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U2

Formed 1976

  • Principal Members
  • Bono
  • Adam Clayton
  • The Edge
  • Larry Mullen Jr.

Biography

U2 are a rock band from Dublin, Ireland. Formed in 1976, U2 have consistently been one of the most popular acts in the world since the mid-1980s. The band has sold upwards of 170 million albums worldwide. With six #1 albums in the U.S. and nine #1 albums in the UK, U2 are one of the most successful bands of all time. They have won 22 Grammy awards.

The band was formed when Bono (vocals and guitar), The Edge (guitar, keyboards and vocals) and Adam Clayton (bass guitar) answered an advert placed by Larry Mullen Jr. (drums, percussion and vocals); they were teenagers at the time with limited musical proficiency...

Read more at Wikipedia

Wikipedia

This entry is from Wikipedia, the user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (more info) and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. Any changes made to the Wikipedia article will not be immediately reflected here.

Artist Timeline

  • 1976 Formed in Dublin, initially as 'Feedback' and then 'The Hype'
  • 1978 Win a talent show and make a demo
  • 1979 First recording is issued by CBS and tops the Irish charts
  • 1980 Sign to Island Records
  • 1981 Make their first appearance on American TV
  • 1984 Begin collaborating with Brian Eno
  • 1984 Start to play indoor arenas in the US
  • 1987 U2 appear on cover of Time
  • 1992 The PopMart tour grosses huge amounts but makes little profit
  • 1992 Zoo TV Tour
  • 2004 Apple releases a special U2 branded iPod
  • 2006 U2 win five Grammys
 

Key Releases

  • War

    1983

    U2's first overtly political statement; powerful, uplifting and bleak by turns.

  • The Joshua Tree

    1987

    Widescreen rock par excellence; U2's defining moment.

  • Achtung Baby

    1991

    Described by Bono as 'the sound of four men trying to chop down The Joshua Tree'; harder, darker and weirder.

    Review on BBC Music

Related Pages

 

Fans' Photos

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Top 10 Tracks

These are the tracks that are most listened to by users of Last.FM.

Chart from Last.fm

This chart is not created by the BBC and is only reflective of the listening habits of users of Last.FM.

 

Inspired

  • Razorlight
  • Simple Minds
  • Kings Of Leon

Influences

  • Brian Eno


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