Janis Joplin - Another Piece Of My Heart. runnerups: Nazareth-Love Hurts(Dan McCaffery); Harry Nilsson- Without You, Percy Sledge- When A Man Loves A Woman.
One of the greatest albums ever. Certainly top 20, probably top 10. I remember listening to in on a AOR station that played complete albums on Sunday nights. I went out that week and bought the CD.
I’m one of the ones in the crowd for the video shoot of Where The Streets Have No Name. My dad and I were driving home that afternoon, early evening, when we heard on the radio (later used excerpts for the video opening) that a crowd was forming at East 7th Street and South Main Street to be part of a video. I begged my dad to take me. He gave in. I was 13 and shorter than most of the people around me. I’m way back in the crowd and can’t bee seen in the video but it was a blast being part of it. About 2 1/2 years later I was at the LA Coliseum to see Guns N’ Roses open for The Rolling Stones. Growing up in Los Angeles in the 80s and early 90s was awesome.
Wow! Bro That is so awesome to see history in the making , that's a great album! You got to literally see them at their peak and best! I have so many questions!
I'd be in cold, rainy England and I'd watch all these amazing movies set around LA and I wanted to be there so bad!. The greatest movie stars, when movie stars were legit, making blockbusters monthly!. Did you ever see any of the greats being filmed?.
I think their big break came after they came out with the live album at Red Rocks 'Under a Blood Red Sky'. I will follow and Gloria are good songs, but the live versions are great! Bono has such passion when he lets loose.
I agree! I think that bands are usually the best in the beginning, when they’re poor and trying really hard. Then later on they seem to get formulaic. I think very little bands can possibly be better than early U2!
I was 7 years old when my uncle showed me how to use his old discman. The only cd he had was U2'S 18 Singles compilation album, and they first song that he played for me was With or Without You. I still remember that I immediately fell in love with U2 and this song. I would spend hours listening to U2 and would not get bored. U2 certainly helped me develop my music taste. It's something about their songs that I cannot explain. And oh God, The Joshua Tree. What a masterpiece. It's my favorite album of all time, it really takes me to that special place where I can get lost in music, not worry about life, and be happy. I'm 23, and U2 has been part of my life since I was a kid. Sad moments, happy moments; they always find a way to make me feel alive. Thank you for this video, Professor of Rock! Amazing as always!
I'm currently vacationing in Ireland for the first time in my life. What a beautiful country! My wife and I have driven a rental car around the country, including to Slane Castle, listening to U2 the entire trip. How fun that this episode dropped while we are here on the Emerald Isle! We love U2, and Adam, we love you too!
U2’s performance at Slane Castle is ICONIC!! The transition from All I Want Is You to Where The Streets Have No Name is one of the best live performances ever delivered by the band
WOW! I now have a new appreciation for this song! I cannot hear this song without this insight, I resonate with it now on a personal level. Another home run Adam!👍🏼🌟
Midnight Oil also emerged from obscurity in 1987 with their breakout hit "Beds are burning". It was a great few years for music. New Order came out shortly thereafter with the double album "substance" comprised most of their best music to date. I was in college then and it was such a great time to be an New wave/Alternative rock music fan.
One day in April of 1987 I went to Sam the Record Man (Hello, fellow Canucks) to buy the latest album I was aching to buy... Electric by The Cult. Beside it on the racks was The Joshua Tree. I was vaguely familair with U2 - I knew Pride and I can tell a tale about the day a friend 'borrowed' an LP from his sister to play for me and the guitar opening of Sunday Bloody Sunday seared itself into my musical lexicon, but I was really only a peripheral U2 fan. I bought both albums. I listened to Electric for 2 weeks on repeat. Then the night of my high-school prom I decided to give The Joshua Tree a try as I got prepared. Before the vocal of Where the Streets Have No Name started I sat down on my bed and just sat, listening to the most amazing album I had ever heard. I didn't restart getting ready until side one was complete. I was late. When I got in my car to go and pick up my girlfriend, as I got to the end of the driveway, the radio - CKPG - played a new song... it was With or Without You. I recognized it as one of the songs that had captivated me 45 minutes before. If I am being perfectly honest, there hasn't been a moment in the 37 years since that U2 wasn't my favourite band. They also played it that night at the prom. I could go on, but no doubt Adam will give me more opportunities to tell tales.
So I started high school in 81, and finished college in 89, so basically I lived the 80’s at my peak musical growth period. U2 was a huge, core component of every phase of listening that I went through during the decade. The strength & power of their music, along with that of their fanbase, I think is nearly unrivaled, even today. Thanks for highlighting this key point in my - and may others, I’m sure - musical journey!!
Dude, you are so good at baiting the hook! Love how you set up each of these videos. It is very reminiscent of Casey Kasem! "Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars."
At U Albany there used to be an annual concert called Mayfest. This was before Reagan forced all states to raise the drinking age. U2 was the headliner in 1983, four months before I started there. People are still talking about it today. I got involved with the campus radio station, and their posters were up where are you walking in the front door. So was R.E.M.. Four years later, and after Live Aid, the morning guys on the AOR station here, PYX-106, announced that the afternoon guy was going to premiere the new release from U2. Everybody in my dorm was tuned in. Right on time on a Wednesday afternoon in March 1987 when rock stations add new releases, Cliff Nash played it. We were all blown away! I hope those guys are reading this. Not quite the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, but it was a huge moment.
My aunt's favourite band was U2, and she went to see them in concert several times. When she passed away after a lengthy battle with breast cancer last summer, and my cousin played a beautiful piano arrangement of "With or Without You" , and there wasn't a dry eye in the church. 💔😭😇
I wish I could have met your lovely smart aunt. I have seen them a few times. They came to my birthday party I had at the Mirage along with Public Enemy and the Sugar Cubes. Plus I was in their Still Haven't Found What I'm looking for!
@@constipatedinsincity4424 Wow, you're so lucky to have U2 perform at your birthday party. I think that she would have liked you as well, she was always happy to meet a fellow U2 fan. ❣️
Great song. I like the album version, but I'm a bigger fan of the Zoo TV era live version. The intensity just keeps building and the transition into Where The Streets Have No Name that follows gets me every time.
Love that you mentioned the Stars extra verse at the end! For me as a huge U2 fan prior to Joshua Tree, at first when it came out I was a bit disappointed and joined the “sellout” calls from the loyal fans. But it didn’t take me long after to realize that this album is a masterpiece and deserves all the recognition it has achieved over all these years.
Am I the only one that got hooked on U2 later than others by hearing Live at Red Rocks? Those are the definitive versions of Sunday Bloody Sunday and I Will Follow, as far as my over 50 years of listening to recorded music are concerned. That was just an unbelievable live album that made me want to know the band better. And now, we all have.
Awesome as usual, Professor. I'm a U2 lifer. Joshua Tree and With or Without You are my favorites. Unforgettable Fire right behind. Achtung Baby number 3. Choosing favorites, however, is like choosing between your favorite kids.
I’m backwards from you. A.Baby, Fire, J.Tree for me. I got to meet them often when they spent 10 days in my town to start a world tour. Lots of nice autographs and Great memories!
I've lived this song, professor. I was in a relationship with a young woman for six years. We planned on getting married and spending our lives together. Things didn't work out, and due to pride and stupidity, we parted. It took me years to get over it and took a while for her as well. We both ended up with other people, and life is good. Another one is who's gonna ride your wild horses. Both of these songs are brutal.
