U2 - Biography
U2 are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin 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 indebted to post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music. Throughout the group's musical pursuits, they have maintained a recognisable sound built on melodic instrumentals, highlighted by The Edge's textural guitar playing and Bono's expressive vocals. Their lyrics, often embellished with spiritual imagery, focus on personal themes and sociopolitical concerns.
The band formed at Mount Temple Comprehensive School when the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency. Within four years, they signed to Island Records and released their debut album Boy. By the mid-1980s, they became a top international act. They were more successful as live performers than they were at selling records, until their 1987 breakthrough album The Joshua Tree,[1] which, according to Rolling Stone, elevated the band's stature "from heroes to superstars".[2] Reacting to a sense of musical stagnation and a late-1980s critical backlash against their earnest image and musical direction, the group reinvented themselves with their 1991 hit album Achtung Baby and the accompanying Zoo TV Tour. U2 integrated dance, industrial, and alternative rock influences into their sound and performances, and embraced a more ironic and self-deprecating image. Similar experimentation continued for the remainder of the 1990s with reduced levels of success. U2 regained critical and commercial favour after their 2000 record All That You Can't Leave Behind. On it and the group's subsequent releases, they pursued a more conventional sound while maintaining influences from their earlier musical explorations.
U2 have released 12 studio albums and are among the best-selling groups in popular music. They have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band, and they have sold more than 150 million records. In 2005, the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. Rolling Stone ranked U2 at number 22 in its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".[3] Throughout their career, as a band and as individuals, they have campaigned for human rights and philanthropic causes, including Amnesty International, the ONE/DATA campaigns, Product Red, and The Edge's Music Rising.by wikipedia
U2 - No Line on the Horizon
Description
No Line on the Horizon is the twelfth studio album by rock band U2. Released on 27 February 2009, it was the band's first record since How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004), marking the longest gap between studio albums of U2's career. The band originally intended to release the songs as two EPs, but later combined the material. Photographer Anton Corbijn shot a companion film, Linear, to be released alongside the album and included with several special editions.
U2 began work on the album in 2006 with record producer Rick Rubin, but shelved most of the material from those sessions. From May 2007 to December 2008, the band collaborated with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, who produced and co-wrote many of the new songs. Writing and recording took place in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland and Morocco. The group intended to release No Line on the Horizon in November 2008; after composing 50 to 60 songs, they postponed the release because they wanted to continue writing.
Prior to release, U2 indicated that Eno's and Lanois' involvement, as well as the band's time in Fez, Morocco, had resulted in a more experimental record than their previous two albums; the band compared the shift in style to that seen between The Joshua Tree (1987) and Achtung Baby (1991). Upon its release, No Line on the Horizon received generally favourable reviews, although many critics noted that it was not as experimental as previously suggested. The album was not as commercially successful as anticipated, and the band expressed disappointment over the relatively low sales. As of 2010, U2 are supporting the album with the U2 360° Tour. They have revealed plans to release a follow-up record, Songs of Ascent.by wikipedia
Track Listings
1. No Line On The Horizon
2. Magnificent
3. Moment of Surrender
4. Unknown Caller
5. I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
6. Get On Your Boots
7. Stand Up Comedy
8. Fez - Being Born
9. White As Snow
10. Breathe
11. Cedars Of Lebanon
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U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb 2004
Description
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is the eleventh studio album by Irish rock band U2, released in November 2004. Much like their previous album, All That You Can't Leave Behind, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb was commercially successful and critically acclaimed and maintains a more traditional rock sound after the band experimented with alternative rock and dance music in the 1990s. The album was produced by Steve Lillywhite, with others involved in the production including Flood, Jacknife Lee, Nellee Hooper, Chris Thomas, Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, and Carl Glanville. The title of the album derives from a lyric in the song "Fast Cars", which was only available on some versions of the album.
U2 lead singer Bono described the album as "our first rock album. It's taken us twenty years or whatever it is, but this is our first rock album." [1] Although not a concept album in the traditional sense, most of the music on the record deals with the world at the crossroads of its existence. Love and war, peace and harmony, and approaching death are themes of the album.
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and its singles won all nine Grammy Awards for which it was nominated (U2 themselves were awarded eight out of the nine). The album also was the fourth biggest selling album of 2004 [2], selling over 9 million copies[3] and yielded several successful singles in "Vertigo", "City of Blinding Lights", and "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own".
