Yes, there are plenty of U2 bios out there – some good, some dreadful and a couple pretty great; There are also a number of hardcover, coffee table-sized books on the band out there, but music journalist Mat Snow has found a way to marry the two, pulling together a pretty solid, overreaching bio on the band and packaging it in a beautiful, three-and-a-half pound book crammed with fantastic photos of the band and album covers.
U2: Revolution is far from being a truly exhaustive narrative of one of the biggest rock bands in the world; and it ends right around the launch of 2009’s No Line on the Horizon. But it doesn’t need to be a soup and nuts bio – those already exist. Instead, beyond being just a must-have for every U2 collector out there, this book serves as a wonderful reminder of why the band matters in the first place. From their early years, when a devoutly religious Bono and Edge – both in their later teens/early 20s – would go to the back of the bus to discuss the Bible, through the gaudy Vegas-esque Zoo TV/Pop tours and up to their toned down, but far better, last couple of albums and tours, Snow manages to discuss the band with a unique perspective. He tackles the writing with the history of a longtime fan and the objectivity of a respected rock critic (not an easy feat). The result is an honest, impressive look back at the band’s role in music history.
U2: Revolution by Mat Snow/Hardcover/240 pages/Race Point Publishing/2014