Thank you for featuring my favourite band of all time and brining in all the important historical facts of WOWY to this video. HUGE PROPS for including the “shine like stars” snippet that was featured on the Rattle and Hum movie. I’d also argue one of the most heart wrenching songs on The Joshua Tree is “Running To Stand Still” which is a hauntingly beautiful song and one of the best showcases of how U2 transforms a song when played live (check out the 1993 live version of Running to Stand Still from the ZooTV tour in Sydney). Overall great video filled with amazing knowledge on the history of U2 ❤
Bono edge and Larry also were conflicted with their faith and fear where success in music might lead them. A pastor suggested they work out their faith in their music and not separate their struggle but embrace it. This is why so much of their music continues to reflect their faith, struggles and desires - particularly early on but throughout their work to date.
They were actually told by the Shalom group that they were part of, that they could not serve god and a rock career. They (Bono and The Edge) almost walked away until Paul McGuinness reminded them they had a tour booked and people relied on them. This is discussed by Bono in From The Sky Down documentary
I think the highlight of the video for me is just hearing Echo & the Bunnymen mentioned. Don't get me wrong; I really like War to Achtung Baby era U2. But it gives me hope of seeing some future love for Echo & the Bunnymen on the channel.
U2, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, in order, my 3 favorite bands. I'm always glad when you cover U2. Thank you, because U2 eclipses the other two in so many ways. Memories make us what we are today
In late 1987 I was aware of U2, but wasn't a big fan. A friend said he had tickets to the first of the Phoenix shows in December. I was on the fence, and then someone living down the hall from me in the dorm heard me mention this and told me I should go. I am so glad I did. To have been at one of the shows recorded for "Rattle and Hum" was amazing. Truly a once in a lifetime experience.
In the mid 80s, I worked in downtown Seattle. I had to walk 3 blocks to my bus stop and on the way I passed a small club venue. The marquee announced the next band, "U2". I remember thinking, "What an odd name for a band." Of course, all these years later I want to smack the sh*t out of myself for not going! I saw U2 twice after "Achtung Baby!" was released, once in Tacoma, WA and once in Vancouver, BC and they were awesome both times.
Got to see them at the Orange Bowl Dec. 3rd 1987. Touring that album. I was 25 (about the same age as the boys in the band). Geez Adam, the memories you bring back to me.
I knew every word and watched Rattle and Hum the movie over and over. Was a good time I'll never forget. Some of these scenes and songs took me right back, I remembed what it felt like at that time. The concerts, wow.
My all time favorite band! My love for them and crush on Bono, started when I was a teen and saw the movie, “Rattle & Hum” back in 1989. This video tho, when Bono looks at you, you feel it. I know I melted. Saw them twice. Awesome concerts! Thank you Adam! 🙌
My grandmother is from Ireland. She liked U2 because they are from her home country. She called them 'the boys from Ireland ' She told me anyone who is successful from Ireland is noteworthy. I have always appreciated the songs. The lyrics in many of their songs are so poetic and meaningful. I ❤ Joshua Tree. I have 2 copies. 😊
@@catherine6653 Your Grandma sounds really lovely. I'm Irish myself, and whenever I meet anyone from a different country, I receive a lot of comments about if I know U2, or if I've been to any of their concerts.
I waited in a long line outside of a record store to purchase The Joshua Tree. A guy I had gone to school with worked there and promised that he would save me a copy. Which he did. Thank God. It was an album that I can't imagine living life without.
Most just crap on Bono for his political rhetoric but I love this early music and try to separate art from the artist no matter the political stance. Bono can get a bit preachy I must admit.
The scene in "The Americans" with this song playing still gives me chills just thinking about it. Great series and one of the best uses of a hit song in any TV show or movie.
My Mum was a huge U2 fan! One of her dying wishes was that either my sister or I see them live at least once, because she never got the chance to. We took Mum's ashes back home to New Zealand, per her wishes so she could be buried with her mother and one of my cousins, who has seen U2 live, played With or Without You on acoustic guitar. I'm choking up thinking about it as I write this.
22 years old absolutely love U2. Have a Joshua Tree tattoo. I started playing guitar because of the Edge. I’ve overplayed the hell out of them but my love for music I owe it to them.
Thank you for this. I love hearing all the intricacies of how great rock music was created. Some of the best tunes have a uniqueness that happened accidentally or after a lot of experimentation and thought. Music sustains me and makes me happy. It's the soundtrack of our lives. Some happy times, some sad ones.
I didn’t like U2. Well my wife and I won a CD player, our first, at a Christmas party in 1987. She wanted to buy our first CD and against my wishes she chose The Joshua Tree. Sure I’d heard a couple of the songs on the radio but usually turned the channel. For some reason I just didn’t like their early stuff and I wasn’t budging from my prior notions. But the more my wife played this CD the more I had to admit it was good and when she wasn’t home I was listening to it by myself and finally admitted to myself…this is not just good, it’s gold. It’s genius.
I listen to that album every time I go to Joshua Tree. I remember one time I was camping there. Everyone else had gone to bed. It was just me and the campfire, listening to the entire album.
Joshua Tree is the pinnacle of U2’s catalog. Any time anyone asks me what I think the best album is I will always tell the Joshua Tree. With or Without you is one of those songs I will NEVER get tired of. It’s a masterpiece.
@@ProfessorofRock in my top three of all time! I can’t hear anything from this album without listening to the whole thing… in album order. In fact I can’t listen to it on shuffle at all. Has to be in order all the way through. I guess I know what I’m listening to today. 😊
Aah yes ! Early 1987 ! I was a freshman in high school! Love this song on MTV and on FM radio (Z100 in New York City )- I lived in northwestern New Jersey at the time !
@@ProfessorofRock no sadly - I wish ! Especially their 1992 concert tour for Achtung Baby - i remember a bunch of upper class high school students talking about the Joshua Tree concert they attended in spring of 1987 at Giants Stadium 🏟️
I been waiting to hear the story behind this song. It's one of My favorites of All Time. I remember going through the same thing making a difficult decision back in 1987.
KNEW it was U2! Say what you will about Bono, but as a lyricist he is TOP NOTCH. His lyrics evoke 2, even 3 levels of meaning. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me, for all of it's electronic upbeat-ness, is about his struggle with fame, his thoughts about himself, what others think of him, and how he gets through it all being...well, Bono. U2 is MUCH more than just the 3-4 songs the radio once played ad nauseum that people scream for at their concerts (God bless the guys having to hear those same songs over and over for decades). Bono writes and sings about God, Jesus, spirituality, fame, the Troubles, life, sexuality, temptation, U2 itself, and family life (Big Girls, written when he found out Ali was pregnant while he was thousands of miles away in Brazil). He's quite extraordinarily gifted for his chosen profession!
I actually went to their feature film in the theater… Every song by heart and SUNDAY Bloody SUNDAY has to go down as my all time favorite. Gawd still love them.
Still my favorite album of all time. Fun fact, the actress/model that was in the video had never met the band until years later she met The Edge at a party. The ended up getting married and have kids together.
