{"id":9949,"date":"2026-04-03T18:32:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T18:32:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/the-edge-my-life-in-music-154003\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T18:32:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T18:32:21","slug":"the-edge-my-life-in-music-154003","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/the-edge-my-life-in-music-154003\/","title":{"rendered":"U2\u2019s The Edge \u2013 My Life In Music"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Originally published in Uncut Take 123 (August 2007)…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Originally published in Uncut Take 123 (August 2007)\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

THE FIRST SINGLE I BOUGHT<\/h2>\n

\u201cCum On Feel The Noize\u201d<\/strong>
Slade<\/strong>
1973<\/strong>
The first record I ever bought was Sgt Pepper<\/em>. But the first single was this. I would\u2019ve been 10 or 11, and it was a big deal going into a record shop with your two shillings, because that\u2019s where all the big boys were. There were some good pop songs around in those days. Soon after, I bought Alice Cooper\u2019s \u201cSchool\u2019s Out\u201d.<\/p>\n

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A RECORD THAT INFLUENCED U2<\/h2>\n

Horses<\/strong>
Patti Smith<\/strong>
1975<\/strong>
It had the energy we were trying to achieve, but the poetic quality of it was also significant, and the way it was arranged \u2013 the economy. I always considered myself a minimalist in terms of arrangement \u2013 the least necessary is the best approach \u2013 and this record is the best example of that. John Cale did an amazing job, and all the players never broke their cool.<\/p>\n

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THE RECORD THAT REMINDS ME OF BEING A TEENAGER<\/h2>\n

Hot Love<\/strong>
T. Rex<\/strong>
1971<\/strong>
Marc Bolan was a little too effeminate for me when I was young. I wasn\u2019t in touch with my feminine side! But when I started learning guitar a couple of years later, we had the Top Of The Pops<\/em> compilations, which was a big Christmas present everyone got. So I was working on \u201cHot Love\u201d from one of those albums, and when I realised I could play it, I reassessed T. Rex.<\/p>\n

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THE RECORD THAT RESTORED MY FAITH IN ROCK<\/h2>\n

The Idiot<\/strong>
Iggy Pop<\/strong>
1977<\/strong>
Iggy is an amazing rock\u2019n\u2019roll lyric writer, and The Idiot<\/em> has some amazing songs. A lot of music up to that point had lost any ability to engage. So when suddenly I heard Bowie, and then Iggy Pop, it was a fascinating world they were able to conjure up, and I wanted to be part of it. It felt authentic, like they were writing what was going on in their lives.<\/p>\n

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THE RECORD THAT MADE ME WANT TO PLAY THE GUITAR<\/h2>\n

A Hard Day\u2019s Night<\/strong>
The Beatles<\/strong>
1964<\/strong>
The film was on at Christmas for something like five years in succession, and I was really taken in by the whole package. I actually had a guitar at that point \u2013 a miniature, brought home by my dad from Spain. I\u2019m not sure if I ever learned how to play it, but later my brother was given a guitar which we learned to tune. That was the guitar I learned to play chords on.<\/p>\n

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THE LAST RECORD I FELL IN LOVE WITH<\/h2>\n

Now Here Is Nowhere<\/strong>
Secret Machines<\/strong>
2008<\/strong>
They did a couple of shows with us at the end of the last tour. This album is just not like anything that\u2019s happening anywhere else. The opening track is nine or ten minutes long. I asked them what their influences were, and I thought they\u2019d be into Magazine, early post-punk stuff, but they\u2019re all Neu! fans, into Krautrock!<\/p>\n

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THE RECORD BY A LOCAL HERO THAT INSPIRED ME<\/h2>\n

Taste
Taste
1969<\/strong>
I listened to Rory Gallagher\u2019s records from the age of 12 or 13. It was the glorious guitar playing that first inspired me to really go after the instrument. Not that I had any ambition then, other than just learning how to play. I saw him in Macroom in 1976. I love his early stuff, the pure energy. That was the era of the trio: Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream\u2026 and Ireland had Taste.<\/p>\n

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THE RECORD I COULDN\u2019T LIVE WITHOUT<\/h2>\n

London Calling<\/strong>
The Clash<\/strong>
1979<\/strong>
They were part of our era, the punk and post-punk movement. One of the first punk shows I ever saw was Stiff Little Fingers, so music I cared about always had a political element. London Calling<\/em> is their finest hour. It was released when they were being called sell-outs. I never cared about all that \u2013 I just thought this is an amazing band, this is an amazing record.<\/p>\n

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THE RECORD I COULDN\u2019T LIVE WITHOUT<\/h2>\n

Legend<\/strong>
Bob Marley<\/strong>
1984<\/strong>
More than anyone, it\u2019s Marley whose music I keep going back to. It\u2019s the benchmark on every level, musically, spiritually\u2026 he\u2019s in a different league. Some music puts you in a dark place, but Marley lifts me out of any funky mood I\u2019m in. For a favourite, I\u2019d like to say Uprising<\/em>, but the best is probably Legend<\/em>. I know it\u2019s a compilation, but it\u2019s one of the greatest of all time.<\/p>\n

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THE RECORD I\u2019D LIKE PLAYED AT MY FUNERAL<\/h2>\n

\u201cBeginning To See The Light\u201d<\/strong>
The Velvet Underground
1969<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of our proudest moments was doing a gig with them, and it turned out to be one of their last because Sterling Morrison passed away not long after. One of the great things about being in a big band is that you get the chance to ask someone you love to come out with you. It was a bit weird \u2013 you shut up and listen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The post U2\u2019s The Edge \u2013 My Life In Music<\/a> appeared first on UNCUT<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Originally published in Uncut Take 123 (August 2007)… Originally published in Uncut Take 123 (August 2007)\u2026 THE FIRST SINGLE I BOUGHT \u201cCum On Feel The Noize\u201dSlade1973The first record I ever…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,65,2327],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-features","category-lists","category-u2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9949"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9949\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}