U2

“I am Bono and I get sick of Bono.”

~Paul Hewson

 

Paul Hewson-Bono
Dave Evans-The Edge
Larry Mullen Jr.
Adam Clayton

My Very Soul

Tina Lovell

One warm summer day in 1987, when I was just 15, a friend brought a tape to my house and told me I just had to hear this song. That song was U2’sBullet The Blue Sky. Now, I had heard such songs as Pride, In the Name of Love the much loved With or Without You, but Bullet the Blue Sky struck a chord in me, straight down to my very soul. It was powerful in it’s sound, the story it told, and it forever changed the landscape of music for me.

In the Beginning

U2 was formed in Dublin, Ireland back in 1976 after Larry Mullen Jr. posted a notice on a bulletin board at Mount Temple Comprehensive School. The band that would become known as U2 consisted of 16-year-old Paul Hewson aka Bono, 14-year-old Larry Mullen Jr., 14-year-old Dave Evans aka The Edge, and 16-year-old Adam Clayton.  The guys were originally known as Feedback, but quickly changed their name to Hype. After nearly eighteen months of rehearsing the band got a break at a talent show in Limerick, Ire., in March of 1978. They won a contest, which consisted of a monetary prize and studio time to record their first demo. Shortly after, Paul McGuinness became their manager and still is to this day.

 

 

At the time of the Limerick talent show the band had just changed their name to U2. A fellow musician and family friend of Adam Clayton’s, Steve Averill, suggested the name U2. After narrowing it down to a handful of names the band ultimately decided on U2 due to both it’s ambiguity and for the fact they claimed it was the name they disliked the least.

The song New Year’s Day was put into heavy rotation by the network and gained the band a new legion of fans. In 1984 The Unforgettable Fire was released and the single Pride, In the Name of Love, written for Martin Luther King Jr., cracked the US Top 50. When 1985 rolled around U2 was included in the all star line up at the Live Aid Concert, a concert produced by Bob Geldoff to benefit famine stricken Ethiopia. However, it wouldn’t be till 1987 that U2 wouldU2 played in and around Dublin working to build a fan base. Despite an Irish only release of a song called U2:3 topping the national charts, they still struggled to get attention from music fans and critics.  Finally, in March, 1980 Island Records signed U2 to it’s first international contract and put out Boy in October of that year. The lyrics on the album tackled subjects such as faith, spirituality and death, topics generally avoided by most rock acts, particularly at that time. The 80’s music scene was dominated by synthesizers and bubble gum pop. U2 offered a fresh alternative for music fans. The band gained fans, released three more albums over the next three years and gained the attention of MTV.

finally find what they were looking for.
The Joshua Tree

U2’s fifth album, The Joshua Tree was released in 1987. This album
showcased U2 with the perfect blend of music and lyrics. It produced two number one singles with the haunting With or Without You (which in my humble opinion showcases one of Bono’s greatest vocal performances),  and I Still Haven’t Found What I am Looking For. The band appeared on the cover of  Time Magazine, sold out stadiums on their Joshua Tree Tour and finally had achieved commercial success. U2 had become the biggest band in the world.

They followed up The Joshua Tree with Rattle and Hum, a combination of blues-rock, folk rock and country music. It paid homage to some of the musicians that influenced them including the Beatles and Bob Dylan by covering both Helter Skelter and All Along The Watchtower. Even the famous BB King appears on the album in the song When Love Comes To Town. Another of my personal favorites was the vivacious tribute to Billie Holiday in Angel of Harlem. The album received mixed reviews. Some felt that it was a perfect follow up to The Joshua Tree, others saw it as self-indulgent and that U2 was trying to put themselves in the same caliber as the great musicians they were referencing.

After Rattle and Hum the band took a much needed break to rest and to

recharge their creative batteries. The band broke their own mold when they returned in 1991 with the critically acclaimed Achtung Baby. The band introduced their fans to a new U2 by incorporating new sounds, textures, altered vocals, electronic dance beats, and adopted a more rock & roll appearance. The band nearly split up over the making of the album. Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton favored their more traditional sound while Bono and The Edge were excited to experiment with new sounds. The song One turned it all around. They all agreed on the song and it changed their outlook on the album. Songs likeMysterious Ways and One drew in even more new fans for the band. The album is frequently cited as one of the best in rock history. It also remains one of my all time favorite albums of theirs, just below The Joshua Tree. After all, it’s The Joshua Tree that made me fall in love with their music.

A Return to the Familiar

The band continued to experiment with their sound through the Zooropa Tour and the album Pop. However, in 2000, the band returned to it’s roots and brought back it’s more traditional sound and themes withAll that You Can’t Leave Behind. The album even won seven Grammy Awards and gave us hit singles such as Beautiful Day, Elevation and Walk On (which got some television air play when used as background music for footage when clips of survivors, firemen and policemen during 9/11 were shown). They followed up this album with How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, another critically acclaimed album. Some critics view it as U2’s third masterpiece, along with The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby.

U2 Goes 3D

In 2008 U2 treated their fans to…well a treat. They released U23D. Filming took place during a concert in Buenos Aires during the Vertigo Tour in 2006.

The project was created to experiment with a new type of 3-D film technology, released by 3ality Digital in 2003.  After its preview screening at the 2007

Cannes Film Festival, the film held its premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, and was later shown at over 600 theaters internationally following its wide release in February 2008. I went to see this and it was just simply amazing. Almost better than being there live…almost.

U2’s  live shows have gotten bigger and better. They consistently invent new ways to make the shows both interesting and  fan friendly. Bono has promised that on their upcoming tour, the stage set-up will be something to behold. Yet, despite the size of the venue U2 finds a way to connect with their fans, whether you are in the nose bleed or right up front you truly feel as if you are part of something amazing.  On March 3rd, 2009, U2 will be releasing their 12th album, No Line On The Horizon. I, like most fans, eagerly await the release of their newest work. In my opinion, I feel that in terms of U2’s longevity, they couldn’t have titled the album any better.

 

 

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