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FORMED: 1976, Dublin, Ireland
Through a combination of zealous righteousness and post-punk
experimentalism, U2 became one of the most popular rock & roll bands
of the '80s. Equally known for their sweeping sound as for their
grandiose statement about politics and religion, U2 were rock & roll
crusaders during an era of synthesized pop and heavy metal. The Edge
provided the group with a signature sound by creating sweeping sonic
landscapes with his heavily processed, echoed guitars. Though the Edge's
style wasn't conventional, the rhythm section of Adam Clayton and Larry
Mullen Jr. played the songs as driving hard-rock, giving the band a
forceful, powerful edge that was designed for arena rock. And their lead
singer, Bono, was frontman who had a knack of grand gestures that played
better in arenas than small clubs. It's no accident that footage of Bono
parading with a white flag with "Sunday Bloody Sunday" blaring
in the background became the defining moment of U2's early career --
there rarely was a band that believed so deeply in the rock's potential
for revolution as U2, and there rarely was a band that didn't care if
they appeared foolish in the process. During the course of the early
'80s, the group quickly built up a dedicated following through constant
touring and a string of acclaimed records. By 1987, the band's following
had grown large enough to propel them to level of international
superstars with the release of The Joshua Tree. ... continue
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Unlike many of their contemporaries, U2 was able to sustain their popularity
in the '90s by reinventing themselves as a post-modern, self-consciously ironic
dance-inflected pop-rock act, owing equally to the experimentalism of late '70s
Bowie and '90s electronic dance and techno. By performing such a successful
reinvention, the band confirmed its status as one of the most popular bands in
rock history, in addition to earning additional critical respect.
With its textured guitars, U2's sound was undeniably indebted to post-punk, so
it's slightly ironic that the band formed in 1976, before punk had reached their
hometown of Dublin, Ireland. Larry Mullen Jr. (b. October 31, 1961; drums)
posted a notice on a high school bulletin board asking for fellow musicians to
form a band. Bono (b. Paul Hewson, May 10, 1960; vocals, guitar), the Edge (b.
David Evans, August 8, 1961; guitar, keyboards, vocal), Adam Clayton (bass), and
Dick Evans responded to the ad, and the group formed as a Beatles and Stone
cover band called the Feedback, before changing their name to the Hype in 1977.
Shortly afterward, Dick Evans left the band to form the Virgin Prunes. Following
his departure, the group changed their name to U2.
U2's first big break arrived in 1978, when they won a talent contest sponsored
by Guinness; the band were in their final year of high school at the time. by
the end of the year, the Stranglers' manager Paul McGuinness saw the band play
and offered to manage the group. Even with a powerful manager in their corner,
the band had trouble making much headway -- they failed an audition with CBS
Records at the end of the year. In the fall of 1979, U2 released their debut EP
U2:3. The EP was available only in Ireland and it topped the national charts.
Shortly afterward, they began to play in England, but they failed to gain much
attention.
U2 had one other chart-topping single, "Another Day," in early 1980
before Island Records offered the group a contract. Later that year, the band's
debut, Boy, was released. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, the record's sweeping,
atmospheric but edgy sound was unlike most of its post-punk contemporaries, and
the band earned further attention for its public embrace of Christianity; only
Clayton was not a practicing Christian. Through constant touring, including
opening gigs for Talking Heads and wet T-shirt contests, U2 was able to take Boy
into the American Top 70 in early 1981. October, also produced by Lillywhite,
followed in the fall, and it became their British breakthrough, reaching number
11 on the charts. By early 1983, Boy's "I Will Follow" and October's
"Gloria" had become staples on MTV, which, along with their touring,
gave the group a formidable cult following in the US.
Released in the spring of 1983, the Lillywhite-produced War was U2's
breakthrough release, entering the UK charts at number one and elevating them
into arenas in the United States, where the album peaked at number 12. War had a
stronger political message than its predecessors, as evidenced by the UK,
college radio, and MTV hits "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New
Year's Day." During the supporting tour, the band filmed their concert at
Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheater, releasing the show as an EP and video title
Under A Blood Red Sky. The EP entered in the UK charts at number two, becoming
the most successful live recording in British history. U2 had become one of the
most popular bands in the world, and their righteous political stance soon
became replicated by many other bands, providing the impetus for the Band Aid
and Live Aid projects in 1984 and 1985, respectively. For the followup to War,
U2 entered the studios with co-producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, who helped
give the resulting album an experimental, atmospheric tone. Released in the fall
of 1984, The Unforgettable Fire replicated the chart status of War, entering the
UK charts at number one and reaching number 12 in the US the album also
generated the group's first Top 40 hit in America with the Martin Luther King
Jr. tribute "(Pride) In The Name of Love." U2 supported the album with
a successful international tour, highlighted by a show-stealing performance at
Live Aid. Following the tour, the band released the live EP, Wide Awake in
America in 1985.
