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A Day Without MeU29 February 2006 |
Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr.
Five Grammy Awards! Wow! Not bad for a band that's been kicking around for over 25 years! And while I really don't need the Grammy's to tell me what I already know…damn, it sure is nice to be reminded that U2 are the biggest and best band in the world.
My introduction to U2 and love for their music goes all the way back to 1980 and my junior year abroad in England. I think the first thing I did when I landed in London was buy a Melody Maker and a pint. (This would become a weekly routine for me every Thursday afternoon: walk down to the news stand after my last class, pick up a copy of the weekly music paper for 50p, and then walk across the street to The Vic; a rank-smelling neighborhood pub with mismatched furniture and dim lighting. I'd find a rickety table out of the dart board's line of fire and there, in the smokey haze, much to my “mates” amusement, I'd read the paper from cover to cover; nursing my pint of Devinish like it was a grande latte—long before such a thing ever existed—and making mental notes of records to buy and bands to see. I had good beer. I had music. Needless to say, I was in fucking heaven!) On the train from London to Exeter I read a tiny article about an energetic young band from Ireland that was starting to create a buzz. The fact that they were Irish totally enticed me.
My introduction to U2 and love for their music goes all the way back to 1980 and my junior year abroad in England. I think the first thing I did when I landed in London was buy a Melody Maker and a pint. (This would become a weekly routine for me every Thursday afternoon: walk down to the news stand after my last class, pick up a copy of the weekly music paper for 50p, and then walk across the street to The Vic; a rank-smelling neighborhood pub with mismatched furniture and dim lighting. I'd find a rickety table out of the dart board's line of fire and there, in the smokey haze, much to my “mates” amusement, I'd read the paper from cover to cover; nursing my pint of Devinish like it was a grande latte—long before such a thing ever existed—and making mental notes of records to buy and bands to see. I had good beer. I had music. Needless to say, I was in fucking heaven!) On the train from London to Exeter I read a tiny article about an energetic young band from Ireland that was starting to create a buzz. The fact that they were Irish totally enticed me.
A few weeks later, the University announced its second campus concert of the year on 7 November 1980: U2. They were slated to play in the school's student union where, the day before classes began, I had seen a brilliant performance by another band with an interesting name: Echo and the Bunnymen. Now here's the part of the story that always makes people jealous... Exeter's student union was half the size of an average high school gym — widthwise!
The Friday before the show, my friends and I all headed into Exeter's City Center to go to the record store. Because that's what kids do in England. They go to the record store on the day a song is released and they buy it. It's important. It may even be a law. Everybody had a purchase in mind. My friend Steve was gonna get “Do it Clean” by Echo and the Bunnymen. My friend Andy was gonna buy the latest release from Motorhead. My friend Neil was gonna forsake his fifth pint of the night in favor of a song called “Towers of London” by a quirky band called XTC. We were like a pack of excited schoolgirls, each with eyes set on a different pair of new shoes!
The Friday before the show, my friends and I all headed into Exeter's City Center to go to the record store. Because that's what kids do in England. They go to the record store on the day a song is released and they buy it. It's important. It may even be a law. Everybody had a purchase in mind. My friend Steve was gonna get “Do it Clean” by Echo and the Bunnymen. My friend Andy was gonna buy the latest release from Motorhead. My friend Neil was gonna forsake his fifth pint of the night in favor of a song called “Towers of London” by a quirky band called XTC. We were like a pack of excited schoolgirls, each with eyes set on a different pair of new shoes!
My purchase that afternoon is still with me today. It was U2's first musical shot over the bow from their amazing debut LP, Boy. It came in a white picture sleeve with simple, san-serif lettering and a high contrast image of a lone figure standing on a railroad track overpass. On the back there was no information about the band — just the producer's name, in a font size as big as the band's on the front (more about Steve Lillywhite some other time). Unlike American 45's, the record had an LP-sized hole in the center which meant no messing about with spindles. Just slap it on the turntable, crank up the stereo and off you go. I was so hooked. And even then I knew, huddled around a friend's crappy second-hand stereo in his dorm room, that whoever was responsible for making this most amazing noise, sound, music… was one day going to be huge. Maybe even the biggest and best band in the world. Seriously.
Today's Happy Medium Song of the Day was never nominated for a Grammy, but obviously it has a special place in my heart. Here's “A Day Without Me” from the very first U2 record, Boy.
(Please use the comments box to share your thoughts.)
Today's Happy Medium Song of the Day was never nominated for a Grammy, but obviously it has a special place in my heart. Here's “A Day Without Me” from the very first U2 record, Boy.
(Please use the comments box to share your thoughts.)
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