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U2 Biography. Download U2 songs to MP3 for free - music selection and albums of the artist - listen to music online at Zaitsev.net U2 hits

Founded in 1976, U2 has been one of the most popular and successful groups in the world. Approximately 170 million copies of the group's albums have been sold. As of 2006, they have twenty-two Grammy awards to their credit.

Story

On February 8, 2006, U2 were presented with a Grammy Award in each of the five categories in which they were nominated: Album of the Year (for How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb), Song of the Year (for Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own), Best Rock Album (for How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb), Best Rock Performance with Vocals (for Sometimes You Can't...), Best Rock Song (for City of Blinding Lights) .

On September 25, the group released an autobiography called U2 by U2 ("U2 about U2"). Continuing the theme of a look into the past, on November 21, 2006, the album U2 18 Singles (“U2's 18 singles”) was released, which includes 16 of the most famous songs bands and two new ones: The Saints Are Coming ("The Saints are Coming"), performed together with green day, and Window in the Skies. There is a one- and two-disc edition, as well as a limited edition with DVD, which contains video from the Vertigo Tour in Milan.

In October 2006, U2, after years of collaboration with Island Records, signed with Mercury Records, which, like IR, is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.

On March 2, 2009, the 12th studio album"No Line on the Horizon", which took first place in the UK and US music charts for the first 2 weeks.
For the 33 years of its existence, the group from Dublin has achieved such success for the seventh time in America, and for the tenth time in their homeland.
No Line on the Horizon sold 484,000 discs in the US in its first week of release, according to music magazine Billboard.
This is lower than the record set in 2004 by the previous album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (“How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb”), however, it should be noted that this time the album was leaked on the Internet two weeks before the official release.

U2-Another Day

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U2-Magnificent

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Discography and most significant achievements

U2 - With or Without You

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U2 - "No Line On The Horizon" (2009): A living classic?

What is this? Live classic? The soundtrack to the rising sun, the pouring rain and the rainbow? Charity anthem or the best record of the past decade? This is a combination of all of the above. This " No Line On The Horizon", the 11th studio album by the cult Irish band U2. An album that predictably climbed to the top of the world charts and collected an impressive amount of admiring reviews from music critics.
During the first week of sales, 485,000 discs with covers designed in the Minimal Art style flowed from the music shelves to the music lovers' collection. There could be more, but a few weeks before the official release, the album, thanks to the ubiquitous pirates, was available for download on the Internet. This fact does not seem to upset the energetic U2 lead singer at all. Bono. He participates in the election campaign of Barack Obama, writes music for the musical about Spider-Man (!) and raises money for charities, which seems almost impossible, given the wide geography of the recording of "No Line On The Horizon" - Fes, New York, Dublin and London.
Let's leave it, the result is important for us. 11 songs. 53 minutes and 45 seconds of a fun puzzle game made for us by rock missionaries from Dublin. One of the few veterans of the rock scene who do not engage in self-repetition and do not try to fill someone else's niche.
Song of the same name No Line on the Horizon”, coming first on the list, does not give us time to prepare, immediately pressing the listener with a dense guitar sound and an energetic beat performed by a modest Edge And Larry Mullen.

U2 No Line On The Horizon

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U2 - I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight

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U2: Live at Red Rocks - Under a Blood Red Sky 1/9

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50 facts about U2

New York Post, November 23, 2004

BONO, 44

1 Dropped out of school at 16
2. Sleeps 4 hours a day
3. Likes George W. Bush (thinks he's funny), Condoleezza Rice and Ton Blair.
4. Wears a rosary given to him by the Pope
5. Regrets having a mullet in the "80s
6. Keep fit while boxing
7. Drives a battered Volvo
8. Keeps his famous Zoo TV glasses in a locked vault in Dublin
9. Long before Bono was born, a medium told his mother that she would have a son who would become famous, no matter what profession he chose.
10. Nicknamed "Antichrist" at school because of the many problems that accompanied him.
11. After jumping into the crowd at concerts, he often listens to calls "from the fire department" from his band late at night.
12. Working with Brooklyn-based designer Rogan on a new line of jeans.
13. Says he needs to hear that he is loved 12 times a day
14. Married for 22 years to his high school girlfriend Alison Stewart, despite the fact that she once kicked him out of the house
15. Was R.E.M.'s Peter Buck's bail when he was "serving" probation for being a hooligan on an airplane.
16. Has an apartment on Central Park West
17. He has four children from 2 to 13 years old
18. Married Christy Turlington to Ed Barnes
19. Allergy to red wine
20. Stopped dyeing my hair black because I "began to look like Roy Orbison"

