They are the four rock and roll bands that stand above all others. For decades they have loomed over all others in their collective impact on modern music. Like the granite carved faces that adorn Mt. Rushmore they represent the pillars of the nation of rock. The Beatles. The Rolling Stones. Led Zeppelin. The Who. The Beatles were the ultimate of the untouchables, the George Washington of music, one of a kind, iconic and misunderstood, setting the standard by which all would try to emulate. The Stones clearly possessed Jeffersonian qualities, in that they thrived in the conflict of taking straight rhythm and blues, the blue print or Declaration of music if you will, and applying it to real world practice. If Ab Lincoln was a band he would obviously would have been Led Zeppelin in that he fostered a change in opinion on the subject of race much like Led Zeppelin took what the Stones started and pumped it up even further, eventually leading the creation of heavy metal and hard rock. Finally we have The Who, who laid the groundwork for punk with their mod persona, a type of music that does what it wants when it wants, which pretty much was the calling card of Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt. I realize making such comparisons is a grandiose attempt at placing things in context, but just as we view the four faces on Mt. Rushmore as men beyond reproach, so are these four bands. They are the end all be all, no mater what they do in the future, their legacies are intact and are the envy of every band to follow in their footsteps. However, as time has shown, history does not exist in a vacuum and therefore it would only seem natural that other musical acts would arise to challenge the four-tiered throne of musical supremacy. Obviously no one can erase what these four bands have accomplished, but at the very least they can force them all to move over a little bit and make some space. Only one band has been able to accomplish this, and it took them over twenty years to do it. The band is U2.

Before you begin to brand me a preacher of blasphemy for even considering U2 to be on the level of a group such as The Beatles please know that in no way am I ranking one above the other. If I were to do so, then obviously The Beatles would be one, followed by Led Zep, then The Stones and finally The Who, with U2 clearly behind them, but that is not the point of this exercise. The unifying trait of all five of these bands is the, or in the case of some, was, the music they made and the overall quality of that music. In that regard, U2 does stand-alone in that in their twenty-fifth year as a band they have managed to release a new album that not only is still relevant, but also is extremely good. The Beatles obviously didn’t have that chance, nor did Led Zeppelin, and The Who is planning to release a new album of material but I don’t have very high hopes for them. Only the Rolling Stones release new records and all you need to know about their most recent work is that when the break out a new song at one of their concerts that it triggers a mass break for the concession stands and the bathrooms. To put it bluntly, if the Keith Richards of 1968 heard what the Keith Richards of 1998 was putting out there he’d beat the crap out of him. Amazingly, U2 has never lapsed in their ability to make great music, minor pitfalls like the album ‘Pop” not withstanding. On the surface that might not seem an impressive feat, but in the grand context of music, it is almost impossible. From the all time classics like “The Joshua Tree” and “Achtung Baby” to “The Unforgettable Fire”, “Zooropa”, “War” and “Under A Blood Red Sky” which are simply great, all the way to the most recent “How to Dismantle…” and “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” we are talking at minimum 8 amazing albums, not even counting three other records that are solid on their own merits. Do you realize how fucking hard that is to do? Can you even name one other band, the Four Kings aside, who have accomplished that? Step outside the band genre and focus on individual singers, the list is still miniscule, filled with the likes of Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, and maybe Stevie Wonder, who in all honesty hit his peak, and what a peak it was, in the mid 1970’s and has been mailing it in ever since. This is the level we are talking about, pure musical icons, and that is what U2 has become.

To further elaborate my point, to pay homage to these men from Dublin lets examine the phenomenon that is Bruce Springsteen, who in many ways has seen his career span the entire lifetime of U2. Bruce, or The Boss as he is called, is a true musical great, at least according to his millions and millions of fans. I enjoy his music, respecting such songs as “Thunder Road” and “Born to Run” in addition to other tunes like “Glory Days” and “I’m on Fire”, but his is a reputation built on good timing and great showmanship. Notice neither of those involve actual music in any way. On the subject of showmanship Bruce’s concerts are legendary for their length and the passion he exudes and for that I can only praise him for giving his fans the show they deserve. But even his most ardent fan would be hard pressed to name 15 songs they love of his if they had to formulate a list. If they were forced to remove the histrionics of his concerts and just watch Bruce sit down with a guitar and play songs they most likely are going to put a song like “Dancing in the Dark” in there and we all know that song is just a piece of shit. Now take that same fan and tell them to pick 15 U2 songs to hear just for the sake of listening and there wouldn’t be a weak song in the bunch. For fun do this at home right now and see what you come up with, here I’ll help, and we can even start with the more recent stuff. Vertigo. Beautiful Day. Elevation. Stuck In A Moment. The Sweetest Thing. One. Mysterious Ways. Numb. That’s 8 right there and we haven’t even gotten to The Joshua Tree album or their early stuff. My point being that going to a U2 Show is like going to see The Who, who I saw 3 years ago and was amazed at how many great songs they had. Conversely, you go see Bruce in concert and about half way through you are looking to take a seat as he plays some obscure song of one of his crappy albums like “Human Touch” or “The Ghost of Tom Joad.”

