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U2

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Performers and composers

                            U2
   The Edge, Bono, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen, Jr.
   The Edge, Bono, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen, Jr.
                  Background information
   Origin       Dublin, Ireland
   Genre(s)     Range includes:
                Rock
                Post-punk
                Alternative rock
                Pop
   Years active 1976–present
   Label(s)     Island Records
                MCA Music, Inc.
                Interscope
                Mercury Records
   Website      www.u2.com
                          Members
   Bono
   The Edge
   Adam Clayton
   Larry Mullen Jr.

   U2 is a rock band from Dublin, Ireland, featuring Bono (Paul David
   Hewson) on vocals, rhythm guitar and harmonica; The Edge (David Howell
   Evans) on lead guitar, keyboards and vocals; Adam Clayton on bass
   guitar; and Larry Mullen Jr. on drums, percussion and occasional
   vocals.

   Formed in 1976, U2 has consistently remained among the most popular
   acts in the world since the mid 1980s. The band has sold approximately
   50.5 million albums in the U.S., according to the RIAA, and upwards of
   140 million worldwide, has had six #1 albums in the US and nine #1
   albums in the UK and are one of the most successful bands of the rock
   era. The band has won 22 Grammy awards, more than any other recording
   artist.

   The band is also politically active in human rights and charitable
   causes, such as the Make Poverty History campaign as well as Live Aid,
   Live 8, Bono's DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade in Africa) campaign, and The
   Edge's Music Rising.

History

Formation and breakthrough (1976–1979)

   The band was formed in Dublin, Ireland on Saturday, 25 September 1976 .
   Larry Mullen, Jr., then fourteen, posted a notice on his secondary
   school bulletin board ( Mount Temple Comprehensive School) seeking
   musicians for a new band. The response that followed that note resulted
   in seven boys attending the initial practice in Larry's kitchen. Known
   for about a day as "The Larry Mullen Band," the group featured Mullen
   on drums, Adam Clayton on bass guitar, Paul Hewson (Bono) on vocals,
   Dave Evans (The Edge) and his brother Dik Evans on guitar, as well as
   Mullen's friends Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin. Soon after, the group
   settled on the name Feedback because of the amplifier noise phenomenon
   they favored. Martin only came to the first practice, and McCormick was
   out of the core group within a few weeks.

   After 18 months of rehearsals, Feedback changed its name to The Hype.
   The band performed with their new name at a talent show in Limerick,
   Ireland on 17 March 1978. One of the judges for the show happened to be
   CBS Records' Jackie Hayden. The band won the contest, earning a £500
   prize. Hayden was impressed enough with the band that he gave them
   studio time to record their first demo. Jackie Hayden would later work
   for Irish Magazine Hot Press.

   Dik Evans announced his departure in March 1978. The Hype performed a
   farewell show for Dik at the Community Centre in Howth. Dik walked
   offstage halfway through the set, later joining the Virgin Prunes, a
   fellow Dublin band. The remaining four members finished their
   performance as U2. In May, Paul McGuinness, who had been introduced to
   the band by Hot Press journalist Bill Graham, became U2's manager.

   The origin of the name U2 is not clear. Although it is also the name of
   a famous 1960s spyplane, the Dublin punk rock guru Steve Averill
   (better known as Steve Rapid of The Radiators From Space) claimed that
   it was chosen by the band from a list of ten names created by him and
   Adam Clayton. In an interview with Larry King, Bono is quoted as saying
   "I don't actually like the name U2," and "I honestly never thought of
   it as 'you too'."

   Influenced by Television and Joy Division, U2's early sound had a sense
   of exhilaration that resulted from The Edge's "radiant chords" and
   Bono's "ardent vocals", according to one author. U2's first release (an
   Ireland only EP), was in September 1979, entitled Three. Produced as a
   12 inch and subsequently a 7 inch, the first 1,000 12 inch copies were
   individually hand numbered, and went on to top the Irish charts. In
   December 1979, U2 performed in London, their first shows outside
   Ireland, but failed to get much attention from audiences or critics. In
   February 1980, their second single " Another Day" was released on the
   CBS label but again only for the Irish market.

