New Fan On the Way !

13 Apr 2004
Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow's first child looks set to be a U2 fan - the Coldplay singer is already playing him 'A Sort of Homecoming!'

In Rolling Stone's 'Fifty Immortals' of rock edition, U2's entry is catalogued with a tribute from Chris Martin of Coldplay, where he says what Coldplay have learned from U2 is that 'you have to be brave enough to be yourself.'

And he is bringing his favourite U2 song to a new audience. He writes: 'I don't buy weekend tickets to Ireland and hang out in front of their gates, but U2 are the only band whose entire catalogue I know by heart. The first song on The Unforgettable Fire, "A Sort of Homecoming," I know backward and forward -- it's so rousing, brilliant and beautiful. It's one of the first songs I played to my unborn baby.

The first U2 album I ever heard was Achtung Baby. It was 1991, and I was fourteen years old. Before that, I didn't even know what albums were. From that point, I worked backward -- every six months, I'd get to buy a new U2 album. The sound they pioneered -- the driving bass and drums underneath and those ethereal, effects-laden guitar tracks floating out from above -- was nothing that had been heard before. They may be the only good anthemic rock band ever. Certainly they're the best.

What I love most about U2 is that the band is more important than any of their songs or albums. I love that they're best mates and have an integral role in one another's lives as friends. I love the way that they're not interchangeable -- if Larry Mullen Jr. wants to go scuba diving for a week, the rest of the band can't do a thing. U2 -- like Coldplay -- maintain that all songs that appear on their albums are credited to the band. And they are the only band that's been around for twenty years with no member changes and no big splits.

It's amazing that the biggest band in the world has so much integrity and passion in their music. Our society is thoroughly screwed, fame is a ridiculous waste of time, and celebrity culture is disgusting. There are only a few people around brave enough to talk out against it, who use their fame in a good way.......'

Read the rest of Chris's tribute here
www.rollingstone.com

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