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Full U2 Biography
In the early years of the 21st century, U2 have pursued a more traditional sound while maintaining influences from their previous musical explorations. They continue to enjoy high levels of commercial and critical success. The band is active in human rights, international development, and social justice causes, such as Amnesty International, Make Poverty History, the ONE Campaign, Live Aid, Live 8, Bono's DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade in Africa) campaign, and Music Rising.
We couldn't believe it. I was completely shocked. We weren't of an age to go out partying as such but I don't think anyone slept that night....Really, it was just a great affirmation to win that competition, even though I've no idea how good we were or what the competition was really like. But to win at that point was incredibly important for morale and everyone's belief in the whole project.— The Edge on winning the CBS competition
The band's second album, October, was released in 1981 and contained overtly spiritual themes; Bono, The Edge, and Mullen had joined a Christian group in Dublin called the 'Shalom Fellowship', which led them to question the relationship between the Christian faith and the rock and roll lifestyle. The album was met with mixed reviews, and sales indicate it is U2's lowest selling album.
Much of the Unforgettable Fire Tour moved into indoor arenas as U2 began to win their long battle to build their audience. Translating the complex textures of the new studio-recorded tracks, such as "The Unforgettable Fire" and "Bad", to live performance was problematic. One solution was programmed sequencers, which the band had previously been reluctant to use, but are now used in the majority of the band's performances. Songs criticised as being "unfinished", "fuzzy", and "unfocused" on the album made more sense on stage.U2's performance at Live Aid was a turning point in their career.
U2 interrupted their 1986 album sessions to serve as a headline act on Amnesty International's A Conspiracy of Hope Tour; but rather than be a distraction, the tour added extra intensity and power to their new music. In his 1986 travels to San Salvador and Nicaragua, Bono saw the distress of peasants bullied in internal conflicts subject to American political intervention; this first-hand experience later became a central influence on the album. The album juxtaposes antipathy towards America against the band's deep fascination with the country, its open spaces, freedom, and what it stands for. The band wanted music with a sense of location, a 'cinematic' quality; the album's music and lyrics draw on imagery created by American writers whose works the band had been reading.
The wild beauty, cultural richness, spiritual vacancy and ferocious violence of America are explored to compelling effect in virtually every aspect of The Joshua Tree — in the title and the cover art, the blues and country borrowings evident in the music...Indeed, Bono says that "dismantling the mythology of America" is an important part of The Joshua Tree's artistic objective.— Rolling Stone
The documentary Rattle and Hum featured footage recorded from The Joshua Tree Tour, and the accompanying double album of the same name included nine studio tracks and six live U2 performances. Released in record stores and cinemas in October 1988, the album and film were intended as a tribute to American music. The film included tracks recorded at Sun Studios in Memphis and tracks performed with Bob Dylan and B.B. King. Despite a positive reception from fans, Rattle and Hum received mixed-to-negative reviews from both film and music critics. The band did not tour in support of the album except for the brief Lovetown Tour, which primarily consisted of shows in Australia. With a sense of musical stagnation, Bono announced at an end-of-decade concert that the weary U2 had come to the end of an era and had to "...go away and just dream it all up again".
On 1997's Pop, U2 continued experimenting; tape loops, programming, rhythm sequencing, and sampling provided much of the album with heavy, funky dance rhythms. Released in March, the album debuted at #1 in 35 countries, and drew mainly positive reviews; Rolling Stone stated that U2 had "defied the odds and made some of the greatest music of their lives." Others, particularly American fans, felt that the album was a major disappointment, and it was commercially disappointing by U2 standards. The band was hurried into completing the album in time for the impending pre-booked tour, and Bono admitted that the album "didn't communicate the way it was intended to".
The story caused a furore in Ireland when it broke and was widely reported throughout the world. It emerged that the Rolling Stones had also moved some of their operations to Amsterdam to avail of the tax breaks. |
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