Where does U2 rank?

In terms of collectibility or popularity that is. I believe sometime back in the mid-to-late 80s TIME magazine declared that U2 may be the second-most popular band in music history after The Beatles.

I think this may still indeed be true when looking at the entire scope of popular music history. Their world influence cannot be denied. Now, of course, I think the Stones are right there. However, I don't think Bono will ever pass Mick as an icon, although Bono is hard to top as a humanitarian.

So who comes in second after The Beatles? There will be the Zeppelin fans. But their popular influence simply does not touch U2. It's not close.

Oh...but let's not forget One Direction. (LOL!!!)

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Permalink Reply by James on December 18, 2015 at 9:29pm
If I was including solo acts in my personal list, Michael Jackson would probably be my No. 2 and Madonna would probably be my No. 3 or 4.

Abba would likely have to be in the all-time Top 10 because I know they have sold millions and millions of records worldwide.
Permalink Reply by Paul on December 18, 2015 at 9:50pm
Permalink Reply by Paul on December 18, 2015 at 10:22pm
U2 would be close to being on parr with Aerosmith as far as albums being sold and the bands starting in the 70s.
Permalink Reply by James on December 18, 2015 at 11:48pm
For "The Greatests Artists of All-Time" (this list included solo acts, not just bands), Rolling Stone mag ranked Aerosmith #59 and Radiohead #73. They ranked U2 #22, which placed U2 in the Top 5 of bands all-time!

Plus, no band has as many Grammys as U2 with 22. And U2 is #2 for most album and concert sales put together. They are the second most commercially successful band ever after the Beatles. U2's 360 Tour sold 7.2 million tickets making it the most successful Tour ever.
Permalink Reply by James on December 18, 2015 at 11:50pm
By Chris Martin For Rolling Stone magazine:

"I don't buy weekend tickets to Ireland and hang out in front of their gates, but U2 are the only band whose entire catalog 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 14 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 its songs or albums. I love that they're still best mates and that they each play 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 more than 30 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 its 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. And every time I try, I feel like an idiot, because I see Bono actually getting things achieved. While everyone else was swearing at George Bush, Bono was the one who rubbed Bush's back and got a billion dollars for Africa. People can be so cynical — they don't like do-gooders — but Bono's attitude is, "I don't care what anybody thinks, I'm going to speak out." He's accomplished so much with Greenpeace, in Sarajevo, at the concert to shut down the Sellafield nuclear plant, and he still runs the gantlet. When the time came for Coldplay to think about fair trade, we took his lead to speak out regardless of what anyone may think. That's what we've learned from U2: You have to be brave enough to be yourself."



Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-artists-of-all...
Follow us: @rollingstone on Twitter | RollingStone on Facebook
Permalink Reply by Paul on December 18, 2015 at 11:55pm
My point is if your a writer how will you grab people's attention, simply by saying the next big thing behind the beatles is ...
I dont care if you think u2 are number 1 in the world. You can argue all day and all night.
Permalink Reply by Paul on December 18, 2015 at 11:59pm
Bands that have endured without the commercial success that u2 have had are no less important in my view and there are plenty of bands in australia such as The master apprentices.
Permalink Reply by Paul on December 19, 2015 at 12:54am
Bono is no Lennon, but im sure he thinks he is by the way he copies his doodle.
Permalink Reply by James on December 20, 2015 at 10:50pm
Here's a nice signed Bono item for sale on eBay right now for anyone who's interested. It's item number 381350867123. It's a 2002 signed TIME magazine, where TIME calls Bono the biggest rock star on the planet. Here's a pic below.
Attachments: No photo uploads here
Permalink Reply by Xwiesy on December 21, 2015 at 5:15am
“Remote shopping, while entirely feasible, will flop.” — Time Magazine.
Permalink Reply by Xwiesy on December 21, 2015 at 6:12am
Somehow Led Zeppelin manages to be twice as good a band without worrying about world hunger.
Permalink Reply by James on December 21, 2015 at 7:24am
Yeah, who knows. Maybe if Zeppelin had worried more about world hunger, they could have managed more than the only 9 Top 40 hits in the USA that they managed to score.

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