Friday 3/17/23 8pm ET: Feature LP: U2 – Songs of Surrender (2023)

Songs of Surrender is an album of re-recorded songs by Irish rock band U2. Produced by guitarist the Edge, it was released on March 17, 2023 on Island Records and Interscope Records. Largely the effort of the Edge and lead vocalist Bono, the album comprises re-recorded and reinterpreted versions of 40 songs from the group’s back catalogue, many in stripped-down and acoustic arrangements. The album is a companion to Bono’s memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story (2022), which was structured into 40 chapters titled after U2 songs. Rearranged versions of the songs were first included in the audiobook edition of the memoir, and were performed by Bono during the book’s promotional tour.

Recording on Songs of Surrender began in 2021 and spanned a two-year period during lockdowns for the COVID-19 pandemic. The Edge and Bono worked on the album informally at the Edge’s home and in France, as well as at recording studios in London and Los Angeles. During the sessions, the band members collaborated with numerous producers and musicians, including Bob Ezrin, Declan Gaffney, Stjepan Hauser, and Duncan Stewart.

1. “One” 3:36
2. “Where the Streets Have No Name” 4:17
3. “Stories for Boys” 2:51
4. “11 O’Clock Tick Tock” 3:58
5. “Out of Control” 4:09
6. “Beautiful Day” 3:53
7. “Bad” 5:31
8. “Every Breaking Wave” 5:11
9. “Walk On (Ukraine)” 4:07
10. “Pride (In the Name of Love)” 3:57
11. “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” 5:17
12. “Get Out of Your Own Way” 3:27
13. “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” 4:34
14. “Red Hill Mining Town” 5:02
15. “Ordinary Love” 3:13
16. “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own” 5:00
17. “Invisible” 4:23
18. “Dirty Day” 3:57
19. “The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)” 3:29
20. “City of Blinding Lights” 4:55
21. “Vertigo” 3:29
22. “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” 4:15
23. “Electrical Storm” 4:13
24. “The Fly” 4:02
25. “If God Will Send His Angels” 5:14
26. “Desire” 2:56
27. “Until the End of the World” 4:44
28. “Song for Someone” 3:48
29. “All I Want Is You” 4:28
30. “Peace on Earth” 4:22
31. “With or Without You” 3:14
32. “Stay (Faraway, So Close!)” 5:03
33. “Sunday Bloody Sunday” 4:13
34. “Lights of Home” 4:20
35. “Cedarwood Road” 3:24
36. “I Will Follow” 3:40
37. “Two Hearts Beat as One” 4:08
38. “Miracle Drug” 3:35
39. “The Little Things That Give You Away” 4:52
40. “40” 3:03

Bono – vocals
The Edge – guitar, vocals, piano, keyboards, production
Adam Clayton – bass guitar
Larry Mullen Jr. – drums, percussion

Tuesday 3/7/23 11pm ET: Feature LP: U2 – War (1983)

War is the third studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Steve Lillywhite, and was released on February 28, 1983 on Island Records. The album is regarded as U2’s first overtly political album, in part because of songs like “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “New Year’s Day”, as well as the title, which stems from the band’s perception of the world at the time; lead vocalist Bono stated that “war seemed to be the motif for 1982.”

U2 recorded the album from September–November 1982 at Windmill Lane Studios with Lillywhite producing, the group’s third consecutive album made at the studio with the producer. While the central themes of U2’s previous albums Boy and October were adolescence and spirituality, respectively, War focused on both the physical aspects of warfare, and the emotional after-effects. Musically, it is also harsher than the band’s previous releases. The album has been described as the record where the band “turned pacifism itself into a crusade.”

War was a commercial success for the band, knocking Michael Jackson’s Thriller from the top of the UK charts to become the band’s first number-one album there. It reached number 12 in the United States and became the band’s first gold-certified album there. War received generally favourable reviews, though it was poorly received by some British critics. The group supported the album with the War Tour through the end of 1983. In 2012, the album was ranked 223rd on Rolling Stone’s list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.

