I know that this is opening a massive can of worms, but I'd venture to say that U2 wouldn't be anything at all without Eno & Lanois.
Boy was a great start. October was nice but ultimately a falter. War was a giant leap toward greatness, but wasn't enough to get them there on its own. Boy through War U2 were basically a (much) better version of The Killers. Of course, you can't second guess history; "what ifs" don't really matter for anything. But IMO, Eno & Lanois helped the band perfect the "U2 sound" and taught them the importance of the "soundscapes," a critical aspect of the best U2 songs and albums. I also hold them responsible for a great deal of the creativity and depth of U2's music---not that U2 couldn't write great things on their own now, but it was E&L who showed them the way in the beginning and have prodded them along since.
To me, Eno & Lanois are just a few "played on the songs" tics short of being as much a part of U2 as Bono, Edge, Larry & Adam.
Boy was a great start. October was nice but ultimately a falter. War was a giant leap toward greatness, but wasn't enough to get them there on its own. Boy through War U2 were basically a (much) better version of The Killers. Of course, you can't second guess history; "what ifs" don't really matter for anything. But IMO, Eno & Lanois helped the band perfect the "U2 sound" and taught them the importance of the "soundscapes," a critical aspect of the best U2 songs and albums. I also hold them responsible for a great deal of the creativity and depth of U2's music---not that U2 couldn't write great things on their own now, but it was E&L who showed them the way in the beginning and have prodded them along since.
To me, Eno & Lanois are just a few "played on the songs" tics short of being as much a part of U2 as Bono, Edge, Larry & Adam.