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U2 ripped off the sound of Radiohead's "The Bends" album, and no one realizes it, or gives Radiohead credit for inventing that sound.

that's 100% true. U2's last few albums are just basically what Radiohead started doing in the early 90's. U2 just craved the spotlight much more, so they came off as innovators, musically. Posers, they are. I still admire their positions to help the less fortunate, however.

Hey WB and Mrs. F,

Are “you two” insane???

There would be no Radiohead if not for bands like U2!

Joe C. your love for mainstream pop is evident. But I've never seen a giant lemon at a Radiohead concert. U2 took good music and turned it into bloated arena rock.

"They are U2 with a piano. " Uh, hate to tell you this, but The Edge plays piano on many of U2's songs; live he uses sequencers to play some of the parts, other times he is at the keyboard. Geez, do some homework before you post this dribble!

I love them both - but Radiohead is clearly very distinctive and better than U2 overall. U2's earlier work was its best, but the attempts at being 'hip' later on failed miserably overall. I still like both though. I feel like none of these bands really are like U2 though.

I respect what both bands bring to the plate, but I personally agree that Radiohead is a better band. I am a little biased however, since I like Thom Yorke's voice and lyrics better

sonictill, i believe the point of the comment "u2 with a piano" is that -even though edge plays occasional keys - the band's sound is not built around piano hooks like coldplay. they are a bass/guitar/drums band unlike coldplay which brings piano into the forefront of their sound.

I prefer U2's live albums, they're less pretentious, and more viseral.

U2's lyrics and music are more global and popwise in comparison with RH. RH are harder and heavier (in good sense) to listen to. You can listen to U2 in the car but not to RH. Vocal of Yorke are more picturesque than Bono's. Here how it goes: U2 wins with Edge's guitar, RH with Yorke's voice and Coldplay with a piano. Have fun listening to all of them:)

I am a big fan of all the bands mentioned.If it is anyones perogative to spend time comparing the similarities and differences of each, then thats cool with me, but I could play an album from each, back 2 back, and even as a musician, all I would want 2 resonate was the power and beauty that comes from each, and how cool it is to be in a time where there are so many bands with such endurance, longevity, and integrity.

All I want to know is, what's wrong with being in high school? Good music is good music no matter what era it came from.

Throughout the history of U2, they have been compared to other bands and other bands have been compared to them. Remember Simple Minds? The Alarm?

The real test of a band is do they still matter? Is there music still significant? To me, all of the bands mentioned are great bands. But U2 is definitely the pinnacle of these. They still make great music that matters and that is just as significant as Boy. And U2 can put on a show. They are innovators. Remember the Zoo TV tour? Now everyone has to have some flashing audiovisuals behind them.(Coldplay's "Speed of Sound" video looked alot like something from the Vertigo Tour to me.) They always are moving forward, improving their sound, making better music. Yes, sometimes they may stumble and do something unexpected ("Pop"), but they came back, took rock and roll by the horns and said "Look, we're back in charge again" and rode it all the way back to the top again.

Music isn't always about the rhythm, the guitars, the lyrics, the front man. Really we listen to music for different reasons, but it all takes us to another place we like to be.
From the first strums of "Bad" you can "feel" the song.
Radiohead,Coldplay, and the Killers do the same thing but in a different way. Who doesn't play air guitar during the guitar riff in "Creep"? Or play piano on the dashboard to "Clocks?" or pound the steering wheel to the two drum beats of "Somebody Told Me"?

Right now all of this music matters to us. Who is better than the other is all relative to each of us. But I think we can all agree that all of them make great music or we'd all be still listening to Milli Vanilli or Aha.

I think it's atrocious to say RADIOHEAD is a U2 'wannabe'! Radiohead has been nothing but progressive and innovative with their sound. They transformed themselves from a punk rock band to a...who knows what category they fit in. Needless to say Radiohead is innovative and experimental with their sound. U2 puts out great music, but there is nothing innovative about it. There is nothing that pushes music's envelope.

I am not knockin' U2, i think they are great, but they have definitely placed themselves in the Rock/Pop Genre throughout their whole career.

I guess I find some offense to this because I regard Radiohead as music artists whereas I regard U2 as a great band.

one of them it's the best and that's u2.
no matter what lenguage you speak,no matter if you are white,black,latino,green,purple,etc,..the whole world knows about u2,..and the other bands,mmmm,well?...one hit wonders!!..it's like talking about GUNS N' ROSES, and the L.A.guns,got it?..good....and i think i like (bored2pices2),lol...take care people and keep on rocking in the free world!!!!

There is no way Radiohead is trying to be U2... Your Blog is the worst... Coldplay yes...

OK so i have a storry about U2 taht my dad told me....back in 81 he saw i think LOVERBOY or some group at the cow palace and he said that the opening band was U2...he said basically the crowd boo'd them offstage lawl

I think this blog is awful...and the man is trying to stir things up. Radiohead sounds nothing like U2. Thom Yorke has the most distinctive voice in music and radiohead never does the same thing twice. Coldplay isn't the most popular band in the world right now for "no reason".

Wow, I agree with some of this and don"t with a lot of it. One has to chart U2's hostory to really get a sense of who they were at a particular time and try to understand who they influenced and how.

Radiohead would be Radiohead regardless of what U2 did. One band not mentioned that credits who they are and their growth was Oasis, which is funny because U2 was trying to do something Oasis like on Pop - probably their worst.

Coldplay does not have the same intensity as a "Boy" or "War", but they perhasp built on what U2 did on the Joshua Tree . . . but hey who didn't. Coldplay does not have the social/ political cred that U2 built in the 80's. Still Coldplay's "clocks" and "Speed of Sound" are unique anthems nothing like "New Year's Day","Zoo Station", "Beautiful Day" or "Vertigo" (if the last two could qualify as anthems).

The Killers, while fun, should not even be mentioned with U2, Coldplay or Radiohead, unless they are thanking those bands for allowing them to string their guitars.

U2's sound has been around since the late 70's so saying that they took a sound from Radiohead in the early 90's is inaccurate. If these other bands indeed have a sound influenced by U2, is that such a bad thing? That's what music does, it inspires and influences. These other bands, Radiohead, Coldplay etc. are great bands in their own way.