Boy and October (1980-1982)

   Island Records signed the band in March 1980. U2 released its first
   international single " 11 O'Clock Tick Tock" in May 1980 and released
   its first album, Boy the following October. It was met with critical
   praise and is considered by some as one of the better debuts in rock
   history. Despite Bono’s unfocused, seemingly improvised lyrics, Boy had
   a specific theme – an examination of the hopes and frustrations of
   adolescence, touching on fear over sex, identity confusion, death and
   uncontrollable mood swings. The album gave the band their first hit
   single, " I Will Follow," which remains a fan favorite to this day.
   Boy's release was followed by U2's first tour beyond Ireland and the
   United Kingdom. Despite their unpolished nature, these early live
   performances nevertheless helped demonstrate U2's potential, as critics
   noted that Bono was a very "charismatic" and "passionate" showman. One
   critic was even reminded of a young Rod Stewart. U2 made their first
   appearance on US television on the Tomorrow show, on 4 June, 1981,
   performing " I Will Follow" and "Twilight".

   The band's second album, October, was released in 1981. The album
   contained spiritual lyrics with Bono, The Edge and Larry being
   committed Christians and making little effort to hide that fact. The
   three band members had joined a religious group in Dublin called "
   Shalom," which led all three to question the relationship between the
   Christian faith and the rock and roll lifestyle. While the Bible has
   remained a major source of inspiration for Bono’s lyric writing,
   October is U2's only overtly religious album and is generally held to
   be among their less successful work.

   Since 1982, Anton Corbijn has been the principal photographer for U2,
   having a major influence on their public image. Since their first
   encounter in February 1982 in New Orleans, they have had a longstanding
   friendship, mutual inspiration, and shared interest of rock history.

War (1983)

   In 1983, U2 returned with apparently a newfound sense of direction and
   the release of their third album, War. The album included the song
   "Sunday Bloody Sunday," which dealt with the troubles in Northern
   Ireland, including the IRA, using religious imagery and what many
   considered as forceful and almost rebellious lyrics. The ability to use
   a range of powerful images, taking a song initially about sectarian
   anger, and turn it into a call for Christians to unite and claim
   victory over death and evil, proved to many that the band was capable
   of deep and meaningful songwriting. When some Irish-Americans tried to
   misrepresent the song as a rallying call for the Provisional IRA Bono
   responded with what became one of his most recognizable phrases,
   notably the performance on the live EP Under a Blood Red Sky - "this
   song is not a rebel song. This song is Sunday Bloody Sunday."
   Furthermore, as captured in the concert film Rattle and Hum, during the
   performance of the song on 8 November, 1987 in the USA, the day after
   the IRA bombing in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, in
   which 11 people were killed during a Remembrance Day service (see
   Remembrance Day Bombing), Bono denounced the violence in Ireland and
   the Irish-American expatriates who supported it. Unlike the style and
   emotions conveyed by other musicians in the early 1980s, many saw in
   Bono anger and passion that were palpable, especially as demonstrated
   by his blunt assertion "Fuck the 'revolution'!"

   The album's first single, " New Year's Day", was U2's first
   international hit, reaching the #10 position on the UK charts and
   nearly cracking the Top 50 on the US charts. MTV put the "New Year's
   Day" video, directed by Meiert Avis, into heavy rotation, which
   immediately launched U2 to the mass American audience. For the first
   time, the band began performing to sold-out concerts in mainland Europe
   and the U.S. on their subsequent War Tour. The image of Bono waving a
   white flag during performances of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" became a
   familiar sight. U2 recorded the Under a Blood Red Sky EP on this tour
   and a live video was also released, both of which received radio and
   MTV play and helped expand the band's audience.

The Unforgettable Fire and Live Aid (1984-1985)

   The band released their fourth album, The Unforgettable Fire, in 1984
   with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois receiving producing credits. The album
   took the name and was partly inspired by an exhibition of paintings and
   drawings by survivors of the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It
   had a significant experimental aspect with the band striving to achieve
   a more atmospheric sound. Critics and fans alike found Bono's lyrics to
   be more subtle and poetic, while the Edge's guitar became more
   effects-driven and his sound more symphonic, and the rhythm section
   demonstrated its versatility. Some critics, such as Rolling Stone's
   Kurt Loder, however, found that The Unforgettable Fire ironically
   lacked the "fire" of U2's previous albums Although listeners would, for
   the most part hear a new sound from U2, their material, although less
   overtly so, remained political. " Pride (In the Name of Love)", a song
   about civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., was the first
   single, cracking the UK Top 5 and the US Top 40. Arguably the
   centerpiece of the album, the six-minute long " Bad" was to become a
   live favorite, but was never released as a single.