ADAM CLAYTON 44

21. Doesn't drive at night after eye surgery
22. Was engaged to Naomi Campbell
23. Was the best man at Bono's wedding
24. He was kicked out of two schools for smoking, drinking and fighting.
25. Kept the band alive in the early 80s when the other three members were about to quit and dedicate themselves to God.
26. Charged with drunk driving in 1984 and possession of marijuana in 1993
27. Declares that now he does not drink at all
28. Hates any responsibility
29. During the tour, Zoo TV got so drunk that the band's bass player had to replace him during the whole show.

THE EDGE 43

30. The first of the group married in 1985 to his school friend Aislinn O "Sullivan, whom he later divorced
31. Now he lives in Europe, then in Los Angeles, because. his current wife is American (she performed belly dancing to Mysterious Ways during the Zoo TV tour)
32. Thinks that Bono should not have been photographed with George W. Bush and the Pope
33. As a child, I wanted to become a doctor or an engineer.
34. Almost left U2 in the early 80s for religious reasons
35. For a long time listened to ridicule about his music collection, in which there is nothing recorded before 1976
36. Larry Mullen calls "Lawrence"

LARRY MULLEN 43

37. Hates cats because of some incident in childhood
38. Bono called him Dorian Gray because of his ageless appearance.
39. Likes Echo & the Bunnymen
40. Like Edge, he has a son named Aaron
41. Thinks Bono is his best friend.
42. Known for being somewhat stingy: U2's manager says "Mullen still hasn't spent the first money he made with the band"
43. Worships Elvis Presley
44. Likes to go to secondhand music stores
45. Like Bono, he lives with his school friend, with whom they have been together since the age of 13. They are not married
46. Avid football fan
47. Always very shy, still the most shy member of U2
48. Suffering from chronic back pain because he never learned to sit properly on the drums.
49. According to Bono, Larry can't lie.
50. Ignores the group bus, preferring to ride a motorcycle

U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday

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U2 3D - Concert film of the legendary band

In theaters since October 24, 2008
Year:
Genre: concert film
Production: USA
Duration: 85 min
Description:
The world's only 3D concert film legendary band"U2", filmed using the latest 3D technology during the band's last tour. The project "U2 3D" will take the viewer to a crowded stadium and turn the concert of the group "U2" into a truly unforgettable spectacle. For more than a quarter of a century, the U2 group has been known not only for its bright citizenship and musical originality, but also for technical innovations. "U2 3D" is the first project in the history of cinema and music, when a live concert was filmed at once on many three-dimensional cameras. Volumetric digital graphics and multi-channel sound, combined with the dizzying performance skills of the musicians, add up to an incredible show, as close as possible to a real concert of the band. “What was great about filming the U2 concerts was that the guys didn’t just sing, but offered a whole journey into the world of their songs,” says film producer Sandy Kliman. “The U2 3D project combines the best features of cinema and a live stadium concert, but, in fact, this is a spectacle of a completely new quality, immersing the viewer in a world where the line between real and virtual is almost erased.”

Could aspiring drummer Larry Mullen have thought that the rock band he created back in 1976 would become world famous and have a million-strong army of fans? He just posted an ad about recruiting a new Music band and three young musicians responded to it: Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton.

The mystery of the origin of the name of the new project has remained unsolved. Many people think that it comes from the designation of a reconnaissance aircraft. Members of the collective claim that it was simply chosen at random from a list. But, one way or another, everyone now knows U 2.

For some time, the group was little known, they honed their skills in playing the instrument, Bono developed his own unique style of performing songs. Fortune smiled on the young team in 1978 when they won the music competition. The musicians received £500 and the opportunity to demo at Keystone Studios. That was all they needed, just a month later Paul McGuinness becomes their manager. Initially, like many aspiring artists, they copied the performance style of famous colleagues, but after some time, gaining confidence and finding their own individual style, they themselves became superstars.

In the second half of the 80s, they already had 4 albums and an army of fans. They were loved for their lyrical, filled deep meaning songs, the great sound of Edge's guitar, Bono's unusual, catchy vocals. The album "The Joshua Tree", released in 1987, brought them to the top of Olympus and made them a legend for a whole generation. It was created at the intersection of various musical styles and was something revolutionary for that time.

