"I always thought the job was to be as great as you could be." - Bono This is the story of U2, in their own words and pictures.

The ultimate celebration of U2 for the band's fans--with two great books in one Cowritten by Brian Boyd, a leading music journalist and close associate of U2, and Niall Stokes, editor of Ireland's legendary Hot Press magazine, U2 Songs + Experience recounts the band's incredible career and analyzes the songs from all their studio albums. Along with a discussion of the influences, inspiration, and origins of U2's immensely popular music, this volume covers the group's rise from its roots in post-punk and its socially and politically conscious music. Iconic and rare photographs showcase posters, backstage passes, classic flyers, and other rock memorabilia. Material compiled from U2 Experience and U2: The Stories Behind the Songs.

Is it possible to be a committed Christian and a rock superstar? Can political activists make good music? Do hugely successful rock bands really care about AIDS and poverty in Africa, or is it just another image-enhancing schtick? U2 and Philosophy ponders these and other seeming dichotomies in the career of the Irish supergroup. For over two decades, U2 has been one of the biggest acts in rock music. They’ve produced over a dozen platinum and multiplatinum records and won 15 Grammy Awards. Critics everywhere have praised the band’s thoughtful, complex lyrics and the artistry of their music. At the same time, Bono, the group’s lead singer, has dedicated himself to political and social causes, blurring the line between rock star and respected statesman. Offering fresh insight into the band’s music and activism, these thought-provoking essays allows fans to discover philosophy through the eyes of U2, and rediscover U2 through the eyes of philosophers.

Underpinning the popularity of U2 is their passion for touring. For the first time the band has agreed to allow a book on this vital part of their creative energy to be published. Photographs are hand-picked from their archive.

U2’s significant career far exceeds that of most average successful rock bands, with a prolific output of thirteen well-received studio albums and a sometimes relentless touring schedule. The band is famous for uniquely drawing together music, art, faith, and activism, all within a lucrative career that has given each of these elements an unusual degree of social and cultural resonance. Broad-minded musically and intellectually, U2’soutput is thematically rich, addressing a slew of topics, from questions of faith to anxieties about commercialism to outright political statements. With one of the largest fan bases in the history of rock music, U2 and their work require contextualization and exploration. In U2: Rock ’n’ Roll to Change the World, Timothy D. Neufeld takes up this challenge. Neufeld explores U2’s move from the youthful idealism of a band barely able to play instruments through its many phases of artistic expression and cultural engagement to its employment of faith and activism as a foundation for its success. This book outlines how U2 reshaped the very musical and even political culture that had originally shaped it, demonstrating through close readings of its musical work the dynamic interplay of artistic expression and social engagement.

While other bands have fallen by the way side, Bono's U2 have continued to reinvent themselves: from early punk origins to the rootsy rock and soul of Rattle and Hum; from the postmodern pop of Zooropa to the classic rock of At the Ends of The Earth. Packed with rare photos and memorabilia, tour logs, places of U2 interest and a who's who of U2 and featuring the definitive discography, this is the ultimate fans' compendium for the greatest rock 'n' roll band of the post-punk age. Fresh from the success of their new hit album, U2 will be touring the US in the summer of 2001.