The following bio was taken off of rollingstone.com. I've taken
up the task of filling in the info that hasn't been updated. If there's
any info that I've gotten wrong, please let me know!
Over the course of the Eighties U2 became the most widely followed rock band in the world. The Irish rockers were influenced by punk’s raw energy, but they immediately distinguished themselves from their postpunk peers with a huge, soaring sound—centered on Dave "the Edge" Evans’ reverb-laden guitar playing and Paul "Bono" Hewson’s sensuous vocals—and songs that tackled social and spiritual matters with an earnest, tender urgency. U2 shunned the sort of ironic expression and electronic gimmickry that were considered hip in the Eighties—until the Nineties, that is, when the band began drawing on such elements to reinvigorate and broaden its sound. U2 has maintained not only its massive popularity, but also its status as one of the most adventurous and groundbreaking acts in pop music.
The band members began rehearsing together while students at Dublin’s Mount Temple High School. None was technically proficient at the beginning, but their lack of expertise mothered invention. The Edge’s distinctive chordal style, for instance, stemmed largely from the guitarist’s inability to play complicated leads, while bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. provided a rhythm section that was mostly pummeling ardor. The novice musicians quickly developed a following in Ireland and found a manager, Paul McGuinness, who has remained with them. They recorded independently before signing to Island Records in 1980.
U2’s 1980 debut album, Boy was produced by Steve Lillywhite. On it, the group earnestly explored adolescent hopes and terrors, rejecting hard rock’s earthy egotism and punk’s nihilism. Bono, U2’s lyricist, was a practicing Christian, as were the Edge and Mullen; and on a second LP, called October (a 1981 Lillywhite production), the singer incorporated imagery evoking their faith. Boy and October generated the singles "I Will Follow" and "Gloria," which got some airplay in the U.S.; both videos were heavily featured on MTV. An American club tour generated further interest, thanks to U2’s extremely compelling live performances.
War cemented U2’s reputation as a politically conscious band; among its themes were "the troubles" in Northern Ireland, addressed on the single "Sunday Bloody Sunday." Another single, "New Year’s Day," went to #11 in England and #53 in the U.S., while War topped the British chart and hit #12 stateside. The group commemorated its 1983 tour with the live EP Under a Blood Red Sky, recorded at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado.
U2’s next studio album, The Unforgettable Fire, was the first of several fruitful collaborations with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. The album generated the group’s first American Top Forty single, an ode to American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., called "(Pride) In the Name of Love" (#33, 1984). The album hit #12 in the U.S., and the Irishmen supported it by headlining arenas around the world. In 1985 U2 was proclaimed "band of the Eighties" by ROLLING STONE and made a historic appearance at Live Aid. The following year, the group joined Sting, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed, and others for the Conspiracy of Hope Tour benefiting Amnesty International.
U2 entered the pop stratosphere with The Joshua Tree, a critical and commercial smash that topped the albums chart that year and spawned the #1 hits "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For," as well as "Where the Streets Have No Name" (#13, 1987). The LP, which was produced by Eno and Lanois, won the group two Grammys, for Album of the Year and Best Rock Performance. In 1988 U2 wrapped up a triumphant worldwide tour by releasing Rattle and Hum, a double album that combined live tracks with new material and featured guest appearances by Bob Dylan and B. B. King. Rattle and Hum seemed bombastic to some critics; an accompanying film documentary also garnered mixed reviews. The LP nonetheless shot to #1 and produced a #3 single, "Desire" (1988).
In 1990 U2 covered Cole Porter’s "Night and Day" for Red Hot + Blue, a compilation album benefiting AIDS research. The band’s next LP, Achtung Baby, reached #1 and drew rave reviews. The LP marked a stylistic departure, featuring more metallic textures, funkier beats, and intimate, world-weary love songs. Hit singles included "Mysterious Ways" (#9, 1992), "One" (#10, 1992), "Even Better Than the Real Thing" (#32, 1992), and "Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" (#35, 1992). Another track, "Until the End of the World," was featured in Wim Wenders’ 1991 film of the same name. Lanois, who produced Baby with support from Eno and Lillywhite, won a Grammy for his work.
In 1992 U2 embarked on its Zoo TV Tour, a flashy multimedia extravaganza that contrasted with the rugged simplicity of its previous shows. Bono adopted a series of wry guises—the leather-and-shades-sporting Fly, the demonic MacPhisto—that he’d use for encores and, in the Fly’s case, press appearances. In 1993, as the tour wound down, the band re-entered the studio and made Zooropa, a quirky, techno-drunk affair coproduced by Eno, the Edge, and engineer Flood. The album reached #1, but yielded only the minor hit "Stay (Faraway, So Close)" (#61, 1993), which was also on the soundtrack to Wenders’ 1993 movie Faraway So Close. Johnny Cash sang lead on the track "The Wanderer." In 1993 U2 renewed its contract with Island for an estimated $170 million. U2’s contribution to 1995’s Batman Forever soundtrack, "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me," was a Top Twenty hit. As of mid-1995, the band was reportedly recording two albums simultaneously a collaboration with Brian Eno of mostly instrumental music and one that the band described as a "rock & roll album."
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U2 has since recorded their electronic-influenced album, Pop, which was released in 1997. The album sold 9 million copies and spawned U2's most ambitious tour, PopMart. The world tour was a success, the 2nd highest grossing tour in 1998, behind Bruce Sprinsteen and the E Street Band. The track "If God Would Send His Angels" made its way onto the City of Angels soundtrack. U2 also landed a guest spot on The Simpsons ("Trash of the Titans") in which all four band members appeared, but Larry missed out on a speaking part.
After the tour, the band took a big break from the public eye. The Christmas season of 1998-1999 brought U2's Best of 1980-1990 album. A special edition was released which featured 15 bsides. This version of the cd was pulled off shelves after one week of sales. U2 also released a new version of "The Sweetest Thing," a bside off the "With or Without You" single. The song became a hit and put U2 back in the spot light. Since then, U2 has been in the news on and off, mostly for Bono's efforts to cancel the debt in his Jubilee 2000 campaign. As an envoy of the Jubilee 2000 program, Bono met with the Pope in Autumn of 1999 and spoke to the United Nations concerning the matter. Bono and Wyclef Jean also headed NetAid, a charity similar to that of LiveAid. Wyclef and Bono collaborated on the song "New Day," the theme of NetAid, and headed the event which enlisted the talents of Jewel, Sheryl Crow and many others. At the 1999 MTV Europe Awards held in Dublin, Bono was given the Free Your Mind Award for his efforts.
In the December 1999 issue of Propaganda, the band was said to be very close to the finish of the yet to be named album. The record is expected to be released in Autumn of this year. Already released, however, is the Million Dollar Hotel soundtrack, which is heavily influenced by U2- Bono cowrote the script for the movie. Bono also did a collaboration with the late INXS lead singer, Michale Hutchence. The track "Slide Away" appears on Hutchence's solo album, released March of 2000. On March 18th, U@ received the honory Freedom of Dublin City Award for their efforts in giving the world a hand. Read more about that in the ARTICLES section