The album was also included in Rolling Stone's list of 100 Best Albums of the Decade at number 68.by wikipedia
Track Listings
1. Vertigo
2. Miracle Drug
3. Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own
4. Love and Peace or Else
5. City of Blinding Lights
6. All Because of You
7. A Man and a Woman
8. Crumbs from Your Table
9. One Step Closer
10. Original of the Species
11. Yahweh
12. Fast Cars [*]
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U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind 2000
Description
All That You Can't Leave Behind is the tenth studio album by rock band U2. It was released on 30 October 2000 by Island Records in the United Kingdom and Interscope Records in the United States. Following the mixed reception to their 1997 album, Pop, All That You Can't Leave Behind represented a return to a more conventional sound for the band after they experimented with alternative rock and dance music in the 1990s. At the time of the album's release, U2 said on a number of occasions that they were "reapplying for the job ... [of] the best band in the world".[1] U2 brought back producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois who had produced a number of the band's previous albums. The album was originally named "U2000", which was a working title for their past PopMart Tour.
All That You Can't Leave Behind has sold over 12 million copies, received wide critical acclaim, and won seven Grammy Awards. The songs "Beautiful Day", "Walk On", "Elevation", and "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" were all successful singles. In 2003, the album was ranked number 139 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".by wikipedia
Track Listings
1. Beautiful Day
2. Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of
3. Elevation
4. Walk On
5. Kite
6. In a Little While
7. Wild Honey
8. Peace on Earth
9. When I Look at the World
10. New York
11. Grace
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U2 - Pop 1997
DescriptionPop is the ninth studio album by Irish rock band U2, released in March 1997. The album was a continuation of the band's 1990s reinvention, as they pursued a new musical direction by combining alternative rock, techno, dance, and electronica influences. The album employs a variety of production techniques relatively new to U2, including sampling, loops, programmed drum machines, and sequencing.
Recording sessions began in 1995 with various record producers, including Nellee Hooper, Flood, Howie B, and Steve Osborne, who were introducing the band to various electronica influences. At the time, drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. was inactive due to a back injury, prompting the other band members to take different approaches to songwriting. Upon Mullen's return, the band began re-working much of their material but ultimately struggled to complete songs. After the band allowed manager Paul McGuinness to book their upcoming 1997 PopMart Tour before the album was completed, U2 were rushed into completing the album. Even after delaying the album's release date from the 1996 Christmas and holiday season to March 1997, U2 ran out of time in the studio and the final product was not to their liking. Since the album's release, many of its songs have been re-recorded and remixed.
Although it reached #1 in 35 countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States, Pop's lifetime sales are among the lowest in U2's catalogue, and critical reaction was mixed. Pop was certified Platinum by the RIAA on May 5, 1997.by wikipedia
Track Listings
1. Discotheque
2. Do You Feel Loved
3. Mofo
4. If God Will Send His Angels
5. Staring At The Sun
6. Last Night On Earth
7. Gone
8. Miami
9. The Playboy Mansion
10. If You Wear That Velvet Dress
11. Please
12. Wake Up Dead Man
13. Holy Joe (Guilty Mix)
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U2 - Zooropa 1993
Description
Zooropa (pronounced /zuːˈroʊpə/, zoo-ROH-pə)[nb 1] is the eighth studio album by rock band U2. Produced by Flood, Brian Eno, and The Edge, it was released on 5 July 1993 on Island Records. Inspired by the band's experiences on the Zoo TV Tour, Zooropa expanded on many of the tour's themes of technology and media oversaturation. The record continued the group's experimentation with alternative rock, electronic dance music, and electronic sound effects that began with their previous album, Achtung Baby, in 1991.
U2 began writing and recording for Zooropa in Dublin in February 1993, during a six-month break between legs of the Zoo TV Tour. The record was originally intended as an EP to promote the "Zooropa" leg of the tour that was to begin in May 1993, but during the sessions, the group decided to extend the record to a full-length LP.[1] Pressed for time, U2 wrote and recorded at a rapid pace, with songs originating from many sources. The album was not completed in time for the tour's resumption, forcing the band to travel between Dublin and their tour destinations in May to complete mixing and recording.
Zooropa received generally favourable reviews from critics. Despite none of its three singles—"Numb", "Lemon", and "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)"—being hits consistently across regions, the record sold well upon release and peaked at number one in multiple countries. The album's lifetime sales and charting duration, however, were weaker than Achtung Baby. In 1994, Zooropa won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. Although the record was a success and music journalists view the album as one of the group's most creative, the band regard the record with mixed feelings.by wikipedia
Track Listings
1. Zooropa
2. Babyface
3. Numb
4. Lemon
5. Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
6. Daddy's Gonna Pay for Your Crashed Car
7. Some Days Are Better Than Others
8. The First Time
9. Dirty Day
10. The Wanderer
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U2 - Achtung Baby 1991
Description
Achtung Baby is the seventh studio album by rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 19 November 1991 on Island Records. Stung by the criticism of their 1988 release Rattle and Hum, U2 shifted their musical direction to incorporate alternative rock, industrial, and electronic dance music influences into their sound. Thematically, the album is darker, more introspective, and at times more flippant than the band's previous work. Achtung Baby and the subsequent multimedia-intensive Zoo TV Tour were central to the group's 1990s reinvention, which replaced their earnest public image with a more lighthearted and self-deprecating one.
