流行經典 巔峰搖滾Ｕ２

OriginDublin， Ireland

GenresAlbum Rock（專輯搖滾） Alternative Pop/Rock（另類流行/搖滾）

College Rock（學院搖滾） Pop/Rock（流行/搖滾） Post-Punk（后朋克）

MembersPaul Hewson (later nicknamed \"Bono Vox\" and eventually just \"Bono\"，

born May 10， 1960)

Dave Evans (later nicknamed \"The Edge\"， b. August 8， 1961)

Adam Clayton (b. March 13， 1960)

Larry Mullen， Jr. (b. October 31， 1961)

One of only a few bands to achieve consistent commercial and critical success across more than two full decades， U2 has charted success on its own terms on both the artistic and business sides of the music industry. From the band's earliest days to the present， U2 has broken free from the traditional limitations of what a rock band — and rock music — could and couldn't do. By combining an original sound with honest lyrics and a challenging social message， U2 has earned the respect of their peers and critics， and an almost fanatical following of fans around the world. This is their story.

U2 formed in Dublin in the fall of 1976 after 14-year-old Larry Mullen， Jr. posted a note on the bulletin board at his high school seeking musicians for a new band. From the group of hopefuls that showed up at Mullen's home that first day， a 5-piece known originally as Feedback formed with Mullen (born October 31， 1961) on drums， Adam Clayton (b. March 13， 1960) on bass， Paul Hewson (later nicknamed \"Bono Vox\" and eventually just \"Bono\"， b. May 10， 1960) on vocals， and Dave Evans (later nicknamed \"The Edge\"， b. August 8， 1961) on guitar. Dave's brother Dick also played guitar for a while， but left Feedback very early on to join another Dublin band.

Feedback quickly changed their name to \"The Hype，\" and began rehearsing on weekends and after school as often as possible， forming genuine friendships and developing an undeniable chemistry in the process. After nearly 18 months of rehearsing， the band's big break came at a talent show in Limerick， Ireland， in March， 1978. With CBS Records' Jackie Hayden judging， U2 (they had just changed their name again) won the contest， earning a ￡500 prize and impressing Hayden enough to be given studio time to record their first demo.

Shortly after the talent show contest， the band convinced a Dublin businessman named Paul McGuinness to manage them. In September， 1979， U2 released its first single， an Irish-only release called U2:3 which topped the national charts. In December of that year， U2 traveled to London for its first shows outside Ireland， but struggled to get attention from music fans and critics.

After continuing to build a large following inside Ireland， and after the success of a second Irish-only single， Island Records signed U2 to its first international contract in March， 1980. The first album to come from that agreement was Boy， released in October of that year. The album offered a fresh， new sound that earned rave reviews in both the Irish and UK press. Bono's lyrics tackled subjects like faith， spirituality， and death — subjects generally avoided by even the most seasoned rock acts. U2's first tour outside the UK helped develop new fan bases in other parts of Europe and in the United States， where strong club shows helped propel Boy briefly onto the U.S. album charts.

Just when it appeared U2 had found the formula for success， they switched gears and took off in an entirely new direction. For their 4th studio album they chose Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois to produce it， a surprising choice Bono explained by saying the band members felt their new music would be more \"ambient，\" and needed an appropriate guiding hand in the control room.

1984's The Unforgettable Fire — named for a series of paintings drawn by survivors of the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki — introduced the world to a new U2， a more experimental and unfocused U2. Gone was the aggression of War， but the band's social and political messages stayed alive in songs such as Pride (In the Name of Love)，which was written for Martin Luther King， Jr.， and the mesmerizing Bad， written in response to the struggles Bono's friends had with drugs in Dublin. While Bad quickly became a highlight of the band's live set， it was Pride that took U2 up another rung on the charts. The single cracked the UK Top 5 and the U.S. Top 50. The tour that supported The Unforgettable Fire saw U2 expanding its itinerary to more countries than ever before， and saw them playing to sold out sports arenas in the U.S. for the first time. Rolling Stone magazine named U2 its Band of the 80s， suggesting that \"for a growing number of rock-and-roll fans， U2 has become the band that matters most， maybe even the only band that matters.\"

More than twenty years on， it appears that U2 still has plenty of gas in its tank. The four original band members remain close friends and stellar musicians， and their collective ambition appears to be as strong as ever. U2 remains one of only a few bands qualified to wear the label of World's Biggest Band. They continue to write music and explore new ideas on their own terms， and their future releases and tours will be no less anticipated than those of the past.

