| 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. 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.
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