Seeking inspiration on the eve of German reunification, U2 began recording Achtung Baby in Berlin's Hansa Studios in October 1990. The sessions were fraught with conflict, as the band argued over their musical direction and the quality of their material. After weeks of tension and slow progress, the group made a breakthrough with the improvised writing of the song "One". They returned to Dublin in 1991, where morale improved and the majority of recordings were completed. To confound the public's expectations of the band and their music, U2 chose the album's facetious title and colourful multi-image sleeve.
Achtung Baby is one of U2's most successful records. It earned favourable reviews and debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 Top Albums, while topping the charts in many other countries. It spawned five hit singles, including "One", "Mysterious Ways", and "The Fly". The album has sold 18 million copies worldwide and won a Grammy Award in 1993 for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. One of the most acclaimed records of the 1990s, Achtung Baby is regularly featured on lists of the greatest albums of all-time.by wikipedia
Track Listings
1. Zoo Station
2. Even Better Than the Real Thing
3. One
4. Until the End of the World
5. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
6. So Cruel
7. The Fly
8. Mysterious Ways
9. Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World
10. Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
11. Acrobat
12. Love Is Blindness
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U2 - Rattle and Hum 1988
Description
Rattle and Hum is the name of U2's sixth album and a companion documentary style motion picture. Both were released in 1988.
Both the film and the album contain live recordings, covers, and new songs. To a greater extent than on their previous album, The Joshua Tree, the band explores American Music, and incorporates elements of blues-rock, folk rock, and country. The motion picture was filmed primarily in the United States in late 1987 during the Joshua Tree Tour and it features their experiences with American music. Although Rattle and Hum was intended to represent the band paying tribute to rock legends, some critics accused U2 of trying to place themselves amongst the ranks of these artists. While critical reception was mixed, the album was a commercial success, reaching the No. 1 spot in several countries with multiplatinum sales.by wikipedia
Track Listings
1. Helter Skelter [Live]
2. Van Diemen's Land
3. Desire
4. Hawkmoon 269
5. All Along the Watchtower [Live]
6. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For [Live]
7. Freedom for My People
8. Silver and Gold [Live]
9. Pride (In the Name of Love) [Live]
10. Angel of Harlem
11. Love Rescue Me
12. When Love Comes to Town
13. Heartland
14. God Part II
15. The Star Spangled Banner
16. Bullet the Blue Sky [Live]
17. All I Want Is You
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U2 - The Joshua Tree 1987
Description
The Joshua Tree is the fifth studio album by rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 9 March 1987 on Island Records. In contrast to the ambient experimentation of their 1984 release The Unforgettable Fire, U2 aimed for a harder-hitting sound on The Joshua Tree that used the limitation of strict song structures. The album incorporates influences from American and Irish roots music into the band's sound. Thematically, it depicts their love-hate relationship with the United States, with socially- and politically-conscious lyrics embellished with spiritual imagery.
Inspired by American tour experiences, literature, and politics, U2 settled on America as a theme for the record. Recording began in January 1986 in Ireland, and to foster a relaxed, creative atmosphere, the group recorded in two houses, in addition to two professional studios. Several events during the sessions helped shape the conscious tone of the album, including the band's participation in A Conspiracy of Hope tour, the death of roadie Greg Carroll, and lead vocalist Bono's travels to Central America. Recording was completed in November and additional production continued into January 1987. Throughout the sessions, U2 sought a "cinematic" quality for the record that would evoke a sense of location, in particular, the open spaces of America. They represented this in the sleeve's photographs depicting them in American desert landscapes and with a lone Yucca brevifolia plant ("Joshua tree").by wikipedia
Track Listings
1. Where The Streets Have No Name
2. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
3. With Or Without You
4. Bullet The Blue Sky
5. Running To Stand Still
6. Red Hill Mining Town
7. In God's Country
8. Trip Through Your Wires
9. One Tree Hill
10. Exit
11. Mothers Of The Disappeared
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U2 - The Unforgettable Fire 1984
DescriptionThe Unforgettable Fire is the fourth studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was released in October 1984. The band wanted a different musical direction following the harder-hitting rock of their 1983 album War. They employed Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois to produce and assist them experiment with a more ambient and abstract sound. The resulting change in direction was at the time the band's most dramatic.
