流行经典　巅峰摇滚Ｕ２

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　　Origin Dublin, Ireland
　　Genres Album Rock（专辑摇滚） Alternative Pop/Rock（另类流行/摇滚）
　　College Rock（学院摇滚） Pop/Rock（流行/摇滚） Post-Punk（后朋克）
　　Members Paul 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.
　　
　　 能够在20多年里不断取得商业上的成功同时又受到乐评人认可的乐队，全世界并没有几个，而U2正是这少数中的一员。U2将自己的音乐理念和商业因素结合，在音乐界取得了非凡的成就。从乐队创建之初一直到现在，U2打破了摇滚乐队和摇滚乐的固有界限，他们用原创音乐配以诚恳的歌词，探讨敏感的社会话题，赢得了同行和乐评人的尊敬，在全世界拥有无数狂热的支持者。下面就是他们的故事。
　　 U2创建于1976年，当时14岁的赖瑞・慕兰在他高中的告示板上贴了一个招募乐队成员的启示。在当天到赖瑞家的报名者中最终确定了一个5人制的乐队，乐队起名“回音”。成员是：鼓手赖瑞・慕兰（1961年10月31日出生）；贝斯手亚当・克雷顿（1960年3月13日出生）；主唱保罗・休森，他开始被叫作Bono Vox（在拉丁文中意指“好嗓音”），后来的绰号是Bono（1960年5月10日出生）；吉他手大卫・荷威・伊凡斯，后来被叫作The Edge（刀锋）；大卫的哥哥迪克也在乐队中担任吉他手，但是不久之后就加入了都柏林的另一个乐队。
　　 剩下4个人的回音乐队不久就把他们的名字改成了“夸张”，他们在周末和课余的练习中成为了朋友，乐队成员合作无间。在将近18个月的排练之后，他们参加了1978年3月在爱尔兰利默里克举行的一个选拔赛，当时CBS唱片公司的杰克・海德做裁判。刚刚把名字再次改成U2的乐队赢得了比赛和500英镑的奖金。他们的演出给海德留下了深刻的印象因此得到了录制他们第一首单曲的机会。
　　 在选拔赛之后不久乐队投到都柏林商人保罗・麦吉尼斯门下。1979年9月U2推出了只在爱尔兰发行的首张EP专辑《U2:3》，这张专辑把乐队带到爱尔兰排行榜第一名的位置。同年12月U2到伦敦进行了他们的首次爱尔兰之外的演出，但是并没有得到当地乐迷和乐评人的关注。
　　 在爱尔兰国内拥有了大量歌迷的U2推出了他们的第二张专辑，并在1980年3月与Island唱片公司签约开始在全世界范围发行专辑。与新东家签约后的U2于同年10月推出专辑《男孩》。U2的全新声音得到了爱尔兰和英国各大媒体的关注。在这张专辑中Bono的词探讨了信仰、精神和死亡等当时最具实验精神的摇滚乐队也避免触及的话题。U2随后进行了英国以外其他国家的巡回演唱，在欧洲和美国拥有了大量新的歌迷。他们的演出使《男孩》上了美国的排行榜。
　　 虽然看起来U2已经找到了只要遵循就能成功的模式，但是他们改变了方向进行了新的尝试。他们的第四张专辑找来了布莱恩・恩诺和丹尼尔・拉诺斯做监制。Bono说进行这个让人们惊奇的选择的原因是乐队成员们认为他们的新音乐应该是“全方面的”，而这需要新的制作人的指引。
　　 1984年这张新专辑面世，专辑的名称《难忘的火焰》来自于由广岛和长崎核爆炸的幸存者所作的油画作品。这张专辑让乐迷们看到了一个新的U2，一个更具实验精神不再局限的U2。战争已经过去，但乐队在他们的歌曲中清楚地表明了自己的观点，比如献给马丁・路德・金的《自豪（因爱之名）》和写给Bono在都柏林与毒品做斗争的朋友的《坏》。虽然后者在乐队的现场演出中受到欢迎，但是前者在排行榜上停留了更长的时间。《自豪》最终闯入了英国排行榜前5名和美国排行榜前50名。在《难忘的火焰》之后进行的巡回演出使U2前所未有地扩大了自己的音乐版图，在美国体育场馆的演出票纷纷售罄。《滚石》杂志指出“对于越来越多的摇滚乐迷来说，U2已经成为最重要，也许是唯一重要的乐队。”
　　 20多年过去了，U2仍然进行着他们辉煌的音乐历程。4位成员一直是要好的朋友，而他们每个人都是及具才华的音乐人，他们的合作比以前更加亲密无间。U2仍然是少数几个够资格被称为“世界最伟大乐队”的组合之一。他们继续着自己的创作，他们的乐迷在一如既往地期待着他们的全新专辑和巡演。
　　◆编辑：谭添夏

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