List of U2 number one songs

How many number one songs have U2 had?

The short version: UK 7 and US 2 and 14 number one hits in Ireland

The long version:

U2 have had all kinds of hits on the music charts but at the end of the day it’s the songs that made number one on those charts that are often the ones asked about as questions in pub quizzes. So to help you out, here’s a list or two of U2 songs that have made number one.

There are various kinds of charts that track popularity and they often revolve around rock, country and blues and are used to allow music that would never be mainstream get some air time. There’s even the itunes charts which for some unexplained reason people seem to think matters…

Two my mind there are only two charts that really count. Being ‘Top of the Pops’ in the UK means you are number one and crowning the Billboard 200 means you have the most popular song for the week in America. And we’ll use those charts to show how many number on hits U2 have had.

First up is the America Billboard chart which shows the U2 have had two number one hits. Both hits were from The Joshua Tree and were With or Without You and I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For. Desire from Rattle and Hum made it as high as 3 and a couple of singles from Achtung Baby and Pop made the top 10 and that’s it.

So, U2 have only had 2 number one American hits.

It’s a better story for the UK chart where U2 have had a bit more success in terms of chart toppers.

Nothing from The Joshua Tree went to number one despite the album’s massive success so it was Desire that became U2’s first UK number one hit. It came from Rattle and Hum. In 1991 when The Fly flew off as the lead single from Achtung Baby it landed at number 1.

It was a long time between drinks when Discotheque dropped in 1997.

U2’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind had a string of popular singles but only Beautiful Day in 2000 managed the spot. A debatable number one is Take Me to the Clouds Above" by LMC vs. U2. Debatable as it was a song featuring samples from U2's With or Without You with a health splash of Whitney Houston thrown in. At the end of the day, the song has U2’s name in the space where the artist’s name goes so it counts as a number one.

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb offered a notable double with both Vertigo and Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own grabbing their time in the top position.

No Line on the Horizon suffered from a lack of hit singles.

This means U2 have had seven number one hits in the UK and two in the U2. Unsurprisingly U2 are even more popular in their home country of Ireland and owned the number one place an awesome 21 times.

The next most popular country is the enlightened people of Canada with 14 which is twice as many as the UK successes.

List of U2’s UK number one songs:

• Desire
• The Fly
• Discotheque
• Beautiful Day
• Take Me to the Clouds Above
• Vertigo
• Sometimes You Can’t Make it On Your Own

What gear do I need to start home brewing?

What gear do I need to start home brewing?

If you’ve decided to brew beer, you’re in great company.

Einstein, Churchill and Thor himself, and every man with a shed has at one point or another brewed some tasty beverages.

But they all had to start somewhere, and so here’s a list of what equipment you might need to get started brewing beer.

We’re talking about brewing using a beer kit here, the kind of brewing where you ‘beer wort’ basically comes in a can.

You get to choose what hops or sugar you add (jelly beans maybe) and the rest is simply following some good brewing instructions.

But what do you need to brew some good home made beer.

This list is just the basics, you could probably actually get away with using less but at the very least, this guide should help you decide what you need to get that golden ale flowing down your gullet. 

What gear you might use on brewing day 

Ingredients 

• A beer kit – source a handy brew from an online store, or your local brew supplier. Some supermarkets stock them 
• A brew enhancer, DME or dextrose – 1Kg 
• Hops – an optional addition but good for getting some good aromatic flavours and it's easy to add hops to the beer *
• Honey if you want to increase the ABV.

Equipment for brewing

• Sanitizer - To sanitize all of your equipment. It’s a must. If you don’t your beer might die. 
• 6 gallon / 23 litre fermenter (drum or bottle). You will use this for making your beer in. You could even use a conical fermenter if you're feeling fancy.
• Thermometer - To monitor the temperature of the wort – this is so you can add the yeast at the correct temperature and avoid killing it. *
• PH meters are good for improving beer taste. 
• Hydrometer - Used test the original gravity of your batch *
• Paddle or spoon - Something to stir the boil with, maybe not your wife’s best spoon. A long handle is what you need. 
• Gloves – making beer can get a little messy (maybe use white ox gloves?) *
• Can opener – to open the beer kit 
• A good kettle to use as a mash tun
• Water - Access to both boiling and cold water 
• Bubble Airlock – to allow the release of CO2 and to assist with the observation of fermentation

Bottling your beer - what you need

• Bottles! – cleaned and free of dirt and spiders or weta (trust us on this, it’s happened) 
• Sanitizer – Yes, once again you need sanitize all equipment and bottles and caps 
• Bottle caps - Make sure they are not twist-off bottles (did you know you can recycle used beer caps for bottling beer?)
• Bottle capper – speaks for itself, helps you place the caps on bottles 
• Hydrometer - To measure the final gravity *
• Priming sugar – Sucrose which is to carbonate the beer while in the bottle (called beer conditioning) 
• Bottling wand - This allows you to easily control the flow while bottling and means less spillage will occur. *

* denotes an optional item of equipment

Originally published on How to homebrew beers as What equipment do I need to brew beer?

Extra for Experts: how to make a Panhead Supercharger clone

Transformers: The Last Knight

Is Optimus Prime the Last Knight? 

The name of the 5th Transformers movie has been revealed. The Last Knight.

Is this a reference to Optimus Prime being the last Prime? Let's hope this outing has some semblance of plot. The name is curious and hints at an exploration of the origins of the Transformers (given the ending of the last movie).

This is Bellatron

Of toilets, rotten lino and sanding machines.

I did this post last year but forgot to publish. 

We had the misfortune to learn that our toilet hadn't been properly installed by the prior owners of our house. This was by way of smelling rot coming up from the floor - an investigation turned up the below first picture - sodden wood overly that had been quietly fermenting like a good beer should under the lino. 

Good times!

I ripped the lino off, then a layer of wood which had been placed over the original lino .... and then I removed a million nails and the old thick black glue that had been used to make the original lino stick to the floor boards.  

Then I let the floor boards dry out for several months. Luckily none needed replacing (unlike the bathroom which is a whole other story...). A quick sand followed by a stain and then a coating of polyurethane and the job was done. 

I quite like the final look - it's pretty rough and looks darker in this picture than it really is but the effect is quite cool. Not seen in this above picture is I also did a paint job on the skirting board and then sealed it off with some good old transparent Selly's.