Walk On revisited

I must have listened to this song a hundred times in October 2000. I just love the start here when Bono and Co. "Walk on".

Great song, great video! (Liz Friedlander directed in 2001.)

Zooropa, U2 and the "Loss Trilogy"

Many thanks to Ian Ryan for this.
I also believe that, intentional or not, U2 make trilogies of albums. These are the trilogies they've created, and what the parts of the trilogies represent:

The Growth Trilogy
Boy - growth of self
October - growth of faith
War - growth of purpose

The America Trilogy
The Unforgettable Fire - America from a distance
The Joshua Tree - America up close
Rattle And Hum - Inside America

The Loss Trilogy
Achtung Baby - loss of love
Zooropa - loss of purpose
Pop - loss of faith

The Acceptance Trilogy
All That You Can't Leave Behind - acceptance of mortality
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb - acceptance of adulthood
No Line On The Horizon - acceptance of place

Zooropa shows up in U2 concerts when the band need either utter sincerity or utter chaos. "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" arrives when the band needs a sincere, heartfelt song in the middle of an acoustic part of a concert. U2 performed "The Wanderer" only once live, when they wanted to pay deep tribute to Johnny Cash in his hometown of Nashville. "Zooropa" showed up as a chaotic tornado of light during the 360 tour, and again during the Innocence + Experience tour to communicate the horror and desperation refugees felt as they traveled to Europe. Zooropa is an album of emotional extremes. It is not anger and peace, nor love and hate. It is fear and hope, adoration and being lost, the calling cards of U2's best work.

Johnny Cash at the end imitates the voice of God, with all his confusing wisdom and conflicting instructions. He sets out goals that can never be achieved, a sanctified purpose with a bible and a gun, all in one song. We see him here getting frustrated and old because the world isn't still innocent.

It's all about the song

It's nearly time for the Christmas parties once again and what would be the point of parties without music and songs. Thinking about my favourites on the walk home yesterday one of the best ever suddenly popped into my mind again. Everybody's Talkin', the Nilsson tune, the theme for Midnight Cowboy, the Oscar winner for best picture in 1969. My, my, that was some time ago. 

It's a very short but powerful song.

"Everybody's talking at me! I don't hear a word they're saying. Only the echoes of my mind. People stopping, staring. I can't see their faces. Only the shadows of their eyes."

What a beautiful song! Makes me smile everytime. 

"He's going where the sun keeps shining, thru the pouring rain. He's going where the weather suits his clothes. Backing off the northeast wind, sailing on a summer breeze, and skipping over the ocean like a stone."



And what a unique talent Harry Nilsson was.

Neil Diamond, 50 Year Anniversary

SAP Arena, Samstag 16.09. Neil Diamond nahm die 7000 Zuschauer mit auf eine Reise in die Vergangenheit, dorthin, wo die Erinnerung an die eigene Jugend wohnt, fest eingebettet in nostalgische Videoaufnahmen. 26 Stücke inklusive Zugaben präsentierte er mit seiner virtuosen elfköpfigen Band.

Angefangen hat er 1966 in New York mit seiner ersten Komposition "Solitary Man". Er hat so viele Welthits geschrieben, dass die Qualität von "Solitary Man" in den Hintergrund trat. Es ist nichts weniger als ein amerikanisches Liederbuch: "Cherry, Cherry", "I'm A Believer", "Cracklin' Rosie", "Sweet Caroline", "Beautiful Noise", "Holly Holy", "Red Red Wine" "Song Sung Blue" und natürlich das grandiose "I Am ... I Said". Alle Stücke sind auf "Hot August Night" verewigt, und er hat sie auch in dieser Mannheimer Samstagnacht gespielt.

Rund 130 Millionen Platten hat er verkauft, damit zählt er zu den erfolgreichsten Musikern des Planeten. 37 Top-10-Singles, 16 Top-10-Alben, Grammys, Golden Globes und andere Ehrungen.

Wie hier so auch in Mannheim die Höhepunkt (So good, So good.....):

If you call ..

Für November und Wolfgang!

When we were "fab"

David Frost makes the introduction, Paul looks soulfully into the camera. You think, what a ham. Then he opens his mouth and out comes Hey Jude. A beautiful memory, for this old child of the sixties at least.

Innocence + Experience Dublin 3

From local papers to international magazines, the sentiment has been unanimous: The Innocence + Experience tour has been mind-blowing.
For me and others in the family, it's always a special event and always reignites my love for the songs.

