Book by U2
U2 by U2
is an
autobiography
written by the members of Irish
rock
band
U2
, first published in 2006, edited by
Neil McCormick
. It portrays the story of U2 in their own words and pictures.
Background
[
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]
U2 by U2
was inspired by
The Beatles Anthology
, a book released in October 2000 as part of
The Beatles Anthology
film project.
The book took over two years to complete
and features more than 1,500 photographs taken from U2's personal archives, depicting the evolution from their early days in
Dublin
in 1978, to achieving rock
superstar
status. More than 150 hours of interviews were conducted by journalist Neil McCormick with singer
Bono
, guitarist
The Edge
, bassist
Adam Clayton
, drummer
Larry Mullen Jr.
, and manager
Paul McGuinness
.
Content
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]
"We felt it was important to get the story on record, but that's not to say we're not going to go on a good many more years [...] [t]his is the story thus far."
?Adam Clayton
U2 by U2
is an oral history created by Neil McCormick with the band, an in depth look at
U2
with more than 150 hours of interviews from the 1970s on.
This large heavy book describes the band started by four teenagers in 1976, and is the first book by the entire band written in their own words. The focus of the book is their music, their relationships and the growth of the band throughout the years, and is told by the band members themselves and their manager,
Paul McGuinness
, each tell their own account of a specific event. It is organized chronologically, beginning with childhood stories that continue through the
Vertigo tour
. McCormick, edited the book with the band to compile hundreds of un-published photographs.
Summary
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The book is divided into a prologue and twelve chapters. The prologue is structured in four sections, one on each member of the band, containing their views on what being in U2 means to the musicians.
Bono
talks about his personality,
The Edge
gives a review on electric guitars,
Adam Clayton
explains how he'd always wanted to be a rock star, and
Larry Mullen Jr.
expresses the fact that he had never been comfortable with celebrity or fame. Each one of the members also shares ideas about the others. The first chapter, 1960?75: Stories for Boys, follows their childhood stories with memories and photographs taken from their personal collections. The second chapter, 1976?78: Another Time Another Place, reconstructs the formation of the band and their initial equipment and gigs. The third chapter, 1978?80: Staring at the Sun, covers the
punk
period, when the band was influenced by emerging acts such as
The Jam
,
The Clash
,
Buzzcocks
, and
Sex Pistols
. The fourth chapter, 1980?81: Into the Heart, deals with the recording sessions of the band first two studio albums,
Boy
and
October
, and the filming of their first music video, "
Gloria
", written and directed by
Meiert Avis
.
The fifth chapter, 1982?83: Sing a New Song, talks about Bono's marriage to
Ali Hewson
, the release of U2's third studio album
War
and how "
Sunday Bloody Sunday
" became an anthem for peace. Chapter six, 1984-85: In the Name of Love, is about the release of
The Unforgettable Fire
. The second half of the book opens with 1986?87: Luminous Times, which talks about the release of
The Joshua Tree
, the band's most popular and critically acclaimed album. Chapter eight, 1987?89: Outside Is America, talks about the cinematic album and documentary
Rattle and Hum
.
The ninth chapter, 1990?93: Sliding Down the Surface of Things, is about a time when the band changed their sound. Bono and The Edge composed music for
A Clockwork Orange: 2004
, produced at the Barbican Theatre in London by the
Royal Shakespeare Company
, but it received mostly negative reviews. U2 released
Achtung Baby
and the accompanying
Zoo TV Tour
, and
Zooropa
and this, in part, spurned the desire to make changes to the way they made their music. Chapter ten, 1994?98: Some Days Are Better than Others, talks about the members of the band, especially Bono, dealing with the situation after coming back from tour, trying to find a routine life. Summer of 1994 is called by Bono as their [U2's]
Summer of Love
. In 1997,
Pop
was released.
The eleventh chapter, 1998?01: The Last of the Rock Stars, follows the release of
All That You Can't Leave Behind
and the death of Bono's father on 21 August 2001, a day after the band was due to play their
first concert
at
Slane Castle
for their
Elevation Tour
.