You're hitting me with all kinds of nostalgia, Professor. To start off, one of the first toys I obsessed over as a kid was that Evel Knievel jumping bike. My dad had a metallic blue Honda motorcycle until I was about 4 and I got to ride on it a few times before he sold it and I had a plastic ride-on motorcycle that I would ride all over our apartment until I was 3. By the time I hit my teens, U2 was a band that my parents liked almost as much as me. They bought my first tapes of The Joshua Tree and Rattle & Hum. I remember listening to Rattle & Hum in my pajamas on Christmas morning on my dad's stereo system while playing Nintendo with my brother. These tapes would always go on trips in the car anywhere. I think U2 was one of the first bands that multiple cliques at my high school could see eye-to-eye on and there probably wasn't a high school dance from 1987 to about 1990 that didn't drop this at 'slow' song time. When I went to college virtually all my friends were fans of U2. The first concert I went to with my younger brother and dad was the ZooTV tour in the summer of '92. So yeah, thanks for bringing up all those happy thoughts wrapped into one 20 minute POR segment.
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is an anthem for Gen X. As we get older we will sing this song more and more often. After walking through a doorway, as we dig through the junk drawer, rooting around in laundry baskets......
I vividly remember buying this record on cassette at the gas station adjacent to the fast food restaurant I worked as a 16 yr old. Young love, teenage angst, the excitement of growing up so slowly yet so quickly at the same time. All wrapped up in this perfect collection of songs. Listening to it today fills me with nostalgia. Of course at the time I loved all the hits and played them non stop. Nowadays my favourite is the underrated “One Tree Hill”. “With or Without You” is one of the first songs I learned to play on the bass when I picked it up for the first time in my late 40s. I regret not getting to see U2 live in their prime. All things considered, one of my favourite albums of all time.
You have no idea how big U2 was 1980/1981. In 1983 we had a field trip to Boston. i did minimum required and sprinted to Newbury Comics and bought a copy of War for myself and all my friends from Aimee Mann. She worked there. :-) Those were the days.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 We were so in love with her (we were a few years younger). Go on YT and find her performing at her church in New Hampshire from a few years ago. It is pretty amusing how stars age.
That album is just so deep it’s hard to recall it unless you sit down and listen to it through again. Saw them in 2017 when they did their 30th anniversary tour and the performance of “Mothers of The Disappeared” takes on an entirely new weight after seeing the staging of it live. A bonus for the night we saw was having Eddie Vedder join in on it as well. Since that night I have grown a new appreciation for that song and the depth of the album.
The first time I heard this song, I was watching the video for it on MTV on a big screen TV on the Idaho State University campus at the Student Union Building. I was transfixed by it. SO good. After I left that building, I went straight down and bought The Joshua Tree. I wore that thing out. Just an excellent song and album.
@@ProfessorofRock I spent my senior year in high school at Pocatello high School in Idaho my dad was attending the college there that's why we lived in that City at the time
Not really. Whether in the Republic or Northern Ireland, Bono and the boys are seen as arrogant dicks! They've only played Northern Ireland 11 times and they haven't played The Republic since 2018. Their hotel in Dublin was a huge drug den and a night in the penthouse cost the same as some third World debt.
I was in the US Navy starting in December 1986. Eventually I was starioned aboard USS Shenandoah AD 44. Sometimes we were stuck on board watching MTV and with or without you was in constant rotation. Now i cant hear it without remembering my wonderful Shenandoah. I hated alot about my time in the service and was glad to get discharged, but adterwards i really missed being in the Navy. For years i had recurring dreams in my sleep where i was walking the planks and seeing the different holds snd weather decks of it. It made my heart ache. Sadly now the Shenandoah is decommissioned rusting in the St James river. I'd like to come back as a ghost and walk through the ship one more time. But ill always have With or Without You to listen to. Plus so many great times listening to and memories of U2 albums
I have *no* idea how this happened, but U2 is a band I didn't even hear of before the early 90s, more or less when they issued *Achtang Baby* and hit with "Mysterious Ways" and "One". I retroactively learned about their "gestation" stretch in the 80s. As I started learning to play guitar in '95, "With or Without You" was one of the tunes I caught on classic rock rotation, along with their other *Joshua Tree* singles, the *Rattle and Hum* extracts and songs from all the preceding albums of theirs. "With or Without You" was then (going to be) my vocal feature when I tried and failed to play bass with a band in Queens called Minor Issues turning from 2019 into 2020. That was double doomed when I injured my knee during a rehearsal in January 2020 - incidentally the same night when I first learned of the emerging COVID-19 virus.
U2 was amazing in the 80s. Their golden years are from War to Achtung Baby. Saw them in concert 30 years ago (OMG! Already 30 years!). Amazing show, I will always remember it.
Until now, I never really read much into the lyrics. I thought the album was amazing musically, with vocals that seemed "appropriate" for the tune. I was more enthralled by the vocals on "Bullet the Blue Sky." Thanks for this eye-opening deep dive into the hidden gem that it truly is.
I remember listening to U2 on college radio before they got famous. In 1980 I saw U2’s second show in North America in Washington DC. They played at the Bayou nightclub in Georgetown, opening for my favorite local band called the Slickee Boys.
@ProfessorofRock The Slickee Boys were always a high energy, fun band to see! They were a very well known band in the DC music scene in the late 70s and early 80s and played a yearly gig around Christmas up until their last official show in 2011 at the 930 club. You should check out a live performance clip here on UA-cam.
There is something very distinctive about U2. Growing up I remember a lot of people bashing them when I was in school. But I liked them. My dad’s girlfriend was a U2 and Duran Duran fan. So she would listen to them at home and my favorite song became “I will follow” it’s still my favorite by them.
U2 was playing Chicago and somebody brought Bono to my favorite bar (Danny's) that we used to frequent several nights a week. The doorman Jeffrey had a sign up asking for donations because his dog that we all knew and loved needed surgery. Bono donated tickets to the show to raffle off. That made the newspapers and the bar was instantly crowded every night thereafter. We were happy for the owner and the bartenders but it kind of ruined it for us regulars!
The first time I saw or heard of U2 was a concert broadcast on Nickelodeon “Under a Blood Red Sky”. Anyone remember when Nickelodeon broadcast concerts in the 80’s?
Concerts? No. I do recall a show called “Nick Rocks” that played popular music videos. That’s where I saw the “News Year Day” vid for the first time in 1985.
Love your youtube videos..and a huge u2 fan! Saw them back in 2001 with my mom..( she passed away in Dec of 2023). With or without you was my favorite live song. It was a cliffhanger when I saw this.
The song I most remember as U2 breakout song was "Gloria." That's the song that caught my attention. I remember thinking, woh, that's Latin! I was a music major in college studying music history and immediately made the connection to my studies of the Latin liturgical music of the early Catholic church in the Middle Ages in Europe.
To be fair, it's a proprietary device leased to the Edge by its owner and creator, and it's actually not a distortion tool at all. It's called the Infinite Echo, btw.
Joshua Tree - phenomenal album; awesome song. This pushed U2 into the spotlight. Many U2 songs give reverance to Christ from their strong Irish Catholic background. In the manic world of music, you can hear/feel Bono's dilemma between the two worlds topped with his marriage woes.
The members of U2 were VERY religious and when offered an opportunity to pursue a career in music, they asked their church to pray for them to make the right choice…music or missionary work. They chose music…
I saw U2 in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1983 on their War Tour. Just the four of them on the Brady Theatre stage with no frilly gimmicks. Loud, LOUD. GOOD show.
