IN THE NAME OF LOVE

When it came to remaking 40 classic U2 tracks for Songs of Surrender, The Edge was guided by his heart and one grand idea: “to make intimacy the new version of punk rock.”

- JOE BOSSO

DURING THE COURSE of their four-decade-plus career, U2 have been a daringly stubborn, forward-thinking lot, rarely repeating a proven formula, and constantly searching for the next big idea. Indeed, their momentum seems to have always been fueled by an almost Bowie-esque need for experimentation. Sometimes the gambits paid off spectacularly (the rich Americana textures of The Joshua Tree were traded for Achtung Baby's postmodern European art-rock); other times, not so much (the techno dance-heavy Pop ranks as their most underappreciated effort). But in each case, the band made it clear they weren't running to stand still, and whether they delighted their fans or occasionally mystified them, their true measure of success was guided by their indefatigable quest for change.

And now they've really gone and done it. U2's latest project Songs of Surrender, a whopping collection of 40 "reimagined" songs from their back catalog - is one that will invariably provoke intense reactions, both good and bad, from their fans, many of whom regard the band's original recordings as sacrosanct. For The Edge, the driving force behind the four-disc set (he's credited as producer, and he created much of the instrumentation), the notion of merely tweaking musical themes was one he rejected out of hand. Simply put, revisiting the past meant throwing a whole lot of it out the window.