Group U2 Net Worth

Biography of the group “U2”

“U2” is an Irish rock band, the world record holder for the number of received Grammys (22 statuettes in 2018). She has sold more than 170 million copies of her albums and 22nd place in the list of “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” according to the popular Rollin Stone magazine.

History of creation

In 1976, 14-year-old Larry Mullen posted a message on the school bulletin board that he was looking for musicians to form a band. Paul Hewson, the Evans brothers (Dick and David), Adam Clayton and Ivan McCormick responded to it. The latter left the group after a couple of weeks. And college student Dick Evans, being much older than the rest of the participants, quickly felt like a black sheep. Approximately six months after the creation of the group at one of the concerts, he defiantly left the stage and left, after which the rest of the participants continued their performance.

The final line-up of the group, which has not changed since then, was as follows: Larry Mullen himself (drums), Paul Hewson, later known as Bono (vocals and guitar), David Evans, aka The Edge (guitar and keyboards) and Adam Clayton (bass). ).

Larry Mullen wanted to name the group after himself, but Bono, already showing the manners of a leader, categorically refused. She got the name “Feedback” (“feedback”), because it was one of the few technical terms they knew. However, already in 1977, the participants renamed it “The Hype” (“hype”).

In 1978, Steve Averill (a friend of the Clayton family) and Adam compiled a list of 6 “potential” titles. Of these, the group chose “U2” – for the uncertainty and the possibility of various interpretations. The most common of them is a slang abbreviation for “You Too”, i.e. “you too”. After the team gained popularity, Bono admitted in an interview with Larry King that he personally never liked the name.

Also in 1978, the group won a competition sponsored by Harp Lager and the Evening Post. The winner received £500 and a demo in the studio. In April 1978 they had their first cassette. Famous journalist Bill Graham immediately became a fan of the group and introduced them to Paul McGuinness. It was he who became their manager.

The main stages of creativity

The first 2 albums – “Boy” “October” were influenced by teenage fears and the religious views of the participants. Despite being considered the weakest in the group’s history, due to the “unpolished” nature of the band, they showed its potential and interested Anton Corbijn, a photographer and music video maker who worked with Depeche Mode and Joy Division. The result was a long-term collaboration that seriously influenced the group’s image.

The song “New Year’s Day” from the band’s third album, “War”, entered the UK and US charts, becoming an international hit. “Sunday Bloody Sunday” from the same album was hailed by Rolling Stone as proof that the band was capable of writing “deep and expressive lyrics”. Its main themes were the condemnation of religious hatred and calls for Christians to unite against evil and death. In general, the collection was dedicated to the unrest in Northern Ireland.

This is not the only time the band’s music has become a response to historical events. For example, the 4th studio album, “The Unforgettable Fire”, was dedicated to the Chicago exhibition of the same name of drawings of people who survived the events in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Despite their fears of appearing “intrusive” and “noisy,” the band members were unwilling to follow the beaten path. According to Clayton, when writing songs for him, they were looking for something serious and pretentious. And Edge’s fascination with the “otherworldly” work of Brian Eno turned out to be exactly what was needed. They radically changed the style and actively experimented.

Chris Blackwell, one of the leaders of Island Records, with whom they collaborated on the first three albums, believed that Eno would bury the band’s popularity in “avant-garde delirium”, but the members did not follow his lead and were right. For the fifth album “The Joshua Tree” (1987), the group received 2 Grammy awards – “Album of the Year” and “Best Rock Group”. Its success propelled U2 to unprecedented heights: their photo appeared on the cover of Time, where they were called “rock’s hottest ticket”, and during the concert tour to promote it, they first began to fill stadiums for their performances.

The sixth album “Rattle and Hum” (1988) also served as the soundtrack to the documentary. The fans were delighted, and the critics were controversial. Rolling Stone called it both “exciting” and “misleading” in their article.