The final chapter, 2002?06: Until the End of the World, opens with the band playing at the
Super Bowl XXXVI
in January 2002 for the
halftime show
. U2 played three songs, "
Beautiful Day
", "
MLK
", and "
Where the Streets Have No Name
" while the names of the victims from the
September 11 attacks
were projected onto a sheet behind the stage, and, at the conclusion of the last song, Bono opened his jacket to reveal an
American flag
printed into the lining. The experience was described by them as "terrifying". The book then deals with the releases of
The Best of 1990?2000
, which included two new songs from the Monaco sessions, "
Electrical Storm
" and "
The Hands That Built America
". The book concludes with anecdotes and circumstances taken from the recording sessions of
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
and the following
Vertigo Tour
.
Publication
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U2 by U2
was first published by
HarperCollins
in London, England in 2006. It is a
coffee table book
, oversized and visually oriented. The first international edition was released on 22 September 2006 by the same publishing company. A lottery on U2's official website and competitions on radio stations across Ireland determined the 250 winners of a signed copy of the book. The promotional event took place at the
Eason & Son
bookshop at 40 Lower
O'Connell Street
in Dublin on 24 September 2006.
[11]
The book has been reprinted several times, and translated into French (translated by Philippe Paringaux and published by Au diable Vauvert in 2006 and 2008), Dutch (translated by Joost van der Meer and Asterisk* (Amsterdam), and published by
Het Spectrum
in 2006 and 2008), Danish (Danish title:
U2 om U2
; published by
Ekstra Bladet
in 2006), Finnish (translated by Veli-Pekka Saarinen and Elina Lustig, and published by
Tammi
in 2006), German (translated by Charlotte Lyne and published by Scherz in 2006), Italian (published by
Rizzoli
in 2006), Czech (Czech title:
U2 o U2
; published by Portal in 2007), and Polish (Polish title:
U2 o U2
; translated by Łukasz Głowacki and published by In Rock in 2009).
Reception
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The book received favourable critical reviews.
Edna Gundersen
praised it stating that "[they] now offers the definitive version of how [U2] got there."
Entertainment Weekly
's
writer Michael Endelman wrote in his review of the book "[d]espite some fascinating details, the nearly 350 pages of as-told-to text is dense, sometimes sluggish", giving the book a B rating.
Its international release, on 22 September 2006, have made it a bestseller in the United States, and the best selling music book in the world for 2006. It was listed in
USA Today'
s Best-Selling Books list for 9 weeks, debuting on 5 October 2006 and peaking at number 30,
and on
The New York Times
list of best sellers in the nonfiction category for 6 weeks, from November 2006 until January 2007, and peaking at number 14.
It is a recommended book by the
Irish America
magazine.
UnRated Magazine
'
s journalist Trent McMartin in his 2008 review of the book wrote: "[f]ascinating, revealing, and at times long-winded, the most intriguing areas of the book are the early stages as the band struggles with youth, rejection, spirituality and upheaval at home. [...] [O]n the most part the band is in sequence despite the years, and in some cases decades of discrepancy. [...] [T]his passionate and insightful book is a joy regardless of its tendency to drift. A few chapters in, and you two will be waving the white flag and wearing a pair of fly shades."
See also
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References
[
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]
Notes
Sources
Further reading
[
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]
- Cummings, Tony.
"Review: U2 By U2 ? U2 ? Book"
.
Cross Rhythms
.
- Ewton, Zane.
"Rock Reads: U2 By U2 Review"
.
Rocknworld
.
- McCormick, Neil;
U2
(2006).
U2 by U2
. New York:
HarperCollins
.
ISBN
0-06-077675-7
.
OCLC
71354126
.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link
)
- McCormick, Neil (2009).
U2 by U2: Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr
. New York:
HarperCollins
.
ISBN
978-0-06-190385-4
.
OCLC
313657117
.
- McGee, Matt (27 November 2006).
"U2 by U2: Candid, Informative, and Fun"
.
@U2
.
- Voyer, Marc.
"Top 10: Super Bowl Halftime Shows"
.
AskMen
. p. 3.
- Wenner, Jann
(ed.). "U2 by U2".
Rolling Stone
. New York.
ISSN
0035-791X
.
OCLC
1787396
.
- "75th Academy Awards Winners"
.
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
. 5 October 2014.
- "Super Bowl XXXVI (2002) ? U2 ? The 10 Best Super Bowl Halftime Shows ? Photos"
.
Sports Illustrated
. 2009.
- "U2 by U2".
Vanity Fair
.
ISSN
0733-8899
.
OCLC
417170899
.
External links
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Studio albums
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Compilations
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Extended plays
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Live albums, fan-club
releases, and other albums
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Videos and films
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Concert tours
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Performances
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Tribute albums
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