In 1976, 14-year-old drummer Larry Mullen Jr. placed an advert on the bulletin board of Dublin's Mount Temple High School looking for musicians to form a band. Out of the six or seven students that came to his house to audition a few stood out. Dave Evans played the guitar, Adam Clayton looked like he belonged in 'rock 'n' roll' and then Paul Hewson arrived.
He brought with him charisma and not a lot else. They needed a name …. first Feedback, then Hype, before settling on U2 when a friend suggested this because it could mean many different things. There was a submarine and a spy plane known as U2. By 1978, Paul had become known as "Bono Vox" (Latin for good voice) and Dave "The Edge". In the same year U2 released their first EP "U2:3" In 1980 the band signed to Island Records and spent a great deal of time in America building up a following and creating stunning shows. It was with the release of 1983's "War" that the band found its true calling. "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" was a song about violence in Northern Ireland and gave the band an identity with the image of Bono raising the white flag while performing the song. This became the band's trademark. "Under A Blood Red Sky" followed which went on to become one of the most popular live bands of all time and cemented the band's reputation as dynamic live performers. 1984's "Unforgettable Fire", produced by Brian Eno spawned the awesome single "Pride (In The Name Of Love)".
The 1985 Tour saw U2 selling out arenas in America prompting Rolling Stone Magazine to dub them "The Band of the '80's" and conclude that U2 had become the band that matters most. The band played a number of charitable performances for everything from famine relief to ending apartheid taking in Live Aid and Amnesty International's 25th Anniversary Tour. "The Joshua Tree" in 1987 proved to everyone that U2 were here to stay. It entered the UK charts at number 1 becoming the fastest selling album ever upto that point.
It then reached the top in America and stayed there for 9 weeks. "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" became number 1 pop singles and U2 suddenly had the commercial success that had eluded them. U2 followed "The Joshua Tree" with "Rattle and Hum" and then in 1991 "Achtung Baby" and the singles "One" and "Mysterious Ways". In 1992 the band launched the hugely successful Zoo TV Tour. During this they recorded the album "Zooropa" which went on to win the 1993 Grammy for Best Alternative Album. They hit the road again in 1993 with an offshoot tour, Zooropa '93 that saw them visit 18 countries in four months. "Pop" was released in 1997 along with the kitsch Pop Mart Tour which was launched in a K-Mart in New York City. This was the second highest grossing tour of 1997 with $79.9 million behind only The Rolling Stones' Bridges Over Babylon Tour at $89.3 million. In September 1998 U2 signed a $50 million deal with Polygram Records to release three Best of Albums, starting with U2: The Best of 1980-1990. ZU2, based in the United Kingdom, brings to you all the magic of U2 with awesome accuracy, charisma and energy.