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U2

May 15, 2014 by strictlyrock Leave a Comment

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In 1978, Larry Mullen, attending Mount Temple High School in Dublin, Ireland posted a notice on a bulletin board looking for band mates. Singer Paul “Bono” David Hewson, guitarist David “The Edge” Howell Evans and bassist Adam Clayton answered his ad, and as easy as that one of the biggest rock bands in the world, U2, was created, although they did try out the names “Feedback” and the “Hype” before settling on their current name. In September of 1979 the four Irishmen released their first EP entitled “U2-3,” which fittingly had 3 tracks, one of them being “ Out of Control.” The record was released through a CBS label, but only in Ireland. That would soon change. As hype about the band spread via word of mouth, their popularity increased, and in 1980, they were signed to Island Records and released their first album, “Boy,” which included the song “I Will Follow.”

1983 brought U2’s second effort, which would turn out to be quite the follow up. Their second album, “War,” whose title alluded to the on going bloody conflict in their home country, included what would end up being two of their smash hits, “New Years Day” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” “Sunday Bloody Sunday” sat at a respectable 12th spot on the charts In the US and came in at #1 in the UK. “Sunday Bloody Sunday” also became the groups’ first #1 song. This was impressive, especially for a second record. In 1984 “The Unforgettable Fire” was released which included the constantly played track “Pride (In the Name of Love). With two hugely successful albums under their belts the group performed in July of 1985 at Live Aid.

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Unlike a lot of other bands, U2 wasn’t just having beginners luck. March of 1987 brought the release of “The Joshua Tree,” which Rolling Stone Magazine proclaimed to be the 3rd best album of the 1980’s. If you consider their competition, this is quite the compliment, and certainly deserved. The album produced the # 1 hits “With or Without You” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” The album sold more than 15 million copies world wide and stood triumphantly at the top of the charts for 9 weeks. Riding the wave of success that Joshua Tree created the band released “Rattle and Hum” which was a double album that consisted of both live and studio recorded material as well as a concert film. It was a very wise choice. The album climbed to the #1 spot where it stayed for 6 weeks. The album included the hits “Desire” and Angel of Harlem.”

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Wanting to give their fans something different than what was offered with Joshua Tree, U2 released “Achtung Baby.” It was supposed to be a complete 180 from “…Tree” musically, but as far as record sales go it followed in its footsteps quite well. Recorded in Berlin, the album sold over 10 million copies worldwide. Continuing with the idea of giving fans something different, the group released Zoorora in 1993 and Pop in 1997. Pop was quite a change from what connoisseurs of U2 had come to expect. This album was meant to be more along the lines of electronica and dance music. The tour that accompanied the album was absolutely massive. With 200 crew members and 1200 tons of equipment, it was said to be the “Sgt Pepper of tours.”

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The year 2000 may have brought about the new millennium, but one thing that wasn’t new was U2’s continued dominance in the music industry. In 2001 they released “All That You Can’t Leave Behind.” U2 certainly couldn’t leave behind what was now a tradition of hugely popular music. The album became #1 in 32 countries around the world and won the now “super group” 7 Grammy awards which included song of the year for the track “ Beautiful Day.” In 2004 they released “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.” This album included the popular song “Vertigo.” Their follow up album was “No Line on the Horizon,” which was released on February 27th 2009. The band plans to support the album with the U2 360 (degree) tour. U2 has had almost unparalleled success in this new age of Internet downloads and uncertainty in regards to the future of the recording industry. It is hard to compare their success with any other band within the last 20 years, and on top of all that, have been very socially conscious. As impressive as their record sales figures are, even more so are their contributions to those less fortunate than themselves and humanity in general.

 

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100 Greatest Rock & Roll Bands

  1. The Beatles
  2. The Rolling Stones
  3. Led Zeppelin
  4. Jimi Hendrix
  5. Elvis Presley
  6. The Who
  7. U2
  8. Pink Floyd
  9. The Doors
  10. The Police
  11. Elton John
  12. Metallica
  13. AC/DC
  14. Van Halen
  15. Nirvana
  16. Guns N' Roses
  17. Santana
  18. The Allman Brothers Band
  19. Bon Jovi
  20. David Bowie
  21. Grateful Dead
  22. Rush
  23. Yes
  24. Black Sabbath
  25. Bob Dylan
  26. James Brown
  27. The Beach Boys
  28. Eric Clapton
  29. Fleetwood Mac
  30. The Eagles
  31. Bob Marley
  32. Van Morrison
  33. Bruce Springsteen
  34. The Clash
  35. Queen
  36. Janis Joplin
  37. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
  38. R.E.M.
  39. The Kinks
  40. Steely Dan
  41. Steve Miller Band
  42. Jethro Tull
  43. Tool
  44. The Scorpions
  45. Coldplay
  46. Stone Temple Pilots
  47. Rod Stewart
  48. Marilyn Manson
  49. Creedence Clearwater Revival
  50. KISS
  51. The Pretenders
  52. Green Day
  53. Aerosmith
  54. Tina Turner
  55. Pearl Jam
  56. Ted Nugent
  57. Pantera
  58. Motörhead
  59. Judas Priest
  60. ZZ Top
  61. Megadeth
  62. Motley Crue
  63. Alice Cooper
  64. Def Leppard
  65. Iron Maiden
  66. Billy Idol
  67. Journey
  68. Anthrax
  69. Rage Against the Machine
  70. Blue Oyster Cult
  71. Alice in Chains
  72. Genesis
  73. Red Hot Chili Peppers
  74. Chuck Berry
  75. Buddy Holly
  76. Little Richard
  77. Elvis Costello
  78. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
  79. Sex Pistols
  80. Cream
  81. Frank Zappa
  82. Talking Heads
  83. Stevie Ray Vaughan
  84. Billy Joel
  85. The Band
  86. Ramones
  87. Lynyrd Skynyrd
  88. Jerry Lee Lewis
  89. Doobie Brothers
  90. Foo Fighters
  91. The Cure
  92. Soundgarden
  93. Iggy Pop
  94. Peter Gabriel
  95. The Byrds
  96. Traffic
  97. Deep Purple
  98. Blondie
  99. Velvet Underground
  100. Heart

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