Of course, one of the most striking compositions in rock music of the nineties was the ballad One. The composition, which was released as a single in 1992, topped the charts in many countries. She gave rise to a lot of speculation about true sense text, which was facilitated by three video clips shot by different directors. But let's start with the story behind the song One.

Song Melody

In 1991, U2 worked on the album Achtung Baby at Hansa Studios in Berlin. The group went to the capital of Germany for inspiration, hoping to find it in a newly united and optimistic country. The U2 members, who were increasingly at odds, believed that in such an environment it would be easier for them to find a common language and work fruitfully.

Their expectations were justified, and the key moment, after which the work on the new record began to boil, was the recording of the composition One. Edge described her as follows:

This song became central during the recording of the album, the first breakthrough in a series of incredibly difficult sessions.

The song's melody came from Edge improvising on acoustic guitar as he played chord progressions from the band's old songs. At some point, the rest of the members began to like what he was doing, and they joined Edge. Then the music took about fifteen minutes.

Lyrics

The lyrics to One were written by Bono. At that time, he was thinking about the possible breakup of the group, the relationship of fathers and children, the need to learn to forgive, and so on. All this found expression in the words of the composition. It is also said that he took the line “one but not the same” from his letter to the Dalai Lama, in which he refused to take part in the Oneness festival.

It's a song about living together, but not in the spirit of the old hippies, like: "Let's all live together." In fact, it means the opposite. It says, "We are one, but we are not the same." It's not even that we want to get along with each other, but we have to get along in this world, since it is not destined to disappear. This is a reminder that we have no choice.

Before Bono explained what he meant to One, the band's fans had some interesting guesses, based largely on the plot of the music videos. We prefer to stick to the version that Bono expressed, so we will not list all the assumptions.

The group U2 finalized the song One already in their homeland, in Ireland. The process was difficult. Its participants, which also included Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, argued a lot, constantly changed something and continued to experiment. But everyone was happy with the result.

Recording and release

March 1992 Year One was released as the third single from the album Achtung Baby and immediately soared to the top of the charts in many countries. Since then, it has been considered one of the best songs of the rock band U2. Most of the proceeds from the sale of the single went to the AIDS Relief Fund.

On Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, One is ranked 36th. She also appears in many other authoritative rankings and even tops some of them.

Music videos

Three clips were filmed for the song One. This video was created by Anton Corbijn.

Next Clip One U2 was introduced by director Phil Joanou.

Axl Rose said he cried when he first heard One.
The cover of the single features a photograph taken by David Wojnarowicz. On it, bison, driven by Indian hunters, fall from a cliff. The artist identified himself with these animals.
Many fans told the band members that they danced to One at their wedding. This made the musicians from U2 astonished, because the main idea of the song does not correspond to such a solemn moment.

One

Is it getting better?
Or do you feel the same?
Will it make it easier on you now?
You got someone to blame
you say

one love
one life
When it's one need
In the night
one love
We get to share it
Leave you baby if you
Don't care for it

Did I disappoint you?
Or leave a bad taste in your mouth?
You act like you never had love
And you want me to go without
Well it's

too late
Tonight
To drag the past out into the light
We're one, but we're not the same
We get to
Carry each other
Carry each other
One

Have you come here for forgiveness?
Have you come to raise the dead?
Have you come here to play Jesus?
To the lepers in your head

Did I ask too much?
More than a lot.
You gave me nothing
Now it's all I got
We're one
But we're not the same
well we
Hurt each other
Then we do it again
you say
love is a temple
Love a higher law
love is a temple
Love the higher law
You ask me to enter
But then you make me crawl
And I can't be holding on
What you got
When all you got is hurt

one love
one blood
one life
You got to do what you should
one life
With each other
Sisters
brothers
one life
But we're not the same
We get to
Carry each other
Carry each other

One Lyrics

Are you better?
Or do you feel the same way?
Are you feeling better now?
Do you have someone to blame
You say

One Love
One life
When there is a general need
At night
One Love
We must share it
She'll leave you baby if you
You won't keep her

Did I disappoint you?
Or left a bad aftertaste?
You act like you never loved
And you want me to do without love
Well

Too late
Tonight
Bring out the past
We are one but we are not the same
We have to
Take care of each other
Take care of each other
United

