Is it wrong to like The Edge?

[Chris Shaeffer]

I guess the answer is "No, its not wrong to like the Edge."

But some people don't anyway.

 

[-=¤willhaven¤=-]

At least The Edge isn't overrated like Tom Morello.

 

[apl]

Somebody recently said I reminded them of Billy Gibbons. Now that's being overrated!

 

[ibanezrocks]

At least The Edge isn't overrated like Tom Morello.

yeah... tom morello has tons of threads on the internet about him, and hasn't had a hit song (vertigo doesn't count, even U2 fans couldn't possibly like that) in a long time ... I'd bet most people here don't know who Tom Morello is.
tom morello is way more creative with using effects AND is better technically than the edge.

 

[mshilarious]

And Brian May ... don't even get me started on that wanker. Harmonizing with yourself is the simplest and most kindergarten approach you can take with a delay.

Wait a minute . . . we all love Edge, so why pick on Brian May? Killer Queen is arguably the tightest solo ever.

 

[famous beagle]

Wait a minute . . . we all love Edge, so why pick on Brian May? Killer Queen is arguably the tightest solo ever.

This was in reference to when codmate said to look to brian may an david gilmour for ways in which delay could be used for more than just "effect." Personally, Brian May (or his band) doesn't do anything for me at all, but to each his own. I was just arguing that the Edge's use of delay is in no way less "musical" than May's.

 

[Mr. C]

Is this thread for real? Come on and admit it, he is definitely good at what he does...delay pedal or no delay pedal. I'm confident he could play very well straight into an amp. The delay pedal, when used, and other effects, create the sound he wants and what he is known for. As Light said, as soon as a U2 song comes on the radio you know who it is because of the Edge's playing. It has his stamp on it. And those who say every song or album sounds the same that's a bunch of bull. After The Joshua Tree, or maybe Rattle and Hum (can't remember which came later) I stopped listening to them. I wasn't big on some of their later stuff. It was at that point they wanted to change, as I remember Mullins was ready to quit. Listen to their early stuff like Boy, and compare it to their latest. There has been a change, most bands over time do change. Anyways, he's a great guitarist and if I was that good I could be making a few bucks myself.

 

[-=¤willhaven¤=-]

yeah... tom morello has tons of threads on the internet about him, and hasn't had a hit song (vertigo doesn't count, even U2 fans couldn't possibly like that) in a long time ... I'd bet most people here don't know who Tom Morello is.
tom morello is way more creative with using effects AND is better technically than the edge.

More like a criminal over use of the whammy pedal on just about every song. He is quite predictable.

 

[mixmkr]

And not one of them could write a song or a riff like The Edge, and more to the point, you couldn't CREATE his style. He did.

Trying to put down someone’s technical ability, particularly when they have had an extremely successful 20 + year career, is somewhat just silly. He gets the job done, and any time he plays on a record, you can tell it is him in about 5 seconds.


There are MAYBE a couple dozen guys in the world about whom that can be said.

And I am betting you are not one of them
.
I'm sure not one of them.






Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

These are about the true-est words I have seen posted here in a looooooong time. .... and it doesn't even apply to recording. However, I would GREATLY up the number from a couple dozen. That is just plain silly, or you only listen to "a couple dozen" players...which I know you don't

 

[Codmate]

HA!

Sell 100 million records then come back and bash the Edge.

H2H

ps Frankly, django bores the hell out of me. But I dont go around bashing his work just cause I dont like it.

If Django bores you your views on the guitar are null and void TBH.

 

[Codmate]

You are SO freaking hung up on that delay aren't you....

Have you ever researched anything about what really goes into his sounds? He has a six foot tall, two column rack box full of his effects processing gear (compressors, EQ's, delays, other filter effects), and has the whole top of the box covered in different stopbox type effects, and he really does use them.

He has over 30 vintage Vox AC30's, and he'll use 6 of them in any given show...switching between them for the variations in character that they have.

He can get more tone, texture, soul, emotion (whatever you choose to call it) out of a single note on a single string than most people could eek out of their whole guitar.

My co-worker made a very good point about this whole thread. You can only say that Edge's use of effects is a crutch if he has to use them to play things that a REALLY GOOD guitarist could get without all the effects. Like if he couldn't play fast enough for shredding so he has to use the delay to make it sound like he's playing faster. Or he can't play notes cleanly so he uses distortion or delay to hide that fact. That is most certainly NOT why Edge uses them.

Have you ever noticed that even in songs that are awash with delay echoes, you can still clearly hear exactly what Edge is playing? He's not trying to hide anything...

As someone already mentioned, Bullet The Blue Sky is some damned fine guitar work! Effects are a crutch huh? Ok, take any guitarist in the world and give them just a strat and an AC30TB and tell them "play that song and make it sound just like Edge." If they've ever heard the song, they'll laugh you right out of the room because it simply can't be done.

Wow - so he uses loads of effects - that makes him *really* good!

Sorry mate - he's a one-trick pony, and that's why he uses all those effects.
He could barely play when U2 started.

 

[Codmate]

Ok well .. this is just obviously a matter of opinion and not worth discussing. How is David Gilmore's use different from the Edge's? He uses it in basically two ways as far as I can tell:

1) simply slapping it on a lead (as in "Time")

2) on riffs, using the repeats to create rhythmic additions to the notes he plays (as in "run like hell")


Those are the same ways that the Edge uses it, but the Edge just happens to come up with cooler and more intricate riffs, as in "Where the Streets Have No Name"

And Brian May ... don't even get me started on that wanker. Harmonizing with yourself is the simplest and most kindergarten approach you can take with a delay.

