U2: The Rise of the Mount Temple Boys

The U2 story is simple: how a rock group formed by a 14 year old drummer at Mount Temple School in Dublin had visions beyond possibility - and how, through a mix of dogged determination and careful militaristic planning and hard bloody work allied to the luck of the angels, they realised these over-ambitious dreams ten-fold.

So were they great at the beginning and the world simply had to find out? No, they were crap. They had to learn their craft - the singer had all the vocal grace of a cement mixer, the rhythm section was stodgy. Only the guitarist stood out musically and already he glistened and shimmered like nobody else. Well, a bit like Tom Verlaine from Television and an echo of Barry Melton from revered psychedelic fossils Country Joe And The Fish. But by and large the curiously- named 'The Edge' was his own man from the git-go, twanging as if wired to Mars.

The baby-faced drummer who'd stuck the famous note on the school board looking for like-minded conspirators... he banged away as best he could while the plummy-voiced English kid on rudimentary bass guitar made up for his lack of skill by instilling into this nascent band, impressive words like 'gig' and 'tour'.

Verily this Adam had crazy dreams - the group getting on television, getting a real manager, making a record. And Adam hustled, spread the word. Steve Rapid of Dublin band The Radiators From Space suggested they change their name from The Hype to U2. They didn't like the name but they went with it till something better came up. Adam handed out the demos produced by Barry Devlin of Horslips.

Television happened. Their manager Paul McGuinness happened - the remaining element in doing the impossible. And then came Chris Blackwell and Island Records. The dream was set.

It hasn't all been plain sailing. U2 had to re-examine the way forward after the savaging of Rattle And Hum movie and the wringing-out of its attendant tour. And after the overblown technical grandiousity of the dance-friendly Pop and the Popmart tour, lemon and all, it was back to the drawing-board again.

And now USA and the world fall again in supplication.

You can judge a person by the company they keep.

U2 have won the benediction of many of their peers and ended up with them on U2 recordings: Bob Dylan and BB King on the Rattle And Hum album; Keith Richards playing with them at the Smile Jamaica charity concert; Lou Reed lending his voice to their performance of his song Satellite Of Love... Johnny Cash singing on U2's The Wanderer; Willie Nelson joining U2 on Slowdancing; Pavoritti warbling magnificently on U2's Miss Sarajevo... Bono, solo, recording his Silver And Gold song with Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood for Little Steven's anti-Sun City record, adding vocals to Mick Jagger's single Joy; singing with Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson and rockabilly king Carl 'Blue Suede Shoes' Perkins on Carl's track Give Me Back My Job... even joining Frank Sinatra on an irreverent I've Got You Under My Skin.

Indeed, a small consideration like death hasn't prevented Bono from recording with both Elvis and Marvin Gaye - Marvin's voice from beyond the grave entwines with Bono on Bono's remake of Gaye's pleading Save The Children, while on Elvis' classic Can't Help Falling In Love by Bono, the words from an Elvis press conference float around behind our Irishman's sensitive vocal. And yes, the singer is now one of the most passionately-voiced vocalists in rock'n'roll...

BP Fallon runs the international rock'n'roll party Death Disco with his partner, Libertines manager Alan McGee

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