Did you come here for forgiveness?
Have you come to resurrect the dead?
Have you come to play Jesus?
With lepers in your head

Did I ask too much of you?
More than
You didn't give me anything
And that's all I have
We are one,
But we are not the same
Well we
We offend each other
And we repeat it again
You say,
Love is a temple
Love is the highest law
Love is a temple
Love is the highest law
love the higher law
You ask me to come in
But then you make me crawl
And I can't hold on
What do you have,
If all you have left is heartache

One Love
One blood
One life
You gotta do what you gotta do
One life
Together
sisters
Brothers
One life
But we are not the same
We have to
Take care of each other
Take care of each other

Song quote

... a bitter, confused, sarcastic conversation between two people who have gone through some kind of difficulties and abominations

It's incredibly hard to pick a top 10 song from a band like U2. For all my creative career the musicians have released twelve studio records. Edge's guitar style has influenced an incredible number of bands, and the notorious Bono still wins various awards. For example, in July of this year, he was awarded the title of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Literature at a ceremony in Paris.

But let's not deviate from the topic (and there is where to deviate) and present you with a list of the top ten songs by U2 according to the site.

Where The Streets Have No Name
Album: The Joshua Tree (1987)

The Joshua Tree disc became very important for U2 musicians. It was the first album to sell wildly all over the world. It was he who turned the band members into stars and is still one of the best records released over the past 25 years. And the opening song Where The Streets Have No Name sets the mood for the entire release.

Sunday Bloody Sunday
Album: War (1983)

This song is an example of how Bono expresses a political view in his lyrics. The composition Sunday Bloody Sunday tells about the events of January 30, 1972, which took place in the city of Derry (Northern Ireland). The Government of the United Kingdom opened fire unexpectedly on the demonstrators, killing 14 people.

With Or Without You
Album: The Joshua Tree (1987)

Well, we couldn't get past it. With Or Without You is one of the Irish band's biggest hits. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks! It was here that the theme of Edge's "infinite guitar" was revealed. The musicians immediately realized that With Or Without You had a great future.

One
Album: Achtung Baby (1991)

While working on the Achtung Baby album, the band members had a conflict about what style the band should play next. This situation nearly led to the breakup of the band. But after Bono and the rest of the musicians started experimenting with song One everything fell into place. She was the one who saved the day. " Text One just fell out of the sky. It was definitely a sign from above, ”Bono later admitted.

Discoteque
Album: Pop (1997)

And who said you can't dance to U2 songs? In this track, the musicians decided to experiment with electronics. Even Howie B was invited to the recording, who wrote the synthetic drums. After the release, Discoteque sounded on all the world's dance floors. But old U2 fans were skeptical about the song.

beautiful day
Album: All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000)

After various experiments with music, the musicians decided to return to their usual sound. Here's what R.E.M. frontman had to say about Beautiful Day. Michael Stipe: “I really love this song. I'm sorry I didn't write it, and they know I'm sorry I didn't write it." The track reached the top of the national charts in Australia, Canada, Britain and Ireland.

Bad
Album: The Unforgettable Fire (1984)

One of the most favorite songs of the band's fans. It's strange that it never came out as a single. The track about heroin addiction was played at the international charity festival Live Aid, which brought the group a considerable push forward.

Numb
Album: Zooropa (1993)

The song is unique in its own way, as the vocal part is performed by the guitarist Edge. And the drums were borrowed from the Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will, directed by Leni Riefenstahl.

Vertigo
Album: How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (2004)

After its release, the single Vertigo immediately won as many as 3 Grammys! And Rolling Stone included it in the list of the best songs of the 2000s. By the way, at first the musicians wanted to call it Full Metal Jacket, but before the release of the record they changed their minds in time.

Pride (In The Name Of Love)
Album: The Unforgettable Fire (1984)

Pride (In The Name Of Love) was dedicated to Martin Luther King. Many critics spoke negatively about the song, but this did not stop her from becoming one of the most commercially successful songs by U2.

Ireland, 1976 A handwritten piece of paper appears on a bulletin board in a Dublin school: Larry Mullen is looking for partners to form a rock band. This indiscreet cry of the soul was answered by three young men who were led only by fate itself. Their names were Paul Hewson, future vocalist of Bono, David Evans, future guitarist of The Edge, and bassist Adam Clayton. After trying several titles, the four finally settled on the short but decisive U2. This name can be deciphered in two ways: firstly, it was the name of the brand of the famous American spy plane, and secondly, the phonetic form of this word is close to the expression "you too" ("you too"). Thus, the musicians, by their very name, declared the social orientation of the group's work.

