Into the Heart of U2 Podcast is the most comprehensive dive into the history of U2 as told by folks who were there while it happened. Co-hosts, author and music...
For the 20th Anniversary of "How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb," U2 remastered the original record and released a bevy of remixes as well as the entire Verigo Live from Chicago show from 2005, but the big ticket item was something they called "How to Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb" - a Shadow Album - of 10 songs that didn't make HTDAAB. The reaction to this Shadow Album has been resoundly positive - even the haters have been quiet about it. But is that because its been so long since U2 has released something that sounds so fresh and exciting? Or is it because these songs are so unadorned and, not so fussy...that it speaks to what's been missing and so frustrating about U2's output the last decade or so? From the critics to long time fans - and even Oasis' Noel Gallagher chimed in - they're all asking the same question: "Why the hell didn't these songs make it onto HTDAAB?" We take a deep dive into all that and even give our picks for the 12 songs that whould make a definitive HTDAAB.
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59:36
Years of Surrender (2020-2024)
In our final episode (at least until a new U2 record surfaces), we cover everything from the beginning of the lockdown to the present: Bono's voiceover in the Sing 2 movie; U2's underwhelming single "Your Song Saved My Life"; Bono & Edge’s surprise appearance in a Ukraine subway station turned bomb shelter; Bono's book and book tour. Songs of Surrender; the Disney+ documentary: A Sort of Homecoming with David Letterman; U2 changing managers. The Sphere residency, the latest on Larry's illness, all the U2 projects in the pipeline; all the up to the minute news about the new album and tour & the just released 20th Anniversary "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" Deluxe Edition including the Shadow Album "How to Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb."
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1:18:16
The Sphere (Bonus Episode!)
In this special bonus episode, we take a very deep dive into every aspect of U2 at the Sphere. From the deal James Dolan and MSG made to get U2, the ticket kerfuffle, the technological advancements the Sphere allowed, the sparse stage design, the setlist, the visual message of the show, and what this all means for U2 and, for that matter, the future of concert tours going forward. We've seen every tour, why not tune in to see where we think U2 landed this time?
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1:27:40
Songs of Experience (Pt 2)
In our Part 2 on U2's 14th studio album, "Songs of Experience," we discuss the second half of the record which contains some of the band's finest and most unheralded songs of the latter part of their career; we go over the differences in the Innocence Tour and the Experience Tour; the band's resumption of the Joshua Tree Anniversary Tour which took them to the end of the decade; and speculate on what would have happened had Covid not hit.
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1:11:44
Songs of Experience (Pt 1)
After the backlash to the controversial release of Songs of Innocence and its bevy of producers, U2 refocuses for its 14th studio album, Songs of Experience, with a Fall 2016 release date. At least that was the plan. In our part 1, we dive into the making of the record, the delays caused by Bono's brush with mortality and the seismic shift in global politics which convinced U2 to change the lyrics to better reflect the nexus of the times. We also cover the band's decision to do the Joshua Tree Anniversary Tour further delaying the release the record.
Into the Heart of U2 Podcast is the most comprehensive dive into the history of U2 as told by folks who were there while it happened. Co-hosts, author and musician Bill See, and Melody Muraca, founder of one of the first U2 Fanzines in the U.S., go through U2's career album by album and tour by tour, and the perception of U2 in cultural consciousness. They still care about the band, but they're concerned about their legacy. So, they're going to try and get to the bottom of whether U2 is one of the greats of all time or are the haters right after all.