Vol. 2-Pickin' on U2

Pickin' on U2 (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 22, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Cmh Records
• ASIN: B0000A0DTW
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #368,201 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

The bigger a band gets, the more it will get picked on. Take U2. While a number of lesser groups have only been treated to one entry in CMH's Pickin' On series, the Irish rockers are receiving a second potshot. Of course the process is made easy when a band has so much material to pull from. Pickin' on U2, Vol. 2 includes instrumental versions of "Stay," "Beautiful Day," and "October." Several of the musicians involved are well-known in acoustic circles. Banjoist Scott Vestal is a fairly new talent to the acoustic scene, while banjoist Herb Pedersen and violinist Richard Greene have been blazing new trails for 30 years. While all of these players do a fine job, they more or less play it safe here, letting the song take center stage. U2 fans will probably marvel at the presence of dobro on "Sunday Bloody Sunday," and fiddle and flutes on "Party Girl." The latter tune, in fact, sounds a little like traditional Irish folk. The collection ends with an original Celtic-flavored composition titled "The Boys from Ireland," a fitting tribute not only to U2 but to all the great musicians who have hailed from the island. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford Jr., Rovi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A worthwhile bluegrass tribute, December 28, 2003

By 

dave_lister (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vol. 2-Pickin' on U2 (Audio CD)

In some ways "Pickin' on U2: Volume 2" is better than the first. On some tracks, such as "Even Better Than the Real Thing," the arrangers have taken more of an artistic license, resulting in more of an improvisational bluegrass feel. I think this is more interesting than just trying to emulate the U2 sound with bluegrass instruments, as was the case on the first album. On the other hand, the first album offers more, with twelve U2 songs compared to nine on this one. Track 10 is an original composition which has a celtic feel. This unfortunately fails to bring to mind either U2 or bluegrass, and ends up being the weakest part of the album. I recommend checking out the first "Pickin' on U2" album first. If you like it, you'll like this one.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good followup to the vol. 1, January 25, 2009

By 

J. Rogers (Decatur, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vol. 2-Pickin' on U2 (Audio CD)

I would have to agree with only other review to this point. Volume 2 resembles the original U2 songs less than vol. 1; however, the arrangements feel more improvised. It works sometimes and other times it doesn't. Overall, it's a pretty decent homage to U2.