Theme from Mission: Impossible - Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen | June 8th, 2011 | 4 Comments U2 is the biggest band in the world. Their 360-degree tour of 2010-2011 is the most expensive tour ever staged. It’s also the highest grossing. When most people think about U2, it’s Bono and The Edge. They’re the face and in many ways the spirit of the band. But Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen have served as the backbone and rhythm section of the band since the lads formed back in the late 1970s. And although Bono and The Edge get most of the attention, Clayton and Mullen can stake a claim Bono and The Edge can’t counter: they’re one-hit wonders. Their contribution to the one-hit wonder canon is a 1996 instrumental from a little movie titled Mission: Impossible that starred some obscure actor named Tom Cruise. As of mid-2011, Mission: Impossible has grossed more than $450 million at the box office worldwide.

The Tom Cruise star power still works and the latest chapter of Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol or Mission: Impossible IV will reach theaters in December 2011, just in time for the holiday movie season. Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen aren’t slated to participate in the film or the soundtrack. But their techno/electronic take on the classic Mission: Impossible theme was a massive hit in 1996, reaching #7 on the Billboard Top 40 and transforming Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, U2’s bass player and drummer, into legitimate one-hit wonders. Listen to Theme from Mission: Impossible by Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen U2 > Band ' Zoo TV Live From Sydney '. The Sarajevo connection inspired one of the tracks on Passengers: Original Soundtracks Volume I, the most experimental album the band had collaborated on - unsurprisingly with Brian Eno at the heart of the mix. 'Miss Sarajevo' featured a star turn by Luciano Pavarotti. Crowning this heady period, Pop (1997) cloaked its heavy lyrical payload in state-of-the-art dance rhythms, a creative collusion with DJ Howie B. 'The themes are love, desire and faith in crisis,' explained Edge.

'The usual stuff.' The resulting tour, POPMART - which saw the band become the first major act to perform in Sarajevo after the Bosnian War - was another visual spectacle imagined by Willie Williams introduced the rave-rock of Mofo and Discotheque to a new generation of fans. It was four years before another album, but it was worth the wait: All That You Can't Leave Behind features songs which went on to win 'Record of the Year' Grammy Awards in two consecutive years - ' Beautiful Day ' in 2001 and ' Walk On ' in 2002 - the only time this has ever happened. Released in 2000, ATYCLB went on to win seven Grammys and sell more than ten million copies worldwide. 'I think it was a very good idea to make a record that actually sounded like U2 again...' explained Paul McGuinness. 'It went to No.1 in 32 countries.' It was followed by the 113-date Elevation Tour, a similarly stripped-back approach, with the focus firmly on the songs. 'It wasn't really minimalist,' says Edge.

'But compared to POP anything would seem back to basics.' It was the design that grabbed Larry: 'The use of the heart as a runway to get out into the audience and the way the heart itself filled with people, was great. It was almost like a club gig within an arena.' How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (2004) was "very much a guitar record," explained Adam. "Vertigo, Love and Peace, City of Blinding Lights, All Because of You, all pretty up , rocky tunes. A lot of them are a kick-back to our very early days, so it's like with each year we have gathered a little bit more and this is what we are now.' Recorded with both new and old producers - Steve Lillywhite, Chris Thomas, Flood, Jacknife Lee, Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, Nellee Hooper and Carl Glanville worked on the album - U2's eleventh studio record from was released in November 2004, debuted at at Number 1 in 25 countries and the lead single Vertigo won three Grammy awards, including Best Rock Song.

The Vertigo tour which followed was the highest grossing tour of the year and with the album confirmed U2 as "the greatest rock and roll band in the world." During 2005 U2 played to more than 3.2 million people. In March Bruce Springsteen inducted the band into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame, describing them as 'the keepers of some of the most beautiful sonic architecture in the rock-and-roll world," said rocker Bruce Springsteen while inducting U2.' And then there was Live 8 , beamed live to half the planet, and opening up with U2 performing Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band with Paul McCartney. At the 2006 Grammy ceremony, U2 took home 5 Awards, including the coveted Album of the Year for HTDAAB. These new wins brought their total number of Grammy Awards to 22, more than any other band. While spending a month recording at Abbey Road Studios London in 2006, U2 collaborated with Green Day to record a cover of the song The Saints Are Coming by The Skids.

The recording was a benefit for Music Rising , a charity founded by The Edge which aims to help rebuild the musical heart and culture of New Orleans by replacing instruments that were lost during Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. The band have released three 'Best of' collections: ' The Best of 1980-1990 ', ' The Best of 1990-2000 ', and ' U218 Singles ' in 2006 which also featured the new song 'Windows In the Skies' . Five years after the release of How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, in March 2009 the band released No Line on the Horizon. Their 12th studio album was written and recorded in in Fez, Morocco, Dublin, Ireland, New York and Olympic Studios in London. The album calls on the production talents of long-time collaborators Brian Eno and Danny Lanois, with additional production by Steve Lillywhite. In July 2011, two years after opening up in Barcelona , the band played the final show of U2360° .

