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U2

U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono (vocals and rhythm guitar), the Edge (lead guitar, keyboards, and vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar), and Larry Mullen, Jr. (drums and percussion). U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music. Throughout the group's musical pursuits, they have maintained a sound built on melodic instrumentals. Their lyrics, often embellished with spiritual imagery, focus on personal themes and sociopolitical concerns.

The band formed at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in 1976 when the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency. Within four years, they signed with Island Records and released their debut album Boy. By the mid-1980s, U2 had become a top international act. They were more successful as a touring act than they were at selling records until their 1987 album The Joshua Tree which, according to Rolling Stone, elevated the band's stature "from heroes to superstars". Reacting to musical stagnation and criticism of their earnest image and musical direction in the late 1980s, U2 reinvented themselves with their 1991 album, Achtung Baby, and the accompanying Zoo TV Tour; they integrated dance, industrial, and alternative rock influences into their sound, and embraced a more ironic and self-deprecating image. They embraced similar experimentation for the remainder of the 1990s with varying levels of success. U2 regained critical and commercial favour in the 2000s with the records All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000) and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004), which established a more conventional, mainstream sound for the group. Their U2 360° Tour of 2009–2011 is the highest-attended and highest-grossing concert tour in history.

U2 have released 13 studio albums and are one of the world's best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 170 million records worldwide. They have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band, and, in 2005, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. Rolling Stone ranked U2 at number 22 in its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Throughout their career, as a band and as individuals, they have campaigned for human rights and philanthropic causes, including Amnesty International, the ONE/DATA campaigns, Product Red, War Child and the Edge's Music Rising.

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Genres rock pop rock alternative rock electronic arena rock
Top release No Line on the Horizon

Albums

  1. Boy
    1980
  2. October
    1981
  3. War
    1983
  4. The Unforgettable Fire
    1984
  5. The Joshua Tree
    1987
  6. Rattle and Hum
    1988
  7. Achtung Baby
    1991
  8. Zooropa
    1993
  9. Pop
    1997
  10. All That You Can't Leave Behind
    2000
  11. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
    2004
  12. 2.0
    No Line on the Horizon
    2009
  13. Songs of Innocence
    2014

Other releases

  1. When Love Comes to Town
    1989
  2. The Ultimate Collection
    1994
  3. The Very Best
    1995
  4. Four Wild Irish Roses, Part 2
    1996
  5. Ultra Rare Trax, Volume 3
    1996
  6. The Dream Comes True
    1997
  7. The Ultimate 7" & 12" Collection, Part X
    1998
  8. More Discotheque
    1998
  9. The Best of 1980–1990
    1998
  10. Children of the Revolution
    2002
  11. The Best of 1990–2000 & B-Sides
    2002
  12. Violently Happy / Ultraviolet
    2004
  13. Unreleased & Rare
    2004
  14. Rare & Unreleased 2004
    2004
  15. Live 8 (Hyde Park, London)
    2005
  16. You’re the Best Thing About Me (U2 vs. Kygo)
    2017
  17. 1984-07-08: Slane Castle, Slane, Ireland