u2 covered the beatles song  helter skelter '' on rattle and hum.
what beatles song did u2 cover on rattle and hum?
`` helter skelter ''
in 1988, a u2 recording was used as the opening track on their album "rattle and hum". the song was recorded live at the mcnichols sports arena in denver, colorado on 8 november 1987. introducing the song, bono controversially said, "this is a song charles manson stole from the beatles. we’re stealing it back." aerosmith included a cover of "helter skelter", recorded in 1975, on their 1991 compilation "pandora's box" compilation. aerosmith's version charted at number 21 on the album rock tracks chart in the us.
helter skelter (song)
"rattle and hum" divided critics when it was released in 1988. some reviewers panned it, feeling that u2 were making a deliberate and pretentious attempt at rock and roll renown. writing in "rolling stone", anthony decurtis called the album "calculated in its supposed spontaneity" while demonstrating "u2's force but devoting too little attention to the band's vision". jon pareles was more critical in "the new york times", finding each song genuinely egotistical and "embarrassing in a different way", while tom carson from "the village voice" said the band suffered from profound ignorance rather than pretension on an album that was terrible "by almost any rock-and-roll fan's standards". "village voice" critic robert christgau was more enthusiastic, calling it "underrated if grandiose". in his consumer guide, he complimented half of the new material and the live versions of past songs by u2, whom he called naturally pretentious but also innovative for their unique rock style that "melded americana into their old world riffs". in a rave review for the "los angeles times", robert hilburn called "rattle and hum" a "frequently remarkable album" that more than matched "the joshua tree" and credited u2 for reviving the "idealism and craft of [rock's] finest moments", while "hot press" reviewer bill graham said it was their "most ambitious record" yet. in the uk, stuart baillie of "nme" gave it a positive 8/10 review. contentiously, his review replaced a much more negative 4/10 review by mark sinker in which he described it as "the worst album by a major band in years". it was pulled by editor alan lewis as it was feared that criticism of the band would affect the magazine's circulation.
rattle and hum