Coming out of the age of punk and just before the New Wave sensation of the 80s, a little-known band out of Dublin began to carve a niche with bold, fresh-sounding songwriting, emotion-filled vocals and chiming, percussive guitar sounds.
This quartet had begun in the tiniest venues available to them, and--by their own admission--they got off to a bit of a rough, sonically.
Forging ahead, they began to arrive at songwriting that encapsulated a streamlined signature sound, with Bono's forceful tenor, Larry Mullen Jr.
's tribal-tinged drumming, Adam Clayton's bedrock bass lines, and The Edge's muted, echo-washed guitar parts.
The U2 sound had been born, and while it would change over the coming decades, it always stood out among the pop and rock music surrounding it on rock radio, MTV and stadiums around the world.
As the 80s wore on, U2 began to refine their signature sound and songwriting, with classic rock staples in 'Pride (In The Name of Love)', 'Where the Streets Have No Name', 'With Or Without You' and 'Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For'.
Culminating with the massive success of the Joshua Tree album, U2 rounded out the 80s with an unbeatable sound, a mega-selling album and tour, and an indelible print in the annals of classic rock.
As the 90s dispatched with hair metal and mullets, drummer Larry Mullen told Bono he wouldn't be around if they had to keep playing only the hits and creating the same sound.
The rest of the band agreed, and set up shop in Germany to record the band's first effort in the new decade.
1991's 'Achtung Baby' was a radical departure from the vintage U2 sound, with bristling, edgy industrial sounds and raucous songwriting.
A gargantuan stadium tour followed, and the spectacle of Zoo TV had begun.
Sitting in the stands of Dodger Stadium, looking at three stories of video screens and an impossibly huge stage lit by floating car headlights, it was almost hard to believe I was at a U2 show.
As the years wore on, U2 would continue to reinvent and augment their sound without ever sounding gimicky or forced.
Every change seemed artful and organic, and as listeners look back over three decades of great classic rock, this Irish quartet has helped shape the sound of pop and rock while remaining on the cutting edge of live and studio performances all along the way.
This quartet had begun in the tiniest venues available to them, and--by their own admission--they got off to a bit of a rough, sonically.
Forging ahead, they began to arrive at songwriting that encapsulated a streamlined signature sound, with Bono's forceful tenor, Larry Mullen Jr.
's tribal-tinged drumming, Adam Clayton's bedrock bass lines, and The Edge's muted, echo-washed guitar parts.
The U2 sound had been born, and while it would change over the coming decades, it always stood out among the pop and rock music surrounding it on rock radio, MTV and stadiums around the world.
As the 80s wore on, U2 began to refine their signature sound and songwriting, with classic rock staples in 'Pride (In The Name of Love)', 'Where the Streets Have No Name', 'With Or Without You' and 'Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For'.
Culminating with the massive success of the Joshua Tree album, U2 rounded out the 80s with an unbeatable sound, a mega-selling album and tour, and an indelible print in the annals of classic rock.
As the 90s dispatched with hair metal and mullets, drummer Larry Mullen told Bono he wouldn't be around if they had to keep playing only the hits and creating the same sound.
The rest of the band agreed, and set up shop in Germany to record the band's first effort in the new decade.
1991's 'Achtung Baby' was a radical departure from the vintage U2 sound, with bristling, edgy industrial sounds and raucous songwriting.
A gargantuan stadium tour followed, and the spectacle of Zoo TV had begun.
Sitting in the stands of Dodger Stadium, looking at three stories of video screens and an impossibly huge stage lit by floating car headlights, it was almost hard to believe I was at a U2 show.
As the years wore on, U2 would continue to reinvent and augment their sound without ever sounding gimicky or forced.
Every change seemed artful and organic, and as listeners look back over three decades of great classic rock, this Irish quartet has helped shape the sound of pop and rock while remaining on the cutting edge of live and studio performances all along the way.
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