Edge Haters... Back off!!!

[u2tributeband]

Today I read an article about The Edge on the Gibson Guitars forum.

At the end were a good amount “Edge hater” comments. I had to respond.

Read my response in my blog post: U2, The Edge and Impressive Stats (UZoo Blog Post).

You can leave comments and share on Facebook and Twitter at the bottom of the post.

Peace,
Chris

 

[popacrobat]

Ok.

 

[Nick66]

Who could hate The Edge?

 

[corianderstem]

Never read the comments.

 

[jeevey]

Unfortunately guitar nerds will never be convinced by sales numbers, because it's not what they're interested in. There was some misinformation in those comments too, like attributing the Edge Sound to either Lillywhite or Eno, when he bought the Explorer and the Memory Man long before meeting either.

I thought those comments were not so bad compared to some I've seen, and there were some positive ones, too. Nice blog, by the way.

 

[lemonfly]

Don't let the bastards grind Edge down.

 

[u2tributeband]

Yeah I probably should avoid reading the comments. But then again maybe my thoughts will cause someone to stop and listen again. That's what happend to me...

As a young, immature guitar player raised on Zeppelin, Jeff Beck and the like I too paid little attention to The Edge and U2.

I can't recall what triggered it, but at some point I really started to "listen" to U2 and The Edge and became a huge fan. And now I freakin' imitate the guy in a tribute band.

So maybe my comments will cause someone to stop and listen again and appreciate his talent.

Peace,
Chris

 

[u2tributeband]

...There was some misinformation in those comments too, like attributing the Edge Sound to either Lillywhite or Eno, when he bought the Explorer and the Memory Man long before meeting either. ... Nice blog, by the way.

Good point about the misinformation. I should have brought that up!

Glad you like the blog. Thanks!

 

[PhilsFan]

Unfortunately guitar nerds will never be convinced by sales numbers

Why should they be? Sales numbers have nothing to do with guitar ability. If Edge is good, make the argument on its own merits, not on how many records U2 have sold.

 

[mama cass]

Who could hate The Edge?

ha i was about to post the exact same thing

 

[mama cass]

i really enjoyed watching It Might Get Loud - The Edge came across as a really genuinely nice guy, and he did make me laugh when he was demonstrating his guitar lines with and without the effects, compared to Page and White's fancy stuff... i think The Edge's guitar work was innovative and really creative right from the start as he went in search of new sounds... mad really when you think of all the sounds just coming from that one guitar

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

Envy breeds haters, I wouldn't be too concerned with the negative comments because they will always be there. The bigger the band, the more negative comments you will run into.

Im not going to say that Edge is the absolute greatest, but he is the greatest in my world, and in my world that's all that really matters. I could give a fuck what others think anymore.

Cheers

 

[corianderstem]

Maybe Bono hating has become passe, so now people have moved on to the next obvious target in the band.

 

[u2tributeband]

Maybe Bono hating has become passe, so now people have moved on to the next obvious target in the band.

Hahaha.... that's good!

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

Maybe Bono hating has become passe, so now people have moved on to the next obvious target in the band.

Well just think, if the haters were actual fans, they would obviously hate McGuinne$$

 

[jeevey]

I thought guitar nerds have always been sharply divided on the Edge? It seems like I've heard people saying "He's actually not very good" for ever.

 

[trevgreg]

I thought guitar nerds have always been sharply divided on the Edge? It seems like I've heard people saying "He's actually not very good" for ever.

Apparently some people are under the impression that shredding and speed are the only things that make a guitar player "good" in the end.

You can't play the thing for more than 30 years on a more-than-regular basis and not be considered a "good" player.

 

[U2girl]

Who could hate The Edge?

Heh. If Bono gets the megalomaniac/egoistic ass accusation, surely you've noticed Edge getting the "he's playing the same sound for 30 years/he's a bad guitar player" line over the years ?

 

[Nick66]

Well the records sales argument is ridiculous. U2 selling a lot of albums doesn't make Edge a great guitar player. Nor does how many concert tickets they've sold or Grammy's they've won, or how much Rolling Stone likes them, or most of the other stats in your linked post.

Having said that, Edge is good guitar player, with occasional brushes of greatness, with a unique sound that's definitely made its mark on rock music, more so than a lot of guitarists that have more talent than him. But I would not describe him as one of the all time great rock guitarists by any stretch.

And you could pretty much say that about any of the musicians in U2. They're all talented enough, but individually none of them are among the elite in what they do. U2 is a classic case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.

 

[jeevey]

Having said that, Edge is good guitar player, with occasional brushes of greatness, with a unique sound that's definitely made its mark on rock music, more so than a lot of guitarists that have more talent than him. But I would not describe him as one of the all time great rock guitarists by any stretch.

Probably depends on how we use the word great. If we mean great rock guitar player- gifted or facile- then no. But if we mean memorable, distinctive, creative or influential- then yes.

 

[Nick66]

Probably depends on how we use the word great. If we mean great rock guitar player- gifted or facile- then no. But if we mean memorable, distinctive, creative or influential- then yes.

I guess I probably agree with that.

