- The History -
Feedback: The Birth
In the early 70's a young drummer hung up a note on his
school's notice-board saying he was looking for members
to start a band. The young drummer's name:
Larry Mullen Jr..
The first to be asked was Adam Clayton,
not because he was a good bassist, but because he was the coolest
guy Larry had ever seen. Dave Evans, and his
brother Dick, showed up at the meeting with a home-made guitar which
gave a cool sound to the music. But none of the two could play though.
Paul Hewson saw the note and responded to it
saying he was a guitarist although he had never held one. Dick Evens quit.
But the 4 guys stayed strongly together buy just playing songs, songs
that didn't really sound well. Buy that time, Daved
called himself "The Edge" and Paul
falowed him and named himself "Bono Vox" - which means
something like "Perfec Voice" - which wasn't actually true. By that
time, the band was called "Feedback".
U23
They're first "gig", in 1977, lasted 10 looong minutes, but the crowd
went completlty wild. They changed the band name to "Hype", and
this was actually the birth of a group that later would become one of the biggest
bands in the Universe. In March '79, Adam got kicked
out of school, which was great, because he start to dedicate more time to the
band.
The name "Hype" was considered an ill-chosen name for a band,
so they've decided to change for the second, and last, time.
This time "U2" was the name
chosen due two reasons: the first was because Bono was born
around the time a U-2 plane crashed and made the news and the second due to the
pun "You Too". They won a contest in Limerick and were offered a session at CBS
(now Sony Music) which resulted in "U2 THREE". It also contained
"Out Of Control" which actually became an
Irish Number One Hit.
Boy
Paul McGuiness offered them a spot at Island Records.
Where they made the singles 11 O'Clock Tick Tock
and A Day Without Me. Soon, the first album: Boy.
This album was obviouslly about growing up and losing childhood - Into The Heart,
Stories For Boys. But they're first huge hit was I Will
Follow,
not just in Ireland, but also in England.
October
The second album October, started to sound much more professional.
It sounds very Irish and is still very emotional - Tomorrow,
With A Shout (Jerusalem). The religious backgorud in the
songs becomes much clearer, like in the song Gloria, that
not only contains latin sentences, but is also about giving yourself to God, a theme that
U2 explore on other albums.
Like most of the new bands that saw they're first album hit the number one charts, this
second album gave none big hit.
War
The third album of the band was released in March 1983 and has
right at the top Sunday Bloody Sunday, one of the
most known U2 songs.
This is still a song that talks about Irland and it's problems, the Bloody Sunday, the day many people
lost theyre life due to the Ireland religious problems. In this work is still present much emotion, specially on goodbyes,
arrives and new beginings of life:
Seconds, New Year's Day and
The Refugee. On this album the devine was not forgot and it's presence is
strong:
40. This albun hited the #1 Brithish Top and #12 American Top.
Under A Blood Red Sky
Recorded live at the legendary Red Rocks - Colorado, EUA - concert in June 1983, this is the
first live work edited by the band. The album was released in
November of the same year and it contains the biggest successes of the band 'till that date,
with one single exception:
Party Girl, this song is only present in this album.
The concert is also available on video, and it's worth
to see, personally, I think this is the best U2 live album.
It's available on video.
The Unforgettable Fire
Released in October '84, this work didn't got much success, but never the less, is still a good work with
good songs like
A Sort Of Homecoming,
Pride (In The Name Of Love) and Bad.
Wide Awake In America
This album dosen't bring anithing new to the band's work, it's
just one small compilition of old songs, two of them on a live version.
Until 1987, the band will not released any new work, but never the
less, U2 were still very active, therefor, in July '85
U2 gave another legendary performance at "Live Aid" in
Wembley Stadium - England. Their performance was so overwhelming that both Paul McGuiness
and Bob Geldof are backstage in tears. In May '86 the band
plays live again at "Self-Aid". In June, same year, U2 went on the "Conspiracy Of
Hope International Tour" with Sting, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed,
The Neville Brothers and Bryan Adams.
The Joshua Tree
The "Joshua Tree" was, without any doubt, one of the best, maybe the best,
U2 album produced on studio.
Released on March 1987 it sold 14 million copies, and U2 finally
hit American Top #1 - With Or Without You.
If you don't believe the numbers, see for yourself the power and paxion of songs like:
Where The Streets Have No Name,
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For,
Bullet The Blue Sky,
Running To Stand Still and
In God's Country.
This is an "must" album to any music lover, it was "Album Of The Year" 1987.
Rattle And Hum
October 1988, both the album and the movie are released.
