U2 has a new album out that’s gotten rave reviews. One of these days, I’ll get around to picking it up. I love the Irish rock band for how versatile they really are able to recreate themselves many times stemming three decades closing in on four.

There just aren’t many bands like that who stick it out. All the more reason to admire the extreme talents of Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. Maybe sometimes, Bono’s humanitarian and political ambitions overshadow how special U2 is. Over the years, I’ve come to respect Edge’s tremendous guitar playing featuring vastly underrated solos which define their songs. Plus there’s the consistent performances of Clayton on the bass guitar while Mullen, Jr. pounds away on the drums for a perfect blend.

The unique sound leaves little doubt how special this tight knit group remains to this day. Remarkable in its own right.

It’s so easy to refer to the unbelievable Joshua Tree album in 1987 as the band’s best featuring hits like “Where The Streets Have No Name,” “With Or Without You” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” But what makes a band truly great is that the diehard fans discover other songs which can sometimes fly under the radar. “Bullet Blue Sky” is a treasure as is “In God’s Country” and “Running To Stand Still” from that same album.

There are pleny of great tracks to choose from including from The War album featuring prominent “New Year’s Day,” and arguably the band’s biggest hit “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” But there are also songs like “Gloria,”
“Like A Song” and “Two Hearts Beat As One.”

There are many others including the awesome “Bad” with a virtuouso performance at Live Aid back in 1985 when the band was hitting its peak. Or “I Will Follow.”

That’s what makes them so unique. Then there are overlooked albums like Achtung Baby from 1991 featuring “Mysterious Ways,” “One” along with “The Fly” which only is one of the more unusual sounds you’ll ever hear.

Instead of going with the popular hits listed, let’s show off a few of their others which make them so special:

Pretty odd video but just listen to the music along with Bono’s words. It’s about as perfect as it gets.

Love the words and the video is very well done. It has almost an eerie kinda sound to it. Very un-U2 like. This was released off the Best of U2 1990-2000 as a bonus track. Samantha Morton is the beautiful gal in it. And the ending is great!

Another very different distinguished sound featuring opera singer Luciano Pavarotti. It’s like a sad story being told in a novel except based on real tragic events during the Bosnian War.

It’s so rare we hear this song and it’s very well played even if brief from their amazing performance at Red Rocks. Pick up the DVD if ya can!

Until The End Of The World is definitely one of my all-time favorites. It’s played with such passion and this live performance in Boston from the 2001 Elevation Tour is fabulous. Bono and Edge are on fire.

A very well done song featured on the Gangs Of New York soundtrack. It sounds more deliberate than other songs. The video itself is solid with nice edits mixing U2 almost into the background during scenes of the movie.

“Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses”

You’re dangerous ’cause you’re honest
You’re dangerous, you don’t know what you want
Well you left my heart empty as a vacant lot
For any spirit to haunt

Hey hey sha la la
Hey hey

You’re an accident waiting to happen
You’re a piece of glass left in a beach
Well, you tell me things I know you’re not supposed to
Then you leave me just out of reach

Hey hey sha la la
Hey hey sha la la

Who’s gonna ride your wild horses?
Who’s gonna drown in your blue sea?
Who’s gonna ride your wild horses?
Who’s gonna fall at the foot of thee?

Well you stole it ’cause I needed the cash
And you killed it ’cause I wanted revenge
Well you lied to me ’cause I asked you to
Baby, can we still be friends?

Hey hey sha la la
Hey hey sha la la

Who’s gonna ride your wild horses?
Who’s gonna drown in your blue sea?
Who’s gonna ride your wild horses?
Who’s gonna fall at the foot of thee?

Oh, the deeper I spin
Oh, the hunter will sin for your ivory skin
Took a drive in the dirty rain
To a place where the wind calls your name
Under the trees the river laughing at you and me
Hallelujah, heavens white rose
The doors you open
I just can’t close

Don’t turn around, don’t turn around again
Don’t turn around, your gypsy heart
Don’t turn around, don’t turn around again
Don’t turn around, and don’t look back
Come on now love, don’t you look back!

Who’s gonna ride your wild horses?
Who’s gonna drown in your blue sea?
Who’s gonna taste your salt water kisses?
Who’s gonna take the place of me?

Who’s gonna ride your wild horses?
Who’s gonna tame the heart of thee?

What a brilliant song. It was released as a bonus track on the remastered Super Deluxe Joshua Tree written 24 years ago about his experiences in South Africa.