 

[david]

The Edge (Dave Evans) - U2 Guitar Solos - YouTube

 

[IWasBored]

Apparently some people are under the impression that shredding and speed are the only things that make a guitar player "good" in the end.

Apparently the pope is catholic.

Hardly news, this. Pretty much to be the expected consensus from guitar players age 14-25 (unless something has changed in the last ten years since I stopped paying attention to guitar magazines and forums) for a long time now. Which is why I was quite surprised to see guitar world a couple months ago put Pete Townshend and "best guitarist" on the same cover together. Surprised enough to actually buy a copy.

 

[IWasBored]

The Edge (Dave Evans) - U2 Guitar Solos - YouTube

Haha, I like how the put his real name in quotes after the one that 99.9% of the people who would recognize the guy would know him as. Pretentious fucksticks.

 

[jeevey]

Haha, I like how the put his real name in quotes after the one that 99.9% of the people who would recognize the guy would know him as. Pretentious fucksticks.

It always bugs me when people do that, like he's gonna recognize them when they say "Hey, Dave."


"Well, my mother calls me Edge, so.... who are you?"

 

[u2tributeband]

Well the records sales argument is ridiculous. U2 selling a lot of albums doesn't make Edge a great guitar player.

Nick66, I appreciate your opinion. In fact you caused me stop and think and re-read my post. But in the end I'd have to respectfully disagree... sort of...

When did you last repeatedly purchase recordings of a band with a not-so-great guitar player and then follow up those purchases with concert tickets? Some might make that mistake once but most would not repeat it. Certainly a band like that would not survive 30+ years.

Where would U2 be today without The Edge? Yes, they are a team who work together to write great music. But his guitar tone and playing style are just as definitive to the U2 sound as Bono's vocals.

Edge is great at what he does and the result is U2 has had great success on the music charts, with ticket sales, awards, etc.

IMHO Talent and success go hand-in-hand. Rarely will you find great and successful bands with longevity in the industry whose personel is made up of crap players (yes some might slip through but usually don't last). Labels that see a bands commercial potential usually apply pressure to have weak personel replaced before signing contracts.

Ultimately the market drives the success of a product. If a product sucks then sales falter and the product flops.

U2 is a product! If Edge was a crap player, U2 would fail. Record sales would be down and the label would drop them in a heartbeat.

So the point of my blog post was to recognize that the success level of U2 would not have happend if The Edge was not great at what he does.

My other point was that comparing The Edge to Clapton is a total fail. Put Eric Clapton in front of Edge's rack and ask him to start playing and crafting those tones like The Edge. That's not what Clapton does. He'd probably crap his pants. Okay... that might be a bit extreme but I think you get my point.

Now put me in front of his rig and I'd crap my pants... and I've been playing since 1972

So while I agree that U2 selling a lot of albums doesn't make hime a great guitar player, The Edge, being a great at what he does as a guitar player and songwriter, has enabled U2 to sell lots of albums, and concert tickets, etc.

 

[gvox]

Fuck a guitar hero hatin on The Edge.

It was The Edge's guitar sound that hooked me on U2 immediately 30ish years ago.

Sure there may be "better" technical players in terms of shredding, number of notes or whatever, but I find many if them to be largely unremarkable in terms of their sound. Many just sound the same to me.

The Edge is great. I also really enjoy Mark Knopfler and...Alex Lifeson (among others!)

 

[cobl04]

From the classic albums doco.

The Edge - With Or Without You - YouTube

 

[Nick66]

Nick66, I appreciate your opinion. In fact you caused me stop and think and re-read my post. But in the end I'd have to respectfully disagree... sort of...

Thanks for the thoughtful response.

Hmmmm....but a lot of what you address is stuff I didn't mention (some other people calling Edge "crap", saying "shredding" guitarist are somehow better, and comparing him to Eric Clapton). So back to my point, as I said, I think Edge is a good, occasional great, guitarist who has a creative sound that's absolutely made its mark on rock music, more so than many guitarists who may have more raw talent but lack his original sound and sensibilities. I just don't think record sales are the best way to bolster that argument...there's too many counter examples you can use to undermine it. In other words, in making your argument based on record and ticket sales (and not much else), it appears that you're saying (and I know you're not) that record sales prove Edge is a great guitarist. When I in fact I what Ihink you mean to say that is that Edge is a great guitarist and has contributed to U2's record sales. Oh and here's why he's a great guitarist. But record sales alone don't prove much of anything, especially when you're talking to an audience of guitar lovers and non-U2 fans, as you apparently were.

If you want to point to an example of what makes Edge special, I think the video Cobbler posted above is a better example of what makes Edge special than reciting record sales.

 

[jeevey]

It would be interesting to do a follow up blog post on what Edge himself has to about what he does. He's always been pretty up front about not even being interested in becoming a shredder, even if he could. I recall him somewhere talking about "Jamming- endless noodling on a certain chord progression" just being the epitome of boring. And he's not apologetic about it at all. I recall seeing somewhere on interference recently a guitar magazine scan (I think an interview with Dallas) where there were some pretty straight up arrogant quotes from Edge- in an adorable endearing way, of course. Sort of like, I'm not worried about other people stealing my riffs. Only I can do what I do.