The determination to get the tour to the smaller arena in Dublin can be compared to getting PopMart to Sarajevo: Pull out all the stops to make it happen. I’m not sure how many rock groups feel that strongly, valuing their audience with as much reverence and respect as we give them. It’s a bond that few understand. It defies explanation, as does the idea of showing Cedarwood Road to the world. Simply amazing, the best Friday of the year! 

Thanks Reg!

and thank you Ali, Candida and Cynthia. The Innocence & Experience show in Cologne was the best stage show I’ve seen since Pop in Mannheim in 1997. The story told is part of my life story too, just amazing to see it presented this way.

Yes, the new music is autobiography. Yes, that may be self indulgent, but no more so than any biography or memoir. All we have is our stories and our lives, our experiences. And that's what this show is about? Growing up in Finglas as it was in the 1970's. It was the same in the 60's. I just loved it.

Here we are proudly collecting our VIP tickets:

Where the streets now have names ...

There is a song from Eric Church called "Springsteen". That tribute song has prompted a Scottish band called December to write and record a tribute song for U2, and it's quite good. Have a listen (and enjoy the Dublin scenery) in this new video for their song, "Alison Stewart."

To understand my appreciatzion of this video,  for Cedarwood Road think Ballymun Avenue and for Mount Temple think Mountjoy. I was there even before Bono.




December chose the song title when it became apparent that the song had been written from Bono's wife's viewpoint.

Mofo remembered

"[Mofo] . . . became the heaviest song maybe we've ever written. I feel like my whole life is in that one tune."
- Bono.




"Is it, isn't it?" Yes, it is the smoothest badass entrance I've ever seen, they could not possibly open a show in any better way!

Coming in through the audience, no other band can do that, just U2.
Those who criticize U2 just haven't seen this live! (I was there, not Mexico city but Mannheim in the rain, Sommer 1997).

Free U2 Album

A free U2 Album on iTunes. Apple and U2 have grown up together. Steve Jobs incorporated Apple in 1976, the same year that U2 formed at Mount Temple Comprehensive School (Mountjoy) in Dublin. Both thrived on constant reinvention, retaining a loyal audience by delivering pioneering products – the iPhone, and U2’s ever more spectacular live shows.

The 2004 release of a U2-branded iPod first brought them together in a bid to strengthen their grips on the entertainment sector, but now the demise of the traditional record industry has given both middle-aged brands intimations of obsolescence.

Following the relative low sales of their 2009 album No Line on the Horizon, U2 feared that the paying public’s appetite for further releases was in decline. U2 aren’t the only victims – album downloads on Apple’s iTunes store are dwindling as fans turn to streaming services. 

Was the giveaway of Songs of Innocence a success ? Apple said a “record-breaking” 38 million people have already “accessed” the album, far more than would have bought or heard the record normally.

Bono remains unapologetic. He told Time: “We want to get these songs to as many people as we can. We went to Apple and we said ‘We’re not interested in free music – we think music is undervalued. Would you be interested in buying our album and getting it to all 500m of your iTunes accounts?"


Giving Songs of Innocence away makes sense for U2, since the album will act as a promotional tool for their next global tour.

Despite the negative reaction in some quarters, the union between Apple and U2 is set to strengthen. The partners are now embarking on a “secret project” to create a new digital music format which will compensate musicians for their efforts, and aims to revive the dying art of listening to a complete album.

Do it again!

U2’s Mission to Save Music!

For the second time in the band's history, U2 is on the cover of TIME magazine. The September 29, 2014, issue features a black-and-white photo of the band with the headline: The New U2 - The Veteran Rock Band Faces The Future.

Apple and U2 are giving the new album Songs of Innocence to over 500 million iTunes customers worldwide. Never before have so many people owned one album, let alone on the day of its release.

U2 was also on TIME's cover in 1987 when the magazine called the band Rock's Hottest Ticket. And Bono got the cover in 2002 and 2005.

Hold on...

Sitting outside a street cafe in Konstanz the other afternoon a street musician (from Budapest as it turned out) with just an accoustic guitar set up and sang a 10 minute version of this REM song even better than Andrea Corr here. An amazing five minute interlude in a busy street.

