A true mark of a great band is one that's able to shed its skin and start
over.

Imagine how the Beatles would be viewed today if they kept remaking "I
Want to Hold Your Hand," or if David Bowie were still coloring his hair
orange and revamping Ziggy Stardust night after night. There's a fine line
between artistic experimentation and self-parody.

U2 - Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. - have balanced
on that precipice time and again over their 20-plus-year career, and they've
always managed to pull themselves away from the abyss. Whenever
someone tries to pigeonhole them, they reverse gears and plunge headfirst
into an entirely new musical direction. It's been scary sometimes, but it's
never been boring, and it's helped them maintain a reputation as one of the
most popular and respected bands in the world.

The best way to review an artist's history is through his work. With U2, it's
not only the best way, it's the most fun. So let's get on with it:

"Boy" (1980)

Rating: HHH (out of five)

Essential tracks: "I Will Follow," "Out of Control," "Stories for Boys," "The
Electric Co."

The members of U2 were still teenagers when they signed to Island Records,
and their first full-length album reflects that sense of innocence and pent-up
energy. Producer Steve Lillywhite, who would helm the controls of the band's
studio output until 1984, smoothed out the rough edges that made 1979's
"U23" maxi-single sound like a garage-band demo without watering down
the spontaneous feel of U2's live shows. Almost every song is
autobiographical, from Bono's grief over his mother's death in the opener "I
Will Follow" to the closing number, "Shadows and Tall Trees," a take-off on
"The Lord of the Flies."

"October" (1981)

Rating: HH

Essential tracks: "Gloria," "Fire," "October"

Just before U2 recorded their sophomore effort, Bono's briefcase full of lyrics
was stolen - a year's worth of preparation, gone. Unfortunately, it shows in
"October," which is seen by most fans as simply providing a bridge between
"Boy" and "War." There are a few good touches, like the rock-out opener,
"Gloria," and the short-but-sweet piano opening to the title track. Still, it's not
a good sign when the most memorable thing about an album is Clayton's god-
awful perm on the cover. The closing track sums it up nicely: "Is That All?"

"War" (1983)

Rating: HHHH

Essential tracks: "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "New Year's Day," "Two Hearts
Beat as One," " '40' "

"War" was the album that took U2 out of the underground and into the
mainstream, a harsh, loud, guitar-heavy bomb that shattered the feel-good
New Wave movement dominated by bands like Culture Club and Duran
Duran. Reacting to an escalation of violence in their native Ireland, the band
set the tone immediately with the opening track, "Sunday Bloody Sunday:"
A military drum beat by Mullen, loud echo effects by the Edge, thumping bass
lines by Clayton and a tortured plea by Bono ("I can't believe the news today/
I can't close my eyes and make it go away.") The innocence that had
permeated "Boy" was gone forever.

But in the midst of all the rage, there's a glimmer of hope with the ending
song, " '40.' " Based on Psalms 40, it emerges as a comforting hymn, evoking
feelings of peace and resignation. Appropriately, it would close the band's
concerts as an audience singalong for years to come.

"Under a Blood Red Sky" (1983)

Rating: HHH

Essential tracks: "Party Girl" (live), "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (live)

U2's reputation was built on its live shows, and "Under a Blood Red Sky" is
an essential historic document of the band's early days. Buoyed by the
success of the concert video of the same name recorded at Denver's Red
Rocks ampitheatre, U2 released a couple of tracks from that concert as part of
a mini-LP along with five others from Boston and West Germany. The album
and video both conveyed the intensity that was the band's trademark and
gave them a tag as socially conscious warriors that would later be an
albatross.

"The Unforgettable Fire" (1984)

Rating: HHHH

Essential tracks: "A Sort of Homecoming," "Pride (In the Name of Love)," "The
Unforgettable Fire," "Bad"

"War" had established U2 as worldwide stars. Now it was time to push the
envelope. For "The Unforgettable Fire," they enlisted the help of Brian Eno
and Daniel Lanois, accomplished musicians with a flair for dreamlike
composition. The experimentation mixed with the discipline that Eno and
Lanois brought to the table resulted in the band's most cohesive effort up to
that time, with each track seamlessly bleeding into the next.

