U2 (Irish rock band)

~ Group

Wikipedia

U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin, formed in 1976. The group consists of Bono (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), the Edge (lead guitar, keyboards, and backing vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar), and Larry Mullen Jr. (drums and percussion). Initially rooted in post-punk, U2's musical style has evolved throughout their career, yet has maintained an anthemic quality built on Bono's expressive vocals and the Edge's chiming, effects-based guitar sounds. Bono's lyrics, often embellished with spiritual imagery, focus on personal and sociopolitical themes. Popular for their live performances, the group have staged several ambitious and elaborate tours over their career.

The band was formed when the members were teenaged pupils of Mount Temple Comprehensive School and had limited musical proficiency. Within four years, they signed with Island Records and released their debut album, Boy (1980). Works such as their first UK number-one album, War (1983), and singles "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Pride (In the Name of Love)" helped establish U2's reputation as a politically and socially conscious group. Their fourth album, The Unforgettable Fire (1984), was their first collaboration with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, whose influence resulted in the band experimenting with a more abstract, ambient sound. By the mid-1980s, U2 had become renowned globally for their live act, highlighted by their performance at Live Aid in 1985. Their fifth album, The Joshua Tree (1987), made them international stars and was their greatest critical and commercial success. Topping music charts around the world, it produced their only number-one singles in the US to date: "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For".

Facing creative stagnation and a backlash to their documentary/double album, Rattle and Hum (1988), U2 reinvented themselves in the 1990s. Beginning with their acclaimed seventh album, Achtung Baby (1991) and the multimedia-intensive Zoo TV Tour, the band pursued a new musical direction influenced by alternative rock, electronic dance music, and industrial music, and they embraced a more ironic, flippant image. This experimentation continued on their eighth album, Zooropa (1993), and concluded following their ninth album, Pop (1997), and the PopMart Tour, which were mixed successes. U2 regained critical and commercial favour with the records All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000) and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004), which established a more conventional, mainstream sound for the group. Although their twelfth album, No Line on the Horizon (2009), did not meet commercial expectations, their U2 360° Tour of 2009–2011 set records for the highest-attended and highest-grossing concert tour, both of which stood until 2019. In the 2010s, U2 released the companion albums Songs of Innocence (2014) and Songs of Experience (2017), the former of which received criticism for its pervasive, no-cost release through the iTunes Store. Their most recent album, Songs of Surrender (2023), consists of reimagined versions of 40 songs from their career.

U2 have released 15 studio albums and are one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold an estimated 150–170 million records worldwide. They have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band, and in 2005, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. Rolling Stone ranked U2 at number 22 on its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Throughout their career, as a band and as individuals, they have campaigned for human rights and social justice causes, working with organisations and coalitions that include Amnesty International, Jubilee 2000, DATA/the ONE Campaign, Product Red, War Child, and Music Rising.

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Discography

Album

YearTitleArtistRatingReleases
1980BoyU24.2542
1981OctoberU23.8534
1983WarU24.137
1984The Unforgettable FireU24.337
1987The Joshua TreeU24.354
1991Achtung BabyU24.336
1993ZooropaU24.119
1997PopU24.215
2000All That You Can’t Leave BehindU23.934
2004How to Dismantle an Atomic BombU23.9528
2009No Line on the HorizonU23.820
2014Songs of InnocenceU2419
2017Songs of ExperienceU24.5512
2023Songs of SurrenderU248

Album + Compilation

YearTitleArtistRatingReleases
1998The Best of 1980–1990U23.9519
1999Achtung Baby / ZooropaU251
2000Previous DayU251
2002The Best of 1990–2000U2429
2004The Complete U2U251
2004Unreleased & RareU252
2006U218 SinglesU2319
20081977–1984: Collector’s Box SetU21
2009The Best of 1980–2000U21

Album + Compilation + Live

YearTitleArtistRatingReleases
2019Live Songs of Innocence + ExperienceU23

Album + Soundtrack

YearTitleArtistRatingReleases
1988Rattle and HumU24.1523
1997Rattle and HumU245
2000The Unforgettable Fire / The Million Dollar HotelU21

Album + Live

YearTitleArtistRatingReleases
1983Under a Blood Red SkyU23.528
19911989-12-31: Happy New Year: Point Depot, Dublin, IrelandU24
1997Kosevo Stadium, Sarajevo, B&H (9-23-97)U21
1998Popmart: Live From Mexico CityU24
2000Hasta la Vista Baby! Live From Mexico CityU21
2001Elevation 2001 / U2 Live From BostonU25
2003U2 Go Home: Live From Slane Castle, IrelandU252
2004Live From Boston 1981U21
2005U2.COMmunicationU21
2005Vertigo 2005//U2 Live from ChicagoU24
2006Zoo TV: Live From SydneyU24
2008Live from ParisU241
2010U2360° at the Rose BowlU24
2012From the Ground Up: Edge's Picks From U2360°U251
2015Another Time, Another Place: Live at the Marquee London 1980U22
2016iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE: Live in ParisU23
2017Live at Madison Square GardenU21
2020eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE: Live in Berlin (subscriber-exclusive)U251
2021Live at the Apollo for One Night OnlyU22
2022Achtung Baby 30 LiveU22
1987-11-07: McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, CO, USAU22
1987-07-29: Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, Glasgow, UKU22
Love – Live From the Point DepotU21

Album + Remix

YearTitleArtistRatingReleases
2010Artificial HorizonU22

Single

YearTitleArtistRatingReleases
1980Another DayU21
198011 O’Clock Tick TockU243
1980A Day Without MeU242
1980I Will FollowU24.54
1981FireU237
1981GloriaU254
1982A CelebrationU233
1983New Year’s DayU2512
1983Sunday Bloody SundayU252
1983Two Hearts Beat as OneU22.757
1983“40” / Two Hearts Beat as OneU21
1984Pride (In the Name of Love)U24.510
1984The Unforgettable FireU258
1985New Year's Day / Two Hearts Beat as OneU21
1987With or Without YouU253
1987I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking ForU24.56
1987Where the Streets Have No NameU253
1987In God’s CountryU21
1988One Tree HillU21
1988DesireU234
1988Angel of HarlemU235
1989When Love Comes to TownU2 with B.B. King24
1989All I Want Is YouU24.353
1991The FlyU245
1991Mysterious WaysU258
1992OneU257
1992Even Better Than the Real ThingU2412
1992Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild HorsesU24.659
1993LemonU24
1993Stay (Faraway, So Close!)U28
1995Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill MeU2314
1997DiscothèqueU2411
1997Staring at the SunU249
1997Last Night on EarthU253
1997PleaseU24
1997If God Will Send His AngelsU25
1997Mofo RemixesU22
1998Sweetest ThingU234
2000Beautiful DayU24.57
2000Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out OfU239
2001ElevationU259
2001Walk OnU256
2001New Years DubMusique vs. U26
2001Walk OnU21
2002Electrical StormU210
2003Beat on the BratU21
2004Take Me to the Clouds AboveLMC vs. U26
2004VertigoU238
2004Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your OwnU239

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