What's wrong with harmonizing with yourself - it's more than the Edge does. Any harmonies that come out of Edge's delay work are accidental and have very little musical direction, whereas Brian's are intentional, informed and tasteful. Edge isn't telling a musical story with his playing, he's not getting at any emotional truth. These are the things that make a musician.

He just hits the delay unit and plays arpeggios.
He won't be remembered.

 

[Codmate]

Ask your girlfriend what she thinks of "With Or Without You," sometime.

Of course, that assumes you have a girlfriend, which is questionable if you don't understand that song is "worth listening to," and for far more than a bar.

Oh hey, another one without delay, too.
Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

Well - I did live with a woman for six years.
She left me 'cos I hated "With Or Without You".

Actually no - we parted 'cos the relationship wasn't working.
She hated the Edge too, becuase like me, she could see he was a one trick pony and basically without merit.

Are you trying really hard to be an offesive, moronic little idiot or does it just come naturally to you?

 

[apl]

He could barely play when U2 started.

Which is probably why a lot of guitar players find him over-simplistic.

When I listen to them, I think, "Wow, they get a lot of mojo out of those simple guitar parts!"

 

[Mr. C]

I'm just wondering a.p.l., are you saying that a guitar player has to play complicated riffs to be considered good? And is that what codmate is getting at when he says the Edge could barely play when U2 started? Frankly, I think the simplicity of some songs (no matter the artist) is what appeals to me,and I'm sure a lot of other people also. Besides that, I still think it's ridiculous for people to think what they hear the Edge play with U2 is all he can do. I can't believe for a minute that there isn't more to him than that, it's what he plays because that is the direction of the band.

 

[acorec]

I don't think album sales are any indication that somebody is a good musician or songwriter.

It's often evidence of good marketing though.
The longevity and credits are soley due to good U2 album sales.

Personally I find U2 dull as ditchwater.
I think they have made it through Bono being a very charismatic frontman and having a 'classic rock' voice.
Without him the band would be nowhere IMO.

If you are talking about a band that started yesterday, then good marketing is a necessity. But, after 20 years, a band is considered good song writers and musicians.


Example: I love Deep Purple (original lineup) and they were never advertised anywhere. They STILL sellout everywhere they go. They had 2 sond on the radio ever, yet their albums sell sold like wildfire. That is a recipe for sucess.

 

[apl]

I'm just wondering a.p.l., are you saying that a guitar player has to play complicated riffs to be considered good?

No! Elegance is when something simple is a thing of beauty.

I guess there are two categories of "good." One would be technical virtuosity, ie, can he play any piece of music correctly. The other would be more like artistry, that is, is the music the artist creates pleasing. The latter doesn't depend on being able to pull off semi-hemi-demi-quaver arpeggios.

 

[famous beagle]

What's wrong with harmonizing with yourself - it's more than the Edge does. Any harmonies that come out of Edge's delay work are accidental and have very little musical direction, whereas Brian's are intentional, informed and tasteful. Edge isn't telling a musical story with his playing, he's not getting at any emotional truth. These are the things that make a musician.

He just hits the delay unit and plays arpeggios.
He won't be remembered.

Ok Codmate, you're officially a fucking moron. Try to find five more people who think that the Edge isn't "telling a musical story" with his playing. "Bullet the Blue Sky" is one of the most beautiful examples of EXACTLY that.

The minute you start trying to define what a "true musician" is, you're heading for a losing battle. The same people you herald (Gilmour and May) use plenty of delay in their playing, yet for some reason you think it's "intentional, informed, and tasteful." Do you honestly think that the Edge hadn't figured out how to harmonize with himself after toying with a delay pedal for five minutes? That's the first thing I discovered when I first got my hands on a delay pedal at 15. "WOWWWWW. I can HARMONIZE with myself. AWESOME!!!" That's an effect that can easily be reproduced with two guitarists. The Edge, however, uses it to create unique riffs that simply couldn't exist without the use of the pedal. The only way you can sound like he does on "Where the Streets Have No Name" is with a pedal. Does that mean he can't play without a delay? Of course not. Does it make his use of delay better than others? No. But it's a legitimate use, and it's an awesome sound. Just like Hendrix used effects to create unique sounds so does The Edge. I'm not saying that harmonizing with yourself is not a legitimate use of a delay pedal. Any use is legitimate. I just don't see your logic in calling that "informed and intentional" and other uses not so. That's just a matter of adjusting the time of the setting to either fall in between the notes you're playing (favored by the Edge) or directly against the notes you're playing (favored by May). All I said was that you can easily harmonize with two guitars, but the only way to create the other effect is by using the pedal. So how is that not legitmate?

 

[Doc Holiday]

The great thing about Edge is that his use of effects enhance the songs he uses them on. They sound musical and not gimmicky. He is an awesome songwriter/arranger. He's also a very good singer. I liked his playing back in the 80's but I also was a big fan of shredding back then. Twenty years later, I still like his style, but I can only take shredding now in moderate doses. I think he will be remembered as the most original player of my generation. Just my opinion.

 

[Zaphod B]

Put me down for "not impressed."

The Edge's style has always affected me like fingernails on a blackboard.