Chords for U2's The Edge demonstrating his guitar rig (1/2)

So I was gonna ask you that is that it is that this is it this is the first guitar that I ever
recorded with
The first guitar I bought
With the idea that I might actually play with the band on stage in front of a live audience
I was I think I was 17 at the time when I bought it and we just got together
I don't think we were you two at that point and I bought it in New York where I happen to be
I bought it new.
I just picked it up in the store and it was just felt so great
I just this is this is it I actually went in to buy I think I was gonna buy a Les Paul
But I just fell in love with this guitar
I just I brought it back and I was slightly like oh shit like it's a little strange looking
You know, I thought is this gonna other guys in the band gonna look and go what?
You're out
So I took it out the case like, you know, and they they looked it was like
_ Strange looks for for the first day, but everyone just loved the sound of it
And I think it became like a signature look no one else was playing Explorers at that point
and so quite soon it became like a
the thing we were
famous for _
But it's had a few
accidents over the years this
Happened in Radio City about the mid 80s
_ _ We were playing a show and the bouncers were particularly heavy in the venue and
_ There's some kids down the front getting pummeled.
So I actually threw the guitar off sort of to intervene and
Stopped it and Bono stopped the show we
Got it sorted out, but I came back picked the guitar up and the head was hanging off.
It was totally broken
So I got it.
You didn't break down yourself.
I was a little stunned to be honest
but
We got it repaired and I'm not sure it's it's affected the sound I couldn't tell the difference when I got it back
So it's like it's a broken neck, isn't it?
Yeah, I see.
That's a different totally total inserts of new wood into this
To bridge the gap between this and this and you can when it was first done
It was a much better match
But over the years the wood is it's obviously a different kind of wood.
It's it's evident.
We've got an intro
Which is real simple introduction with a little beatbox and I'm really [D] underscoring the bass guitar at that point
[A] And then we go to the echo sound [Bm] which is the verse
_ [B] _ _ _
[C#] _ _ _ [Bm] Against against the cores of the [C#] song.
It really creates a [A] very beautiful little hook and then the [E] big
The big kind of chorus sound is the chords obviously and
This was an interesting part.
It caused a bit of a stir in the studio when I first played it
I'll try [G] and play a bit more [B] quietly
_ [G] _ _
[A] _ _ [G#] _ _ The reason it caused a bit of a [N] stir is that at the point when we were making
The record all the she can't leave behind we were really taking our
sound in a different direction and
When it came to to arrange in beautiful day
this part came to mind and I played it and
It just didn't sound good on
The the guitars I was using at the time
So I brought out the Explorer and the box and the echo and played
The part and when everyone else came back in later on they were like you can't do that.
You know, that's like
That's from a few years ago.
That's not like where we're going and I I said well
Really we have to be able to go back if it's if it's right if it if the song demands it so
For just one moment on this record and that was what is the what about the coming back to the guitar the basic
Personality of the guitarist.
Do you think there was a you know, there is a lead singer personality and there's a lead guitar personality
I mean you is that all just I think no
I think there there probably is but I don't think it's one.
I think this for guitar players
There's a couple of different types, you know, I think there are the sort of the gunslinger guitarists
Who's it's sort of the the fastest draw in the West mentality
And then there's the sidemen, you know who who are really about
Supporting the singer and playing the songs and trying to you know, make the whole thing mesh together
And I really think of myself more as that sideman kind of guitar player
I think Keith and that saying Keith Richards in that same mold and I have to say my favorite guitar players are that type
_ The guitar Olympics not the show-off well, not the ones who aren't part of the bat
Yeah, you're going off.
You know solo Pete is the side man
Even though he's the front man in a lot of people's book, you know, he's playing the songs
He's he's it's all about getting the you know, the song across supporting the singer
That's that's what I think Johnny Marr was the same, you know, like it's about it's about the entire
It's not about just you know shining in the spotlight as being an incredibly
Talented virtuoso guitar player.
I mean that's kind of that's not that interesting in the end _ _ _ _ _ _