Love the video. You guys mentioned the sustain effect that made them keep it and showed two clips of a delay pedal portion which didn't have the haunting sustain in it. :)
Uncle's a huge u2 fan and i am friends with a drummer from a u2 tribute band here in aus. their first 5 albums for define who they are and what made them so special in the alternative rock scene my favourite u2 number is Seconds off the war album
Oh, and as someone who grew up in the 90s, it’s really trippy to think about these early U2 songs as underground indie anthems. You could only hear on college radio, considering today.
I first heard U2 when I was in 10th grade (1982) and have been a fan every since. In 1987 I was 21 years old and the Joshua Tree album/tape was always playing in my car or at home. I’ve seen them 6 times, my oldest has been to concert with me. We saw the 30th anniversary of the Joshua Tree in Tampa (same place that I saw them in 1987-88) This was a great episode and I truly appreciate all the deep dives you take into the music. This will always be one of my favorite tracks.
My favorite song was Sunday Bloody Sunday. But as we all know my favorite song by this band I Still Haven't Found What I'm looking for. Because I was in the music video filmed here in Las Vegas
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 When Bono rolls over the hood of the 280zx I was driving. I was playing Sunday Bloody Sunday and he was shocked to see 👀 a brother enjoying his music. I am behind the wheel
Take a bow man, great analysis. Just one correction. It was Adam Clayton’s future house in which they began working on the LP. It’s called Danesmoat. Nice pad.
Not a fan of U2 except for With or Without You. Someone asked me I thought you don't like U2, why are you listening to that song? My reply was just listen to it, I mean really listen to it. It checks all of the boxes no matter what you might think of their work. I do believe that is when college radio station came in to their own. I should add that The One I Love could easily be in the 60s or 70s.
I was in my mid teens and in 1983 I was definitely rocking out to U2. Boston, being an Irish town adopted U2 and old stations like WAAF , WCOZ etc always had U2 songs on the air
U2 is one of those bands that are simply legendary! As someone who grew up in Massachusetts during my high school and college days, having WBCN radio out of Boston, October, Boy, War and the Unforgettable Fire were on heavy rotation and I was already a true, lifelong fan by the time The Joshua Tree came out while I was a sophomore in college. Till this day, I still feel their earliest albums are my ultimate favorite. I’ve been fortunate to see them a number of times over the decades with my first show costing a mere $25! 😮 One of the most influential and coolest band ever! ❤
I remember when U2 was originally a rock band and the pride of Ireland and my Irish friends. Then U2 transitioned to pop musc and lost their original fans who saw them as sellouts. I remember watching a music awards show on TV when U2 won "best band in the pop category" and the look on Bono's face like "Huh? What? Pop?" I was like "yeah, you didn't know what you guys have become?" I thought of Beavis and Butthead, the greatest most honest rock music critics ever, who called Bono "Boner"
I saw U2 in 1981 at the first Slane festival, Thin Lizzy were the excellent headliners. U2 were still hungry and still a rock band. After The Joshua Tree they consciously or unconsciously made their way into mainstream pop and I lost interest, still , I have the memories of a great performance by a great band still trying to make it big.
Poll: What is your pick for the most EMOTIONALLY CHARGED 1 Song VOCAL of all time?
Never Tear Us Apart, INXS
Another great record from 1987.
Red Rain, Peter Gabriel
Janis Joplin - Another Piece Of My Heart.
runnerups: Nazareth-Love Hurts(Dan McCaffery); Harry Nilsson- Without You, Percy Sledge- When A Man Loves A Woman.
Time in a Bottle Jim Croce
Left In The Dark - Barbara Streisand
@@surlechapeau When a Man Loves a Woman is a great choice.
The entire Joshua Tree album was a heart-rending masterpiece from start to finish.
No question!
One of the greatest albums ever. Certainly top 20, probably top 10. I remember listening to in on a AOR station that played complete albums on Sunday nights. I went out that week and bought the CD.
I’m one of the ones in the crowd for the video shoot of Where The Streets Have No Name.
My dad and I were driving home that afternoon, early evening, when we heard on the radio (later used excerpts for the video opening) that a crowd was forming at East 7th Street and South Main Street to be part of a video. I begged my dad to take me. He gave in.
I was 13 and shorter than most of the people around me. I’m way back in the crowd and can’t bee seen in the video but it was a blast being part of it.
About 2 1/2 years later I was at the LA Coliseum to see Guns N’ Roses open for The Rolling Stones.
Growing up in Los Angeles in the 80s and early 90s was awesome.
@@redneckcoder democrat policies.
Wow! Bro That is so awesome to see history in the making , that's a great album! You got to literally see them at their peak and best! I have so many questions!
@@JimmyKnight-uc3ptI’ll try to answer any questions you have.
I'd be in cold, rainy England and I'd watch all these amazing movies set around LA and I wanted to be there so bad!. The greatest movie stars, when movie stars were legit, making blockbusters monthly!. Did you ever see any of the greats being filmed?.
@@redneckcoder it's still a great city!
"I Will Follow" and "Gloria" were consistently in my college soundtrack. U2 was so simple, yet different in their early days.
I think their big break came after they came out with the live album at Red Rocks 'Under a Blood Red Sky'. I will follow and Gloria are good songs, but the live versions are great! Bono has such passion when he lets loose.
Great songs.
I didn’t know anyone enjoyed Gloria as much as a do!
I agree! I think that bands are usually the best in the beginning, when they’re poor and trying really hard. Then later on they seem to get formulaic. I think very little bands can possibly be better than early U2!
@@MsArtemis64Yes. I don't understand why it wasn't mentioned here. Everyone had a copy of " Under a Blood Red Sky".
I was 7 years old when my uncle showed me how to use his old discman. The only cd he had was U2'S 18 Singles compilation album, and they first song that he played for me was With or Without You. I still remember that I immediately fell in love with U2 and this song. I would spend hours listening to U2 and would not get bored. U2 certainly helped me develop my music taste. It's something about their songs that I cannot explain. And oh God, The Joshua Tree. What a masterpiece. It's my favorite album of all time, it really takes me to that special place where I can get lost in music, not worry about life, and be happy. I'm 23, and U2 has been part of my life since I was a kid. Sad moments, happy moments; they always find a way to make me feel alive. Thank you for this video, Professor of Rock! Amazing as always!
So cool!
This makes me smile. ❤
I'm currently vacationing in Ireland for the first time in my life. What a beautiful country! My wife and I have driven a rental car around the country, including to Slane Castle, listening to U2 the entire trip. How fun that this episode dropped while we are here on the Emerald Isle! We love U2, and Adam, we love you too!
U2’s performance at Slane Castle is ICONIC!! The transition from All I Want Is You to Where The Streets Have No Name is one of the best live performances ever delivered by the band
WOW! I now have a new appreciation for this song! I cannot hear this song without this insight, I resonate with it now on a personal level. Another home run Adam!👍🏼🌟
Wonderful!
Midnight Oil also emerged from obscurity in 1987 with their breakout hit "Beds are burning". It was a great few years for music. New Order came out shortly thereafter with the double album "substance" comprised most of their best music to date. I was in college then and it was such a great time to be an New wave/Alternative rock music fan.
