The Edge picks his favourite songs of all time
U2 are a band that seems to divide opinion; however, regardless of what you think of them, there is no denying the fact that they are a group who have never shied away from trying out different sounds throughout their career. Granted, not all of it has been the most well-received. However, any musicians keen to tread into unknown territory when they have already seen success with something specific deserve recognition.
This excitement to try out different genres comes from the fact that those in the band have an eclectic taste. The music that they enjoy spans well beyond one genre, decade and country. As such, the idea of putting together a list of their favourite songs seems near-enough impossible, and the result would be disjointed.
Instead, The Edge recently compiled a playlist of some of his favourite songs from New Orleans. Famously, New Orleans has an excellent jazz and blues culture, so these songs are laced with enticing vocals, intricate guitar and brass.
Not limiting himself to one decade, The Edge has curated a playlist that shows not only the roots of jazz in New Orleans but also reflects what people can experience now. For instance, there is a feature from The Wild Tchoupitoulas and their exciting call-and-response style of music, but also a track from Trombone Shorty, who is still young and has only been releasing music for just over a decade.
There is also a healthy mix of well-known tunes and deep cuts, so if you’re listening, you can hear some of the classics and experience some music you likely won’t have heard before. Tracks like ‘The Fat Man’, ‘Tutti Frutti’, and ‘What a Wonderful World’, appear alongside the likes of ‘Working In The Coal Mine’ and ‘Project Love.’
The playlist shows just how much The Edge likes to explore different avenues of music, as even when he restricts himself to one city, he can put together something carefully curative and incredibly representative of the area. The music is filled with ambition, as the genre was born out of talented people keen to push the boundaries of music and see what they could achieve.
Be sure to listen to The Edge’s playlist below for some of the best songs out of New Orleans.
The Edge’s favourite songs:
- ‘The Fat Man’ – Fats Domino
- ‘Tutti Frutti’ – Little Richard
- ‘Cissy Strut’ – The Meters
- ‘Big Chief’ – Professor Longhair
- ‘Helping Hand’ – Snooks Eaglin
- ‘Hey Pocky A-way’ – The Wild Tchoupitoulas
- ‘Backatown’ – Trombone Shorty
- ‘Working in the Coal Mine’ – Lee Dorsey
- ‘I Walk on Guilded Splinters’ – Dr. John
- ‘Project Love’ – The New Birth Brass Band
- ‘Yes We Can Can’ – Allen Toussaint
- ‘Yellow Moon’ – The Neville Brothers
- ‘Speaks His Mind’ – Galactic
- ‘The Majesty of the Blues’ – Wynton Marsalis
- ‘Hot Tamale Baby’ – Buckwheat Zydeco
- ‘Do What You Want’ – Rebirth Brass Band
- ‘From a Whisper to a Scream’ – Allen Toussaint
- ‘Ain’t That a Shame’ – Fats Domino
- ‘Iko Iko’ – Fats Domino
- ‘The Things I Used To Do’ – Guitar Slim
- ‘What a Wonderful World’ – Louis Armstong
