U2

U2 is a bestseller alternative pop/rock band from Dublin, Ireland, which appeared on the scene in the mid-70s and is still active, being one of the most influential representatives of the mainstream rock scene.

An extraordinary group that has been playing for more than four decades almost immediately attracts attention with its unusual as for the rock-band history.

First of all, the peak of the group's popularity did not come as it usually happens on the 3-4th albums or 5-6 years, but much later. The group attained the peak of its popularity and public recognition in 2003-2008, 30 years after its first appearance. Second of all, the band produced such a different sound from album to album that it is generally arduous to attribute it to any specific genre. For sure, the situation is not that unique, nevertheless, in terms of the frequency and depth of changes in the music style, the group can remind Sir David Bowie, notorious for his experimentalism, for example.

So, let's take a closer look at how U2 gained worldwide fame. The college band, recruited by the announcement of the future permanent drummer of the group, Larry Mullen Jr., initially gathered six 14-16 years old teenagers, four of whom remain members of the band to this day, started from small closed intramural concerts, dynamically developing and changing. In fact, no matter how strange it may sound, the group, recruited in 1976 and finally formed in 1980, has never changed its composition in 40 years. So where did this radical change come from, you might ask yourself. And the answer is quite simple. U2 is a lifelong evolution and a growing-up story.

Let's make a small lyrical digression, and designate the entire composition of the group. So, as previously mentioned, the core of the group consists of four people:
Paul David Hewson aka Bono - lead vocal, songwriter, and public face of the band;
Adam Clayton - bass-guitarist;
David Howell Evans aka the Edge - lead-guitarist, keyboardist and back-vocalist;
Larry Mullen Jr. - drummer.

The guys started their journey with mostly covers, performing either classic rock hits at that time, or hitting the rebellious spirit characteristic of young college boys, giving out cover-songs of such punk-rock giants as Sex Pistols or The Jam. As the musicians themselves laugh it off, the first name for their group, Feedback, was invented for the reason that it was the only scientific term that the guys knew at that time. In fact, all of the band's activities were limited to some local performances for a limited audience, for the first four years of its existence.

The group acquired the present name just before the recording of the first single "11 o'clock tick tock", which, by the way, did not elicit much response from critics. The band's prime major creative success was the recording of their first album "Boy" in 1980. This album was highly appreciated by the majority of critics and reviewers, which the participants themselves associate with the arrival of the record producer Steve Lillywhite in the project.

A punk rock-influenced band with a smooth, melodic rock 'n' roll sound on the earliest stages of their oeuvre was transformed to the band with a specific dramatic echo of folk and even electronics. According to Bono's assurances, at this stage of their work, the group was influenced by such groups as Joy Division, Television, and even Kraftwerk, which received widespread publicity a few years earlier. You can notice it in some certain traits of the group's sound at the end of the eighties. The rapid changes, however, were perceived by the fans quite controversially and forced the musicians to reconsider their attitude to sound. Subsequent albums, especially "Achtung Baby", recorded this time in continental Europe, began to resemble industrial music and created the sound that did obeisance towards Eurodance.

After that, the band decided to take a short hiatus from 1993 to 1995, during which they worked mainly on film soundtracks. The soundtracks gained sudden popularity, which prompted the group to acquire some of the features of pop music that are still relevant today. The group immediately conquered the charts in the UK and Australia with their new dance sound. The decision was the impetus for being highly publicized because, once again, after returning to the stage.

The first album, "Pop"; on the one hand, experienced the surge of popularity among the masses, but on the other, according to the assurances of the group members, they were unhappy with the result.

Yet, as Bono noted, the deconstruction of the old rock-and-roll image of the group began from this album.

Further, the group took the path of making the sound simpler, which, as time has shown, was the right decision. The next album, All that you can't leave behind, brought the group even more popularity. Nevertheless, both at that time, the already formed fanbase of the group and music critics noted a getting back to the basics. The band brought some very smooth guitar riffs back to their sound. It is worth noting here that if we were talking about the influence of punk-rock previously, then here the general tonality began to resemble a melancholic post-punk sound. The band resembled Interpol in its post-punk component rather than Joy Division if the comparison like this could be correct. At the same time, U2 favorably differed from classical performers in general ease and some notes of pop music. The group acquired its modern look and reputation precisely at this step of its existence.

All the following albums only built up all the best obtained from the aforementioned album. The album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb becomes the quintessence of the embodiment of the experience accumulated over the decades. It was this album that allowed the group to receive more than ten Grammy awards in one year. The group has absorbed all the best that it has created over the years. All the following albums only built up all the best obtained from the aforementioned album. The album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb becomes the quintessence of the embodiment of the experience accumulated over the decades. It was this album that allowed the group to receive more than ten Grammy awards in one year. The group has absorbed all the best that it has created over the years. The band peaked in its popularity around the time of the album. These years have become one of the most fruitful not only in the band's career but in general in the history of rock music in terms of concert activities. Although the next album received positive reviews mostly, it is easy to record that the band became wary of conducting the same radical experiments as before. That, in general, remains relevant concerning the group's last two albums to date. They appeal to the experience, not hesitating to do remasters and covers of their songs from the past. It should be noted that such a rethinking of their oeuvre is a frequent move for the group, which has been performing on stage for almost half a century.

Members of the group have shown an active civic stance of late, which became especially evident during the 2016 US presidential race. The leader of the team, who is a well-known businessman and philanthropist, was especially noted. So, in 2020, Paul David Hewson donated 10 million euros for the coronavirus equipment purchase to his home Republic of Ireland. Also, the group does not seem to be planning to stop active activities after the pandemic. We sincerely hope that all the strenuous events of 2020 will not really prevent the group from delighting us with their songs further and will not affect the creative process.