The history of U2: 1986

‘Twenty years ago, U2 was fronted by Davy ‘Northside’ Crocket and the bass player’s choice of hair colour was black. Things only really took off for the band when their guitarist started wearing tighter pants.’

… can anyone even hear B’s guitar?

42 thoughts on “The history of U2: 1986”

  1. it’s the very early days of bono’s live guitar playing (is that right? did he seriously play on previous tours). I think it’s on the r&h outtakes where paul mcg is asked wether b’s dislocated shoulder would make any diff. to the sound, since he couldn’t play guitar for a few weeks. the answer was no ;)… the clip above is a nice example for that. I think his guitar playing became only for significant during zoo tv (the fly, one…) but and even then he was hardly audible at times. imo the sound got gradually better since popmart.

  2. it’s the very early days of bono’s live guitar playing (is that right? did he seriously play on previous tours). I think it’s on the r&h outtakes where paul mcg is asked wether b’s dislocated shoulder would make any diff. to the sound, since he couldn’t play guitar for a few weeks. the answer was no ;)… the clip above is a nice example for that. I think his guitar playing became only for significant during zoo tv (the fly, one…) but and even then he was hardly audible at times. imo the sound got gradually better since popmart.

  5. Bono was very angry that day because of an article that appeared in ‘In Dublin’ magazine. The author, John Waters, slammed the Self Aid initiativ and U2 in particular. I’ve forgotten exactly what John wrote, all I remember is Bono and John later shook hands and came to some agreement about the matter. A few years later John wrote the ambitious ‘Race of Angels’, a book about the Irishness of U2.

    The last song U2 played was ‘Bad’ in which Bono referred to the incident during a snippet of Elton John’s ‘Candle in the wind’. He sang: ‘… on the pages of cheap Dublin magazines.’

    I’m doing this off the top of my head so forgive me if I get some of the details wrong.

  6. Bono was very angry that day because of an article that appeared in ‘In Dublin’ magazine. The author, John Waters, slammed the Self Aid initiativ and U2 in particular. I’ve forgotten exactly what John wrote, all I remember is Bono and John later shook hands and came to some agreement about the matter. A few years later John wrote the ambitious ‘Race of Angels’, a book about the Irishness of U2.

    The last song U2 played was ‘Bad’ in which Bono referred to the incident during a snippet of Elton John’s ‘Candle in the wind’. He sang: ‘… on the pages of cheap Dublin magazines.’

    I’m doing this off the top of my head so forgive me if I get some of the details wrong.

  7. This is around the Amnesty gig where B wore the same “Davy” outfit. If you all remember during Maggies Farm B was just as amph’d.

  8. This is around the Amnesty gig where B wore the same “Davy” outfit. If you all remember during Maggies Farm B was just as amph’d.

  13. Bono used to play guitar on both A Day Without Me and I Fall Down in the early days. Sort of.

    “Self Aid” has been one one my favorite tapes ever since I started collecting. My original tape from 1986 is worn out, but still on heavy rotation in the car. Outlived at least 5 walkmen.

  14. Bono used to play guitar on both A Day Without Me and I Fall Down in the early days. Sort of.

    “Self Aid” has been one one my favorite tapes ever since I started collecting. My original tape from 1986 is worn out, but still on heavy rotation in the car. Outlived at least 5 walkmen.

  15. You can hear Bono’s guitar quite clearly on The Fly from the Vertigo tour…but that’s almost it 🙂 If it isn’t an acoustic guitar methinks the volume is quite low

  16. You can hear Bono’s guitar quite clearly on The Fly from the Vertigo tour…but that’s almost it 🙂 If it isn’t an acoustic guitar methinks the volume is quite low

  17. I think 85-88 were “interesting” years for B…

    a little Morrison a little Elvis…a little alcohol 🙂

    it was also the “bloated” years, we have all had our BAD years…mine was oddly enough 85 and 86 and thanks to BAD i did let go of the “BAD” in my life…
    I think there was definitely a “BAD” time for B somewhere around that time of 85-88…IMHO

  18. I think 85-88 were “interesting” years for B…

    a little Morrison a little Elvis…a little alcohol 🙂

    it was also the “bloated” years, we have all had our BAD years…mine was oddly enough 85 and 86 and thanks to BAD i did let go of the “BAD” in my life…
    I think there was definitely a “BAD” time for B somewhere around that time of 85-88…IMHO

  19. It seems they only had a couple of acoustics at the time- that’s the same Ibanez in the With or Without you video— he definitely learned to pose with it!
    Bono’s definitely got the Elvis moves going- don’t remember that from him… and gets more steamed when he hesitates at the end of the first chorus…
    Funny how near the end Larry pokes a hole in his taped-snare and quickly tries to fix–
    Another classic! Keep ’em comin’!!

  20. It seems they only had a couple of acoustics at the time- that’s the same Ibanez in the With or Without you video— he definitely learned to pose with it!
    Bono’s definitely got the Elvis moves going- don’t remember that from him… and gets more steamed when he hesitates at the end of the first chorus…
    Funny how near the end Larry pokes a hole in his taped-snare and quickly tries to fix–
    Another classic! Keep ’em comin’!!

