U2: The Road to Pop

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Summary: Carter Alan's journey through U2 and the Media
Review: "The Road to Pop" begins very much in medias res, with absolutely no introduction to our four heroes. Carter Alan is right when he says this is a documentary of U2's activities in America, and that narrows and limits this book. Unfortunately, the book becomes a blow-by-blow account of various tour dates, verging on boring at times. The dynamic band members keep the action up, however. The author clearly has the highest regard for the band, and is not subtle in his attempt to protray the members well. Too many times it comes off as too much of a happy family. He's not fooling anyone- there had to be some undercurrent of tension at some point in the history of U2. Even so, this is an enjoyable read for the most part, despite the author's best efforts to the contrary. I shouldn't be so negative- Alan allows the band members to speak for themselves on many occasions. Oddly enough, it is the Edge's voice that comes across strongest, where you would expect Bono. This may be a result of the author's closeness to Edge, revealing the limitations as well as the advantages to his position. Overall, if you're a U2 fan, it's a good read. If you want a better one, get "U2 at the End of the World." The advantage of "The Road to Pop" is that it does go to 1997 after the author updated the original, "Outside is America." You might deduce why the author is not inclined to criticize the band after reading "U2 at..." because of the fallout he had with the band regarding the book itself.

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Summary: Not the *best* U2 book..
Review: Being a huge U2 fan, I read everything about them that I can get my hands on, but I gotta say I was kind of disappointed with this particular U2 book. It's mainly a collection of interview sound-bytes taken from other sources. If you want an awesome U2 book, go read U2 At the End of the World by Bill Flanagan. The Road to Pop is more of a general U2 history book, and lacks any kind of "insider" feel. If you follow the band at all, none of the stuff in this book will be news to you.

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Summary: A Look at U2
Review: Carter Alan's Road to Pop takes an extensive look at U2's career from their infancy in Dublin to the recording of their first album, Boy, to their first tour of America through their last album at the time of the book's re-release, Pop. It is a fascinating look at a band who is never at a loss for words.

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Summary: Carter Alan's journey through U2 and the Media
Review: It is not often that a reader gets an in-depth look at one of the greatest bands in the world through the man responsible for introducing them in the United States. Carter Alan's book takes the reader through 17 years of relationships with the band. The book is based off various interviews and general views of the media towards U2 through out the years. This is a MUST-HAVE for all Carter Alan fans.