U2 BIOGRAPHY

Compiled from different sources and written by Marie L.

In the autumn of 1976, Larry Mullen Jr. put up a notice at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, looking for people to join a band. The sign read: "I wasted money on a drum kit, did anyone else do the same with guitars and would like to form a band?"

So, Paul Hewson (Bono), brothers Dave (The Edge) and Dik Evans, and Adam Clayton met in Larry's kitchen and decided to form a band. Dik soon left to join the Virgin Prunes, while the remaining 4 formed "Feedback", before changing their name to "The Hype" and finally settling on U2. Larry was the only one with any musical experience - he had learned to play the piano when he was younger and gave it away for the drums later. 

The band had a reputation for electrifying live performances and because of this, they quickly gathered a local following in Ireland. Bill Graham, a journalist for "Hot Press" (he later wrote The Complete Guide to Their Music: U2") was an early supporter of the band and introduced them to Paul McGuinness, who became their manager, and remains with them to this day.

The band's first big break came when they met Jackie Heyden of CBS Records at a talent contest (which they won), and she was so impressed by them that she arranged their first demo session. A 3-year contract with CBS Ireland soon followed, along with the release of their first album in September 1979 - a 3-song EP called "U23" which consisted of the songs "Out of Control", "Boy/Girl" and "Stories for Boys". Their single "Another Day" followed in February 1980 before they signed a worldwide contract with Island Records in March 1980.

U2's first album "Boy", released in October 1980, showed the band's obvious youthful exuberance, and received widespread critical acclaim.

A year later, they released "October", much more mellow and emotional than their debut, but it convinced critics and fans alike that U2 had staying power, while at the same time avoiding the "sophomore slump" so often seen with newer bands.

With the release of the album "War" in March 1983, U2 hit it big. This was the last album of their early period, as it was the last album before legendary producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois paired up with U2. This edgy, passionate and politically charged album took aim in part at the problems in U2's homeland; the songs "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "40" focus on the troubles in Northern Ireland. The album entered UK charts at Number 1, propelling the band's popularity and establishing them as a mainstream act.

Further US and European tours followed, where they recorded live songs for the October 1983 release of "Under a Blood Red Sky". U2 are at their best live, and this is a favorite among hardcore fans of U2's early work.

"The Unforgettable Fire" was the band's next studio release in October of 1984. There was obvious growth between "Under a Blood Red Sky" and "The Unforgettable Fire", most likely at the hands of the Eno-Lanois producing duo, but of course also due to the fact that the band itself was growing and evolving, and making the transition from boys to men. The changes obviously worked for the band though, as they had their first top 40 single with "Pride (In the Name of Love)", a tribute to the late Martin Luther King, Jr. In April 1985, Rolling Stone Magazine proclaimed U2 "The Band of the Eighties".

That summer, U2 made an historic appearance at the Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium in London. Their performance was the defining moment of the show with their mesmerizing rendition of "Bad", where Bono danced with women in the audience and the performance stretched on for nearly 20 minutes. "Pride" had to be dropped from the set because of lack of time.

The following year, U2 played Self Aid, a benefit for Ireland's unemployed, and hit the road with Sting, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed and other rockers for the Conspiracy of Hope tour for Amnesty International.

With the release of "The Joshua Tree" in March 1987, U2 had their most successful album to date. This record was the fastest selling record ever in the UK upon its release, and reached #1 in 22 countries. From this album, the band released the #1 hits "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", and earned their first 2 Grammys for Album of the Year and Best Rock Performance.

In October 1988, U2 simultaneously released the album "Rattle and Hum" and a documentary of the same name, directed by Phil Joanou. The album consisted of live tracks mixed with studio material, and featured guest appearances by BB King and Bob Dylan. The single "Desire" off this album gave U2 their first UK #1 single. The film combined live shows, shot mainly in Denver, Colorado and Tempe, Arizona, as well as U2's discovery and subsequent perceptions of America.