1987 was a massive year for music ....
One of the best ever!
@@ProfessorofRock looking back, pretty much every year in the 80s had some major music come out.
It was!!
George Michael-Faith
Michael Jackson-Bad oh and The Joshua Tree-U2.
The Call, "Into The Woods"
One day in April of 1987 I went to Sam the Record Man (Hello, fellow Canucks) to buy the latest album I was aching to buy... Electric by The Cult. Beside it on the racks was The Joshua Tree. I was vaguely familair with U2 - I knew Pride and I can tell a tale about the day a friend 'borrowed' an LP from his sister to play for me and the guitar opening of Sunday Bloody Sunday seared itself into my musical lexicon, but I was really only a peripheral U2 fan.
I bought both albums.
I listened to Electric for 2 weeks on repeat.
Then the night of my high-school prom I decided to give The Joshua Tree a try as I got prepared.
Before the vocal of Where the Streets Have No Name started I sat down on my bed and just sat, listening to the most amazing album I had ever heard.
I didn't restart getting ready until side one was complete. I was late.
When I got in my car to go and pick up my girlfriend, as I got to the end of the driveway, the radio - CKPG - played a new song... it was With or Without You. I recognized it as one of the songs that had captivated me 45 minutes before. If I am being perfectly honest, there hasn't been a moment in the 37 years since that U2 wasn't my favourite band. They also played it that night at the prom.
I could go on, but no doubt Adam will give me more opportunities to tell tales.
So I started high school in 81, and finished college in 89, so basically I lived the 80’s at my peak musical growth period. U2 was a huge, core component of every phase of listening that I went through during the decade. The strength & power of their music, along with that of their fanbase, I think is nearly unrivaled, even today. Thanks for highlighting this key point in my - and may others, I’m sure - musical journey!!
Funny I was born in 82 and I see the 80s early 90s as my musical growth period, not 1996-2004 or something as most people would expect
Dude, you are so good at baiting the hook!
Love how you set up each of these videos.
It is very reminiscent of Casey Kasem!
"Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars."
At U Albany there used to be an annual concert called Mayfest. This was before Reagan forced all states to raise the drinking age. U2 was the headliner in 1983, four months before I started there. People are still talking about it today. I got involved with the campus radio station, and their posters were up where are you walking in the front door. So was R.E.M.. Four years later, and after Live Aid, the morning guys on the AOR station here, PYX-106, announced that the afternoon guy was going to premiere the new release from U2. Everybody in my dorm was tuned in. Right on time on a Wednesday afternoon in March 1987 when rock stations add new releases, Cliff Nash played it. We were all blown away! I hope those guys are reading this. Not quite the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, but it was a huge moment.
U2 is just one of those bands that you are hard put to find a song that you can't help but like in some form or another. Good episode POR! 😀👍
Thanks for watching.
My aunt's favourite band was U2, and she went to see them in concert several times. When she passed away after a lengthy battle with breast cancer last summer, and my cousin played a beautiful piano arrangement of "With or Without You" , and there wasn't a dry eye in the church. 💔😭😇
I wish I could have met your lovely smart aunt. I have seen them a few times. They came to my birthday party I had at the Mirage along with Public Enemy and the Sugar Cubes. Plus I was in their Still Haven't Found What I'm looking for!
@@constipatedinsincity4424 Wow, you're so lucky to have U2 perform at your birthday party. I think that she would have liked you as well, she was always happy to meet a fellow U2 fan. ❣️
Wow! Would love to hear that version!
@@constipatedinsincity4424 That's amazing.
@@trinaq No they didn't perform at my party it was after their concert
It’s funny-I love every song on the album, but my favorite is “Running to Stand Still”. I don’t know why, but it really resonates with me.
Love that song.
@@mrfairplay it’s my favorite too! No one ever mentions it.
Great song. I like the album version, but I'm a bigger fan of the Zoo TV era live version. The intensity just keeps building and the transition into Where The Streets Have No Name that follows gets me every time.
I also love every song on that album but my favorite is Red Hill Mining Town.
Great song but depressing
Love that you mentioned the Stars extra verse at the end!
For me as a huge U2 fan prior to Joshua Tree, at first when it came out I was a bit disappointed and joined the “sellout” calls from the loyal fans.
But it didn’t take me long after to realize that this album is a masterpiece and deserves all the recognition it has achieved over all these years.
Am I the only one that got hooked on U2 later than others by hearing Live at Red Rocks? Those are the definitive versions of Sunday Bloody Sunday and I Will Follow, as far as my over 50 years of listening to recorded music are concerned. That was just an unbelievable live album that made me want to know the band better. And now, we all have.
Yes. You are the only one.
Awesome as usual, Professor. I'm a U2 lifer. Joshua Tree and With or Without You are my favorites. Unforgettable Fire right behind. Achtung Baby number 3. Choosing favorites, however, is like choosing between your favorite kids.
I’m backwards from you. A.Baby, Fire, J.Tree for me. I got to meet them often when they spent 10 days in my town to start a world tour. Lots of nice autographs and Great memories!
I've lived this song, professor. I was in a relationship with a young woman for six years. We planned on getting married and spending our lives together. Things didn't work out, and due to pride and stupidity, we parted. It took me years to get over it and took a while for her as well. We both ended up with other people, and life is good. Another one is who's gonna ride your wild horses. Both of these songs are brutal.
Wow. Thanks for sharing.
Hope you’re in a better place now.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 Much better. Thanks
Thank you for featuring my favourite band of all time and brining in all the important historical facts of WOWY to this video. HUGE PROPS for including the “shine like stars” snippet that was featured on the Rattle and Hum movie.
I’d also argue one of the most heart wrenching songs on The Joshua Tree is “Running To Stand Still” which is a hauntingly beautiful song and one of the best showcases of how U2 transforms a song when played live (check out the 1993 live version of Running to Stand Still from the ZooTV tour in Sydney).
Overall great video filled with amazing knowledge on the history of U2 ❤
Bono edge and Larry also were conflicted with their faith and fear where success in music might lead them. A pastor suggested they work out their faith in their music and not separate their struggle but embrace it. This is why so much of their music continues to reflect their faith, struggles and desires - particularly early on but throughout their work to date.
Amen friend! 🙏😊
That makes a lot of sense. I always thought I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For had religious undertones to it.
They're Luciferians. IYKYK
They were actually told by the Shalom group that they were part of, that they could not serve god and a rock career. They (Bono and The Edge) almost walked away until Paul McGuinness reminded them they had a tour booked and people relied on them. This is discussed by Bono in From The Sky Down documentary
@@OriginalAcrobatall the best bands are affiliated with the devil
New Years Day was the first time i've ever heard of U2 while watching their video on Night Tracks. I loved them instantly ❣
I think the highlight of the video for me is just hearing Echo & the Bunnymen mentioned. Don't get me wrong; I really like War to Achtung Baby era U2. But it gives me hope of seeing some future love for Echo & the Bunnymen on the channel.
Wham! too. Lol
U2, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, in order, my 3 favorite bands. I'm always glad when you cover U2. Thank you, because U2 eclipses the other two in so many ways. Memories make us what we are today
In late 1987 I was aware of U2, but wasn't a big fan. A friend said he had tickets to the first of the Phoenix shows in December. I was on the fence, and then someone living down the hall from me in the dorm heard me mention this and told me I should go. I am so glad I did. To have been at one of the shows recorded for "Rattle and Hum" was amazing. Truly a once in a lifetime experience.
