U2 and Revenge of the Apple Mac
Thursday, February 19, 2009 at 3:10PM 
We believe this is how the story goes, but our memory is a little fuzzy....
It's 1996 and U2 are in the middle of recording what would eventually become their POP album. It's 1996 and the the internet is still an unknown place for many of us and certainly for U2. They have no website or real web presence, but they do have a web cam on the Island Records site that posts images from inside their studio. At some point the web cam gets pointed at a whiteboard on which someone has scribbled song titles. Amongst titles such as "Miami" and "Discotheque" are the words "Revenge of the Apple Mac." The POP album is released in 1997 with no such Apple inspired song.
Fast forward 12 years. The bands latest, No Line on the Horizon is about to be released. It includes the track "Unknown Caller." The Edge tells Rolling Stone Magazine " The idea is that the narrator is in an altered state, and his phone starts talking to him." But we would describe it as a snythny, heavily Brian Eno inspired tune with an 80's vibe that includes the chants "Force quit and move to trash" and "Restart and re-boot yourself" and "Password, you enter here, right now" Is it possible that this tune includes pieces of the long lost "Revenge of the Apple Mac?" Sure Bono could have sang control, alt, delete and move to recycle bin, but he didn't!
We're probably making a connect between two songs that doesn't really exist, but either way we are loving the album so far. Don't be swayed by the mediocre "Get on Your Boots" single. This is U2's most ambitious and experimental album since Zooropa and it deserves a listen. It's available on iTunes March 3rd.
Reader Comments (2)
well said. and they are still relevant in the music biz. most mid - age bands aren´t.
I enjoyed the obvious apple references. Makes me love U2 even more...