1978 After a year of rehearsals and first public appearances, U2 arrive at the Limerick Young Artists Festival. And they become winners. That year, one of the leaders of CBS worked on the jury of the festival, which offered the young team a contract for the release of several singles. For two years, the group has been releasing five singles one by one, which today have already become history: "Out Of Control", "Stories For Boys", "Boy-Girl", Another Day "and" Twilight ". But the CBS management is unhappy with their wards and terminates the contract.

In January 1980, the Irish quartet learn that they have won five music awards in a Hot Press reader's poll. For more than a year now, Paul McGuinness has been managing the group, and U2 still does not have its own label.

After a triumphant performance at the National Boxing Stadium, a rep from Island Records offered U2 a contract backstage. The debut album is produced by Steve Lillywhite, who has worked with Ultravox and Siouxie & the Banshees. He is only 25 years old, however, he is the oldest of all participants in what is happening. The song "I Will Follow" is chosen as the first single, the first album "Boy" soon appears, which receives excellent reviews. In the fall, U2 will make their first appearance before the American public, performing concerts in ten US cities.

1981 Bono, Edge, Adam and Larry spend January and February on an English tour, driving around the country in an ordinary van, led by Paul McGuinness. The last show of the tour took place at London's Lyceum Ballroom, which was packed to capacity.
And at the end of February, U2's big American tour begins, which lasted three months and was a great success. In April, the musicians took a short break to record a new single "Fire" in the Bahamas, which appeared at number 35 in the UK charts.
During the summer in Dublin they are working on their second album with Steve Lillywhite. In early autumn, another new single "Gloria" will be presented to the public, and a new disc "October" will be released in October. At this time, U2 is touring the United Kingdom with a promotional tour, where the album was lucky enough to reach the 11th line of the rating, but in the United States "October" did not even make the Top 100, although it received good reviews. At some point, for religious reasons, the musicians suddenly decide to end rock music and no longer perform in support of the album. McGuinness spent a lot of time and effort to convince them, reminding them how many people are waiting for the band and love their music. In December, the musicians return to the States to give several concerts.

January 1982 U2 is greeted with a tour of Ireland, which ends with a grand show in Dublin in front of 5,000 spectators. After Ireland, the road leads them back to the USA, where they act as a support group with the J. Geils Band, gathering 10-15 thousand stadiums. The finale of the tour takes place in New York on March 17, at the Ritz Hotel. In the summer, Bono is married to Alison Stewart (Alison Stewart), and during honeymoon, held in Jamaica, composes songs for the upcoming album. In the fall, the musicians gather again in the Windmill Lane studio and record their third disc "War".
1983 was a turning point in U2's career. In January, first the single "New Years Day" was released, and soon the album "War". He was destined to rise to the 12th position of the American charts, and by March 1983 - to lead the English rating. The group's American tour is going on with unprecedented excitement. The audience is eager to see the tricks of Bono, who famously climbs the balconies of the theater halls or the metal structures on the stage, waving a white banner, and is able to ecstasy even his colleagues on the stage, as happened on May 28 at the San Bernardino festival, where the show was watched by more than 200 thousand people. A week later, U2 are in Colorado to realize one of their crazy ideas - to give a concert in the natural rocky amphitheater Red Rocks. A live album based on the show's footage, "Under a Blood Red Sky", produced by Jimmy Jovine, is released in November (together with the video version) and peaked at number two on the UK charts. This recording became one of the most successful live versions of the album in the history of music.

1984 the musicians begin with the preparation of the next studio long-play. Bono approaches Brian Eno to produce a new record, but former member Roxy Music firmly refuses. However, Bono does not let up and by all available means - calls, letters and persuasion - achieves his goal. In July, Bono sings a duet with Bob Dylan, who performs at Slane Castle outside Dublin.
In August, U2 founded their own record label, Mother Records, to help young talents, especially their fellow countrymen. All summer long work continues on a new album, called "Unforgettable Fire". The single "Pride" that preceded it hits the UK Top 3, and the album itself, released in September, immediately tops the chart, and reaches the 12th line of the chart in the United States.

