U2, the #17 Artist of the Rock Era, Part One

"These four men have weathered the test of time, making music that actually means something."

"U2 is one of the greatest bands of all-time."

"Fantastic band!"

"Their songs are very deep and hit the feelings of our humanity."

"U2 is one of the best groups I have ever heard!"

"Their passion and excellent blend of lyrics with music amaze me..."

"An iconic band."

"Music that cleanses the soul."

"Timeless music."

"The impact they have made on listeners and on the world is difficult to overstate."

"U2--legends of Rock and humanity."

"They are one of the best bands in history!"

"Amazing band with deep lyrics."

"U2 is incredible!"

"Legendary group."

"Has to be one of the coolest groups ever."

"I love how they've never been afraid to say what's on their minds."

"True talent here."

"U2 is was one of the best ever."

"They write about the themes that matter."

"They have so much energy in their songs."

"Their songs have so much heart and feeling."

"U2 is the real thing."

"The conviction and passion they incorporate in their work will never cease to resonate in my soul."

"Epic band for the ages."

In 1976, 14-year-old drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. posted a note on the notice board at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, Ireland looking to form a new band.  Six kids responded--lead singer Paul Hewson, guitarists David Evans, his brother Dik, Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin and bassist Adam Clayton, but after an initial rehearsal in Mullen's kitchen, Martin left and McCormick was dropped within a few weeks.

The band practiced cover songs and named themselves Feedback, playing punk rock in their early days because they were convinced that musical proficiency was not a prerequisite to achieving success.

After playing their first gig at St. Fintan's High School, the group changed their name to The Hype.  In 1978, the band changed their name to U2.  The group won a talent contest in Limerick that earned them £500 and studio time to record a demo.  Soon afterwards, Dik Evans was removed from the group, playing his last show at the Presbyterian Church Hall in Howth.

U2 recorded the demo at Keystone Studios in Dublin, but the result was less than spectacular as the members were too nervous.  But U2 found a friend in the Irish magazine Hot Press.  Bill Graham of the magazine introduced the members to Paul McGuinness, who signed on to be their manager later in the year.  McGuinness quickly booked new sessions in the band's quest to secure a record deal.  Meanwhile, U2 continued to win fans with performances throughout the country.  

In 1979, U2 recorded a three-song demo at Windmill Lane Studios and CBS released them as an EP available only in Ireland called U2-3.  All 1,000 pressings of the EP sold.  In 1980, U2 finished an Irish tour at the 2,000-seat National Stadium in Dublin.  Bill Stewart, an A&R Representative with Island Records, was one of those in attendance and signed U2 to a recording contract shortly after.

The group's initial release, "11 O'Clock Tick Tock", did not chart, leading the band to turn to Steve Lillywhite to produce U2's first album.  Among the techniques that Lillywhite used were recording Mullen's drums in a stairwell and recording the sound of smashed bottles and forks hitting a spinning bicycle tire.

Evans, who became known as The Edge, bought the Electro-Harmonix Memory Man, a delay effect unit which would eventually characterize his sound.  U2 released the album Boy, with "I Will Follow" receiving some airplay on Album-Oriented Rock stations.  As you'll notice throughout our spectacular, when an artist becomes big, fans usually go through and buy up albums from an artists' back catalog.  U2 fans eventually turned Boy into a Platinum album.

 

"Out Of Control" showed the incredible potential of Hewett's songwriting at a young age.  "'Out Of Control' is about waking up on your 18th birthday," he told Hot Press magazine in 1979, "and realizing that you're 18 years old and that the two most important decisions in your life have nothing to do with you -being born and dying."

 

One of the things U2 fans love about the group is that they are not afraid to tackle any injustice.  From the get-go, the band does this with "The Electric Co.", which refers to Electro Convulsive Therapy.  It was a popular treatment in Irish mental hospitals that the group felt was inhumane.  

Hewitt became known by his own moniker, Bono, and the group enjoyed a successful tour of the United States and Europe.  While on tour, Bono lost his briefcase containing songs to be included on the group's next album.  When it came time to record the band's second album, Bono had to improvise lyrics, but the album October was completed and released in 1981.  October also has sold over one million copies.

"Gloria" is a spiritual song appealing to a higher power.  The members were devout Christians and they almost broke up when they were afraid that being a Rock star might conflict with their faith.

"Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl" is about a Party Girl who wants more than a party.

 

Here is the sublime "I Fall Down".

McGuinness landed U2 a performance on the popular U.K. television show Top of the Pops and a performance opening for Thin Lizzy.  But Bono, the Edge and Mullen became involved in Shalom Fellowship, a charismatic Christian group in Dublin.  Questioning the relationship between their faith and the lifestyle of a Rock band, Bono and the Edge considered quitting U2 but they stayed put.

In 1982, U2 opened for the J. Geils Band as part of their promotion tour.  However, the band was out of money and made a concerted effort to step up the quality of their songs and get better as a group.  The result was the 1983 album War.

This isn't about New Year's Day that most think of; it is about the solidarity movement of Lech Walesa in Poland.  Coincidentally, Poland announced they would abolish martial law on New Year's Day in 1983.  

The Edge played piano and guitar on this track.  When the group performed it in concert, he placed the guitar on his lap as he played the piano, then when it came time for his guitar solo, he got up with his guitar and walked to the front of the stage as the crowd cheered wildly.  "New Year's Day" reached the Top 10 in the U.K. and #2 in Ireland.

 

War has now sold over four million copies and yielded the single "Sunday Bloody Sunday", which contrasted the events of Bloody Sunday with Easter Sunday.  

There are two "Bloody Sundays"--in 1920, British troops fired into a crowd at a soccer match in Dublin in retaliation for the killing of British undercover agents, and on January 30, 1972, British paratroopers killed 13 Irish citizens protesting the lack of civil rights in Derry, Northern Ireland.

The song was well received, especially in the U.K. where the album reached #1.  As one of U2's most iconic songs, it is a solid member of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.

 

"Two Hearts Beat As One" features the bass line of Clayton.  The video was shot in the Montmartre area of Paris, France.

 

The lyrics in "Seconds" are about the threat of nuclear war, which was a real possibility in the Ronald Reagan era.  It is the first time that The Edge sang lead.

The group's efforts paid off in the form of sold-out shows in the U.S. and Europe.  Shows were recorded for the release of the live albums Under a Blood Red Sky and Live at Red Rocks, with the former selling three million units. 

 

Bono wrote this song after reading Psalm 40 from The Bible.  He added music and called it "40".

The success led to a much better contract with Island in 1984, which included ownership of their songs and an increased royalty rate.

 

U2 strove for more experimentation for their next album, and hired Brian Eno to produce it and Daniel Lanois to engineer it.  U2 to this point certainly showed what they could do. They took their game to the next level with their next release, The Unforgettable Fire, in 1984, featuring the single "Pride (In The Name Of Love)", which was written about Martin Luther King, Jr.  The song rose to #1 in New Zealand, #2 in Ireland, #3 in the U.K. and #4 in Australia.  With a peak of #33 in the U.S., it is another Top Unknown/Underrated Song*.

U2 were nominated for Best Group Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.  The Unforgettable Fire album also reached #1 in the U.K. and U2 added Australia to its list of countries that ranked their album #1.  It has sold over three million copies in the United States alone. 

 

The Edge began playing a riff and the others joined in, the beginning of the creation of "Bad".  U2 recorded the track in three takes at Slane Castle in Dublin.  The castle featured on the cover of the album is not Slane, but Moydrum Castle. 

 

"The Unforgettable Fire" was inspired after the group saw an exhibit with that name at the Chicago Peace Museum while touring in 1983.  The exhibit showcased artwork from Japanese victims of the Hiroshima bombing.

 

"A Sort Of Homecoming" is from poet Paul Celan who wrote, "Poetry is a sort of homecoming."

Bono and Clayton participated in the Band Aid charity song "Do They Know It's Christmas?", with proceeds benefiting famine victims in Ethiopia.

A tour followed, and U2 gained tremendous exposure with an appearance at the Live Aid concert benefiting victims of famine in Ethiopia at London's Wembley Stadium in 1985.  The group gave an iconic performance before a worldwide television audience, with Rolling Stone magazine calling U2 the "Band of the '80s", opining that "for a growing number of rock-and-roll fans, U2 have become the band that matters most, maybe even the only band that matters".

And that band that matters so much has many more great songs to hear!