U2’s The Edge Turns 46, 20 Years Ago Today “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” Went to #1
I say U, you say 2!
I woke up with Soundgarden on my mind but I guess it didn’t really stick. So, off through the internets I ran looking for something interesting to dish on this ball-sweatingly hot Wednesday and I came up with two nuggets from the history of the Mighty U2.
First, and most notably, Happy Birthday, Dave “The Edge” Evans. The Edge turns 46 today. Second, it was on this day in 1987 that “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” went to #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
It’s interesting we’d have an excuse to discuss The Edge on the heels of the 7 Days of Satriani because of the way he become something of a guitar anti-hero, an anti-Satriani.
The Edge is often listed among the outstanding guitarists in rock, and I’ve never really understood it. For years this was because I abhorred U2 and saw them as the enemy. A few years ago, I had my conversion and baptism and became a full-fledged U2 fan. I now own their entire discography, love them dearly, and still don’t understand why The Edge is considered an elite guitar player.
Guitar solos are not the only way to demonstrate one’s greatness, but Edge doesn’t fit in with the blues-based players like Clapton, Page, or Gilmour any more than he does with the shredders like Satriani and Vai. He hasn’t written the riffs of Berry or Richards, mastered the slide, or perfected the jazz or classical traditions. I can’t think of any objective measure of instrumental prowess where Edge shines above the rest of the crowd.
What I don’t understand is why it’s so important to turn the guy into some kind of guitar genius. Is the music any less fabulous if he’s just a guitarist in one of the best bands in the world? I think some U2-loving rock critics have confused having a signature sound with actually being a great player. He plays chords and has some effects pedals. Those chords are part of some great, great songs, and he has found some great sounds. I’m not knocking U2 or The Edge, but I’m not going to refer to the guy has a brilliant player just because he plays a B# followed by an A minor.
I feel bad knocking a guy on his 46th birthday, especially because I like the guy and his music. To atone for my sins, I pledge to spend some time this afternoon immersing myself in my favorite U2 songs. I guess I’ll start with “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”
Happy Birthday, Edge. You don’t have to be a hero to be aces in my book. Just make sure Eno and Lanois stay at the helm of this next record and don’t let Bono ruin any more songs with “Sister Ann” and “hip hop drove the big cars!”
Filed under: Tags: Musical Musings and Random Ramblings, U2
I think part of it is because he pioneered a kind of sound that few had heard before. I can’t think of a single group that had that guitar sound before he came along, but after U2 started getting notice in the 80s, it was everywhere. And then he changed things up by getting one of Michael Brook’s “infinite guitars” and using it on “With or Without You,” starting another guitar revolution that doesn’t sound shocking now. He’s also an extremely tasteful guitarist, and so lacking all that flash he just isn’t as noticeably “great.” He creates some of the most iconic guitar signatures I can recall hearing that aren’t solos.
Great points, Tom, all of them. I think “unique” is a more appropriate compliment for him than great.
The music is great, his sound is unique. There’s nothing wrong with any of that.
ok, i’m a guitar player. i gotta chime in. (oh look, i used the word “chime” while commenting about The Edge….i’m so fuckin’ cute and postmodern and whatnot…)
ahem…
The Edge is great for some of the same reasons that Built To Spill’s Doug Martsch is so great. he’s his own man. unique in the community of guitar players.
A fair way of looking at it although I can hear Martsch do things as a player and I don’t hear them coming from The Edge.
I’m not all that arsed either way. I love U2, I love their sound and their songs.
there are in fact a whole pile of technical things (musically technical, not guitar technical) that the Edge does that sets him apart.
i’m not gonna go into it because, frankly, it sort of wrings the passion out of the whole thing.
And there’s something else about the Edge that makes him great. You know him when you hear him, instantly. His sound is so uniquely him. No one has quite duplicated whatever combination of talent and equipment that he has. There’s way more to the Edge than it might seem just listening to U2, but man, there’s something amazing going on with just about everything he does. I usually wish for a solo album from guys like this, but I think that would miss the point. Some of the power in his playing is simply the restraint he displays while backing Bono. (And, yes, I’ve heard his album with Michael Brook, Captive, and it supports what I just said - something is missing.) In U2, because of the very even balance of power, there is so much potential energy just waiting to be unleashed. That’s what makes their music so intriguing to me.
Try and copy the edge.Bet you caint do it.My guitar instructor makes comments about edge’s ability, but he quickly discovered that some of the cords edge is playing are indeed difficult. The way they are played is difficult.What makes a great guitar player.Sound.No one on this planet can dipulicate the bueatiful u2/Edge sound.No one.