DATABASE ABOUT U2
INDISPUTABLY, THE MOST POPULAR GROUP OF THE 80S IN BRITAIN, IRISH UNIT U2
BEGAN THEIR MUSICAL CAREER AT SCHOOL IN DUBLIN BACK IN 1977. BONO (B. PAUL HEWSON, 10
MAY 1960, DUBLIN, EIRE; VOCALS), THE EDGE (B. DAVID EVANS, 8 AUGUST 1961, BARKING, ESSEX;
GUITAR), ADAM CLAYTON (B. 13 MARCH 1960, CHINNOR, OXFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND; BASS) AND LARRY
MULLEN (B. LAURENCE MULLEN, 1 OCTOBER 1960, DUBLIN, EIRE; DRUMS) INITIALLY PLAYED ROLLING
STONES AND BEACH BOYS COVER VERSIONS IN A GROUP NAMED FEEDBACK. THEY THEN CHANGED
THEIR NAME TO THE HYPE BEFORE FINALLY SETTLING ON U2 IN 1978. AFTER WINNING A TALENT
CONTEST IN LIMERICK THAT YEAR, THEY CAME UNDER THE WING OF MANAGER PAUL MCGUINNESS
AND WERE SUBSEQUENTLY SIGNED TO CBS RECORDS IRELAND. THEIR DEBUT EP U2:3FEATURED
'OUT OF CONTROL' (1979), WHICH PROPELLED THEM TO NUMBER 1 IN THE IRISH CHARTS. THEY REPEATED
THAT FEAT WITH 'ANOTHER DAY' (1980), BUT HAVING BEEN PASSED BY CBS UK, THEY WERE FREE TO
SIGN A DEAL OUTSIDE OF IRELAND WITH ISLAND RECORDS. THEIR UK DEBUT '11 O'CLOCK TICK TOCK'
, PRODUCED BY MARTIN HANNETT, WAS WELL RECEIVED BUT FAILED TO CHART. TWO FURTHER
SINGLES, 'A DAY WITHOUT ME' AND 'I WILL FOLLOW', PASSED WITH LITTLE SALES WHILE THE GROUP
PREPARED THEIR FIRST ALBUM, PRODUCED BY STEVE LILLYWHITE.
BOY, A MOVING AND INSPIRED DOCUMENT OF ADOLESCENCE, RECEIVED CRITICAL APPROBATION
, WHICH WAS REINFORCED BY THE LIVE SHOWS THAT U2 WERE UNDERTAKING THROUGHOUT
THE COUNTRY. BONO'S IMPASSIONED VOCALS AND THE GROUP'S RHYTHMIC TIGHTNESS
REVEALED THEM AS THE MOST PROMISING LIVE UNIT OF 1981. AFTER TOURING AMERICA,
THE GROUP RETURNED TO BRITAIN WHERE 'FIRE' WAS BUBBLING UNDER THE TOP 30
. ANOTHER MINOR HIT WITH THE IMPASSIONED 'GLORIA' WAS FOLLOWED BY THE STRIDENT
OCTOBER. THE ALBUM HAD AN ANTHEMIC THRUST REINFORCED BY A RELIGIOUS VERVE THAT
WAS ALMOST EVANGELICAL IN ITS FORCE. IN FEBRUARY 1983 THE GROUP REACHED THE UK TOP
10 WITH 'NEW YEAR'S DAY', A SONG OF HOPE INSPIRED BY THE POLISH SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT.
WAR FOLLOWED SOON AFTER TO CRITICAL PLAUDITS. THE ALBUM'S THEME COVERED BOTH
RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL CONFLICTS, ESPECIALLY IN THE KEY TRACK 'SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY',
WHICH HAD ALREADY EMERGED AS ONE OF THE GROUP'S MOST STARTLING AND MOVING LIVE SONGS.
GIVEN THEIR POWER IN CONCERT, IT WAS INEVITABLE THAT U2 WOULD ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE THEIR
ESSENCE ON A LIVE ALBUM. UNDER A BLOOD RED SKY DID NOT DISAPPOINT AND AS WELL AS CLIMBING
TO NUMBER 2 IN THE UK BROUGHT THEM THEIR FIRST SIGNIFICANT CHART PLACING IN THE US AT
NUMBER 28.