1985 - U2 embark on a big American stadium tour, by which time the upcoming European tour is nearly sold out. In March, the authoritative American monthly "Rolling Stone" places the Irish four on the cover and calls them the most significant group of the 80s.
In May, the band releases a new single, "Unforgettable Fire", which will hit the UK Top 6. In July, U2 perform at the famous Live Aid show in London, and their appearance causes a sensation. The emotional culmination of the whole show is the song "Bad", presented on the latest album "Unforgettable Fire".
In the United States, meanwhile, the "Wide Awake In America" mini-album is on sale, which is announced as a story about a recent US tour. The English fans of the group showed much more interest in the publication, guaranteeing the album 11th place in the country charts. In November, Bono, who has never limited his life to music and actively responded to social and political issues, participates in the recording of the single "Sun City", published under the title "Artists Against Apartheid".
1986 begins with Bono's appearance on the UK Top 20 - success brought him the single "In A Lifetime", recorded with Clannad. In March, in honor of the 25th anniversary of Amnesty International, U2 embark on a world tour called "Conspiracy Of Hope". For more than a year, the musicians have been thinking about the next album, and in August they begin the studio stage. Together with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois they are recording twenty new songs. Not all of them got on the new disc, the rest were released later as different b-sides. Meanwhile, Edge is trying his hand at cinema and, together with Sinead O "Connor, is working on the soundtrack for the film "The Captive".

Outside in 1987. If in 83 U2 went international, now they are becoming the most famous rock band on the planet. In February 1987, the four began their largest world tour at that time, which lasted until December and resulted in 110 concerts. In March, the seventh album "The Joshua Tree" is published, produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. In the very first weeks, he is at the top of the hit parade on both sides of the Atlantic. Musically very strong, it received excellent reviews. Before us is a really mature and solid work, in which U2 take on such serious topics as drugs, the fate of political prisoners in South America, and US interference in Nicaragua's domestic politics.
On March 27, the band blocked traffic in downtown Los Angeles while filming the video for the song "Where The Streets Have No Name". U2 climbed to the top of the building to sing from there. The people who gathered to stare at U2 caused considerable traffic jams on different sides of the filming location. The soon-to-be-released single "With Or Without You" became the leader of the American chart.
The following year, 1988, passed relatively calmly. In America, another single from the last LP "The Joshua Tree" is released, and the album itself brings the group two Grammy awards in the nominations "Best Album" and "Best Rock Band".
In September, Bono and The Edge take part in the recording of Roy Orbison's "Mystery Girl" CD, which symbolizes the return of this American hero to big stage. In October, the film "Rattle and Hum" and its soundtrack based on material from the US tour will be released. This is a documentary of the band's last two years, made up of live recordings and rare and unreleased U2 tracks.
In 1989, musicians who continue to tour around the world feel tired from the stage and from their overly active concert activity. This does not escape the attention of the critics who have reviewed "Rattle and Hum". Playing for Australian audiences this autumn, the musicians are already considering what direction they will take when the tour is over. Such an existence threatens to turn them into a success-weary, very expensive jukebox.
In 1990, U2 processed the accumulated new material. On the advice of Brian Eno, who often visited Berlin, where he recorded three albums with David Bowie, the musicians come to Germany. Here, at the Hansa studio, they begin to conjure over the future album, which little by little is structured and acquires certain features under the constant guidance of Eno and Lanois.

For almost the whole of 1991, the group was engaged only in their new long-play. Already at the very end of the year, preceded by the single "The Fly", the ninth album "Achtung Baby" is presented to the listeners. Before us is a completely different U2 - an irresistible mixture of past and future, painstaking work, the latest technologies and charming melodies. "Achtung Baby" became a blockbuster and sold 10 million copies, although it caused some split in the slender ranks of fans who perceived it ambiguously.
Almost all of 1992 was given over to Zoo TV tours. Unsurpassed rock and roll drive, new ideas and technologies after the first round of the world aroused great interest among the public.
In 1993, the Zoo TV Tour became the Zooropa Tour. In the middle of the year, U2 released an album of the same name. "Zooropa" was the perfect follow-up to "Achtung Baby" drawing inspiration from the same themes that had been developed in a slightly lighter version.
In 1995, the Irish four took part in the grandiose concert of Pavarotti International, which is the star of the world opera stage holds for the benefit of the children of Sarajevo. Together with the same faithful Brian Eno, they are recording the album "Passengers", a rather original project, made in the style of futuristic ambient.
In 1997 U2 released a new album "Pop". This release opens a new chapter in U2's discography, and was the first time the band worked on it with Howie B. The record turned out to be uneven, both in terms of composition and in terms of sound. But the tour in support of the album went down in the annals as the most grandiose project carried out by human forces. The excitement around U2 concerts reached such proportions that attendance records were set one after another. For example, in Italy, the Irish gathered a number of people still unsurpassed in this country - more than 150 thousand people at one performance.