In the mid 80s, I worked in downtown Seattle. I had to walk 3 blocks to my bus stop and on the way I passed a small club venue. The marquee announced the next band, "U2". I remember thinking, "What an odd name for a band." Of course, all these years later I want to smack the sh*t out of myself for not going!
I saw U2 twice after "Achtung Baby!" was released, once in Tacoma, WA and once in Vancouver, BC and they were awesome both times.
So cool! Do you still live in Seattle?
@just_kos99 you saw U2 in Vancouver for the Zoo TV tour? Do did I the night Bill Clinton won the election. Was on the floor.
Got to see them at the Orange Bowl Dec. 3rd 1987. Touring that album. I was 25 (about the same age as the boys in the band). Geez Adam, the memories you bring back to me.
I knew every word and watched Rattle and Hum the movie over and over. Was a good time I'll never forget. Some of these scenes and songs took me right back, I remembed what it felt like at that time. The concerts, wow.
"New Year's Day" put U2 on the map here in SoCal at the clubs and on video shows... Joshua Tree was ginormous-- "In God's Country" tops it for me!
@flavellinator - Yes for "In God's Country" but also for me is "Where The Streets Have No Name."
Where the Streets Have No Name as well!
Excellent video! Well done.
CONGRATULATIONS on One MILLION subscribers!! FOREVER a fan \m/
My all time favorite band! My love for them and crush on Bono, started when I was a teen and saw the movie, “Rattle & Hum” back in 1989. This video tho, when Bono looks at you, you feel it. I know I melted. Saw them twice. Awesome concerts! Thank you Adam! 🙌
My grandmother is from Ireland. She liked U2 because they are from her home country. She called them 'the boys from Ireland ' She told me anyone who is successful from Ireland is noteworthy.
I have always appreciated the songs. The lyrics in many of their songs are so poetic and meaningful.
I ❤ Joshua Tree. I have 2 copies. 😊
@@catherine6653 Your Grandma sounds really lovely. I'm Irish myself, and whenever I meet anyone from a different country, I receive a lot of comments about if I know U2, or if I've been to any of their concerts.
I think i've owned this one on all formats except 8 track! Thanks Catherine!
@@trinaq My grandma is from Kilke, Ireland. I have visited Ireland once. The scenery is beautiful.
@@catherine6653 It really is, the scenery is absolutely stunning, though it does rain a lot, that's true. ☔
How did she feel about Thin Lizzy?
Ive never been a U2 fan except I will Follow, but after hearing this I can appreciate it much more, Thnx
I waited in a long line outside of a record store to purchase The Joshua Tree. A guy I had gone to school with worked there and promised that he would save me a copy. Which he did. Thank God. It was an album that I can't imagine living life without.
Great memory!
That’s awesome!
The good old days. I remember waiting in line to get Stones 75 Tour tkt's. It was fun hanging out with your R n' R brothers and sisters.
I'm in the Guinness book of world records: I am one of 3 white males who didn't buy U2's "Joshua Tree"!!!
Yeah, thank God you got that album the first day, because you probably wouldn't have been able to get it after that...
Thanks for this video. I know it's fashionable to crap on U2, but they are, to me, one of the greatest rock bands.
I didn't know that. Why do people hate on them? They're epic.
Most just crap on Bono for his political rhetoric but I love this early music and try to separate art from the artist no matter the political stance. Bono can get a bit preachy I must admit.
People dissed Creed for many years and now they are trending again.
The scene in "The Americans" with this song playing still gives me chills just thinking about it. Great series and one of the best uses of a hit song in any TV show or movie.
Loved that too.
Same here.
The Joshua Tree is one of my most favorite albums of all time, hands down. I love every single song on it.
My Mum was a huge U2 fan! One of her dying wishes was that either my sister or I see them live at least once, because she never got the chance to. We took Mum's ashes back home to New Zealand, per her wishes so she could be buried with her mother and one of my cousins, who has seen U2 live, played With or Without You on acoustic guitar. I'm choking up thinking about it as I write this.
Truly love this album. The guys are incredible. Thank you for what you do you're the best.
Preach it Prof! The lyrics from this song needs to be sung high atop a mountain in the rain.
U2 were already huge on MTV in '83 and just about every young person had a copy of "Under a Blood Red Sky". They were very popular going into '84.
I can't remember when, but I bought as much I2 as I could and really enjoyed it
While I've liked U2 songs from other albums, overall, The Joshua Tree is clearly their best album and masterpiece.
22 years old absolutely love U2. Have a Joshua Tree tattoo. I started playing guitar because of the Edge. I’ve overplayed the hell out of them but my love for music I owe it to them.
I love getting here early and watching the Likes count spin like an odometer. And oh yes, I added to that like count 😉
Thank you for this. I love hearing all the intricacies of how great rock music was created. Some of the best tunes have a uniqueness that happened accidentally or after a lot of experimentation and thought. Music sustains me and makes me happy. It's the soundtrack of our lives. Some happy times, some sad ones.
I didn’t like U2. Well my wife and I won a CD player, our first, at a Christmas party in 1987. She wanted to buy our first CD and against my wishes she chose The Joshua Tree. Sure I’d heard a couple of the songs on the radio but usually turned the channel. For some reason I just didn’t like their early stuff and I wasn’t budging from my prior notions. But the more my wife played this CD the more I had to admit it was good and when she wasn’t home I was listening to it by myself and finally admitted to myself…this is not just good, it’s gold. It’s genius.
I listen to that album every time I go to Joshua Tree. I remember one time I was camping there. Everyone else had gone to bed. It was just me and the campfire, listening to the entire album.
Joshua Tree is the pinnacle of U2’s catalog. Any time anyone asks me what I think the best album is I will always tell the Joshua Tree. With or Without you is one of those songs I will NEVER get tired of. It’s a masterpiece.
I actually liked The Unforgettable Fire better.
In my top 3 for them!
@@ProfessorofRock in my top three of all time! I can’t hear anything from this album without listening to the whole thing… in album order. In fact I can’t listen to it on shuffle at all. Has to be in order all the way through. I guess I know what I’m listening to today. 😊
It’s a special album for sure.
Call me crazy or weird but I really dislike this album and consider it one of the weakest ones. Overproduced and all life is beaten out of it.
This song is haunting & awesome all at once🔥🔥
Aah yes ! Early 1987 ! I was a freshman in high school! Love this song on MTV and on FM radio (Z100 in New York City )- I lived in northwestern New Jersey at the time !
Rock on! Did you ever see them in concert?
@@ProfessorofRock no sadly - I wish ! Especially their 1992 concert tour for Achtung Baby - i remember a bunch of upper class high school students talking about the Joshua Tree concert they attended in spring of 1987 at Giants Stadium 🏟️
I been waiting to hear the story behind this song. It's one of My favorites of All Time. I remember going through the same thing making a difficult decision back in 1987.