You may wonder why I’m ripping on Bruce when I said I was going to be writing about U2 and that brings me to my second point that illustrates the greatness of U2. Additionally, I should point out at this time that I’m not even a huge fan of U2, what I am a fan of is music history and the relevance that bands play on the overall scheme of things. Stated previously, U2 has never taken a big break or disappeared to far off of the relevance radar where as someone like Bruce Springsteen has and if you don’t believe me all you need to do is look at the Boss’s discography to see that until the release of “The Rising” in 2002, which wasn’t a good album and only had one catchy single that benefited, unintentionally of course, from the events of 9/11. Prior to that album his last parlance in the hallowed ground of good music was “Born in the USA” and that was released in 1984! We are talking 18 years with not one good contribution to music, and then a merely okay one when he finally did step back into the light. To me such a track record does a true icon not make, where as U2, who put out good albums in 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1993, 2000 and 2004. No lapse longer than 7 years, and even less than that considering they released “Pop” in 1997 but once again that was utter and total crap. Again, I make my point, they have done what no other band has done, been consistently great, with new music, for over two decades.

All of this is semantics though, you can’t completely rate an artist of how popular their albums are, if that were the case then you could make the case that Usher is one of the greatest performers of all time which is just plain stupid. Additionally, just because I call U2’s albums great doesn’t make it fact, this is all an exercise in personal opinion. However, when you wade into those waters, it helps to back up your statements with concrete conclusions, and this is where I can discuss the dynamics of U2 as a group to illustrate their deserving of a top spot in the rock pantheon. The key dynamic to all great rock groups is the power duo, the front man and the lead guitar player. They go together like salt and pepper, not the rap duo, the actual seasonings, or peanut butter and jelly if you will. The Beatles of course went beyond that simple combination, as each member was iconic in their own right, though clearly Ringo is a few notches below. Beyond the Fab Four though you find Plant and Page, Mick and Keith, Roger and Pete. Each pair, a perfect symbiotic relationship with the guitar playing providing the musical back bone and the front man putting on a vocal showcase combined with a keen eye for the dramatic in regards to actual performance. This brings us to Bono and The Edge. The names alone are instantly recognizable, no small feat considering how stupid they sound if you take time to think about it. Bono is more forgivable since in music there are many who go by one name, such as Sting or Madonna. The Edge is another case entirely, the man’s name is a noun, how crazy is that? Sting’s name is a verb, in the present tense no less, but we all know his real name is Gordon Sumner. The Edge, I have no idea what his name is and have resigned myself to calling him The Edge with no problem. Only in a super cool rock band could you get away with something like that. Odd names aside, both Bono and The Edge have created distinct styles that you recognize immediately, more so in the case of Bono, with his sort of high pitch screech and wail and his enjoyment of almost preaching while he sings. The Edge conversely has the ability to make his electric guitar sound even more electric. The best examples are from their most recent song “Vertigo” and “With or Without You.” I lack the knowledge of the technical term for what he is doing to his guitar, I’m tempted to say his enhancing the refrain but that just sounds good and probably isn’t even close to being correct. Either way, it sounds cool, you can recognize it right away and much like Keith Richards it sets the backbone of each song, being both flashy and workmanlike at the same time. It is worth pointing out that U2 has two other members, Larry Mullen on drums and Adam Clayton on bass, and though both are integral parts to the success of the band they merely serve as compliments to the main dish of Bono with a side of The Edge. In truth, Bono is so freaking cool and so egotistic, albeit in a good way, that he probably could do without the rest of the band and still be compelling, and that is the true sign of a great front man. The same could be said for The Edge, who could easily go the old school route and be a hired gunslinger for any number of willing musical acts. A band with a similar dynamic but that fails where U2 succeeds is Bon Jovi with their duo of Jon and Ritchie, who are the low rent version of Bono and The Edge. Both are charismatic but neither would ever be looked to as true musical geniuses the way the U2 duo are. Additionally, where as in most case the low rent versions tend to be more popular and make more money cause they are viewed as more assessable, U2 is much more successful than Bon Jovi, both critically and financially. Once again we find ourselves marveling at U2’s ability to perform in both arenas, on the mass and micro levels of music.

That notion, appealing to the hard core and the mainstream is a fine line to toe, and few bands have done it successfully. The Beatles did it. The Stones did it, as did Led Zeppelin and The Who. For that they have become rock immortals, and now U2 has entered their most rarified atmosphere. Thankfully, unlike those four other bands, they managed to avoid losing a group member to an early death that has enabled them to continue to make compelling and entertaining music over two decades after they first started. This spring they will enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and I would hope that whatever memorabilia is donated is placed in the proper region, among the elites rather than with the very goods.