U2
U2 are a rock band that formed in Dublin, Ireland. The band consists of Bono (vocals and rhythm guitar), The Edge (guitar, keyboards, and vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar), and Larry Mullen, Jr. (drums and percussion).
The band formed at secondary school in 1976 when the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency. Within four years, they signed to Island Records and released their debut album. By the mid-1980s, they had become a top international act. They were more successful as a live act than they were at selling records, until their 1987 album The Joshua Tree, which, according to Rolling Stone, elevated the band’s stature “from heroes to superstars”.
Reacting to their own sense of musical stagnation and a late-1980s critical backlash, U2 incorporated dance music and alternative rock into their sound and performances, replacing their earnest image with a more ironic tone. Similar experimentation continued for the remainder of the 1990s. Since 2000, U2 have pursued a more conventional sound, while maintaining influences from their previous musical explorations.
U2 have released 12 studio albums, with worldwide sales totaling more than 145 million records,and they have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band.In 2005, the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.Throughout their career, as a band and as individuals, they have campaigned for human rights and philanthropic causes, including Amnesty International, the ONE Campaign, Product Red, and Bono’s DATA campaign.
Since their inception, U2 have developed and maintained a distinctly recognisable sound, with emphasis on melodic instrumentals and expressive, larger-than-life vocals. This approach is rooted partly in the early influence of record producer Steve Lillywhite at a time when the band was not known for musical proficiency.Despite these broad consistencies, U2 have introduced new elements into their musical repertoire with each new album. U2′s early sound was influenced by bands such as Television and Joy Division, and has been described as containing a “sense of exhilaration” that resulted from The Edge’s “radiant chords” and Bono’s “ardent vocals”.
Since the early 1980s, the members of U2—as a band and individually—have collaborated with other musicians, artists, celebrities, and politicians to address issues concerning poverty, disease, and social injustice.
Aside from musical collaborations, U2 have worked with several authors. American author William S. Burroughs had a guest appearance in U2′s video for “Last Night on Earth” shortly before he died. His poem “A Thanksgiving Prayer” was used as video footage during the band’s Zoo TV Tour.