1. “Sunday Bloody Sunday” 4:38
2. “Seconds” 3:09
3. “New Year’s Day” 5:37
4. “Like a Song…” 4:48
5. “Drowning Man” 4:12
6. “The Refugee” 3:40
7. “Two Hearts Beat as One” 4:00
8. “Red Light” 3:46
9. “Surrender” 5:34
10. “40” 2:36

Bono – lead vocals, guitar
The Edge – guitar, piano, lap steel guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on “Seconds” (bass guitar on “40”; uncredited on the album)
Adam Clayton – bass guitar (except “40”)
Larry Mullen Jr. – drums and percussion
Kenny Fradley – trumpet on “Red Light”
Steve Wickham – electric violin on “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “Drowning Man”
The Coconuts: Cheryl Poirier, Adriana Kaegi, Taryn Hagey, Jessica Felton – backing vocals on “Like a Song…”, “Red Light”, and “Surrender”

Thursday 3/2/23 5pm ET: Feature LP: U2 – Songs of Experience (2017)

Songs of Experience is the fourteenth studio album by Irish rock band U2. Released on December 1, 2017, it was produced by Jacknife Lee and Ryan Tedder with Steve Lillywhite, Andy Barlow, Jolyon Thomas, Brent Kutzle, Paul Epworth, Danger Mouse, and Declan Gaffney. The album is intended to be a companion piece to U2’s previous record, Songs of Innocence (2014). Whereas its predecessor explored the group members’ adolescence in Ireland in the 1970s, Songs of Experience thematically is a collection of letters written by lead vocalist Bono to people and places closest to his heart. The album features guest appearances from several musical acts, including Haim, Kendrick Lamar, and Lady Gaga.

Songs of Experience was first conceived during the Songs of Innocence sessions and initially started with Bono writing songs while recuperating from a serious November 2014 bicycle accident. U2 began work on the album in earnest during the 2015 Innocence + Experience Tour, with the band members individually collaborating with the producers while on the road. The sessions continued into 2016 and mostly wrapped up by the end of the year. The group had planned to release the album in the fourth quarter, but after the shift of global politics in a conservative direction, highlighted by the UK’s Brexit referendum and the 2016 US presidential election, they chose to put the record on hold and reassess its tone. With the extra time, U2 re-recorded many of the songs as a group while remixing and exploring different production techniques. Bono rewrote his lyrics to reflect the political climate as well as his “brush with mortality” after undergoing open-heart surgery in December 2016. The album was ultimately completed during the Joshua Tree Tour 2017.

1. “Love Is All We Have Left” 2:41
2. “Lights of Home” 4:16
3. “You’re the Best Thing About Me” 3:45
4. “Get Out of Your Own Way” 3:58
5. “American Soul” 4:21
6. “Summer of Love” 3:24
7. “Red Flag Day” 3:19
8. “The Showman (Little More Better)” 3:23
9. “The Little Things That Give You Away” 4:55
10. “Landlady” 4:01
11. “The Blackout” 4:45
12. “Love Is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way” 4:00
13. “13 (There Is a Light)” 4:19
14. “Ordinary Love” (Extraordinary Mix) 3:47
15. “Book of Your Heart” 3:55
16. “Lights of Home” (St Peter’s String Version) 4:33
17. “You’re the Best Thing About Me” (U2 vs. Kygo) 4:16

Bono – vocals
The Edge – guitars, vocals, keyboards
Adam Clayton – bass guitar
Larry Mullen Jr. – drums, percussion
Andy Barlow – additional keyboards (tracks 1, 9), programming (1), sound design (1)
Jacknife Lee – additional keyboards (2–3, 5, 11–12), additional guitar (2, 5, 10–12), programming (2–3, 5, 11–12), keyboards (6), additional backing vocals (12)
Haim – additional backing vocals (2)
Ryan Tedder – programming/additional programming (3, 6–7), additional backing/background vocals (4, 6–8), keyboards (6), additional guitar (8)
Brent Kutzle – programming/additional programming (3, 6–7), keyboards/additional keyboards (4, 6), additional guitar/acoustic guitar (6–7)
Davide Rossi – strings (3, 10)
Kendrick Lamar – outro (4), intro (5)
Goshua Usov – additional keyboards (4)
Jolyon Thomas – additional guitar (4, 9), additional keyboards (4, 9)
Brandon Collins – string arrangement (6)
Amy Helman – violins (6)
Avery Bright – violins (6)
Betsy Lamb – viola (6)
Paul Nelson – cello (6)
Noel Zancanella – additional programming (6)
Nate Lotz – additional percussion (6)
Lady Gaga – background vocals (6)
Steve Wilmot – additional percussion (7)
Declan Gaffney – additional keyboards (7)
Julian Lennon – additional background vocals (7)
Andrew Taggart – additional keyboards (12)
Paul Epworth – programming (13), additional keyboards (13)