Two songs stand out as sheer masterpieces: "Pride," a tribute to the Rev. Martin
Luther King Jr., and "Bad," a song about heroin addiction, both of which exude
emotion without being preachy. But the album is best exemplified by "4th of
July," a short instrumental track capturing the Edge and Clayton doodling,
totally unaware they're being taped. It's a perfect example of U2's M.O.: Color
outside the lines and break all the rules. Then do it again.

"Wide Awake in America" (1985)

Rating: H

Essential tracks: "Bad" (live)

"Wide America in America" is essential for one track: A live recording of "Bad."
The building musical tension is so powerful in concert that U2's performance
of it at Live Aid is still seen as one of the band's proudest moments. The rest
of the the EP consists of a live performance of "A Sort of Homecoming" and
two leftovers from the "Unforgettable Fire" sessions. Interesting stuff, but not
memorable.

"The Joshua Tree" (1987)

Rating: HHHHH

Essential tracks: "Where the Streets Have No Name," "I Still Haven't Found
What I'm Looking For," "With or Without You," "Bullet the Blue Sky," "Running to
Stand Still," "In God's Country"

Every band worth its salt has one album that stands as a reflection of its creative
peak, a masterpiece for the ears. For the Beatles, it was "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely
Hearts Club Band," for the Who, "Tommy," for Bob Dylan, "Blonde on Blonde."
"The Joshua Tree" is U2's masterpiece.

Bono was delving deeply into American blues, soul and roots music, but the
Edge wanted to continue "The Unforgettable Fire"'s experimentation in
European textures. So they combined the elements, layering noisy guitar riffs
over orchestral passages. It worked like a charm - there simply isn't a bad
song on the entire album, from the gospel-tinged "I Still Haven't Found What
I'm Looking For," to the sweeping cascade of "With or Without You," to the
blistering "Bullet the Blue Sky." The album shot straight to No. 1, and U2 went
from being a big band to the biggest in the world.

"Rattle and Hum" (1988)

Rating: HHH

Essential tracks: "Desire," "When Love Comes to Town," "I Still Haven't Found
What I'm Looking For" (live), "Silver and Gold" (live), "All I Want is You"

There's an old saying in show business: People build you up just to tear you
down. That's essentially what happened with "Rattle and Hum," a documentary
of the band's "Joshua Tree" tour. In hindsight, the mixture of live and studio
tracks is pretty darn good, but upon its release, it was viewed as an exercise
in excess.

The band did ask for it somewhat. Unlike earlier live/studio efforts offered as
mini-LP's, "Rattle and Hum" was of epic proportions - a double album, film and
book. And let's face it, U2 isn't a very good cover band, so their versions of
"Helter Skelter" and "All Along the Watchtower" pale in comparison to the
originals. You have to hunt for the gems, but they're there, such as the
harmonica-driven "Desire," the epic love song "All I Want is You" and a live
version of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" that utilizes a full gospel
choir.

"Achtung Baby" (1991)

Rating: HHHHH

Essential songs: "Even Better than the Real Thing," "One," "Who's Gonna Ride
Your Wild Horses," "The Fly," "Mysterious Ways"

By the 1990s, U2 had gotten fed up with the rock-stars-turned-saviors tag that
had dogged them since "War." Like Dylan before them (and Kurt Cobain
afterwards), they had been given the title of "spokesmen for their generation,"
and they didn't want it.

Partly recorded in Berlin shortly after the fall of the Wall, "Achtung Baby" was
an attempt to blow apart every assumption that anyone ever had about U2.
Unlike the lush, rising crescendo that opened "The Joshua Tree," the new album
opened with a loud, distorted guitar that was so harsh, it sounded like it was
going to blow your speakers. The lyrics were some of the most personal Bono
had ever written - especially the divorce ode "One" and the self-loathing "The
Fly" - but the electronica-laden music was totally out of left field, and the onstage
mega-production of TV banks and wild outfits was so kitschy, it would have
made Porter Wagoner blush.

U2 had succeeded in reinventing itself - again. Fans were both excited and
repulsed, but they never stopped listening.

