U2 Band Bio, Rock Trivia about U2 »
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U2 Bio
These U2 bio pages cover
both individuals and the band. Click on the pictures
on the right for a bio on a particular person,
or read on for a history of the band itself.
In autumn 1976, drummer Larry Mullen put a note
on the notice board at Mount Temple Comprehensive
School in Dublin, looking for people to join a
band. Paul Hewson (aka Bono Vox), Dave Evans (aka
The Edge), Dik Evans, and Adam Clayton joined
up. Dik soon left to join the Virgin Prunes, while
the remaining four formed 'Feedback' before changing
to 'The Hype' and then U2.
The band's first break was winning
£500 in a talent contest on St. Patrick's
Day (March 17th) in Limerick. Bono later recalled
that they had beaten off many technically better
bands because of what he called 'a spark', which
had produced a great atmosphere on stage. One
of the judges that week was Jackie Heyden of CBS
Records, who was impressed and arranged their
first demo session. It was not a great success
due to the band's inexperience and lack of studio
time - but itwas a start.
Their reputation for electrifying
live shows meant that U2 soon built up a dedicated
fan base. Bill Graham, a journalist with 'Hot
Press', was an early champion of the band and
introduced them to their manager, Paul McGuinness.
A three year contract with CBS Ireland soon followed,
and with it the release of their first record
in September 1979 - a three song EP entitled 'U23'
comprising 'Out of Control', 'Boy/Girl', and 'Stories
for Boys'. A second single followed, before the
band signed a worldwide contract with Island Records
in March 1980.
Having secured a record deal,
the rest of 1980 was spent touring extensively.
Despite this, the band also found time to record
their first LP, 'Boy', which received widespread
critical acclaim on its release in October. A
year later came 'October' a much more mellow and
spiritual record that reflected the Christian
beliefs of Bono, Edge and Larry, and built on
the success of 'Boy'.
U2 hit the big time with the
'War' LP, released in March 1983. Boosted by the
success of the 'New Year's Day' single, the record
entered the UK charts at Number 1, and established
the band as a mainstream act. Further US and European
tours followed, where the songs for the mini Live
LP ' Under A Blood Red Sky' were recorded. This
record marked the end of an era, as it was the
last record before brian Eno and Daniel Lanois
were engaged to work on future LPs.
The next record to be released,
'The Unforgettable Fire', was much more complex
style than the 'anthems' of the War era. Despite
a few teething problems incorporating the newer
songs into the band's live set, the material was
well received on the subsequent European and US
tours. The mini LP ' Wide Awake in America' was
comprised of 2 new tracks and 2 live recordings
from the European tour. It was at this time, in
April 1985, that 'Rolling Stone' magazine dubbed
U2 "The Band of The Eighties".
That summer U2 played the Live
Aid concert at Wembley Stadium in London, where
they gave a memorable performance, as the song
'Bad' over-ran to about 12 minutes! Bono actually
considered leaving the band at that point, as
he feared that his antics during that show (dancing
with girls from the audience while leaving the
band to play on regardless) had ruined the set
for the rest of the band - Pride had to be dropped
from the set due to lack of time. Only when a
friend told him that it was one of the high points
of the day did he come round. The following year
U2 played Self Aid, a benefit for Ireland's unemployed,
and joined the Conspiracy of Hope tour for Amnesty
International.
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