Wednesday 9/28/22 7pm ET: Feature LP: U2 – Zooropa (1993)

Zooropa is the eighth studio album by Irish rock band U2. Produced by Flood, Brian Eno, and the Edge, it was released July 5, 1993 on Island Records. Inspired by the band’s experiences on the Zoo TV Tour, Zooropa expanded on many of the tour’s themes of technology and media oversaturation. The record was a continuation of the group’s experimentation with alternative rock, electronic dance music, and electronic sound effects that began with their previous album, Achtung Baby, in 1991.

U2 began writing and recording Zooropa in Dublin in February 1993, during a six-month break between legs of the Zoo TV Tour. The record was originally intended as an EP to promote the “Zooropa” leg of the tour that was to begin in May 1993, but during the sessions, the group decided to extend the record to a full-length album.[1] Pressed for time, U2 wrote and recorded at a rapid pace, with songs originating from many sources, including leftover material from the Achtung Baby sessions. The album was not completed in time for the tour’s resumption, forcing the band to travel between Dublin and their tour destinations in May to complete mixing and recording.

Zooropa received generally favorable reviews from critics. Despite none of its three singles—”Numb”, “Lemon”, and “Stay (Faraway, So Close!)”—being hits consistently across regions, the record sold well upon release, charting in the top ten of 26 countries. The album’s charting duration and lifetime sales of 7 million copies, however, were less than those of Achtung Baby. In 1994, Zooropa won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. Although the record was a success and music journalists view it as one of the group’s most creative works, the band regard it with mixed feelings.

1. “Zooropa” 6:31
2. “Babyface” 4:01
3. “Numb” 4:20
4. “Lemon” 6:58
5. “Stay (Faraway, So Close!)” 4:58
6. “Daddy’s Gonna Pay for Your Crashed Car” 5:20
7. “Some Days Are Better Than Others 4:17
8. “The First Time” 3:45
9. “Dirty Day” 5:24
10. “The Wanderer” (starring Johnny Cash) 5:41

Bono – vocals, guitar
The Edge – guitar, piano, synthesizers, vocals
Adam Clayton – bass guitar
Larry Mullen Jr. – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Brian Eno – synthesizers, piano, arcade sounds, backing vocals, loops, strings, harmonium
Des Broadbery – loops (tracks 2, 6, 7)
Flood – loops (6, 10)
Johnny Cash – lead vocals (10)

Friday 9/16/22 1am ET: Feature Live LP: U2 – Under a Blood Red Sky (1983)

Under a Blood Red Sky is a live album by Irish rock band U2, produced by Jimmy Iovine and released on November 21, 1983. The record’s eight tracks were compiled from three concerts during the group’s 1983 War Tour, including two songs from their June 5 performance at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The concert film U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky, recorded at the same Red Rocks show, was released as a companion to the live album. Both releases helped establish globally U2’s reputation as a renowned live act.

1. “Gloria” 4:32
2. “11 O’Clock Tick Tock” 4:34
3. “I Will Follow” 3:36
4. “Party Girl” 2:52
5. “Sunday Bloody Sunday” 4:55
6. “The Electric Co.” 5:18
7. “New Year’s Day” 4:29
8. “40” 3:36

Bono – lead vocals
The Edge – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals, bass guitar on “40”
Adam Clayton – bass guitar, guitar on “40”
Larry Mullen Jr. – drums

Tuesday 5/10/22 10am ET: Artist Countdown: U2 Top 30 Hits

U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin, formed in 1976. The group consists of Bono (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), the Edge (lead guitar, keyboards, and backing vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar), and Larry Mullen Jr. (drums and percussion). Initially rooted in post-punk, U2’s musical style has evolved throughout their career, yet has maintained an anthemic quality built on Bono’s expressive vocals and the Edge’s chiming, effects-based guitar sounds. Their lyrics, often embellished with spiritual imagery, focus on personal and sociopolitical themes. Popular for their live performances, the group have staged several ambitious and elaborate tours over their career.

