs from Dicothèque and The Fly though. :p :cool:
 
I think the Edge is somewhat underrated by the musical fraternity - the "muso's". I reckon he could even have made a great blues guitarist if he had been so minded - and probably then would have got a lot more critical acclaim. He's the only bona fide musical genius of the group - the others have become good at their craft over the years but by their own admission are far from being musical geniuses. Bono has the poet thing and he has soul but he couldn't have done anything with it without the Edge.
 
In U2 hes is not underrated, but in the rest of the rock world he seems to be overlooked to me.

EXIT_TO_THE_NORTH said:
I'm just saying he gets too much credit for a style which he repeats over and over. where's the originality in repetition?
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So? George Rodriguez's blue dog is always blue, always sitting in the same stance, always staring at you with the same catatonic stare. He just puts it in a different landscape every time. And his paintings are hugely popular. Hes not afraid to use the same thing over and over.

(for those of you who don't know who the blue dog is: www.blue dogart.com)
 
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