KNEW it was U2! Say what you will about Bono, but as a lyricist he is TOP NOTCH. His lyrics evoke 2, even 3 levels of meaning. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me, for all of it's electronic upbeat-ness, is about his struggle with fame, his thoughts about himself, what others think of him, and how he gets through it all being...well, Bono. U2 is MUCH more than just the 3-4 songs the radio once played ad nauseum that people scream for at their concerts (God bless the guys having to hear those same songs over and over for decades). Bono writes and sings about God, Jesus, spirituality, fame, the Troubles, life, sexuality, temptation, U2 itself, and family life (Big Girls, written when he found out Ali was pregnant while he was thousands of miles away in Brazil). He's quite extraordinarily gifted for his chosen profession!
I actually went to their feature film in the theater… Every song by heart and SUNDAY Bloody SUNDAY has to go down as my all time favorite. Gawd still love them.
Still my favorite album of all time. Fun fact, the actress/model that was in the video had never met the band until years later she met The Edge at a party. The ended up getting married and have kids together.
Exactly!
What is her name?
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 Morleigh Steinberg
You're hitting me with all kinds of nostalgia, Professor. To start off, one of the first toys I obsessed over as a kid was that Evel Knievel jumping bike. My dad had a metallic blue Honda motorcycle until I was about 4 and I got to ride on it a few times before he sold it and I had a plastic ride-on motorcycle that I would ride all over our apartment until I was 3.
By the time I hit my teens, U2 was a band that my parents liked almost as much as me. They bought my first tapes of The Joshua Tree and Rattle & Hum. I remember listening to Rattle & Hum in my pajamas on Christmas morning on my dad's stereo system while playing Nintendo with my brother. These tapes would always go on trips in the car anywhere. I think U2 was one of the first bands that multiple cliques at my high school could see eye-to-eye on and there probably wasn't a high school dance from 1987 to about 1990 that didn't drop this at 'slow' song time. When I went to college virtually all my friends were fans of U2. The first concert I went to with my younger brother and dad was the ZooTV tour in the summer of '92. So yeah, thanks for bringing up all those happy thoughts wrapped into one 20 minute POR segment.
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is an anthem for Gen X.
As we get older we will sing this song more and more often.
After walking through a doorway, as we dig through the junk drawer, rooting around in laundry baskets......
Badesalz version I hope. 😂
I was fortunate enough to see U2 at The Sphere in Las Vegas last year. They still rock!
What a show!
I vividly remember buying this record on cassette at the gas station adjacent to the fast food restaurant I worked as a 16 yr old. Young love, teenage angst, the excitement of growing up so slowly yet so quickly at the same time. All wrapped up in this perfect collection of songs. Listening to it today fills me with nostalgia.
Of course at the time I loved all the hits and played them non stop. Nowadays my favourite is the underrated “One Tree Hill”.
“With or Without You” is one of the first songs I learned to play on the bass when I picked it up for the first time in my late 40s.
I regret not getting to see U2 live in their prime.
All things considered, one of my favourite albums of all time.
"One Tree Hill", yes.
You have no idea how big U2 was 1980/1981. In 1983 we had a field trip to Boston. i did minimum required and sprinted to Newbury Comics and bought a copy of War for myself and all my friends from Aimee Mann. She worked there. :-) Those were the days.
Thanks for sharing.
THE Aimee Mann? Cool
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 We were so in love with her (we were a few years younger). Go on YT and find her performing at her church in New Hampshire from a few years ago. It is pretty amusing how stars age.
Very cool!
That album is just so deep it’s hard to recall it unless you sit down and listen to it through again. Saw them in 2017 when they did their 30th anniversary tour and the performance of “Mothers of The Disappeared” takes on an entirely new weight after seeing the staging of it live. A bonus for the night we saw was having Eddie Vedder join in on it as well. Since that night I have grown a new appreciation for that song and the depth of the album.
The first time I heard this song, I was watching the video for it on MTV on a big screen TV on the Idaho State University campus at the Student Union Building. I was transfixed by it. SO good. After I left that building, I went straight down and bought The Joshua Tree. I wore that thing out. Just an excellent song and album.
ISU! Tell me more?
@@ProfessorofRock I spent my senior year in high school at Pocatello high School in Idaho my dad was attending the college there that's why we lived in that City at the time
Awesome! Are you originally from Idaho?
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 no but I spent most of my growing years there
Cool! I went to ISU in the late '90's. Must be a treasured memory to hear that n then buy the album
Just found your channel and I'm loving it.
Ireland produces so much magnificent music right up to this day. Much of it quite possibly inspired by U2.
Not really. Whether in the Republic or Northern Ireland, Bono and the boys are seen as arrogant dicks! They've only played Northern Ireland 11 times and they haven't played The Republic since 2018. Their hotel in Dublin was a huge drug den and a night in the penthouse cost the same as some third World debt.
I was in the US Navy starting in December 1986. Eventually I was starioned aboard USS Shenandoah AD 44. Sometimes we were stuck on board watching MTV and with or without you was in constant rotation. Now i cant hear it without remembering my wonderful Shenandoah. I hated alot about my time in the service and was glad to get discharged, but adterwards i really missed being in the Navy. For years i had recurring dreams in my sleep where i was walking the planks and seeing the different holds snd weather decks of it. It made my heart ache. Sadly now the Shenandoah is decommissioned rusting in the St James river. I'd like to come back as a ghost and walk through the ship one more time. But ill always have With or Without You to listen to. Plus so many great times listening to and memories of U2 albums
I have *no* idea how this happened, but U2 is a band I didn't even hear of before the early 90s, more or less when they issued *Achtang Baby* and hit with "Mysterious Ways" and "One". I retroactively learned about their "gestation" stretch in the 80s. As I started learning to play guitar in '95, "With or Without You" was one of the tunes I caught on classic rock rotation, along with their other *Joshua Tree* singles, the *Rattle and Hum* extracts and songs from all the preceding albums of theirs.
"With or Without You" was then (going to be) my vocal feature when I tried and failed to play bass with a band in Queens called Minor Issues turning from 2019 into 2020. That was double doomed when I injured my knee during a rehearsal in January 2020 - incidentally the same night when I first learned of the emerging COVID-19 virus.
Thanks Eric!
I sprained my knee the month before I first heard of COVID!
U2 was amazing in the 80s. Their golden years are from War to Achtung Baby. Saw them in concert 30 years ago (OMG! Already 30 years!). Amazing show, I will always remember it.
Pet Sounds....POR rocks another awesome shirt.
Thanks!
HELL YA!!
My favorite album ever containing my favorite song ever!
Until now, I never really read much into the lyrics. I thought the album was amazing musically, with vocals that seemed "appropriate" for the tune. I was more enthralled by the vocals on "Bullet the Blue Sky." Thanks for this eye-opening deep dive into the hidden gem that it truly is.
I remember listening to U2 on college radio before they got famous. In 1980 I saw U2’s second show in North America in Washington DC. They played at the Bayou nightclub in Georgetown, opening for my favorite local band called the Slickee Boys.
Very cool. How were the Slickee boys?
@ProfessorofRock The Slickee Boys were always a high energy, fun band to see! They were a very well known band in the DC music scene in the late 70s and early 80s and played a yearly gig around Christmas up until their last official show in 2011 at the 930 club. You should check out a live performance clip here on UA-cam.
There is something very distinctive about U2. Growing up I remember a lot of people bashing them when I was in school. But I liked them. My dad’s girlfriend was a U2 and Duran Duran fan. So she would listen to them at home and my favorite song became “I will follow” it’s still my favorite by them.