The band was formed when the members were teenaged pupils of Mount Temple Comprehensive School and had limited musical proficiency. Within four years, they signed with Island Records and released their debut album, Boy (1980). Subsequent work such as their first UK number-one album, War (1983), and the singles “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “Pride (In the Name of Love)” helped establish U2’s reputation as a politically and socially conscious group. By the mid-1980s, they had become renowned globally for their live act, highlighted by their performance at Live Aid in 1985. The group’s fifth album, The Joshua Tree (1987), made them international superstars and was their greatest critical and commercial success. Topping music charts around the world, it produced their only number-one singles in the US to date: “With or Without You” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”.

U2 have released 14 studio albums and are one of the world’s best-selling music artists, having sold an estimated 150–170 million records worldwide. They have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band, and in 2005, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. Rolling Stone ranked U2 at number 22 on its list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”. Throughout their career, as a band and as individuals, they have campaigned for human rights and social justice causes, including Amnesty International, Jubilee 2000, the ONE/DATA campaigns, Product Red, War Child, and Music Rising.

1 – Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me – 1995
2 – Discothèque – 1997
3 – The Fly – 1991
4 – With or Without You – 1987
5 – Desire – 1988
6 – Beautiful Day – 2000
7 – Vertigo – 2004
8 – Sweetest Thing – 1998
9 – Mysterious Ways – 1991
10 – I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – 1987
11 – Stay (Faraway, So Close!) – 1993
12 – The Saints Are Coming (with Green Day) – 2006
13 – Even Better Than the Real Thing – 1992
14 – Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses – 1992
15 – Electrical Storm – 2002
16 – Staring at the Sun – 1997
17 – Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of – 2001
18 – Get On Your Boots – 2009
19 – Please – 1997
20 – Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own – 2005
21 – One – 1992
22 – Elevation – 2001
23 – Last Night on Earth – 1997
24 – Walk On – 2001
25 – Angel of Harlem – 1988
26 – Pride (In the Name of Love) – 1984
27 – Window in the Skies – 2007
28 – When Love Comes to Town (with B.B. King) – 1989
29 – City of Blinding Lights – 2005
30 – Where the Streets Have No Name – 1987

Wednesday March 30, 2022 9pm ET: Feature LP: U2 – The Joshua Tree (1987)

The Joshua Tree is the fifth studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on March 9, 1987 on Island Records. In contrast to the ambient experimentation of their 1984 release, The Unforgettable Fire, the band aimed for a harder-hitting sound within the limitation of conventional song structures on The Joshua Tree. The album is influenced by American and Irish roots music, and through socio-politically conscious lyrics embellished with spiritual imagery, it contrasts the group’s antipathy for the “real America” with their fascination with the “mythical America”.

Inspired by American experiences, literature, and politics, U2 chose America as a theme for the album. Recording began in January 1986 in Ireland, and to foster a relaxed, creative atmosphere, the group primarily recorded in two houses. Several events during the sessions helped shape the conscious tone of the album, including the band’s participation in the Conspiracy of Hope benefit concerts for Amnesty International, the death of roadie Greg Carroll, and lead vocalist Bono’s travels to Central America. Recording was completed in November 1986; additional production continued into January 1987. Throughout the sessions, U2 sought a “cinematic” quality for the record, one that would evoke a sense of location, in particular, the open spaces of the United States. They represented this in the sleeve photography depicting them in American desert landscapes.

The Joshua Tree received critical acclaim, topped the charts in over 20 countries, and became the fastest-selling album in British history. According to Rolling Stone, the album increased the band’s stature “from heroes to superstars”. It produced the hit singles “With or Without You”, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, and “Where the Streets Have No Name”, the first two of which became the group’s only number-one singles in the US. The album won Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1988. The group supported the record with the Joshua Tree Tour throughout 1987, during which they began to perform in stadiums for the first time in their career.

Frequently listed among the greatest albums of all time, The Joshua Tree is one of the world’s best-selling albums, with over 25 million copies sold. U2 commemorated the record’s 20th anniversary with a remastered re-release, and its 30th anniversary with concert tours and a reissue. In 2014, The Joshua Tree was selected for preservation in the US National Recording Registry, having been deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the Library of Congress.