  23. I can’t remember the quote perfectly, but in the “Classic Albums – U2: The Joshua Tree” DVD I think Daniel Lanois plays the master of one of their songs, brings in Bono’s guitar bit, and comments something like “Oh – there’s Bono’s guitar playing. Not bad, if you ask me.” And Bono laughs sheepishly and replies, “Well, that’s the first time anyone’s ever said that.”

  24. I can’t remember the quote perfectly, but in the “Classic Albums – U2: The Joshua Tree” DVD I think Daniel Lanois plays the master of one of their songs, brings in Bono’s guitar bit, and comments something like “Oh – there’s Bono’s guitar playing. Not bad, if you ask me.” And Bono laughs sheepishly and replies, “Well, that’s the first time anyone’s ever said that.”

  25. the whole thing is amph’d but it’s also very Al Pacino like from Scarface…if you turn off the volume and just watch…it’s as if B is ready for, “ok, say hello to my little friend!” as he gets his focus in the first 20 secs of the clip
    …awesome spirit that B man~~~

  26. the whole thing is amph’d but it’s also very Al Pacino like from Scarface…if you turn off the volume and just watch…it’s as if B is ready for, “ok, say hello to my little friend!” as he gets his focus in the first 20 secs of the clip
    …awesome spirit that B man~~~

  27. I often find myself searching for the current Bono in clips from the 80s. He looks like he’s changed so much to me. But in this clip, I saw him, clear and ageless. Just Bono.

  28. I often find myself searching for the current Bono in clips from the 80s. He looks like he’s changed so much to me. But in this clip, I saw him, clear and ageless. Just Bono.

  29. This Eddie Cochran tune was also covered by Led Zeppelin in the mid-70’s. This was the first clip I ever heard where Bono used the f-word, and that makes this one extra special 😉

  30. This Eddie Cochran tune was also covered by Led Zeppelin in the mid-70’s. This was the first clip I ever heard where Bono used the f-word, and that makes this one extra special 😉

  31. thanks for the a) history lesson (i was still playing with duplo at the time), and b) the youtube group. U2tube! awesome.

  32. thanks for the a) history lesson (i was still playing with duplo at the time), and b) the youtube group. U2tube! awesome.

  33. oh, I was in no way trying to say he’s a bad guitar player. he’s quite a decent one in fact. zoo tv fly extra guitar and so much other stuff up to recent times, but my favourite remains the plugging at the beginning of “she’s a mystery to me” on roy orbisons myster girl record….that’s completely magic to me…

  34. oh, I was in no way trying to say he’s a bad guitar player. he’s quite a decent one in fact. zoo tv fly extra guitar and so much other stuff up to recent times, but my favourite remains the plugging at the beginning of “she’s a mystery to me” on roy orbisons myster girl record….that’s completely magic to me…

  35. Anybody remember that moment in “Rattle and Hum”, during “All Along the Watchtower”, when the film cuts from B playing guitar to the Edge — then Edge pushes that mysterious button on the amp? I think it’s Edge going “Oh yeah, forgot to turn OFF his amp so nobody hears him.” 😉

    Kind of like the Edge’s similar moment in that classic “Simpsons” episode … “Oh, here we go.”

  36. Anybody remember that moment in “Rattle and Hum”, during “All Along the Watchtower”, when the film cuts from B playing guitar to the Edge — then Edge pushes that mysterious button on the amp? I think it’s Edge going “Oh yeah, forgot to turn OFF his amp so nobody hears him.” 😉

    Kind of like the Edge’s similar moment in that classic “Simpsons” episode … “Oh, here we go.”

  37. Can’t believe that “Woman Fish” clip- that is an instant favorite now– that’s a pretty angry sound (first thing it reminds me of NIN March of the Pigs)- put in the context of these being Joshua demos, the closest vibe to it would be “Bullet” and “Exit”, and clearly hasn’t been given the Eno treatment.

    This kinda of gives insight into how they could say they (Bono and Edge at least) liked the industrial stuff back in the early 90’s, considering it wasn’t around as much yet and they went the roots route after JT.

    Maybe Henry Rollins should listen to it, and those who haven’t can listen to the lyrics of Black Flag’s “TV Party”- I get the sentiment, but it ain’t no “TV Eye”.

  38. Can’t believe that “Woman Fish” clip- that is an instant favorite now– that’s a pretty angry sound (first thing it reminds me of NIN March of the Pigs)- put in the context of these being Joshua demos, the closest vibe to it would be “Bullet” and “Exit”, and clearly hasn’t been given the Eno treatment.

    This kinda of gives insight into how they could say they (Bono and Edge at least) liked the industrial stuff back in the early 90’s, considering it wasn’t around as much yet and they went the roots route after JT.

    Maybe Henry Rollins should listen to it, and those who haven’t can listen to the lyrics of Black Flag’s “TV Party”- I get the sentiment, but it ain’t no “TV Eye”.

  39. TV Party is a great song!

    As for U2’s performance that’s a great find. I didn’t know vid footage existed. I have the audio on a bootleg somewhere. I like the urgency of the song and Bono is pretty ticked off too.

  40. TV Party is a great song!

    As for U2’s performance that’s a great find. I didn’t know vid footage existed. I have the audio on a bootleg somewhere. I like the urgency of the song and Bono is pretty ticked off too.

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