 Through a combination of zealous righteousness and post-punk experimentalism,
U2
became one of the most popular rock & roll bands of the '80s. Equally known for
their sweeping sound
as for their grandiose statements about politics and religion,
U2
were rock & roll crusaders during an era of synthesized pop and heavy metal.
The Edge provided the group with a signature sound by creating sweeping
sonic landscapes with his heavily processed, echoed guitars. Though
the Edge's style wasn't conventional, the rhythm section of
Adam Clayton and
Larry Mullen, Jr. played the songs as driving hard rock, giving the band a
forceful, powerful edge that was designed for arena rock. And their lead singer,
Bono, was a frontman who had a knack of grand gestures that played better in
arenas than small clubs. It's no accident that footage of
Bono parading with a white flag with "Sunday Bloody Sunday" blaring in the
background became the defining moment of
U2's
early career -- there rarely was a band that believed so deeply in rock's
potential for revolution as
U2,
and there rarely was a band that didn't care if they appeared foolish in the
process. During the course of the early '80s, the group quickly built up a
dedicated following through constant touring and a string of acclaimed records.
By 1987, the band's following had grown large enough to propel them to the level
of international superstars with the release of The Joshua Tree. Unlike many of
their contemporaries,
U2
were able to sustain their popularity in the '90s by reinventing themselves as a
postmodern, self-consciously ironic dance-inflected pop/rock act, owing equally
to the experimentalism of late-'70s
Bowie and '90s electronic dance and techno. By performing such a successful
reinvention, the band confirmed its status as one of the most popular bands in
rock history, in addition to earning additional critical respect.
While
U2
had become one of the most successful rock bands of the '80s, they didn't truly
become superstars until the spring 1987 release of The Joshua Tree. Greeted with
enthusiastic reviews, many of which proclaimed the album a masterpiece, The
Joshua Tree became the band's first American number one hit and its third
straight album to enter the U.K. charts at number one; in England, it set a
record by going platinum within 28 hours. Generating the U.S. number one hits
"With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," The
Joshua Tree and the group's supporting tour became the biggest success of 1987,
earning the group the cover of respected publications like Time magazine.
U2
decided to film a documentary about their American tour, recording new material
along the way. The project became Rattle & Hum, a film that was supported by a
double-album soundtrack that was divided between live tracks and new material.
While the album Rattle & Hum was a hit, the record and film received the weakest
reviews of
U2's
career, with many critics taking issue with the group's fascination with
American roots music like blues, soul, country, and folk. Following the release
of Rattle & Hum, the band took an extended hiatus.
Following the completion of the American Zoo TV tour in late 1992 and before
the launch of the European leg of the tour,
U2
entered the studio to complete an EP of new material that became the full-length
Zooropa. Released in the summer of 1993 to coincide with the tour of the same
name, Zooropa demonstrated a heavier techno and dance influence than Achtung
Baby and it received strong reviews. Nevertheless, the album stalled at sales of
two million and failed to generate a big hit single. During the Zooropa tour,
the Fly metamorphosed into the demonic MacPhisto, which dominated the remainder
of the tour. Upon the completion of the Zooropa tour in late 1993, the band took
an extended break. During 1995, U2
re-emerged with "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me," a glam rock theme to
Batman Forever that was produced by
Nellee Hooper (Björk,
Soul II Soul). Later that year, they recorded the collaborative album
Original Soundtracks, Vol. 1 with
Brian Eno, releasing the album under the name
the Passengers late in 1995. It was greeted with a muted reception, both
critically and commercially.
Many hardcore
U2
fans, including drummer
Larry Mullen, Jr., were unhappy with the
Passengers project, and
U2
promised their next album, to be released in the fall of 1996, would be a rock &
roll record. The album took longer to complete than usual, being pushed back to
the spring of 1997. During its delay, a few tracks, including the forthcoming
first single "Discotheque," were leaked, and it became clear that the new album
was going to be heavily influenced by techno, dance, and electronic music. When
it was finally released, Pop did indeed bear a heavier dance influence, but it
was greeted with strong initial sales, and a few positive reviews. In late 1998,
the group returned with Best of 1980-1990, the first in a series of hits
collections issued in conjunction with a reported 50 million dollar agreement
with Polygram.
Three years after the mediocre response to Pop,
U2
teamed up with
Eno and
Lanois once again to release All That You Can't Leave Behind in fall 2000.
It topped charts around the world, reached number three in America, earned the
band Grammy awards for the singles "Beautiful Day" and "Walk On," and became
their biggest-selling record in years. (The Elevation tour that followed also
brought
U2
a hefty paycheck.) Steve Lillywhite, producer of the early-'80s landmarks Boy,
October, and War, returned to the helm for U2's
next record, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Released in November 2004, it hit
the top of the Billboard charts and quickly gained platinum status. The album
also garnered eight Grammy awards, including Album of the Year, Rock Album of
the Year, and Song of the Year (for "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own").
~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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