@aracellytirado3525 Yes! I remember talk about them being a christian rock band. (?) My favorites are I Will Follow and Stories For Boys
slickee would come to.much more rich. then i personally never went older brother probably
U2 was playing Chicago and somebody brought Bono to my favorite bar (Danny's) that we used to frequent several nights a week. The doorman Jeffrey had a sign up asking for donations because his dog that we all knew and loved needed surgery. Bono donated tickets to the show to raffle off. That made the newspapers and the bar was instantly crowded every night thereafter. We were happy for the owner and the bartenders but it kind of ruined it for us regulars!
The first time I saw or heard of U2 was a concert broadcast on Nickelodeon “Under a Blood Red Sky”. Anyone remember when Nickelodeon broadcast concerts in the 80’s?
Thanks!
Concerts? No.
I do recall a show called “Nick Rocks” that played popular music videos. That’s where I saw the “News Year Day” vid for the first time in 1985.
I knew that!
Love your youtube videos..and a huge u2 fan! Saw them back in 2001 with my mom..( she passed away in Dec of 2023). With or without you was my favorite live song. It was a cliffhanger when I saw this.
U2 …. Live Aid….
YEs!
The song I most remember as U2 breakout song was "Gloria." That's the song that caught my attention. I remember thinking, woh, that's Latin! I was a music major in college studying music history and immediately made the connection to my studies of the Latin liturgical music of the early Catholic church in the Middle Ages in Europe.
To be fair, it's a proprietary device leased to the Edge by its owner and creator, and it's actually not a distortion tool at all. It's called the Infinite Echo, btw.
It has more sustain than an E bow.@@ChrisTian-rm7zm
Another Professor of Rock lesson that didn’t disappoint!
Big fans of these guys and later of The CORRS too. Irish rock at its best
I have to listen to them.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 This show influences me too on what I listen too :)
I've always felt Joshua Tree was an album everyone should own, regardless of your preferences. It's just an album that can speak to anyone, anywhere.
Pride/ In the Name of Love! Is an ode to Martin Luther King. A quite introspective song
Best albums of that time. My cassette never left my Walkman for months. Thanks for the amazing walk down memory lane!
Thanks for listening
Joshua Tree - phenomenal album; awesome song. This pushed U2 into the spotlight. Many U2 songs give reverance to Christ from their strong Irish Catholic background. In the manic world of music, you can hear/feel Bono's dilemma between the two worlds topped with his marriage woes.
For sure!
A lot of their songs sound like prayer.
The members of U2 were VERY religious and when offered an opportunity to pursue a career in music, they asked their church to pray for them to make the right choice…music or missionary work. They chose music…
I saw U2 in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1983 on their War Tour. Just the four of them on the Brady Theatre stage with no frilly gimmicks. Loud, LOUD. GOOD show.
The symbolism of the Crucifixion is clearly evident!
U2 My favorite band and the live versions are crazy awesome! No one sings that song like Bono!
Back in the Saddle Again Naturally
Morning, con!
@@Whisper_292 Good Morning to you!
Good morning, constipated!
...naturally.
@@shiroibasketshoes Good Morning 🙏 🌄
Love the video. You guys mentioned the sustain effect that made them keep it and showed two clips of a delay pedal portion which didn't have the haunting sustain in it. :)
Uncle's a huge u2 fan and i am friends with a drummer from a u2 tribute band here in aus. their first 5 albums for define who they are and what made them so special in the alternative rock scene
my favourite u2 number is Seconds off the war album
Great song! I like that one too!
Gorgeous
Oh, and as someone who grew up in the 90s, it’s really trippy to think about these early U2 songs as underground indie anthems. You could only hear on college radio, considering today.
This band is in my top 3 of Rock bands 😊
Agreed
Not mine I rather listen to Styx.
@@AnnaTrail-xp8pr Hey Sister Wang 👋 Styx is in my top 3 only Dennis DeYoung led Styx.
I first heard U2 when I was in 10th grade (1982) and have been a fan every since. In 1987 I was 21 years old and the Joshua Tree album/tape was always playing in my car or at home. I’ve seen them 6 times, my oldest has been to concert with me. We saw the 30th anniversary of the Joshua Tree in Tampa (same place that I saw them in 1987-88)
This was a great episode and I truly appreciate all the deep dives you take into the music.
This will always be one of my favorite tracks.
My favorite song was Sunday Bloody Sunday. But as we all know my favorite song by this band I Still Haven't Found What I'm looking for. Because I was in the music video filmed here in Las Vegas
My favorite is "One".
@@lorihallenbeck8781 Great Song 🎵 Can I ask you a question? 🤔 Are you a Hollenback Girl?
Are you still full of 💩 or being serious?
At what part of the video?
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 When Bono rolls over the hood of the 280zx I was driving. I was playing Sunday Bloody Sunday and he was shocked to see 👀 a brother enjoying his music. I am behind the wheel
Since I'm from Colorado, Sunday, Bloody Sunday is my favorite. The video at Red Rocks captures a moment in time.
I am not a U2 fan, but Joshua Tree makes my top 10 albums list...
Take a bow man, great analysis.
Just one correction.
It was Adam Clayton’s future house in which they began working on the LP. It’s called Danesmoat. Nice pad.
Not a fan of U2 except for With or Without You. Someone asked me I thought you don't like U2, why are you listening to that song? My reply was just listen to it, I mean really listen to it. It checks all of the boxes no matter what you might think of their work. I do believe that is when college radio station came in to their own. I should add that The One I Love could easily be in the 60s or 70s.
Thanks!
I agree that U2 only have a few great numbers. For the most part, I could take or leave them.
It’s the one song all of us can agree on.
I was in my mid teens and in 1983 I was definitely rocking out to U2. Boston, being an Irish town adopted U2 and old stations like WAAF , WCOZ etc always had U2 songs on the air
U2 is one of those bands that are simply legendary! As someone who grew up in Massachusetts during my high school and college days, having WBCN radio out of Boston, October, Boy, War and the Unforgettable Fire were on heavy rotation and I was already a true, lifelong fan by the time The Joshua Tree came out while I was a sophomore in college. Till this day, I still feel their earliest albums are my ultimate favorite. I’ve been fortunate to see them a number of times over the decades with my first show costing a mere $25! 😮
One of the most influential and coolest band ever! ❤
I remember when U2 was originally a rock band and the pride of Ireland and my Irish friends. Then U2 transitioned to pop musc and lost their original fans who saw them as sellouts. I remember watching a music awards show on TV when U2 won "best band in the pop category" and the look on Bono's face like "Huh? What? Pop?" I was like "yeah, you didn't know what you guys have become?" I thought of Beavis and Butthead, the greatest most honest rock music critics ever, who called Bono "Boner"
@@cannonball666 I completely agree! Anything post Joshua tree was significant step down.
I tried, I really did, but I just couldn't get into u2. 🤷
same i bought ghits 80 90 and 90 2000 cds used big difference in both i dont think i listened to 90 2000 just got for bsides
I saw U2 in 1981 at the first Slane festival, Thin Lizzy were the excellent headliners. U2 were still hungry and still a rock band. After The Joshua Tree they consciously or unconsciously made their way into mainstream pop and I lost interest, still , I have the memories of a great performance by a great band still trying to make it big.
I love Rock music.. I love Pop music... I love it all!