The next album, Achtung Baby (1991), is considered darker and more innovative. The group radically changed their image during the recording. This was followed by Zoo Tv Tour – a multimedia show with outrageous characters performed by Bono (Fly, Mirrorball Man, etc.), who called President George W. Bush and the UN. This caused controversy even among ardent fans. During this period, the group recorded the album “Zooropa” (1993). This was followed by writing soundtracks for video hits such as “Batman Forever”, “Mission Impossible” and “Golden Eye” from the James Bond series. The next album, “Pop” (1997), reached number one on the charts in 35 countries. Rolling Stone named the compositions from his track list the best music in the history of the group. At the same time, many fans of U2 became disillusioned with their idols just after the release of this album, and sales of the record were anti-records. Music experts are of the opinion that “Pop” was U2’s last “great” album.

The performance in post-war Sarajevo that followed the album’s premiere left a lasting impression on them, according to the band members. They became the first musical group of world renown, who dared to visit the city. According to Bono, it was one of the “heaviest and sweetest” nights of his life.

In early 2002, the band performed at halftime of the American Super Bowl. Sports Illustrated called the U2 show the best ever.

In 2004, Apple released a limited edition red iPod with the band members autographed on the back, and an exclusive “Complete U2” set containing previously unreleased songs appeared on iTunes. Proceeds from sales were donated to charitable organizations.

In 2005, the group appeared in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2006 received Grammy awards in all 5 categories in which they were nominated. In the same year, they released their autobiography “U2 by U2”.

The album “No Line on the Horizon” was released in 2009. The 4-year gap between album releases was the longest in the band’s history. During this period, the members repeatedly fueled the interest of fans with statements about upcoming records. For example, Bono said that they “hit the ceiling with the last two albums” and want to go to the next level, while The Edge said that the new collection will be very melodic. It was received positively by fans and critics. The U2 360° Tour followed.

In 2013, the band released the soundtrack to the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. The track “Ordinary Love”, written in honor of Nelson Mandela, won the Golden Globe in 2014 and was nominated for an Oscar.

The album “Songs of Innocence” (2014) has been purchased on iTunes over 500 million times. Tim Cook called it “the biggest release of all time”. Bono described it as “the most personal”. However, an unpleasant story was connected with its release. “Songs of Innocence” was downloaded to all Apple devices without warning, and it could only be deleted using a special application.

Collaborations with other artists

• The movie “Rattle and Hum” contains songs the band performed with Bob Dylan and BB King.
• The composition, written by the group for the film “Golden Eye”, was performed by Tina Turner.
• Bono and The Edge wrote the song “She’s a Mystery to Me” for Roy Orbison, which was included on his 1989 album Mystery Girl.
• American writer William Burroughs, shortly before his death, appeared in the band’s “Last Night on Earth” video. In it, he reads a poem from his book Tornado Alley.
• In 2007, Bono appeared in the film Across the Universe, where he performed songs by the Beatles.
• Bono and The Edge co-created the musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. Edge subsequently wrote the theme music for the first 2 seasons of the Batman animated series.
• In 2008, U2 recorded the song “The Saints Are Coming” with American pop punk band Green Day.

Scandals

In 2008, a fan from the Netherlands, being under the windows of Bono’s house, managed to record 4 compositions being prepared for release on his mobile phone. However, 24 hours after he posted the booty on Youtube, they were removed due to copyright infringement.

In 2014, Bono’s Songs of Innocence fell off his bike. Fractured humerus, facial injuries and a broken little finger led to speculation that he would never be able to play the guitar again. However, the musician managed to recover.

Discography

• Boy (1980)
• October (1981)
• War (1983)
• The Unforgettable Fire (1984)
• The Joshua Tree (1987)
• Rattle and Hum (1988)
• Achtung Baby (1991)
• Zooropa (1993)
• Pop (1997)
• All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000)
• How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004)
• No Line on the Horizon (2009)
• Songs of Innocence (2014)
• Songs of Experience (2017)

U2 group now

In 2017, the album “Songs of Experience” was released, which became a logical continuation of “Songs of Innocence”. It was supposed to be released a year earlier, but was rewritten due to Brexit and the 2016 US election. The last two albums are being actively promoted by the band with the 2018 “Experience + Innocence Tour”, which began on May 2.