能夠在20多年里不斷取得商業上的成功同時又受到樂評人認可的樂隊，全世界并沒有幾個，而U2正是這少數中的一員。U2將自己的音樂理念和商業因素結合，在音樂界取得了非凡的成就。從樂隊創建之初一直到現在，U2打破了搖滾樂隊和搖滾樂的固有界限，他們用原創音樂配以誠懇的歌詞，探討敏感的社會話題，贏得了同行和樂評人的尊敬，在全世界擁有無數狂熱的支持者。下面就是他們的故事。

U2創建于1976年，當時14歲的賴瑞·慕蘭在他高中的告示板上貼了一個招募樂隊成員的啟示。在當天到賴瑞家的報名者中最終確定了一個5人制的樂隊，樂隊起名“回音”。成員是：鼓手賴瑞·慕蘭（1961年10月31日出生）；貝斯手亞當·克雷頓（1960年3月13日出生）；主唱保羅·休森，他開始被叫作Bono Vox（在拉丁文中意指“好嗓音”），后來的綽號是Bono（1960年5月10日出生）；吉他手大衛·荷威·伊凡斯，后來被叫作The Edge（刀鋒）；大衛的哥哥迪克也在樂隊中擔任吉他手，但是不久之后就加入了都柏林的另一個樂隊。

剩下4個人的回音樂隊不久就把他們的名字改成了“夸張”，他們在周末和課余的練習中成為了朋友，樂隊成員合作無間。在將近18個月的排練之后，他們參加了1978年3月在愛爾蘭利默里克舉行的一個選拔賽，當時CBS唱片公司的杰克·海德做裁判。剛剛把名字再次改成U2的樂隊贏得了比賽和500英鎊的獎金。他們的演出給海德留下了深刻的印象因此得到了錄制他們第一首單曲的機會。

在選拔賽之后不久樂隊投到都柏林商人保羅·麥吉尼斯門下。1979年9月U2推出了只在愛爾蘭發行的首張EP專輯《U2:3》，這張專輯把樂隊帶到愛爾蘭排行榜第一名的位置。同年12月U2到倫敦進行了他們的首次愛爾蘭之外的演出，但是并沒有得到當地樂迷和樂評人的關注。

在愛爾蘭國內擁有了大量歌迷的U2推出了他們的第二張專輯，并在1980年3月與Island唱片公司簽約開始在全世界范圍發行專輯。與新東家簽約后的U2于同年10月推出專輯《男孩》。U2的全新聲音得到了愛爾蘭和英國各大媒體的關注。在這張專輯中Bono的詞探討了信仰、精神和死亡等當時最具實驗精神的搖滾樂隊也避免觸及的話題。U2隨后進行了英國以外其他國家的巡回演唱，在歐洲和美國擁有了大量新的歌迷。他們的演出使《男孩》上了美國的排行榜。

雖然看起來U2已經找到了只要遵循就能成功的模式，但是他們改變了方向進行了新的嘗試。他們的第四張專輯找來了布萊恩·恩諾和丹尼爾·拉諾斯做監制。Bono說進行這個讓人們驚奇的選擇的原因是樂隊成員們認為他們的新音樂應該是“全方面的”，而這需要新的制作人的指引。

1984年這張新專輯面世，專輯的名稱《難忘的火焰》來自于由廣島和長崎核爆炸的幸存者所作的油畫作品。這張專輯讓樂迷們看到了一個新的U2，一個更具實驗精神不再局限的U2。戰爭已經過去，但樂隊在他們的歌曲中清楚地表明了自己的觀點，比如獻給馬丁·路德·金的《自豪（因愛之名）》和寫給Bono在都柏林與毒品做斗爭的朋友的《壞》。雖然后者在樂隊的現場演出中受到歡迎，但是前者在排行榜上停留了更長的時間。《自豪》最終闖入了英國排行榜前5名和美國排行榜前50名。在《難忘的火焰》之后進行的巡回演出使U2前所未有地擴大了自己的音樂版圖，在美國體育場館的演出票紛紛售罄。《滾石》雜志指出“對于越來越多的搖滾樂迷來說，U2已經成為最重要，也許是唯一重要的樂隊。”

20多年過去了，U2仍然進行著他們輝煌的音樂歷程。4位成員一直是要好的朋友，而他們每個人都是及具才華的音樂人，他們的合作比以前更加親密無間。U2仍然是少數幾個夠資格被稱為“世界最偉大樂隊”的組合之一。他們繼續著自己的創作，他們的樂迷在一如既往地期待著他們的全新專輯和巡演。

◆編輯：譚添夏