We all have things going on in our lives that try to drag us down, make us hurt, or tear us apart. But as Winston Churchill said, if you're going through Hell...keep going. To put it another way, the way out is through. Keep your heads up, your hopes high, and never give up no matter how rough the road looks ahead, you'll make it. You are not alone. 

1966, The Beatles final concert..

..was this evening 48 years ago.

Although they made an unannounced live appearance in January 1969 on the rooftop of the Apple building in London, The Beatles' final live concert took place on 29th August 1966 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California.

The Park's capacity was 42,500, but only 25,000 tickets were sold, leaving large sections of unsold seats. Fans paid between $4.50 and $6.50 for tickets, and The Beatles' fee was around $90,000.

The compère was 'Emperor' Gene Nelson of KYA 1260 AM, and the support acts were, in order of appearance, The Remains, Bobby Hebb, The Cyrkle and The Ronettes.

The show began at 8pm. The Beatles took to the stage at 9.27pm, and performed 11 songs: Rock And Roll Music, She's A Woman, If I Needed Someone, Day Tripper, Baby's In Black, I Feel Fine, Yesterday, I Wanna Be Your Man, Nowhere Man, Paperback Writer and Long Tall Sally.

Of which my favourite today would be Nowhere Man (Here from Munich in 1966).

Steve's Birthday

Happy Birthday! Imagine a time when songs about angst, misunderstanding and broken relationships become obsolete in a world where people said the right things, kept their promises and happiness became so common that it would hardly be worth a song! (There would be one less thing to discuss however.)





And the hard part isn't merely thinking of ideas. Yes, it's hard to sit with a bunch of amateurs and discuss the script that took months to finish, and hard to get it made and hard to get the first one distributed.


But the truly hard part is, 15 years later, sticking with it long enough for it to actually work.

A nearly forgotten jewel

Just back from a week in Dublin with Alan McCreery and Kathy. We stayed in Finglas once again, just like 1986 but in Clune Road instead of Ballymun Avenue. That was the year I found out that U2 were something really special. This song travelled with me all over Germany for the next few years on the car radio. Just today I stumbled upon a video from that time.  

Last Saturday (21.06.14) the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity gave Bono its inaugural Lionheart award for his work with RED. The award recognizes a person or organization "that, through innovative use of commercial brand power, has made a significant and positive difference to people or the planet."

Time waits for No One ..

by the Rolling Stones, 1974, -ein schönes Lied und schöne alte Fotos! 


Am Ende eine tolle Gitarrensolo von Mick Taylor, der anstelle von Rory Gallagher in 1969 dazu kam und allzu früh im Dezember 1974 die Gruppe wieder verließ.

Nostalgie 2, Finbar Furey and ..

..George Best! 
Fußballzauber von 1968 musikalisch im irischen Stil festgehalten. (Beckenbauer gut, Pele besser, Best best.)

Und Finbar Furey, bereits in den 60'er aktiv, war mit "The Last Great Lovesong" August 2013 wieder Nr. 1 in der irischen Hitparade.
   

Advent und Stille Nacht auf Gälisch

..von Enya. Ich wünsche alle eine friedliche und glückliche Adventszeit.

"Oíche chiúin, oíche Mhic Dé,
Cách 'na suan, dís araon,
Dís is dílse ag faire le spéis,
Naí beag gnaoi-gheal ceanán tais caomh
Críost ina chodladh go séimh,
Críost ina chodladh go séimh."

Heiligabend 1818 führten der Arnsdorfer Dorfschullehrer und Organist Franz Xaver Gruber (1787–1863) und der Hilfspfarrer Joseph Mohr (1792–1848) in der Kirche St. Nikola in Oberndorf bei Salzburg das Weihnachtslied Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht erstmals auf.

Filmtip

Ich zähle zu der Gruppe von Älteren die "The Beatles" und "The Rolling Stones" in Dublin live gesehen haben. Und 40 Jahre später BB King auf der Hohentwiel bei Singen. Mit U2 spielte er in 1989 für deren Album Rattle and Hum den Song "When Love comes to Town" ein. Im Jahr 2000 produzierte er mit Eric Clapton das Album Riding with the King. 

Geboren in 1925 und immer noch mit der Gitarre unterwegs, das Rolling Stone Magazine listet ihn auf Platz 3 der 100 großartigsten Gitarristen aller Zeiten. Demnächst kommt ein Dokumentarfilm über sein Leben in den Kinos, "BB King - The Life of Riley", vielleicht auch in Deutschland.