If you believe the British journalist Simon Reynolds in his exciting Rip it Up & Start Again, from the beginning, U2 was devoured of a megalomaniac ambition. “Everything was” great “at home, says Reynolds, the themes of the lyrics, the voice of Bono, the size of their sound, their ambition and determination.” He spoke of “fervor” and “characteristic moral content” to “try to build on the energies of rock” but also “self-sacrifice for a greater good” and “faith” in both the Christian religion as “humanism left. Today, this is clearly a plate: the U2 have may not be as famous as Jesus Christ and sell less than the Beatles, they exist in the Eternal Glory to the Kingdom of Ipods, music consumed by the More and even tapes in the back to the leaders of this world. And this God they seem to think so, after creating a world, they also branlent really a.

I have a friend, he saw U2 in Klacik at Uccle, 70 years late. They seemed perfect badgers, he said. Look to the yokel who played post-punk music too fat for the ideal of drought that prevailed then. U2, at the time, it was very clear from the second division. The second even Joy Division, hahaha, because as stated Simon Reynolds in his book, The Edge and Bono were crazy to the music of Ian Curtis, they copied all their tics some early (they even hired the producer Martin Hannett to get closer to sound).

During this career bonus, it was a group forming part of a package, a bouquet of new-wave. While in Belgium, especially listening U2 fans on the side of Cure and Simple Minds, England, is Echo & The Bunnymen that the Irish were mainly opposed; understood that press and fans saw the action on the same musical , the rock known as “heroic.” Again, U2 went for regularly inhabited but lumpish, but voluntary bumpkin, especially since the Bunnymen surjouaient a seductive image of rock and roll and records where U2 graceful stuffing in the pile with Belief evangelical missionaries, ie subtlety. It does not surprise you by saying that despite it all rather well for them, especially in America, land where Catholicism, stadium rock and Irish immigration had obviously opened a window of opportunity rather large for Bono and his visions of soubirouesques Reconquista oecuménique European-market and minds.

I do not really interest us here to dwell on the result of objective history, it is known: the group has been crowned best rock combo in the world, they exploded their image in the mid 90′s Achtung Baby and its “Situationism for Dummies” and since then they became bad and even politically controversial (Bush, Apple, The Pope, the accusations of tax evasion …) while still experiencing huge success. Today, nobody seems to expect anything from them, if not give good concerts to classical set-lists. As the Catholic Church, U2 seems to have reached its limits: more difficult to evangelize the faith of former believers is lost, are the miracles of the past, the older flock, the young show no respect and worship becomes more a matter of getting used to the fire Sunday as sacred. U2 is a religion that lacks a revelation (fuck that we are Ringu) or the equivalent of a Vatican 2 (damned, reinvent us, guys!). U2 is a group that now almost as interesting as Johnny Hallyday.

This comparison is provocative, but not free. Fans of Johnny, all say they love his voice mainly. Johnny speaks, Johnny makes them crazy with his “mounted.” It’s like that, at Johnny, in his best songs, favorite of his fans, “he rises”, which means that it normally starts to sing and then push his voice hard, which may give the impression of power but also of suffering and it is this duality that was born the legend of Johnny. U2 fans talk about them rather often the veneration they have for the combination of Bono’s voice and guitar of The Edge. In fact, it is more in the pleasure of pure power. Bono can sing ballads wrenching, it never gives the impression of suffering. It is positive and strong rock, U2, and it is precisely because this power has always seemed to be shared with many Christian charities that are born the legend and cult U2. Take my body, blah … In short, both in U2 than Johnny, what is expected is not necessarily the music but an effect. Johnny effect, the effect U2. The climbs of one, the power “lift” of others. And as the old briscards, Bono and Johnny, they know very well that is what is expected of them. They are both came and dealers. They are certainly more fun and excitement to sing the blues or write musicals on super-heroes, but from time to time, they must satisfy customers, so they emerge from their dens are in the corner corner micro-and that this is a good corner corner or not does not even have enormous importance. That makes coin coin effect, is what the people.

No Line On The Horizon, nothing new either, on the horizon. The first song that reminds castagneur Achtung Baby, an atmosphere that is reminiscent of the War / Boy but with the sound of today, ballads to whistling in traffic jams when they dump the car, obviously not of the caliber of One. Better than before, which may also simply lead to “bad.” Mauvais under no wonder, grace, novelty. Ill within the meaning “not like in 80 years.” Not bad at finishing or control. Pataud bumpkin and again and again, that yes. But the corner is the corner effect. And all the rest is literature or simple expression of atheism. Take this body and municipalities, blah …