It's quite visible the north-american music influence - specially on blues and rock n' roll -
on this album. Songs like Angel Of Harlem,
When Love Comes To Town - sanged live with
B.B. King -
Freedom For My People,
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - sanged
live with a gospell choir. This influences are also quite visible on the video.
U2 went to Meryland - the "King's" house -
walked on the streets of Harlem and in Las Vegas.
All this influences marked this work, which will be the last that the
band would do on this style.
Achtung Baby
November 1991, U2 begin a new age of music.
U2's style is completly different, this work is
a turning point on the bands life, destroying, on a certain way,
all the work done so far.
Songs sound completly different - Zoo Station,
The Fly
- but the album is astonishing, very powerful and beautiful, it talks about love,
breaking ups, reconsiliations, use and abuse:
One,
Even Better Than The Real Thing,
Until The End Of The World,
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses,
So Cruel,
Ultra Violet (Light My Way),
Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World,
Acrobat and
Love Is Blindness.
Many U2 fans didn't like this work, it was completly different
from what they expected, many where expecting a good rock and roll album, but they got
Achtung Baby, I was one of those fans, but after hearing the album,
I changed my mind: U2 stanged, they had the courage to evolute,
and they succeded it. The band had the guts to jump foward,
to the "next level", and in my oppinion, they succeded, Achtung Baby
is a mark on U2 life. The album is astonishing.
Zooropa
U2 released Zooropa, the most complicated
album in their carrer, in July 1993. This album is a bit
different from all the previous works. It comes on the line of Achtung Baby, but it sounds a bit different,
more "dance music" - Lemon, at first sight, it looks true, but after listening attently, one's will
noticed that the album has excellent songs like Babyface,
Numb, Stay (Far Away, So Close!) and
Some Days Are Better Than Others.
Even though, many fans were still "hungry" with the band, they
expected a "turning back" to the "good old days", something that will never happen.
With this album, U2 marked something, they will continue to produce
albuns on this new style of music.
If you're one of those fans that say: - "Zooropa is the worth
U2 album !" you should listen it more
carefuly, you will notice that it's a good album, you just have to undestand it.
This album was the starting point for a new World Tour,
the ZooTv Tour is
available on video, is was recorded in Sidney - Australia -
and the fans where expecting a new live album from it, but, unfortunatly, it never happened...
Pop
Dated March the 3rd, Pop it's the Rock'N'Roll album of the
90ties for U2.
The guitars are back, and the techno and dance experiences are almost limited to the CD-Singles
like Discothèque. But don't think this is a "return to
the past", U2 don't stop innovating, and eaven though this work
is a return to the rock, one can't let notice the influencies of the Chemical Brothers and
Prodigy - Mofo.
Another "innovation" was letting Brian Eno out of this
work, the reason is simple: U2 needed to drive theyre sound away
from the Passengers influence.
The most visible signs of an "return to the past" are religion
(a common theme on the band work) -
If God Will Send His Angels,
Staring At The Sun and
Wake Up Dead Man - and the Beetles -
Last Night On Earth.
The Edge's "singing guitar" and Bono's "word games",
a characteristic of his lyrics, give this work the "magic touch" of Rock'N'Roll.
Best Of 1980-90
Released on November 1998, this is an album long waited.
This colection shows, to the post Acthung Baby fans,
how was U2 sound before the change. At the same time, it
gives the chace to the "old fans" to remember some of the greatest songs of the 80ties.
This album is indipensable for any music lover, even
to thoese that do not like the best band of the universe.
Need to say more? Just listen it.
All That You Can't Leave Behind
Released in November 2000, this is an album at the best
U2 style!
The favourite band subjects are well visible on songs like
Peace On Earth and Walk On.
The sound of this album looks like a mix between the 80ies sound and
the sound after Achtung Baby.
This album was almost just for the band pleasure.
"The album does not have a "theme", it's just a set of songs
that U2 like", this was the way that
Bono Vox describe All That You Can't Leave Behind.
On a certain way, this work rebuilds what Achtung Baby has destroyed.
Best Of 1990-2000
Released in 2002, this is a predictable but still waited album release.
This colection gathers the best U2 work during the 90ties.
This album is indipensable for any music lover, even
to thoese that do not like the best band of the universe.
Need to say more? Just listen it.
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
Released on December 2004, this is an album
that shows the U2 philosophy in music and life.
The sound of some of the songs remember some of the best U2
albums (like The Joshua Tree and
Achtung Baby) that they could be part of it.
This album takes into music, once again, a
way of living, a philisophy of life.
Once again, Bono Vox gave to
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
his personal touch and a scream of nuclear free world arises in the form of a rock album.