Even the most devoted U2 fan will learn a lot from "U2byU2" by Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. ($39.95; HarperCollins), a hefty autobiography that's full of inside information, all of it from the mouths of the guys themselves.
The text is based on some 150 hours of interviews, with each band member telling his own story. The love-hate relationship that is revealed between these four very different people is shown to be a powerful dynamic that has shaped U2 over its 30-year history.
Not surprisingly, Bono is the most fascinating of the four.
"There is a rage in me," he confesses. "I have developed good manners to disguise it." The others are in awe of him but also confused by his perplexities and contradictions.
There are stories of arguments, fistfights, breakdowns and breakups. But mostly it's a story of passion and triumphs, and of making lasting contributions to music and society.
Although not dominated by photos, like most coffee-table rock books, the illustrations tell almost as much as the text.
The four look so young starting out as teenagers. Their hairstyles mark the changing times. And you can trace when Bono began his sunglasses fixation (about the time he turned 30).
There are even shots of the four in drag.
"U2byU2" is the big rock book of the season, with a print run of over 500,000 in 10 languages.
But you'll find many more impressive, enticing rock-music books on the shelves now, just in time for Christmas giving.
Here are some of the most notable:
"Elvis at 21: New York to Memphis" by Alfred Wertheimer ($65; Insight Editions). The other rock blockbuster of the season is this huge (11" x 14") volume of 300 black-and-white photos taken by noted photographer Alfred Wertheimer in 1956, the year Elvis Presley became a star. Some of the images have become iconic, like the famous French-kiss shot taken in a backstage stairwell (the identity of the girl is still unknown) and Elvis atop his first Harley-Davidson.
But most of the pictures have never before been published.
Wertheimer, working for Presley's recording label, RCA, had unprecedented access and his subject was totally uninhibited.
News RSS