In the wake of drummer Philip Selway’s hint of potential new Radiohead content in the near future, Ed O’Brien shared his view on the group’s music in a new interview with Music Radar. He compared Radiohead and U2’s sound and style, pointing out the differences between them.
Recalling hearing U2’s performances up close, he said:
“I remember standing side of stage to U2, years and years ago, like ’97, and the thing that you notice side of stage is how loud they are onstage. Like, Edge has got his AC30s cranked because Larry, the drummer, is so loud as well!
As is Adam’s bass rig, and it is almost like the Who. You can do it if you are a four-piece. It’s rock. But despite what people might think, Radiohead are not rock. We have had our rocky moments. We have rock moments. They tended to be when we were younger. But the music is more nuanced.”
The two groups’ sounds may not be alike, but O’Brien’s 2020 solo project, ‘Earth,’ carries some shades of U2’s ‘Pop,’ as he worked with the 1997 album’s producer Flood for his record. Listing the elements he wanted Flood to adapt from his previous works, including that album, in a chat with Rolling Stone, the guitarist explained his decision by saying:
“I wanted somebody who could bring a sonic richness. I’m very lucky where I’ve come from in Radiohead. Sonics and sound and quality is really important to all of us. I’m a sound snob if you like.
There aren’t a lot of people who just blow me away. Flood was somebody that I knew. He started work as an engineer in the early Eighties, and he’s worked on so many records. He first engineered ‘The Joshua Tree’ and ends up co-producing ‘Achtung Baby’ and, of course, Depeche Mode.”
You can listen to one of Ed O’Brien’s songs from the 2020 album below.