November 1991 saw the release of the brilliant, critically acclaimed "Achtung Baby" and a new beginning in U2's career. This album was much more electronically processed with synthy sounds, funky beats, and club rhythms. It featured the hits "The Fly", "Mysterious Ways", "One", "Even Better than the Real Thing", and "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses". The album reached #2 in the US and #1 in the UK, as well as being certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) with 8 million albums sold. For this album, U2 won the Grammy for Best Rock Album by a Duo or Group, and producers Eno and Lanois won Producers of the Year. The album was also voted #1 for Best Album and Best Album Cover in the annual reader's poll in Rolling Stone.

The subsequent 1992 Zoo TV tour was a flashy extravaganza of giant video screens, costumes and lights. At the end of each show, Bono attempted to call such celebrities as Bill Clinton, Pavarotti and Princess Diana. It was during the Zoo TV tour that Bono adopted such alter-egos as The Fly, which he used during press conferences and Mister Macphisto which he used for show's encores.

On a break from the tour, the band reentered the studio to work on "Zooropa" which was recorded in just 6 weeks, the fastest U2 album ever. Released in July 1993, their most experimental album yet, "Zooropa" reached #1 in the following countries: Australia, Italy, Sweden, Austria, France, Japan, Switzerland, Germany, New Zealand, the UK, Canada, Holland, Norway, the US, Denmark, Ireland (it remained on the charts in Ireland for 61 weeks), and Iceland. The album was certified multi-platinum in the US by the RIAA, with 2 million albums sold, and U2 won a Grammy for Best Alternative Album of the Year. They were also voted Best Album by the readers of Rolling Stone.

In the 4 years that followed between "Zooropa" and their next album, U2 did work for different soundtracks. They had a hit single with "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" for the "Batman Forever" soundtrack. They also worked on "Original Soundtracks Volume I", a collaboration that included the band plus Luciano Pavarotti, Howie B, Brian Eno and Holi. Adam and Larry worked on the "Mission: Impossible" soundtrack and hit the charts in the summer of 1996 with "Theme From Mission: Impossible". Bono and Edge performed the theme song to the James Bond remake "Goldeneye", and U2 donated songs to good causes such as the AIDS fundraiser "Red, Hot and Blue" and "A Very Special Christmas".

In March 1997, U2 released "Pop", which Edge described as being 'about as far away from U2 as it is possible to be' as well as being '...very difficult to pin...down. It’s not got any identity because it’s got so many'. "Pop" entered the US charts at #1 and reached the top spot in the UK, Ireland (where it stayed on the charts for 46 weeks), Denmark, Finland, Holland, Italy, Japan, Norway, Hong Kong, Poland, Australia, Germany, France, New Zealand, Canada, Austria, Belgium, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Argentina, Chile, Czech Rep., Iceland and Greece. The Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) certified it Triple Platinum. "Pop" was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock/Pop Album, and was voted the #1 Album and Album Sleeve in the Hot Press reader's poll.

The PopMart tour that followed was even more spectacular than the Zoo TV tour; it boasted the world's largest video screen (150 feet wide and 50 feet tall) that showed pictures of the band performing as well as computer generated animation sequences. Besides the huge video screen, the shows had a giant rotating lemon-shaped mirrorball, from which the band would emerge for encores, and a huge olive on a 100-foot-high cocktail stick.

Three and a half years after the release of "Pop", U2 released "All That You Can't Leave Behind" in October 2000. The album reached #1 in the British album charts in its first week, and won U2 back-to-back Record of the Year awards in 2000-2001 for "Beautiful Day" and "Walk On."  The Elevation tour started in Florida in March 2001 and made its way through North America, Europe, and then back to the US and Canada, where the shows meant even more to fans after the events of September 11th.

"How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" was released on November 23rd, 2004.  This album has great depth and emotion, and at times is as political as "War" was.  "Atomic Bomb" sold 840,000 copies its first week of release, giving U2 their best first-week sales total of their career, and one of the biggest overall debuts of the year.  Vertigo, the tour for this album started off in San Diego, California on March 28th, 2005. The second leg of the tour consisted of a number of dates in Europe before they came back to North America, with their first show at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on September 12th, 2005 (I was there! :D).  Rumours of the tour continuing into 2006 have not yet been confirmed.

With a quarter century of success, 16 Grammys and an induction into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame under their belts, Bono proclaimed at the September 12th show: "We're just getting started here.  This whole band is just getting started."