1. “Where the Streets Have No Name” 5:38
2. “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” 4:38
3. “With or Without You” 4:56
4. “Bullet the Blue Sky” 4:32
5. “Running to Stand Still” 4:18
6. “Red Hill Mining Town” 4:54
7. “In God’s Country” 2:57
8. “Trip Through Your Wires” 3:33
9. “One Tree Hill” 5:23
10. “Exit” 4:13
11. “Mothers of the Disappeared” 5:12

Bono – lead vocals, harmonica, guitars
The Edge – guitars, backing vocals, piano
Adam Clayton – bass guitar
Larry Mullen Jr. – drums, percussion
Brian Eno – keyboards, DX7 programming, backing vocals
Daniel Lanois – tambourine, Omnichord, additional rhythm guitar (“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, Running to Stand Still”), backing vocals
The Armin Family – strings (“One Tree Hill”)
The Arklow Silver Band – brass (“Red Hill Mining Town”)
Paul Barrett – brass arrangement and conducting

Tuesday 2/1/22 11pm ET: Feature LP: U2 – All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000)

All That You Can’t Leave Behind is the tenth studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, and was released on October 30,  2000 through Island Records and Interscope Records. Following the band’s experimentation with alternative rock and dance music in the 1990s and the mixed reception to their 1997 album, Pop, U2 returned to a more mainstream sound for All That You Can’t Leave Behind. The group reunited with Eno and Lanois, who had produced three prior U2 albums together. The record was originally named “U2000”, which had been a working title for their PopMart Tour.

All That You Can’t Leave Behind received favourable reviews from critics, reached number one in 32 countries, and sold over 12 million copies. The songs “Beautiful Day”, “Walk On”, “Elevation”, and “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” were all successful singles. The record and its songs won seven Grammy Awards; it is the only album in history to have multiple tracks win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year: “Beautiful Day” in 2001 and “Walk On” in 2002. In 2003, the album was ranked 139th on Rolling Stone’s list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”, but it was re-ranked at number 280 in 2012. The supporting Elevation Tour, on which the band returned to playing arenas with a more intimate stage design, was also a critical and commercial success. All That You Can’t Leave Behind was reissued in 2020 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of its original release.

1. “Beautiful Day” 4:06
2. “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” 4:32
3. “Elevation” 3:45
4. “Walk On” 4:55
5. “Kite” 4:23
6. “In a Little While” 3:39
7. “Wild Honey” 3:47
8. “Peace on Earth” 4:46
9. “When I Look at the World” 4:15
10. “New York” 5:28
11. “Grace” 5:31

Bono – vocals, guitar, synthesizers (track 2)
The Edge – guitar, piano, vocals, synthesizers (track 3), strings (track 5)
Adam Clayton – bass guitar
Larry Mullen Jr. – drums, percussion

Thursday 1/13/22 6pm ET: RadioMaxMusic Special: The Music of 1981 A to Z – Part 8

This RadioMax special features our Library of music from 1981 A2Z.

We complete letter H and begin I. We feature music from: Police, Peter Cetera, Lulu, Pretenders, Abba, The Who, Glen Campbell, Terri Gibbs, Foreigner, Ronnie Milsap, Phil Collins, Donald Byrd, Carly Simon, Bangles, U2, AC/DC, Santana and many more. . .

6pm to 10pm ET

Friday 12/17/21 8pm ET: Feature LP: U2 – Achtung Baby (1992)

Achtung Baby is the seventh studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on November 18, 1991 on Island Records. After criticism of their 1988 release Rattle and Hum, U2 shifted their direction to incorporate influences from alternative rock, industrial music, and electronic dance music into their sound. Thematically, Achtung Baby is darker, more introspective, and at times more flippant than their previous work. The album and the subsequent multimedia-intensive Zoo TV Tour were central to the group’s 1990s reinvention, by which they abandoned their earnest public image for a more lighthearted and self-deprecating one.

