Pete The Chop

It was March 1989 when The Edge joined Peter Gabriel, David Byrne, Brynsley Forde (of Aswad), Annie Lennox, the Thompson Twins, Chrissie Hynde, Jerry Harrison, and Karl Wallinger (of World Party) in Moscow to support Greenpeace’s efforts to educate and impact environmental change in the Soviet Union. As Greenpeace put it, “The gathering in Red Square represented, by several orders of magnitude, the largest and most potent collection of rock’s elite ever to gather in Eastern Europe. It also serves as a sort of crescendo to rock-and-roll’s environmental chorus. Like dozens of other major rock acts, the artists who gathered in Red Square are converts to eco-activism. They were in the Soviet Union as volunteers, to promote the release of an album of songs they had donated to Greenpeace. The record, called Breakthrough, would introduce environmental issues in general, and Greenpeace in particular, to young people in the Soviet Union. Each record included a brochure that described environmental problems, Greenpeace and provided an address in the Soviet Union for more information.”

Elsewhere in the world, the album was known as Rainbow Warriors, however Greenpeace wanted to use this as an opportunity to use popular music to reach out and break through (as it were) to the millions in the then-police state of the Soviet Union. It was 1989 and the fall of the Berlin Wall had yet to happen. Billy Joel had just completed his tour of the Soviet Union a couple of years prior and the feeling of glasnost was still present. Greenpeace took this as an opportunity to get their message out.

So, as U2 tour Moscow this week, the buildings may be the same but so much has changed since Edge visited Red Square in 1989. Greenpeace asked the question on the front page of their November/December 1989 magazine, “Can Rock ‘n’ Roll Save the World?” Two decades later, the answer is it certainly has helped to an extent.

To find out more about Edge’s trip to Moscow with Greenpeace, check out the Hot Press article written by Bill Graham, reprinted in Propaganda.

This is a post from the @U2 blog.

The Edge Returns to Moscow

Tags: Causes & Charities, Edge, Tours & Live Shows by U2isABLE
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Mike from The Pixar Blog shared yesterday that he thinks Bono and maybe The Edge could be creating songs for an upcoming Pixar project.

He cites “new information” as his catalyst for writing the post, and refuses to share his resources, but calls the possibility “reasonably solid.”

To read the full post, click here.

Thanks to @U2 reader Andrew A. for sending us the tip. We’ll be staying tuned for further updates.

This is a post from the @U2 blog.

Rumor: Bono to write for Pixar?

Tags: Bono, Edge, Miscellaneous, Pixar, the edge by Tassoula
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I had a weird sensation come over me as I watched Edge perform “Where the Streets Have No Name” with Muse at the Glastonbury Festival this weekend. I had never realized just how much that song’s strength is Edge. Being a Mullen fan myself, I had always embraced the drums in the song. However, it wasn’t until I saw a different band performing it *with* Edge doing the signature guitar parts that I realized that as much as I adore Larry and have the utmost respect for Adam, instrumentally “Where the Streets Have No Name” is truly Edge’s song. Had it not been for Matthew Bellamy’s vocals, I would have had a difficult time believing that Larry and Adam weren’t also on stage based on just the audio of the performance.

The guest performance by Edge also sparked the conversation in my house about if a band member leaves U2, should the band continue on? This is a question that has been on the @U2 fan survey over the years, so it is an ongoing debate between my husband and myself. Surprisingly, fans felt more strongly in 2005 than they did in 2010 about U2 not continuing as a band should one of them leave. Here’s the stats according to the survey results:
(band member to leave / percentage who said “no – U2 should not continue”)
Bono: 96.1% (2005) / 95.27% (2010)
Edge: 96.81% (2005) / 96.02% (2010)
Adam: 90.67% (2005) / 88.14% (2010)
Larry: 92.67% (2005) / 90.48% (2010)

I don’t know if it’s because everyone’s gotten older and we’re less picky as to if U2 was to continue or not. What does stand out is that fans feel Edge is the most valuable member of U2. After seeing the Glastonbury performance with Muse, U2 just wouldn’t be U2 if it wasn’t for Edge and his gift of playing the guitar. I’ve heard countless others try to mimic Edge, but as Dallas Schoo pointed out, even he can’t make it sound like Edge. This is why, I believe, Edge can join forces with anyone else to recreate the magic of U2…as long as the tune stays instrumental. As soon as you put in someone else’s voice, well, then it just doesn’t feel right.

So, going back to that sensation I felt: I was wrestling with how insanely awesome it was to have Edge doing what he does best and how odd it was to not see the rest of the band up there with him as the song sounded so signature U2. Could I really be happy knowing that it wasn’t the full band peforming? No, not really. Could I embrace a future where they could continue on without one (or three) of the legs in the four-legged-table? Hard to tell. Had Muse and Edge not done a U2 song, the challenge wouldn’t be so tough. All I know is that Bono better listen to what Dr. Tonn told him because I don’t want to picture U2’s music being performed by less than all 4 members any longer than I need to!

This is a post from the @U2 blog.

Who Needs ‘Em Anyway?

Tags: Edge by U2isABLE
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(Early jacket worn by Edge that’s being offered at auction on Saturday). CBS’s The Early Show featured Saturday’s Music Rising “Icons of Music” auction this morning. They also listed some of the estimated prices items will go for. Here are some of the items The Early Show featured: Bono Stage-Worn Bullet Leather Jacket From the 2005 Vertigo [...]

Tags: As Seen on TV, Causes & Charities, Edge, Events & Appearances by U2isABLE
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To update a story mentioned here a week ago (or so), Edge has announced he will donate 2 Gibson guitars and other personal items to the upcoming “Icons of Music” auction on May 31. In an interview with the Associated Press by phone while the band was in the studio, Edge said, “No one could ever [...]

Tags: Causes & Charities, Edge, Events & Appearances, In the News... by U2isABLE
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For those who didn’t get what they wanted at auction last year will have another opportunity at bidding on items generously donated from fellow musicians…Julien’s Auctions is hosting the “Icons of Music” auction to benefit Music Rising. The auction is set for May 31 at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City. There are [...]

Tags: Causes & Charities, Edge, Events & Appearances, In the News... by U2isABLE
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