Over 26 months it became the most succesful concert tour of all time, with 110 shows to 7.1million fans in 30 countries on 5 continents. A revolutionary production, U2360° caught the imagination of its audience, who nicknamed U2's circular stage the Claw, the Spaceship and - in Houston - the Space Station. USA Today described it as 'a four-pronged UFO anchored by a glowing 164-foot pylon and cylindrical LED screens.' But whatever it was called, for the Chicago Tribune, 'The lights, the songs, the audience all synced up. Sometimes size matters.' Just a few weeks from the end of the tour, the band flew out of the US, back across the Atlantic and landed on a farm in the heart of rural Somerset . After all these years it was time to headline the Glastonbury Festival. OK, it rained, but that didn't stop the band setting the Festival alight - 19 songs from eight albums in an electrifying set over an hour and three quarters. Here's what they played - and what people said about a night to remember .

Just a few weeks later the tour came to a close and ahead of the closing night in Moncton, Canada, Ray Waddell of Billboard summed it all up, 'With tonight's final show, U2's 360° tour will go down as the biggest tour ever reported both in terms of box office gross and attendance. This tour is a remarkable feat on a global scale, from its staging and production, to its video elements, all the way to the scaling of the house, routing and execution.

Most importantly, U2 rocked mightily all over the world.' Some other U2360° facts: 10 million watched a live stream of U2360° at the RoseBowl on YouTube; 320,000 Fans saw 360° in Mexico City ; 7,100 miles - approximate distance travelled by space station while talking with U2; 5,200 Years - collective touring experience of U2 tour personnel ; 400 tons - weight of the fully loaded claw; 134 Crew Members ; 126 Truck Drivers; 53 gigs attended by a single fan; 33 Flemish Speaking Crew members; 11 Babies Born To Crew ; 7 Astronauts Attended; 4 Appreciative Irishmen; 1 Singer in Surgery; 1 World Leader Released From House Arrest During Tour. In October 2013, the band revealed they'd written a new song, 'Ordinary Love', for the biopic Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, starring Idris Elba and Naomie Harris.

Produced by Danger Mouse, the song was released in a 10-inch vinyl pressing to mark Record Store Day on November 29th and the single sleeve featured a painting of Nelson Mandela by Irish artist and illustrator Oliver Jeffers. Oliver, along with Mac Premo, directed a lyric video for Ordinary Love. 'We thought it should be a love song, a very human song. ' Edge explained, when asked about how the band approached the request by movie producer Harvey Weinstein to write a song for the movie. 'Not epic, not earnest in dealing with world-changing political shifts but personal in two people trying to hold on to one another in the face of dreadful mistreatment and heartbreak.' The song went on to win the golden Globe Award for Best Original Song in January 2014 and was nominated for an Oscar at the ceremony in February, where the band performed it live. In February 2014, the band released another single, 'Invisible'. Produced by Danger Mouse and mixed by Tom Elmhirst, Invisible marked the launch of a partnership with (RED) and Bank Of America in the campaign to create an AIDS free generation.

For 36 hours, every time the track was downloaded from iTunes, the Bank made a donation of $1 to (RED) for the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. More than $3m was raised and when the track went on sale, all proceeds from 'Invisible' on iTunes continued to go to (RED) for the Global Fund. 'The early lyrics were set on a train coming into London for the first time.' said Bono. ' I remember sleeping in Euston station, being broke... coming out of the subway into the spring of 1979, being 18 years old, it was punk rock in London.' The video for 'Invisible', directed by Mark Romanek, was shot in black and white, in a Santa Monica airport hangar, over three days in January. With a cast of 1200. And flashlights. A sixty second clip premiered on February 2nd during the Super Bowl, to launch the partnership with (RED). Out of the blue, on September 9th 2014 , the band turned up at the Cupertino launch of the new iPhone and Apple Watch.

Apple head Tim Cook explained that a decade previously 'we began a deep collaboration with one of the best bands of all time - and that band is U2.' Taking the stage, the band performed a brand new song, 'The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)' - after which Bono spoke with Cook and revealed some news. The song was the lead single from a new album called 'Songs Of Innocence' and the eleven tracks, finished less than a week ago, were now ready for release. Literally now. As he spoke, iTunes were putting the album automatically into the music libraries of 500million customers in 119 countries around the world. It would, said Cook, be 'the largest album release of all time.' Bono described how it all came together . 'Remember us? Pleased to announce myself, Edge, Adam and Larry have finally given birth to our new baby... Songs of Innocence. It's been a while. We wanted to get it right for you/us. We just finished it last week and thanks to Apple and iTunes it's with you today.