"Zooropa" (1993)

Rating: HHH

Essential tracks: "Babyface," "Numb," "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)", "The
Wanderer"

U2 were enjoying their newfound freedom so much on the 1991-92 "Zoo TV"
tour that they decided to put it to words on an EP. By the time they were done,
they had a complete album's worth of material.

"Zooropa" isn't as strong as "Achtung Baby," but it continues the electronica
experimentation without sounding like a lot of filler. Opening with the
dreamlike title track, it careens and veers in different directions, with varying
results. Like the B.B. King collaboration on "When Love Comes to Town" from
"Rattle and Hum," one of the best tracks is "The Wanderer," featuring Johnny
Cash on lead vocals.

"Passengers: Original Soundtracks 1" (1995)

Rating: H

Essential tracks: "Miss Sarajevo," "Elvis Ate America"

Not an official U2 release, "Passengers" went largely unnoticed by everyone
but die-hard fans. A collaboration with Brian Eno, the band is listed under
their individual names instead of the U2 banner, which gave them the freedom
to pursue bizarre musical directions. The result is kind of like John Lennon's
early works with Yoko Ono - something you listen to once out of curiosity and
then put on the shelf to gather dust. There are a couple of tracks worth
mentioning: "Miss Sarajevo," a song about war-torn Yugoslavia with Luciano
Pavarotti, and "Elvis Ate America," a wacky attempt to look into the psyche
of the King.

"POP" (1997)

Rating: HH

Essential tracks: "Staring at the Sun," "Wake Up Dead Man"

By 1997, the electronica sound was becoming tired, and U2's fans wanted
something new - especially four years after the last studio effort. "POP" failed
to deliver, and instead served up dance-heavy fluff like "Discotheque" and
"Mofo," songs that held little meaning and even less musical direction.
There's only a few songs that make the cut, such as the wah-wah heavy
"Staring at the Sun" and a plea to Jesus, "Wake Up Dead Man." U2 no longer
sounded ironic, they sounded condescending. It was time for another change.

"The Best Of, 1980-1990/The B-Sides" (1998)

Rating: HHHH

Essential tracks: "Sweetest Thing," "Dancing Barefoot," "Everlasting Love,"
"Luminous Times (Hold on to Love)"

U2 closed out the '90s with a greatest-hits compilation which, oddly enough,
ended with the '80s. Either it was attempt to make up for the sins of the past
decade, or a marketing tool to entice fans back into the fold. Whatever the
reason, it's a great trip down memory lane, serving up everything from "I Will
Follow" to "Desire" on one CD.

The special edition contains a second disc of B-sides, and the quality of those
cuts shows why U2 are such a great band. It's also sad, because the worst
cuts on the B-side disc are better than anything on "POP." Hard-core fans were
disappointed at the absence of early singles unavailable on albums, such as
"A Celebration" and "Treasure (Whatever Happened to Pete the Chop?)", but
maybe they'll turn up on a box set.

"All That You Can't Leave Behind" (2000)

Rating: HHHH

Essential tracks: "Beautiful Day," "Elevation," "Walk On," "Peace on Earth"

The drubbing that both critics and fans heaped on "POP" proved that U2 weren't
infallible. Young fans were turning to the teen pop of Britney Spears or the
rap-metal of Limp Bizkit, and older fans were turning to country or classic rock.
Suddenly, U2 had to prove that it still mattered.

"All That You Can't Leave Behind" managed to appeal to both longtime fans
and newcomers with its understated, stripped-down delivery. The flashy kitsch
of the '90s was gone, replaced with a humbled reverence. Some tracks, such
as "New York" and "Walk On," took a deeper meaning after the Sept. 11 attacks,
something the band's late '90s work could never have done.

More than 20 years after they first turned the rock establishment on its ear,
U2 continue to experiment, provoke, incite and entice. They still haven't found
what they're looking for, and here's hoping they never do.

For if they did, what would be the point?

If you go
Who: U2 with Garbage
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Ice Palace, 401 Channelside Drive, Tampa
Tickets: $45 and $85, available at the box office and Ticketmaster
Information: 1-813-301-6500 or www.icepalace.com