1998 is devoted to studio work on the next album, which is recorded again with Eno and Lanois. In parallel, the band released an anthology called "The Best Of 1980-1990", which covered the peaks of the band's work in the first decade of its existence and included some rare b-sides.
The year 2000 was remembered by the band's fans thanks to the work on the soundtrack for the film "The Million Dollar Hotel" directed by Wim Wenders. And then - the release of a new long-play "All That You Can" t Leave Behind, in which, having been satisfied with the experiments in the album "Pop", the group returns to the original sound again. And it does it with envy, as the album turns out to be the leader of the hit parades no less - in 31 countries of the world.
In 2001, the group continues to tour incredibly much, and the beginning of the year finds the musicians in Los Angeles, where they are awarded three Grammy awards at once. All three went to the single "Beautiful Day". By this time, U2 already has 10 top music awards.
In 2002, the band's discography was enriched with the continuation of the anthology "The Best Of 1990-2002", dedicated to the second decade of their career and including unreleased tracks "Electrical Storm" and "The Hands That Built America". The U2 award list is also growing. At the 2002 Grammy Awards, Bono and company are asked to come up on stage four times. "All That You Can" t Leave Behind "was named the best rock album, the track "Walk On" received the award - "Record of the Year", two more songs were awarded - "Stuck In a Moment That You Can" t Get Out Of" and "Elevation".

2003 began for the Irish four with good news. U2's "The Hands That Built America", written specifically for Martin Scorsese's "Gangs Of New York", won the prestigious Golden Globe Award for Best Original Motion Picture Song.
Work on How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb began in late 2003. In July 2004, a "raw" recording of the album was stolen in Nice, France. In response, Bono said that if the album appeared in peer-to-peer networks, then it would immediately begin to be distributed through the iTunes store, and within a month it would appear on the shelves.

The album's first song, Vertigo ("Vertigo"), was released on September 22, 2004 and became an international hit. Apple, along with U2, released a special edition of the iPod player. Exclusive set released on iTunes The Complete U2 ("U2 in full"), which included previously unreleased material. The proceeds were donated to charities.

The album was released on November 22, 2004, opening at No. 1 in 32 countries including Ireland, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. In the US alone, the album sold 840,000 copies in its first week, about double the sales of All that You Can't Leave Behind in the same time period; it was a personal best for the group. That same year, Bruce Springsteen inducted U2 in 2005 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In March 2005, U2 launched the Vertigo Tour in the United States. It then went on to Europe and Latin America. A large number of songs were performed at concerts, including those that the public had not heard since the early 80s: The Electric Co., An Cat Dubh/Into the Heart. The March 2006 performances in Japan, New Zealand, Australia and Hawaii were postponed until November/December due to the illness of one of the group member's relatives. Like the Elevation Tour, Vertigo ... enjoyed great commercial success.

On September 25, the group released an autobiography called U2 by U2 ("U2 about U2"). Continuing the theme of a look into the past, on November 21, 2006, the album U2 18 Singles (“U2 18 singles”) was released, which includes 16 of the group’s most famous songs and two new ones: The Saints Are Coming (“The Saints are Coming”), performed together with Green Day, and Window in the Skies ("Window in Heaven"). There is a one- and two-disc edition, as well as a limited edition with DVD, which contains video from the Vertigo Tour in Milan.

In October 2006, U2, after years of collaboration with Island Records, signed with Mercury Records, which, like IR, is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.

On March 2, 2009, the 12th studio album "No Line on the Horizon" was released in Europe, which during the first 2 weeks took first place in the music charts in Britain and the USA.
For the 33 years of its existence, the group from Dublin has achieved such success for the seventh time in America, and for the tenth time in their homeland.
No Line on the Horizon sold 484,000 discs in the US in its first week of release, according to music magazine Billboard.
This is lower than the record set in 2004 by the previous album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb ("How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb"), but it should be noted that this time the album was leaked on the Internet two weeks before the official release.
Official website of the group: www.u2.com

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