   The associated Unforgettable Fire Tour saw U2 playing indoor arenas for
   the first time. U2 also participated in the Live Aid concert at Wembley
   Stadium for Ethiopian famine relief in July 1985, which was seen by
   more than a billion people worldwide. U2 were not expected to be one of
   the main draws for the event, but the band provided the show with one
   of its most memorable moments, a relentless 13-minute version of "Bad"
   in which Bono hurdled off the stage to dance with a fan. The other band
   members were upset with Bono for spending the time they had planned for
   playing "Pride (In the Name of Love)," and Bono was convinced he had
   squandered a chance for promoting the band to a greater audience. Larry
   Mullen Jr. admitted that the rest of the band had considered leaving
   the stage as he was performing. The Live Aid version of "Bad" has
   however become one of U2's most renowned performances, and was an
   indication of the personal connection that Bono could make with
   audiences.

   In 1985, Rolling Stone magazine called U2 the "Band of the 80's,"
   saying 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." The
   band headlined 1986's A Conspiracy of Hope Tour for Amnesty
   International. This 6-show tour across the U.S. performed to sold-out
   arenas and stadiums, and helped Amnesty International triple its
   membership in the process. In May 1986, U2 headlined Self Aid, a
   benefit concert held in Dublin to highlight the chronic unemployment
   problem in Ireland at the time. The 14 hour concert was the largest
   that had ever been staged in Ireland and it was broadcast live in its
   entirety on Irish Television. U2's performance included spirited cover
   versions of 'C'mon Everybody' and 'Maggie's Farm'. Other acts who
   performed at the event included Van Morrison, The Boomtown Rats and
   Christy Moore.

The Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum (1986–1989)

   In March 1987, U2 released The Joshua Tree. The album debuted at #1 in
   the UK, quickly reached #1 in the U.S., and won the Grammy Award for
   Album of the Year, as well as a second Grammy for the " Where the
   Streets Have No Name" music video. The singles " With or Without You"
   and " I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" also quickly went to
   #1 in the U.S., with "Where the Streets Have No Name" being another
   heavily played track. U2 was the fourth rock band to be featured on the
   cover of Time magazine (following The Beatles, The Band, and The Who),
   who declared that U2 was "Rock's Hottest Ticket". The album, partly
   inspired by the band's fascination with America, contains country,
   blues and folk music influences, and is often cited as one of rock's
   great albums. The Joshua Tree Tour sold out stadiums around the world,
   the first time the band had consistently played venues of that size.

   The documentary Rattle and Hum featured footage recorded from various
   shows from The Joshua Tree Tour and the accompanying double album of
   the same name included 9 studio tracks and 6 live U2 performances.
   Released in record stores and cinemas in October 1988, the album and
   film were intended as a tribute to American music. Recorded, in part,
   at Sun Studios in Memphis (along with The Point Depot, Dublin,
   Ireland), with tracks performed with Bob Dylan and B.B. King, and a
   song about jazz legend Billie Holiday. Among the live recordings on the
   album were the Beatles' " Helter Skelter" and a cover version of Bob
   Dylan's famous song " All Along The Watchtower". Despite a positive
   reception from fans, Rattle and Hum received mixed-to-negative reviews
   from both film and music critics.

   After an 18-month break from touring, U2 went on the Lovetown Tour
   (with special guest B.B. King), which visited Australia, New Zealand,
   and Japan. The tour avoided the US and most of Europe. Perhaps feeling
   that U2 was somewhat stagnating, Bono announced during a December 30,
   1989 concert in Dublin that it was time "to go away and just dream it
   all up again", prompting much speculation from both public and media
   that U2 would split up after the tour ended.

Achtung Baby, Zoo TV, Zooropa and "Passengers" (1990–1995)

   The band began work on Achtung Baby in East Berlin with Brian Eno and
   Daniel Lanois producing. The initial sessions did not go well, with
   conflict within the band over the direction of the album. Bono and Edge
   were listening to European dance music while Adam and Larry had the "if
   it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality. U2 were at a stand still.
   Weeks went by with no progress. Then one day, Edge came up with a
   guitar riff that turned out to be the song, "One". In November 1991, U2
   released the often experimental and distorted Achtung Baby in which the
   band had used influences from dance music. It was also a more inward
   and personal record (Edge going through a divorce), and as a result,
   darker than the band's previous work. Bono refers to U2's new sound as
   "4 men chopping down the Joshua Tree". Commercially and critically it
   was one of the band's most successful albums, and like The Joshua Tree,
   is often cited as one of rock's greatest. It played a crucial part in
   the band's early 1990s reinvention.

