U2 loud for Spain
U2 were formed back in 1976 and since then they have gone on to become one of the biggest rock bands of all time producing a series of successful albums and iconic records.
It was Larry Mullen who had the dream of staring a band and at the age of fourteen he posted a note on the school notice board looking for band mates.
Paul Hewson (Bono), David Evans (The Edge) Adam Clayton, Dik Evans Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin all responded and Feedback were born.
But seven soon became five as Martin and McCormick didn’t last long and by 1978 Dik Evans was also out leaving the line-up that we are so familiar with today.
By that time Feedback were now The Hype but by late 1978 they had changed their name again to U2 and they moved away from covers and were performing their own material.
Within four years of their formation U2 were signed to Island Records and their debut album Boy was about to be released.
The release of the album was followed by their first single in the U.S., I Will Follows, and they boys headed out on their first tour of Europe and America.
During the recording of October both Bono and The Edge considered quitting the band however they decided to stay but their album received mixed reviews and didn’t sell well on release.
They turned it all around with album War songs Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Year’s Day were a huge success - they remain two of their most powerful singles.
The Unforgettable Fire marked a change of direction for the band in 1984 and initial worries about a change in sound were quickly forgotten as Pride (In The Name of Love) was their biggest single to date.
U2’s star rose even higher a year later with when the band performed an unforgettable set at Live Aid.
1987 saw then release the best album of their career as The Joshua Tree and they cemented their place in rock and roll history as it was, at the time, the fastest selling album in British history.
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For and With or Without You were two of the big singles off the record and U2 went on to win their first two Grammy Awards.
The band reinvented themselves in the nineties to move with the times as they tackled different sounds with Achtung Baby.
The album was released in 1991 and spawned hit records such as One and Mysterious Ways and once again U2 were back on top.
Throughout the nineties they continued to release albums such as Zoorop and Pop but neither scaled the dizzy heights of Achtung Baby but the band were still thrilling millions with their live shows.
U2 fans had to wait three years for an album after Pop but into a new decade and a new century and the boys reinvented themselves once again with All That You Can’t Leave Behind, released in 2000.
But the wait was worth it as U2 the band went for a more traditional rock sound that was very well received by both critics and fans.
Beautiful Day and Elevation were just two of the monster tracks off the record and Bono and the boys were showing the new band just how rock and roll was really done.
With a new album came the Elevation Tour and during their time on the road the band played a string of emotional concerts in the U.S. not long at the 9/11 bombings. Into 2004 How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb was released and the album hit the number one spot and U2 enjoyed huge success with single Vertigo and more Grammy Awards followed.
Just a year after the release of the album U2 were inducted into the Rock ad Roll Hall of Fame and their legacy was secured.
It was back in 2009 that the band released an album with No Line On The Horizon and that was followed by the hugely successful 360 degree Tour - the band showing once again that they were a live band that couldn’t be rivalled.
After over thirty years in the business U2 have sold in excess of 150,000,000 albums as well as cementing themselves as one of the greatest bands of all time. Having said that I don’t think the boys are done just yet!!
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Tagged in Adam Clayton Bono The Edge U2