Sometimes talent gets confused with musical expression, and what instruments best serves a person in the public's eyes and ears. U2 is obviously in the same boat as many other bands in this aspect, but in many other cases, different as night and day.
The Edge obviously has an instrument in the guitar that affords him the recognition he deserves. The guy could hardly play the guitar when he first started in the band, but sheer determination, and the talent to create new sounds on the guitar that have revolutionized that instrument, and what a guitarist should do with it has added much to the success of U2. But you have to wonder has it been the Edge's guitar playing that has inspired Bono's lyrics, or has it been Bono's lyrics that the Edge has found a sound to wrap around it and give it a sound that would meet the lyrical inspiration and ambiguity in Bono's lyrics. We could argue that in a good sense, but only the band truly knows.
Bono's instrument is his throat. Though limited in what you can add or do with it, Bono has shown the talent to, like a soul singer, start a song from experience, and from somewhere deep inside himself that has the ability to draw in a crowd with not only the lyrical aspect of the songs, but a stage persona, as in the Edge's case of matching Bono's lyric with a guitar sounds, matching his stage presence with the same passion and charisma that his lyrics afford.
Adam Clayton plays the bass. Take out the bass, sans talents, and you have the rest of the band sounding like they are playing in a tin can. However, Adam plays an instument that is not afforded the same ability stage wise, as well as on record with solos, or the strings that have the ability to rise above the singer to make their presence known, as in the case of the Edge. The bass is unassuming, but all the while, in the case of Adam, he is kicking the *hit out a song with his constant, steady, rhythmic playing. To say that Adam doesn't have the talent, because of the playing of an instrument that just doesn't have the capability to demand the attention like the guitar is a little unfair. Sometimes the the internal ryhthm of a song, like the heart and soul, are overlooked with the outside flash of the guitar and voice.
I don't even have to mention U2 without drums, especially the drumming of Larry. Larry has chosen, because U2 has chosen to be a band that plays almost as one, that the song itself, are almost as important as the individual playing the song. So you will never see Larry playing a 10 minute drum solo, like other drummer have in the past, and we all thing to ourselves, that it the best talent in the band, that band could never do without that drummer. But Larry again desires for his playing to be unassuming in that he plays for an emotion to be found in U2's music, not a drawing of one's interest to a certain person, though the PLEBA girls would disagree
. I can't even imagine some songs without Larry's playing, or Larry's talent that has pushed a song to another level like in Sunday Blood Sunday for instance.
The reason I have always, and will always love this band, is that not only does each member bring a musical talent born out of determination and a passion to make music that in many cases transcends music that has been made over the last 25 years, but they have made music that for themselves tell their fans and the musical word, each one of us is important to the musical success of the band as a whole, as well as individually. It could be the reason the band has remained intact for that last 25 years, because constanly when the band comes together or when apart, each band member knows that they need the musical talent of each one in the group, and what they draw from each member's instrumental sound, or voice. U2 is sheer musical artistry at it's best.
Chris
[This message has been edited by spanisheyes (edited 03-24-2002).]
