Into The Heart Of U2 Podcast

12/04/2024

After two consecutive conventional and commercially successful records in "All That You Can't Leave Behind" and "How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb," the time was right to explore something different and go someplace else to do it. So, U2 heads off to Fez, Morocco with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, not just as producers but as songwriting partners. The sessions in Fez result in the kind of experimental material they'd hoped for, but when the band returns home, distractions and second guessing start to alter the original vision for the record. By the time the record comes out, the prevailing feeling is the band didn't take it far enough. What happened? Find out on The Making of No Line on the Horizon.

‎Music · 2024

29/03/2024

In this second part of our look at U2's 11th studio album, How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, we go through the second half of the record, get into the marketing partnership with Apple, the ticket fiasco for the Vertigo Tour and the tour itself. We'll also discuss some band business, which has caused the haters to gnash their teeth for the better part of the last two decades, and finally, take a look at where the band was moving forward.

‎Show Into The Heart of U2 Podcast, Ep How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (Pt 2) - Mar 29, 2024

01/03/2024

In Part 2 of our look at the All That You Can't Leave Behind period, we discuss the Elevation Tour where U2 dispenses with all the artifices and go back to arenas. And front and center is Bono...THAT Bono with his heart back on his sleeve. After an already heavily emotional first two legs of the tour, 9/11 happens, and while most other bands cancel their tours, U2 rises to the occasion as the band for big moments. The words on ATYCLB prove prescient and provide comfort and a pathway forward. The success of the record and the wildly successful tour places U2 back on top of the world culminating in their iconic performance at the Super Bowl.

‎Show Into The Heart of U2 Podcast, Ep All That You Can't Leave Behind (Pt 2) - Mar 1, 2024

16/02/2024

We kick off Season 2 with U2's 10th studio album, All That You Can't Leave Behind, a record that begins U2 Phase 3 after their Mach II reinvention with Achtung Baby. And is arguably the genesis of the sound of all their output going forward. It's a record Rolling Stone called the band's third masterpiece and that went on to become a huge critical and commercial success reaching number 1 in 32 countries. And on the ensuing Elevation Tour the band returns to arenas, dispensing with all the artifices and there, front and center, was Bono - that Bono - with his heart on his sleeve without any masks or smirking irony. Something that made a lot of old fans very excited and go, "Oh I remember that U2."

‎Show Into The Heart of U2 Podcast, Ep All That You Can't Leave Behind (Pt 1) - Feb 16, 2024

13/02/2024

PopMart is remembered for its McDonald’s arch, the giant lemon inside which U2 got trapped in grand Spinal Tap style, the disastrous first gig in Vegas and half empty stadiums in the U.S. U2 would go on to play some of its greatest gigs later in the tour, but its still remembered as U2’s folly. Pop part 2 is out now: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pop-part-2/id1706044037?i=1000641442932 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ07q0xym0U

PopMart is remembered for its McDonald’s arch, the giant lemon inside which U2 got trapped in grand Spinal Tap style, the disastrous first gig in Vegas and h...

13/02/2024

Our making of Pop episode is out now! U2’s beloved & much maligned record that could have been much more. But why? Was it because Paul McGuiness booked the tour too soon? Was it not having Eno? Were the songs not good enough? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/into-the-heart-of-u2-podcast/id1706044037?i=1000640664188 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_8lYEy9FtU

It's time to dive into U2's much beloved, and also much maligned 9th studio album, Pop. It's a polarizing work among fans and critics and God knows the band'...

13/02/2024

Pt 2 on Zooropa is out now! We talk theology on The First Time, McPhisto dressing down Fascists of new Europe & U2 running on fumes at the end of ZooTV: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/into-the-heart-of-u2-podcast/id1706044037?i=1000640017269 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoXqAQlVV3s

In Pt 2 on Zooropa we continue our song by song examination and then get into the inspiration behind the McPhisto character which will be the perfect foil fo...

