U2: Best Band of the Post Punk Era

By Maya Archer

U2 has been perhaps the biggest music act in the world since the late 1980s to the current day. They take prominent stands on human rights issues, expressed through their lyrics and other public statements and actions. The band's lead singer, Bono, has become quite prominent in charity movements and has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. The band consists of Bono, lead singer and songwriter; The Edge, lead guitar, keyboards, vocals; Adam Clayton, bass guitar; Larry Mullen Jr., drums. The band's popular 1983 song "Sunday Bloody Sunday" commemorated the slaughter of innocent civilians during the Irish troubles. It called for a renunciation of violence, a sentiment that resonated greatly with the people of Ireland. In the 1990s, the band's music and concerts mocked the excesses of commercialism. Some critics failed to understand that Bono's exaggerated on-stage personas during the "Zoo TV" tour were parodies, and thus concluded that the band had given in to what they in fact were criticizing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: XinXii
• Release date: Jun 3, 2014
• ISBN: 9781304927897

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The Biggest Band in the World

Being the biggest band in the world is a tough job, which is why U2 have sloughed it off now and then: Periods of arena-scale romance have been followed by bursts of odder experimentation, including a less-than-stellar Nineties stretch when the band was mired in irony, postmodernism and orange goggles. But for much of their career, U2 have committed to grabbing and holding that Biggest Band title the way they commit to everything — completely and passionately.

With Bono's soulful, grandiose cry, The Edge's intricately textured guitar parts, and the steady propulsion of bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr., U2's sound is instantly recognizable and much-imitated. Inspired equally by the Ramones' punk thrust and Bob Dylan's insightful punditry, the four Irishmen went from Dublin dives to the Top Forty by applying Brian Eno's ambient concepts to three-chord transcendence. They went on to influence the global political agenda while continually tweaking — and sometimes completely making over — their sound. They have their critics: Some claim U2 confuses bluster for earnestness, egomania for importance. But hordes of longtime fans believe differently, and live for each U2 gig.

Brought together after Larry Mullen Jr. posted an ad on the school bulletin board, the band members began rehearsing together at Dublin's Mount Temple Comprehensive. None of them was technically proficient, but their lack of expertise generated inventive ideas. David The Edge Evans's distinctive chording style, for instance, stemmed largely from his inability to play complicated leads. They called themselves the Hype before settling on a moniker inspired by the American spy plane. The novice musicians quickly developed a following in Ireland and found a manager, Paul McGuinness, who remains with them to this day. They recorded independently before signing to Island Records in 1980.

U2's 1980 debut LP, Boy, was