Recording began in May 1984 at Slane Castle, where the band lived, wrote, and recorded to find new inspiration. The album was completed in August 1984 at Windmill Lane Studios. It features atmospheric sounds and lyrics that lead vocalist Bono describes as "sketches". Two songs feature lyrical tributes to Martin Luther King Jr. The Unforgettable Fire received generally favourable reviews from critics and produced the band's biggest hit at the time, "Pride (In the Name of Love)", as well as the live favorite "Bad", a song about heroin addiction. A 25th Anniversary edition of the album was released in October 2009.by wikipediaTrack Listings1. Sort of Homecoming
2. Pride (In the Name of Love)
3. Wire
4. The Unforgettable Fire
5. Promenade
6. 4th of July
7. Bad
8. Indian Summer Sky
9. Elvis Presley & America
10. MLK Buy onItunes
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U2 - War 1983
DescriptionWar is the third studio album by Irish rock band U2, released on 28 February 1983. The album has come to be regarded as U2's first overtly political album, in part because of songs like "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "New Year's Day", as well as the title, which stems from the band's perception of the world at the time; Bono stated that "war seemed to be the motif for 1982."
While the central themes of their earlier albums Boy and October focused on adolescence and spirituality, respectively, War focused on both the physical aspects of warfare, and the emotional aftereffects.[1] The album has been described as the record where the band "turned pacifism itself into a crusade."
War was a commercial success for the band, knocking Michael Jackson's Thriller from the top of the charts to become the band's first #1 album in the UK. It reached #12 in the U.S. and became their first Gold selling album there. In 2003, the album was ranked number 221 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.by wikipediaTrack Listings1. Sunday Bloody Sunday
2. Seconds
3. New Year's Day
4. Like a Song...
5. Drowning Man
6. The Refugee
7. Two Hearts Beat as One
8. Red Light
9. Surrender
10. "40" Buy onItunes
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U2 - October 1981
Description
October is the second album by Irish rock band U2, released in 1981. The album featured spiritual themes, inspired by Bono, The Edge, and Larry Mullen, Jr.'s memberships in a Christian group called the "Shalom Fellowship", which led them to question the relationship between the Christian faith and the rock and roll lifestyle. The album received mixed reviews and limited radio play.by wikipedia
Track Listings
Disc: 1
1. Gloria
2. I Fall Down
3. I Threw A Brick Through A Window
4. Rejoice
5. Fire
6. Tomorrow
7. October
8. With A Shout
9. Stranger In A Strange Land
10. Scarlet
11. Is That All
Disc: 2
1. Gloria (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London)
2. I Fall Down (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London)
3. I Threw A Brick Through A Window (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London)
4. Fire (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London)
5. October (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London)
6. With A Shout (Richard Skinner BBC Session)
7. Scarlet (Richard Skinner BBC Session)
8. I Threw A Brick Through A Window (Richard Skinner BBC Session)
9. A Celebration
10. J. Swallo
11. Trash, Trampoline And The Party Girl
12. I Will Follow (Live at Paradise Theatre, Boston)
13. The Ocean (Live at Paradise Theatre, Boston)
14. The Cry/Electric Co. (Live at Paradise Theatre, Boston)
15. 11 O'Clock Tick Tock (Live at Paradise Theatre, Boston)
16. I Will Follow (Live From Hattem, Netherlands)
17. Tomorrow (Bono & Adam Clayton, Common Ground Remix)
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U2 - Boy 1980
Description
Boy is the debut album from Irish rock band U2, released October 20, 1980. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, the album received generally positive reviews. Common themes among the album's songs are the thoughts and frustrations of adolescence.[1] The album included the band's first United Kingdom hit single, "I Will Follow". Boy's release was followed by U2's first tour of continental Europe and the United States.by wikipedia
Track Listings
Disc: 1
1. I Will Follow
2. Twilight
3. An Cat Dubh
4. Into The Heart
5. Out Of Control
6. Stories For Boys
7. The Ocean
8. A Day Without Me
9. Another Time, Another Place
10. The Electric Co.
11. Shadows And Tall Trees
Disc: 2
1. I Will Follow (Previously Unreleased Mix)
2. 11 O'Clock Tick Tock
3. Touch
4. Speed Of Life (Previously Unreleased Track)
5. Saturday Night (Previously Unreleased Track)
6. Things To Make And Do
7. Out Of Control
8. Boy-Girl
9. Stories For Boys
10. Another Day
11. Twilight
12. Boy-Girl (Live at The Marquee, London)
13. 11 O'Clock Tick Tock (Live at The Marquee, London - Previously Unreleased Version)
14. Cartoon World (Live at The National Stadium, Dublin - Previously Unreleased Track)
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