   The band's Zoo TV Tour, which spanned 1992 and 1993 was a multimedia
   event, showcasing a bewildering but extravagant array hundreds of video
   screens, upside-down flying Trabant cars, mock transmission towers,
   satellite TV links, subliminal text messages, and over-the-top stage
   characters "The Fly", "Mirror-Ball Man" and "(Mister) MacPhisto". U2
   used the show to mock the excesses of rock and roll by appearing to
   embrace these very excesses. Live prank phone calls to President Bush
   caused controversy, as did satellite uplinks to war-torn Sarajevo.

   Recorded in 1993 during a break in the ZooTV tour, the Zooropa album
   followed many of the themes from Achtung Baby album and Zoo TV tour.
   Initially intended as an EP, Zooropa expanded into a full-fledged LP
   and was released in July of 1993. It was a further greater departure
   from the style of their earlier recordings, incorporating techno style
   and other electronic effects. Most of the songs were played at least
   once in the 1993 leg of the tour through Europe, Australia, New Zealand
   and Japan, with several songs becoming fixtures in the set.

   After some time off—and a few side projects (the Batman Forever and
   Mission: Impossible soundtracks)—the band released an experimental
   album in 1995 called Original Soundtracks No. 1. Brian Eno, producer of
   a number of previous U2 albums, this time contributed as a full partner
   including writing. For this reason, and due to its highly experimental
   nature, they chose to release it under the moniker "Passengers" rather
   than "U2" to distinguish it from their conventional albums.
   Commercially, it was a relatively unnoticed album by U2 standards,
   although the single " Miss Sarajevo", which Bono cites as one his
   favourite U2 songs, and which features Luciano Pavarotti, became a
   minor hit in many countries.

Pop and Popmart (1996–1999)

   With the recording of their 1997 album Pop, U2 was once again
   experimenting, this time utilizing tape loops, programming, and
   sampling giving much of the album a techno/ disco feel. However, the
   diversity of material on the album is as broad as any other U2 release,
   with the experimental aspects alongside the more traditional anthemic
   and ballad. Released in March 1997, the album debuted at #1 in 35
   countries, and earned U2 mainly positive reviews. Rolling Stone even
   went so far as claiming U2 had "defied the odds and made some of the
   greatest music of their lives." However, American audiences and fans
   felt that the music industry had exceeded the limits of tolerance in
   promoting Pop, and the album was seen as something of a disappointment
   by the public. Frontman Bono later admitted that the band was hurried
   into completing the album before the impending tour and that the album
   "didn't communicate the way it was intended to". This possibly explains
   the re-recording and re-mixing of a number of Pop tracks for single
   releases and U2's second greatest hits album.

   With the subsequent Popmart Tour, U2 continued the Zoo TV theme of
   decadence. The tour commenced in April 1997; the set included a
   100-foot tall golden yellow arch, a large 150 foot long video screen,
   and a 40 foot tall mirrorball lemon. One of the stops was in Sarajevo,
   where they were the first major group to perform after the war. The
   Popmart Tour was the second-highest grossing tour of 1997 (behind the
   Rolling Stones' Bridges to Babylon Tour) with revenues of just under
   $80 million. However, it cost more than $100 million to produce.
   Although the extravagance of the tour was visually and technically
   impressive, in the early stages, Popmart was occasionally marred with
   less-than-par performances. The problem stemmed from the band booking
   their tour before the album was finished. Originally set to be released
   in November 1996, Pop was not in stores until March 1997. As a result,
   the band had to spend time recording that had originally been allocated
   for tour rehearsals. Both the Popmart Tour and the Zoo TV Tour were
   intended to send a sarcastic message to all those accusing U2 of
   commercialism. The shows were also intended to be shining a mirror back
   onto the world, taking all the subtle advertising and messages we are
   exposed to every day and blowing them up. However, many misinterpreted
   the band's new image and thought they had "lost it."

   Following the Popmart Tour, the band played a brief concert to an
   audience of 2,000 in Belfast's Waterfront Hall in May 1998, three days
   before the public voted in favour of the Northern Ireland Peace Accord.
   Also that year, U2 performed on an Irish TV fundraiser for victims of
   the Omagh, Northern Ireland bombing which killed 29 and injured about
   220 people earlier in the year. In late 1998, U2 released the single "
   Sweetest Thing" (previously a b-side from a "The Joshua Tree" single),
   as well as its first compilation, The Best of 1980-1990.

