Irish rockers U2 are celebrated in this collection of writings by a variety of observers, many of whom find the band fascinating in massive and important ways. As usual in this sort of pop-music Festschrift, most of the individual pieces are laudatory, but between U2’s sustained commercial success and Bono’s seemingly unending flair for the very public pursuit of good, there is more to comment on than the usual pop-music group’s ethos might offer. Specifically, Christopher Endrinal expounds on U2’s use of “vocal layering” on albums that “reinvented” the band’s sound in the 1990s; and Stephen Catanzarite, perhaps unexpectedly, discerns “U2’s conservative voice”; but the deepest depths are delved by Greg Clarke, who contrasts the influence of Jesus Christ on Bono and Nick Cave. Bono says, “either Christ was who He said He was—the Messiah—or a complete nutcase.” Heavy stuff for rock and roll, to be sure, this collection is comprehensively referenced, challenging, and frequently provocative. And why not?