While U2 had become one of the most successful rock bands of the '80s, they
didn't truly become superstars until the spring 1987 release of The Joshua Tree.
Greeted with enthusiastic reviews, many of which proclaimed the album a
masterpiece, The Joshua Tree became the band's first American number one hit and
its third straight album to enter the UK charts at number one; in England, it
set a record by going platinum within 28 hours. Generating the US number one
hits "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm
Looking For," The Joshua Tree and the group's supporting tour became the
biggest success of 1987, earning the group the cover of respected publications
like Time magazine. U2 decided to film a documentary about their American tour,
recording new material along the way. The project became Rattle & Hum, a
film that was supported by a double-album soundtrack that was divided between
live tracks and new material. While the album Rattle & Hum was a hit, the
record and film received the weakest reviews of U2's career, with many critics
taking issue with the group's fascination with American roots music like blues,
soul, country and folk. Following the release of Rattle & Hum, the band took
an extended hiatus.
U2 reconvened in Berlin 1990 to record a new album with Eno and Lanois. While
the sessions for the album were difficult, the resulting record, Achtung Baby,
represented a successful reinvention of the band's trademark sound. Where they
had been inspired by post-punk in the early career and American music during
their mid-career, U2 delved into electronic and dance music with Achtung Baby.
Inspired equally be late '70s Bowie and the Madchester scene in the UK, Achtung
Baby was sonically more eclectic and adventurous than U2's earlier work, and it
didn't alienate their core audience. The album debuted at number one throughout
the world and spawned Top 10 hits with "Mysterious Ways" and
"One." Early in 1992, the group launched an elaborate tour to support
Achtung Baby. Dubbed Zoo TV, the tour was an innovative blend of multi-media
electronics, featuring a stage filled with televisions, suspended cars and
cellular phone calls. Bono devised an alter-ego called the Fly, which was a
knowing send-up of rock stardom. Even under the ironic guise of the Fly and Zoo
TV, it was evident that U2 was looser and more fun than ever before, even though
they had not abandoned their trademark righteous political anger.
Following the completion of the American Zoo TV tour in late and before the
launch of the European leg of tour, U2 entered the studio to complete an EP of
new material that became the full-length Zooropa. Released in the summer of 1993
to coincide with the tour of the same name, Zooropa demonstrated a heavier
techno and dance influence than Achtung Baby and it received strong reviews.
Nevertheless, the album stalled at sales of two million and failed to generate a
big hit single. During the Zooropa tour, the Fly metamorphosed into the demonic
MacPhisto, which dominated the remainder of the tour. Upon the completion of the
Zooropa tour in late 1993, the band took an extended break. During 1995, U2
re-emerged with "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me," a glam-rock
theme to Batman Forever that was produced by Nellee Hooper (Bjork, Soul II
Soul). Later that year, they recorded the collaborative album Original
Soundtracks, Vol. 1 with Brian Eno, releasing the album under the name the
Passengers late in 1995. It was greeted with a muted reception, both critically
and commercially.
Many hardcore U2 fans, including drummer Larry Mullen Jr., were unhappy with the
Passengers project, and U2 promised their next album, to be released in the fall
of 1996, would be a rock & roll record. The album took longer to complete
than usual, being pushed back to the spring of 1997. During its delay, a few
tracks, including the forthcoming first single "Discotheque," were
leaked, and it became clear that the new album was going to be heavily
influenced by techno, dance and electronic music. When it was finally released,
Pop did indeed bear a heavier dance influence, but it was greeted with strong
initial sales, as well as some of the strongest reviews of U2's career. In late
1998, the group returned with Best of 1980-1990, the first in a series of hits
collections issued in conjunction with a reported $50 million agreement with
Polygram. Three years after the mediocre response to Pop, U2 teamed up with Eno
and Lanois once again to release All That You Can't Leave Behind in fall 2000. ~
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