12/01/2024

PopMart is remembered for its McDonald’s arch, the giant lemon inside which U2 got trapped in grand Spinal Tap style, the disastrous first gig in Vegas and half empty stadiums in the U.S. U2 would go on to play some of its greatest gigs later in the tour, but its still remembered as U2’s folly. But the backstory of why manager Paul McGuinness pushed the band so hard to book the tour so early which rushed the completion of Pop and left U2 woefully unrehearsed for the tour is steeped in tales of U2 facing bankruptcy and an internal struggle for power. Tune in for all the answers.

PopMart is remembered for its McDonald’s arch, the giant lemon inside which U2 got trapped in grand Spinal Tap style, the disastrous first gig in Vegas and h...

05/01/2024

Our making of Pop episode is out now! U2's much beloved, and also much maligned 9th studio album, Pop is a polarizing work among fans and critics and God knows the band's spent the last 25 years trying to distance themselves from it. But when you consider what it was intended to be and what they delivered, it is a record that could have been so much more. But the question is why? Was it really because they let Paul McGuiness book the tour too soon and they ran out of time to properly finish it? Was it not having Eno and or Lanois on board? Was it having too many producers? Or did they just not have the big songs as Bono has conceded? Tune in and find out.

It's time to dive into U2's much beloved, and also much maligned 9th studio album, Pop. It's a polarizing work among fans and critics and God knows the band'...

22/12/2023

U2 came home after the Outside Broadcast Tour completing a wildly successful 1992 that saw the band reinvent themselves on record and as a live act. It was supposed to be a six month break before returning for the European leg the next summer. But Edge was still looking for a diversion from his marriage falling apart and convinces the band to make a 4 or 5 song EP. Bono, not ready to downshift back into domesticity, ups the ante and says if we're going to all that trouble we may as well make it a full album: A weird and wonderful left turn called Zooropa...and a kind of wayward experimentation U2 would never feel comfortable making again.

U2 came home after the Outside Broadcast Tour completing a wildly successful 1992 that saw the band reinvent themselves on record and as a live act. It was s...

15/12/2023

In part three into the period we dive into , from the conception of the tour to the financial constraints, to the moral conundrums surrounding corporate sponsorship at the time. We explore how disorienting it was for old fans to process the new U2 and the transitional challenges the band faced bringing the tour from arenas to stadiums on the Outside Broadcast Tour.

In our third part on the Achtung Baby period we dive into Zoo TV from the conception of the tour to the financial constraints, to the moral conundrums surrou...

08/12/2023

We go through U2's crowning creative achievement, an unprecedented reinvention of everything that got them to the top of the charts in the 80s - "Achtung Baby." We go song by song of the record as well as an examination of the Kindergarten disc from the Uber Deluxe Release, a fascinating rough mix done late in the recording process revealing some transformative production touches and lyrics that were still to come.

‎Music · 2023

01/12/2023

Achtung Baby Pt 1 is out! From Bono’s dream it all up again speech to everything that made the early sessions at Hansa so heavy to “One” magically appearing & the pall was lifted.

‎Music · 2023

24/11/2023

In this second part of our look at Rattle and Hum, we cover the brutal criticism that came U2's way, in particular, toward Bono. The band had bad reviews before, but it was never this personal. But as bad as it got, the band did insist on final veto power on the film. Then they hit the road for what should have been a victory lap with the Lovetown Tour. Instead it only brought up more questions about just what the band was as the decade came to a close.

‎Show Into The Heart of U2 Podcast, Ep Rattle and Hum (Part 2) - Nov 24, 2023

16/11/2023

Can a big, splashy Las Vegas residency still feel like a show? We'll talk about that and other important questions on our episode. Streaming tomorrow!

14/11/2023

Please join us this Friday for our U2:UV Live at the Sphere episode where we will discuss the sights and sounds, the beautiful and apocalyptical.
"See the bird with a leaf in her mouth / After the flood all the colors came out.."