All That You Can't Leave Behind and Elevation Tour (2000–2002)

   All That You Can't Leave Behind, was released in October 2000, and was
   considered by many of those not won over by the band's 1990s
   experimentation, as a return to grace. The album featured the band
   reverting to its traditional sound of the 1980s. Regarded by many,
   including Rolling Stone magazine, as U2's "third masterpiece" alongside
   The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby, it was once again produced by Brian
   Eno and Daniel Lanois. It debuted at #1 in 22 countries and spawned a
   world-wide smash hit single, " Beautiful Day," which also earned three
   of a total of six Grammy Awards associated with the album. " Stuck in a
   Moment You Can't Get Out Of", " Elevation" and " Walk On" were also
   successful singles. The album also would win the Grammy Award for Best
   Rock Album in 2002 and garnered two Record of the Year awards in
   consecutive years.

   The Elevation Tour saw the band performing in a scaled-down setting,
   returning to arenas after nearly a decade of stadium productions, with
   a heart-shaped stage and ramp permitting greater proximity to the
   audience. The September 11, 2001 attacks nearly led U2 to cancel the
   last third of the tour but they decided to continue nonetheless; the
   new album's " Walk On" and "New York" gained added resonance. The tour
   ended up as the top concert draw in North America in 2001, grossing
   more than $143 million in ticket sales.

   Following the Elevation Tour, the band performed a three-song set
   during the halftime of Super Bowl XXXVI. The set opened with "
   Beautiful Day," with Bono entering through the crowd. Next was " MLK".
   The highlight was a performance of "Where the Streets Have No Name" in
   which the names of the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks were
   projected onto a pair of backdrops, scrolling up towards the sky. At
   the end of the song the backdrops were released, descending to the
   ground in a gentle revisiting of the Twin Towers' fall. Bono then
   opened his jacket, which he had worn throughout the Elevation Tour, to
   reveal the American flag printed as the lining, an image that was
   widely reproduced in the media.

   Bono continued his campaigns for debt and HIV/AIDS relief into the
   summer of 2002.

   In 2002, U2 released their second greatest hits compilation, The Best
   of 1990-2000. This release saw a number of songs reworked in studio,
   most of them from " Pop", which the band said had been rushed to
   complete because of the pre-booked Popmart Tour. Two new songs were
   recorded - " The Hands That Built America" and " Electrical Storm".

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and Vertigo Tour (2003–2006)

   The band started recording their album in fall 2003. A rough cut of the
   band's follow-up album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, was stolen in
   Nice, France, in July 2004. In response, Bono stated that should the
   album appear on peer-to-peer networks, it would be released immediately
   via iTunes and be in stores within a month, although no such
   pre-release transpired.

   The first single from the album, titled " Vertigo", was released for
   airplay on 24 September, 2004. The song received extensive airplay in
   the first week after its release and became an international hit, also
   being featured on a widely-aired television commercial for the Apple
   iPod. The band, in a partnership with Apple, also had a special edition
   iPod bearing their namesake released and also made available The
   Complete U2, an iTunes-exclusive box set featuring previously
   unreleased content.

   The album was released on 22 November worldwide and 23 November in the
   United States. It debuted at #1 in 32 countries, including the United
   States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the band's native Ireland. It
   sold 840,000 units in the United States in its first week. This was a
   personal record for the band, nearly doubling the first-week sales of
   All That You Can't Leave Behind in the US. 2005 also saw U2's induction
   into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in their first year of
   eligibility.

   Using a similar setup and stage design as the previous tour, the band
   began the first leg of the Vertigo Tour in the United States in March
   2005, followed by a European leg starting in June, before returning to
   North America between September and December. February and March 2006
   saw the band play shows in Latin America. The tour featured a much more
   varied set list than any U2 tour since the 1980s, with a greater
   diversity of songs played each night. There were also a number of U2
   songs featured that had not been played since the early 1980s,
   including " The Electric Co." and " An Cat Dubh/Into the Heart". Sold
   out shows for March 2006 in New Zealand, Australia, Japan and Hawaii
   were postponed due to a severe illness of an immediate family member of
   the band. The dates were rescheduled for November and December 2006.
   Much like the Elevation Tour, the Vertigo Tour was a large commercial
   success.

   On 8 February 2006, U2 won Grammy Awards in all five categories they
   were nominated in: 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 Atomic Bomb, Best Rock Performance by a Duo or
   Group with Vocal for "Sometimes..." and Best Rock Song for " City of
   Blinding Lights". "If you think this is going to go to our head, it's
   too late," said Bono as he accepted the award for "Song of the Year".