Seeking inspiration from German reunification, U2 began recording Achtung Baby at Berlin’s Hansa Studios in October 1990. The sessions were fraught with conflict, as the band argued over their musical direction and the quality of their material. After tension and slow progress nearly prompted the group to disband, they made a breakthrough with the improvised writing of the song “One”. Morale and productivity improved during subsequent recording sessions in Dublin, where the album was completed in 1991. To confound the public’s expectations of the band and their music, U2 chose the record’s facetious title and colourful multi-image sleeve.

Achtung Baby is one of U2’s most successful records; it received favourable reviews and debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 Top Albums, while topping the charts in many other countries. Five songs were released as commercial singles, all of which were chart successes, including “One”, “Mysterious Ways”, and “The Fly”. The album has sold 18 million copies worldwide and won a Grammy Award in 1993 for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Achtung Baby has since been acclaimed by writers and music critics as one of the greatest albums of all time. The record was reissued in October 2011 for its 20th anniversary, and again in November 2021 for its 30th anniversary.

1. “Zoo Station” 4:36
2. “Even Better Than the Real Thing” 3:41
3. “One” 4:36
4. “Until the End of the World” 4:39
5. “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” 5:16
6. “So Cruel” 5:49
7. “The Fly” 4:29
8. “Mysterious Ways” 4:04
9. “Tryin’ to Throw Your Arms Around the World” 3:53
10. “Ultraviolet (Light My Way)” 5:31
11. “Acrobat” 4:30
12. “Love Is Blindness” 4:23

Bono – lead vocals, guitar
The Edge – guitar, keyboards, vocals
Adam Clayton – bass guitar
Larry Mullen Jr. – drums, percussion
Brian Eno – additional keyboards (tracks 3, 9, 12)
Daniel Lanois – additional guitar (1, 3, 9), additional percussion (4, 8)
Duchess Nell Catchpole – violin and viola (6)

Sunday 5/9/21 1am ET: Feature LP: Passengers – Original Soundtracks 1 (1995)

Original Soundtracks 1 is a studio album recorded by rock band U2 and Brian Eno under the pseudonym Passengers as a side project. Released on November 6, 1995, the album is a collection of songs written for mostly imaginary films (the exceptions being songs for Ghost in the Shell, Miss Sarajevo, and Beyond the Clouds). Owing to Eno’s involvement as a full songwriting partner and the album’s experimental nature, the moniker “Passengers” was chosen to distinguish it from U2’s conventional albums. It was commercially unnoticed by the band’s standards and received generally mixed reviews. Guest musicians on the record included Italian opera singer Luciano Pavarotti (on “Miss Sarajevo”) and producer Howie B, who would co-produce U2’s following album, Pop (1997).

1. “United Colours” United Colours of Plutonium (Japan) 5:31
2. “Slug” Slug (Germany) 4:41
3. “Your Blue Room” Par-delà les nuages / Beyond the Clouds (Italy) 5:28
4. “Always Forever Now” Always Forever Now (Hong Kong) 6:24
5. “A Different Kind of Blue” An Ordinary Day (USA) 2:02
6. “Beach Sequence” Par-delà les nuages / Beyond the Clouds (Italy) 3:31
7. “Miss Sarajevo” Miss Sarajevo (USA) 5:40
8. “Ito Okashi” (featuring Holi) Ito Okashi / Something Beautiful (Japan) 3:25
9. “One Minute Warning” Ghost in the Shell (Japan) 4:40
10. “Corpse (These Chains Are Way Too Long)” Gibigiane / Reflections (Italy) 3:35
11. “Elvis Ate America” Elvis Ate America (USA) 3:00
12. “Plot 180” Hypnotize (Love Me ’til Dawn) (UK) 3:41
13. “Theme from The Swan” The Swan (Hungary) 3:24

Bono – vocals, additional guitar, piano on “Beach Sequence”
Adam Clayton – bass guitar, additional guitar on “Your Blue Room”, percussion, narration on “Your Blue Room”
The Edge – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals, lead vocals on “Corpse,” church organ on “Your Blue Room”
Brian Eno – strategies, sequencers, keyboards, backing vocals, guitar, treatments, mixing, chorus voices, vocals on “A Different Kind of Blue”, production
Larry Mullen, Jr. – drums, percussion, rhythm sequence on “One Minute Warning,” rhythm synthesizer on “United Colours”
Luciano Pavarotti – tenor voice on “Miss Sarajevo”
Holi – vocals on “Ito Okashi,” voices on “One Minute Warning”
Howie B – mixing, treatments, scratching, and rhythm track on “Elvis Ate America”
Craig Armstrong – string arrangement on “Miss Sarajevo”
Paul Barrett – string arrangement on “Always Forever Now”
Des Broadbery – sequencer on “Always Forever Now”
David Herbert – saxophone on “United Colours” and “Corpse”
Holger Zschenderlein – additional synthesizer on “One Minute Warning”