10/11/2023

Time for a deep dive into the troubled waters of the Rattle and Hum album and film; When asked, Larry famously said, "It's a musical journey." But really, let's start with this question: What the hell was the band thinking, and more importantly, where was Paul McGuinness when a little leadership was desperately needed when it was obvious his clients were in over their skis. We also take a look at what's become the prevailing narrative - that is: without the failure of Rattle and Hum, there's no reinvention that spawned, arguably, the band's creative peak in Achtung Baby and the Zoo TV Tour. Give a listen, we pull no punches. It's on all streaming platforms but here's the YouTube link:

In the first of our two part episode on the Rattle and Hum album and film, we talk about why this period is so poorly remembered. We question what the hell t...

08/11/2023

U2 gets to the Toppermost of the Poppermost so why not go bigger with a film? What could possibly go wrong? Find out in our Rattle & Hum episode out this Friday on all streaming platforms.

03/11/2023

The Joshua Tree's success was the culmination of everything U2 had dreamed for but when they got to the very toppermost of the poppermost, the band struggled with newfound fame. In this episode we talk about all this as things start to get out of hand and the idea is hatched to make a film. Available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXrhA4bi7Ho and wherever you stream your podcasts.

The Joshua Tree's success was the culmination of everything U2 had dreamed for but when they got to the very toppermost of the poppermost, the band struggled...

01/11/2023

I'm off to see this thing! Stay tuned for our episode on the Sphere.

27/10/2023

U2 had stolen the show at Live Aid. Rolling Stone had named them the Band of the 80s. And the Unforgettable Fire, while something of a left turn did top the charts in the UK and was top 20 in the U.S. So, the anticipation for their next record was not only building but there was a growing feeling that it was going to be a monster. It was. But getting there was not easy. In this episode we talk about the tag team production of Eno and Lanois. About U2 hitting pause and playing Self-Aid and the Amnesty International Tour. And the push and pull between Bono wanting to go Americana and Edge's more Eurocentric tendencies. A dynamic that will work wonders on Joshua Tree but will lead into a dead end creatively by the end of the 80s.

U2 had stolen the show at Live Aid. Rolling Stone had named them the Band of the 80s. And the Unforgettable Fire, while something of a left turn did top the charts in the UK and was top 20 in the U.S. So, the anticipation for their next record was not only building but there was a growing feeling th...

20/10/2023

In part two of the Unforgettable Fire era, we talk about the band's change of approach on stage in contrast to the War Tour. It all leads up to Live Aid and the band's now iconic 12 minute performance of "Bad" highlighted by Bono leaping from the stage for a connecting moment. It made for great TV but the band thought Bono had blown it. He hadn't.
Episode out now on all streaming platforms:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/63RSjHf6fmPbqrfMWwOFHQ?si=e86ea39cc9a44ee7

13/10/2023

After Red Rocks, all U2 had to do was make War II, right? Instead, they decide to go to art school with Brian Eno. In this episode we dive into a reinvention just as significant as Achtung Baby seven years later that resulted in an enduring work called The Unforgettable Fire.

After the band's first breakthrough with the War album, all they had to do was make War II, or Son of War, right? Well, U2 has a different idea and decides t...

06/10/2023

War Pt 2 is now out on all streaming platforms. We talk about the War Tour and highlight three shows that sealed U2's legacy as a live act. The US Festival, Red Rocks and their first arena headlining gig at the LA Sports Arena where Bono takes things too far. Melody & I were at that show and for such a watershed moment there's very little accounts of it. We go deep into the show that the LA Times Robert Hilburn called one of the most thrilling he's ever witnessed and also one of the most irresponsible. The episode is on all streaming platforms - but here's the Spotify link:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Nk8d3tTKEIKxwDhSsQv4O?si=b56b29eb61f24f3c