U2 are an
Irish rock band from
Dublin. Formed in
1976, the group consists of
Bono (vocals and guitar),
The Edge (guitar, keyboards, and vocals),
Adam Clayton (bass guitar), and
Larry Mullen, Jr. (drums and percussion). U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music. Throughout the group's musical pursuits, they have maintained a sound built on melodic instrumentals, highlighted by The Edge's timbrally varied guitar sounds and Bono's expressive vocals. Their lyrics, often embellished with spiritual imagery, focus on personal themes and sociopolitical concerns.
U2 formed at
Mount Temple Comprehensive School in 1976 when the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency.
Within four years, they signed with
Island Records and released their debut
album Boy. By the mid-1980s, U2 became a top international act. They were more successful as a touring 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 musical stagnation and criticism of their earnest image and musical direction in the late-1980s, U2 reinvented themselves with their
1991 album,
Achtung Baby, and the accompanying
Zoo TV Tour; they integrated dance, industrial, and alternative rock influences into their sound, and embraced a more ironic and self-deprecating image.
Similar experimentation continued for the remainder of the
1990s with varying levels of success. U2 regained critical and commercial favour in the
2000s 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. Their
U2 360° Tour from 2009–
2011 was the highest-attended and highest-grossing concert tour in history.
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- published: 26 Jul 2014
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