EBCC

It will be a good idea to bring a head light for your bike too as we will probably finish in the dark

Greg's new riding Buddy

> That was one of their best albums!

• said no one ever.

> Jim your going to have to explain this to me as I was only 4 in 1993

Okay (deep breath); U2 came onto the music scene in 1981 in what we would now consider indie rock but back in '81 we didn't have the 3 million genre's of music that we have now. They were considered modern rockers with a rebel edge to them. In '81 they released their first album; Boy. It was an instant success and sold millions of copies - which for a first album, back then, was incredible. They quickly followed up with October and again sold millions of albums. They were still young and unknown but were starting to make themselves known. In 1983 they released War which was their first huge success selling over 9 million copies - albeit, mostly in Europe. From there they went on a tear that very few bands other than The Beatles, Rolling Stones and few others have ever witnessed. They released Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree, Rattle and Hum and Actung Baby which were all mega-hits. In 1985 they were a headline band in Live Aid (a dual-venue concert held on 13 July 1985, organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine) where they played in Wembley Stadium. They were voted the Best Band award for Live Aid and much of that was because of their hyper-emotional version of their song Bad which is about one of their childhood friends that overdosed on heroin. Link to Bad at Wembley If you have never seen this please put some good headphones on and watch. Not many bands have ever done this type of show before.
After Live Aid everything they touched became gold. That is, until Zooropa. Zooropa was released in '93 and was respected by critics as innovative rock but clearly did not connect with their fans. Sales were miniscule to albums like Joshua Tree (25 million) and Actung Baby (18 million). Many U2 fans thought this was a one of kind album that the band released as they struggled to produce music with emotion and sentiment - as they had done in the past. The next four albums, including their latest release, produced poor results but better than Zooropa. Quite frankly, they are odd and lack the angst the band had in the past, sans a few songs.
Zooropa only sold one copy in the whole world. It was to some guy on East Hill Road in Canton, CT. Local folklore says that on any given Friday night when there is not a Wingbiter ride, you can hear the song Lemon being belted out in a basement as a cyclist pedals in his tight, see-through shorts, all the way back to 1993 when his favorite album debuted. I have never witnessed this with my own eyes. It goes without saying that Zooropa was the album where U2 started to fall from the top and the band became eccentric seeming to only try to appeal to listeners by trying not to be appealing at all. I hope that helps.

*edit; copies of Zooropa sold is now fixed

Jim thanks for the nice review of U2. I liked that band growing up. I remember a lot of those albums, didn't realize they released that many. Are we really riding that nightmare of a route tonight?:). I'll ride whatever, but just sayin.....

Everybody, bring your running shoes for afterward. Christian, bring your copy of Zooropa. (I'm told it's the only one in the world).

> Jim thanks for the nice review of U2. I liked that band growing up. I remember a lot of those albums, didn't realize they released that many. > Are we really riding that nightmare of a route tonight?:). I'll ride whatever, but just sayin.....

I'm riding from my house at about 5:30 and doing one of the dead ends (Burgoyne) on the way down to the parking lot. I'll be heading back to my house when we get to Beeney at about mile 15, skipping Steele and Henderson spur.

Mike, are you going on the ride this evening, if so i can return the folding chair to you? 646 309 6010