Monday 11/23/2020 10am ET: Feature LP: U2 – Rattle and Hum (1988)

Rattle and Hum is a hybrid live/studio album by Irish rock band U2, and a companion rockumentary film directed by Phil Joanou. The album was produced by Jimmy Iovine and was released on 10 October 1988, while the film was distributed by Paramount Pictures and was released on 27 October 1988. Following the breakthrough success of the band’s previous studio album, The Joshua Tree, the Rattle and Hum project captures their continued experiences with American roots music on the Joshua Tree Tour, further incorporating elements of blues rock, folk rock, and gospel music into their sound. A collection of new studio tracks, live performances, and cover songs, the project includes recordings at Sun Studios in Memphis and collaborations with Bob Dylan, B.B. King, and Harlem’s New Voices of Freedom gospel choir.

Although Rattle and Hum was intended to represent the band paying tribute to rock legends, some critics accused U2 of trying to place themselves amongst the ranks of these artists. Critical reception to both the album and the film was mixed; one Rolling Stone editor spoke of the album’s “excitement”, another described it as “misguided and bombastic”. The film grossed just $8.6 million, but the album was a commercial success, reaching number one in several countries and selling 14 million copies. Lead single “Desire” became the band’s first UK number-one song while reaching number three in the US. Facing creative stagnation and a critical backlash to Rattle and Hum, U2 reinvented themselves in the 1990s through a new musical direction and public image.

1. “Helter Skelter” (live at Denver, Colorado) 3:07
2. “Van Diemen’s Land” 3:06
3. “Desire” 2:58
4. “Hawkmoon 269” 6:22
5. “All Along the Watchtower” 4:24
6. “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” 5:53
7. “Freedom for My People” 0:38
8. “Silver and Gold” 5:50
9. “Pride (In the Name of Love)” 4:27
10. “Angel of Harlem” 3:49
11. “Love Rescue Me” 6:24
12. “When Love Comes to Town” 4:14
13. “Heartland” 5:02
14. “God Part II” 3:15
15. “The Star Spangled Banner” (live) 0:43
16. “Bullet the Blue Sky” 5:37
17. “All I Want Is You” 6:30

Friday 10pm ET: Feature Artist – U2

U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin, formed in 1976. The group consists of Bono (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), the Edge (lead guitar, keyboards, and backing vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar), and Larry Mullen Jr. (drums and percussion). Initially rooted in post-punk, U2’s musical style has evolved throughout their career, yet has maintained an anthemic quality built on Bono’s expressive vocals and the Edge’s effects-based guitar textures. Their lyrics, often embellished with spiritual imagery, focus on personal and sociopolitical themes. Popular for their live performances, the group have staged several ambitious and elaborate tours over their career.

U2 have released 14 studio albums and are one of the world’s best-selling music artists, having sold an estimated 150–170 million records worldwide. They have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band, and in 2005, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. Rolling Stone ranked U2 at number 22 on its list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”. Throughout their career, as a band and as individuals, they have campaigned for human rights and social justice causes, including Amnesty International, Jubilee 2000, the ONE/DATA campaigns, Product Red, War Child, and Music Rising.

Tuesday 4pm: Sounds of The 80s

This week on Sounds of The 80s we feature music from:  Van Halen, Robbie Nevil, Billy Ocean, Models, Toto, Bon Jovi, Ronnie Milsap, U2, INXS, Contours, Jimmy Buffett, Kool & The Gang, Double Image, Donna Summer and more . . . 

Tuesday 4pm: Sounds of The 80s

This week on Sounds of The 80s:  Pointer Sisters, Eddie Money, Commodores, Maxi Priest, Genesis, Janet Jackson, B-52s, Sammy Hagar, Survivor, Earl Thomas Conley, U2, and more . . .