Next studio album recordings (2006–2007)

   As of July 2006, U2 are reportedly recording a new album, although it
   is unknown at what point in the process the sessions are. According to
   Bono there are 24 songs that came out of the last album sessions, of
   which the band took 11 for their subsequent record. Amateur recordings
   from the band's sessions in Èze, France suggest that the band is indeed
   preparing its next album. Producer Rick Rubin has reportedly been
   working with U2 on new material for their next album in the South of
   France. On September 12, it was reported on the official U2 website
   that the band was working on a new album in Abbey Road studios.

   Green Day and U2 have recorded a cover version of the song " The Saints
   Are Coming" by The Skids to benefit Music Rising, a charity founded
   (with support from The Edge) to help in the purchasing of new
   instruments for the musicians of New Orleans affected by Hurricane
   Katrina. To coincide with the recording, both bands performed a live
   version of the song during the NFL Monday Night Football Pregame show
   of the New Orleans Saints/ Atlanta Falcons game on September 25, 2006.
   This is the 30th anniversary to the date of the band's forming.

   In October 2006 the band switched to Mercury Records after 26 years
   signed to Island Records, both of which are subsidiaries of Universal
   Music Group.

   A new "Best Of" album, U218 Singles, was released November 21, 2006
   containing 16 of the band's most well-known songs and two new
   recordings; " The Saints are Coming" and " Window in the Skies".

Other projects and influences

   U2 have worked with other collaborators; the individual members have
   also worked in smaller groups together and with outsiders. Bono
   recorded the song "In a Lifetime" with the Irish band Clannad, with a
   video co-directed by The Edge. Together with Edge, Bono wrote the song
   " GoldenEye" for the James Bond movie of the same name, which was
   performed by Tina Turner. The pair also wrote the song "She's A Mystery
   To Me" for Roy Orbison, which was released on his album Mystery Girl,
   while Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. did a rework of the title track
   of the movie Mission: Impossible in 1996.

   Aside from musicians, U2 have worked together with a number of authors,
   including the U.S. author William S. Burroughs, who had a guest
   appearance in their video of "Last Night on Earth" shortly before he
   died. His poem "A Thanksgiving Prayer" was used as video footage during
   the band's Zoo TV Tour. Other collaborators included William Gibson and
   Allen Ginsberg. In early 2000, with the release of the film The Million
   Dollar Hotel, the band recorded two songs for its soundtrack, including
   "The Ground Beneath Her Feet", co-written by Salman Rushdie and
   motivated by his book of the same name.

   Many musicians have also been influenced by the work of U2. There are
   several cover versions of U2 songs by bands such as Pet Shop Boys,
   Pearl Jam, The Smashing Pumpkins and The Chimes, and musicians such as
   Cassandra Wilson, Joe Cocker, and Johnny Cash. U2 have enjoyed
   reciprocal influential relationships with artists including R.E.M.,
   Bruce Springsteen and Anton Corbijn, as well as exerting influences on
   others.

Campaigning

   U2 are almost as well-known for their humanitarian work as they are for
   their music. Bono is one of the best-known advocates for the fight
   against poverty and AIDS in Africa. Some charity organisations
   supported by U2 include:
     * Amnesty International
     * Greenpeace
     * Product Red
     * African Well Fund
     * Support for Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi

     * DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade in Africa)
     * Chernobyl Children's Project
     * Jubilee Debt Campaign
     * The ONE Campaign
     * Live 8

     * Make Poverty History
     * 46664
     * War Child

   The Edge also supports Music Rising, an organisation set up to help
   replace musical instruments of New Orleans musicians affected by
   Hurricane Katrina.

   Bono has teamed up with Yahoo! to promote the ONE Campaign, which
   Yahoo! has helped to re-develop. In doing so, Bono has also joined in
   the "Ask the Planet" campaign of Yahoo! Answers, in which various
   celebrities pose questions to the other users.

Discography

Studio albums

     * Boy ( 1980)
     * October ( 1981)
     * War ( 1983)
     * The Unforgettable Fire ( 1984)
     * The Joshua Tree ( 1987)
     * Rattle and Hum ( 1988)
     * Achtung Baby ( 1991)
     * Zooropa ( 1993)
     * Original Soundtracks No. 1 ( 1995) (released under the pseudonym
       "Passengers")
     * Pop ( 1997)
     * All That You Can't Leave Behind ( 2000)
     * How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb ( 2004)

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U2"
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