BY THE SUMMER OF 1984, U2 WERE ABOUT TO ENTER THE VANGUARD OF THE ROCK ELITE. BONO
DUETTED WITH BOB DYLAN AT THE LATTER'S CONCERT AT SLANE CASTLE AND U2 ESTABLISHED
THEIR OWN COMPANY MOTHER RECORDS, WITH THE INTENTION OF UNEARTHING FRESH MUSICAL
TALENT IN EIRE. THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE, PRODUCED BY BRIAN ENO AND DANIEL LANOIS, REVEALED
A NEW MATURITY AND IMPROVED THEIR COMMERCIAL AND CRITICAL STANDING IN THE US CHARTS. THE
ATTENDANT SINGLE, 'PRIDE (IN THE NAME OF LOVE)', DISPLAYED THE PASSION AND HUMANITY THAT WERE
BY NOW FAMILIAR INGREDIENTS IN U2'S MUSIC AND LYRICS. THE GROUP'S COMMITMENT TO THEIR IDEALS
WAS FURTHER UNDERLINED BY THEIR APPEARANCES AT LIVE AID, IRELAND'S SELF AID, AND THEIR
INVOLVEMENT WITH AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL AND GUEST SPOT ON LITTLE STEVEN 'S ANTI-APARTHEID
SINGLE, 'SUN CITY'. DURING THIS SAME PERIOD, U2 EMBARKED ON A WORLD TOUR AND COMPLETED
WORK ON THEIR NEXT ALBUM. THE JOSHUA TREE EMERGED IN MARCH 1987 AND CONFIRMED U2'S
STANDING, NOW AS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR GROUPS IN THE WORLD. THE ALBUM TOPPED BOTH
THE US AND UK CHARTS AND REVEALED A NEW, MORE EXPANSIVE SOUND, WHICH COMPLEMENTED
THEIR SOUL-SEARCHING LYRICS. THE FAMILIAR THEMES OF SPIRITUAL SALVATION PERMEATED THE
WORK AND THE QUEST MOTIF WAS PARTICULARLY EVIDENT ON BOTH 'WITH OR WITHOUT YOU' AND
'I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR', WHICH BOTH REACHED NUMBER 1 IN THE US CHARTS.
AFTER SUCH A MILESTONE ALBUM, 1988 PROVED A RELATIVELY QUIET YEAR FOR THE GROUP. BONO
AND THE EDGE APPEARED ON ROY ORBISON 'S MYSTERY GIRL AND THE YEAR ENDED WITH THE
DOUBLE-LIVE ALBUM AND FILM, RATTLE AND HUM. THE GROUP ALSO BELATEDLY SCORED THEIR
FIRST UK NUMBER 1 SINGLE WITH THE R&B-INFLUENCED 'DESIRE'. THE CHALLENGE TO COMPLETE
A SUITABLE FOLLOW-UP TO THE JOSHUA TREE TOOK CONSIDERABLE TIME, WITH SESSIONS COMPLETED IN
GERMANY WITH LANOIS AND ENO. MEANWHILE, THE GROUP APPEARED ON THE COLE PORTER TRIBUTE
ALBUM RED HOT + BLUE, PERFORMING A RADICAL READING OF 'NIGHT AND DAY'. IN LATE 1991, 'THE FLY'
ENTERED THE UK CHARTS AT NUMBER 1, EMULATING THE SUCCESS OF 'DESIRE'. ACHTUNG BABY WAS
AN IMPRESSIVE WORK, WHICH CAPTURED THE MAJESTY OF ITS PREDECESSOR YET ALSO STRIPPED
DOWN THE SOUND TO PROVIDE A GREATER SENSE OF SPONTANEITY. THE WORK EMPHASIZED U2'S
STANDING AS AN INTERNATIONAL GROUP, WHOSE ACHIEVEMENTS SINCE THE LATE 70S HAVE BEEN
EXTRAORDINARILY COHESIVE AND CONSISTENT AND ALTHOUGH THE CRITICS WERE LESS THAN GENEROUS
WITH ZOOROPA THE BAND REMAIN ONE OF THER MOST POPULAR 'STADIUM' ATTRACTIONS OF THE 90S.
IN THE MID-90S BONO DEVOTED MUCH OF HIS TIME WRITING SONG FOR OTHERS. WITH EDGE HE WROTE
THE THEME 'GOLDENEYE' FOR TINA TURNER AND BECAME INVOLVED IN THE PASSENGERS PROJECT
. HIS VERBAL LASHING OF THE FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC AT THE MTV AWARDS IN PARIS
CREATED THE BIGGEST NEWS HOWEVER. OBVIOUSLY UPSET BY THE RECENT CONTINUING NUCLEAR
TESTS BONO CAME ONSTAGE SMILING TO ACCEPT AN AWARD. THE AUDIENCE WERE BRILLIANTLY FOOLED
BY HIS PERFECTLY DELIVERED SARCASM; 'WHAT A CITY' (CHEERS AND APPLAUSE), 'WHAT A NIGHT'
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE), 'WHAT A BOMB' (CONFUSED LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE), 'WHAT A MISTAKE'
(MIXED RESPONSE), 'WHAT A WANKER YOU HAVE FOR PRESIDENT' (SPORADIC BOOS).
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