That's already amazing to me as it normally takes a few months to turn this stuff around.' Hailed by critics as a great work of art , Songs Of Innocence was attacked by some for the means of distribution.The band faced critics down: 'It's the job of art to be divisive.' They talked about the groundbreaking release in a video on Facebook . A month later, Songs Of Innocence was released on CD & Vinyl, the striking cover art featuring Larry Mullen Jr protecting his 18 year old son . The image resonated with the band's iconic 1980 debut album Boy and, three years later, the War album. Both featured the face of a child, Peter Rowen, the younger brother of Guggi, Bono's childhood friend growing up on Cedarwood Road. The eleven tracks on Songs Of Innocence, a kind of musical autobiography, chart U2's earliest influences from 70s rock and punk to early 80s electronica and soul... and reveal how music changed everything.

As Bono sings in 'The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)', 'I woke up when the miracle occurred/ Heard a song that made some sense out of the world...' Exploring themes of home and family, relationships and discovery, detailed liner notes fill out the picture with resonant stories, like one of the first gigs the teenage band got into. 'The 4 members of U2 went to see the Ramones playing in the state cinema in Dublin without thinking about how we were going to get in. we had no tickets and no money. My best friend Guggi had a ticket and he snuck us through a side exit he pried open. The world stopped long enough for us to get on it. Even though we only saw half the show, it became one of the great nights of our life....' U2 | Biography & History | AllMusic google+ Artist Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Through a combination of zealous righteousness and post-punk experimentalism, U2 became one of the most popular rock & roll bands in the world -- equally known for their sweeping sound as for their grandiose statements about politics and religion. The Edge provided the group with a signature sound by creating sweeping sonic landscapes with his heavily processed, echoed guitars.

Though the Edge's style wasn't conventional, the rhythm section of Larry Mullen, Jr. and Adam Clayton played the songs as driving hard rock, giving the band a forceful, powerful edge that was designed for arenas. And their lead singer, Bono , was a frontman with a knack of grand gestures that played better in stadiums than small clubs. It's no accident that footage of Bono parading with a white flag with "Sunday Bloody Sunday" blaring in the background became the defining moment of U2 's early career -- there rarely was a band that believed so deeply in rock's potential for revolution as U2 , and there rarely was a band whose members didn't care if they appeared foolish in the process. During the course of the early '80s, the group quickly built up a dedicated following through constant touring and a string of acclaimed records. By 1987, U2 's following had grown large enough to propel them to the level of international superstardom with the release of The Joshua Tree .

Unlike many of their contemporaries, they were able to sustain such popularity in the '90s by reinventing themselves as a postmodern, self-consciously ironic, dance-inflected pop/rock act, owing equally to the experimentalism of late-'70s Bowie and '90s electronic dance and techno. By performing such a successful reinvention, the band confirmed its status as one of the most popular bands in rock history, in addition to earning additional critical respect. With its textured guitars, the band's sound was undeniably indebted to post-punk, so it's slightly ironic that U2 formed in 1976, before punk had even reached their hometown of Dublin, Ireland. Larry Mullen Jr. (born October 31, 1961; drums), posted a notice on a high-school bulletin board asking for fellow musicians to form a band.

Bono (born Paul Hewson , May 10, 1960; vocals), the Edge (born David Evans , August 8, 1961; guitar, keyboards, vocals), Adam Clayton (born March 13, 1960; bass), and Dick Evans responded to the ad, and the teenagers banded together as a Beatles and Stones cover band called the Feedback. They then changed their name to the Hype in 1977. Shortly afterward, Dick Evans left the band to form the Virgin Prunes , and the group changed names once again, this time adopting the moniker of U2 . U2 's first big break arrived in 1978, during the members' final year of high school, when they won a talent contest sponsored by Guinness. By the end of the year, the Stranglers ' manager, Paul McGuinness , had seen U2 play and offered to manage them. Even with a powerful manager in their corner, the band had trouble making much headway, and failed an audition with CBS Records at the end of the year. In the fall of 1979, U2 released their debut EP, U2 Three .

The EP was available only in Ireland, where it topped the national charts. Shortly afterward, they began to play in England, but they failed to gain much attention away from home. U2 scored one more chart-topping single, "Another Day," in early 1980 before Island Records offered the group a contract. Later that year, the band's full-length debut, Boy , was released. Produced by Steve Lillywhite , the album's sweeping, atmospheric but edgy sound was unlike most recordings by U2 's post-punk contemporaries, and the band earned further attention for its public embrace of Christianity; only Clayton was not a practicing Christian. Through constant touring, including opening gigs for Talking Heads , U2 were able to take Boy into the American Top 70 in early 1981. October , also produced by Lillywhite , followed in the fall, and it became their British breakthrough, reaching number 11 on the charts. By early 1983, Boy 's "I Will Follow" and October 's "Gloria" had become staples on MTV, which, along with their touring, gave U2 a formidable cult following in the U.S.

Released in the spring of 1983, the Lillywhite -produced War became U2 's breakthrough release, entering the U.K. charts at number one and elevating them into arenas in the United States, where the album peaked at number 12. War had a stronger political message than its predecessors, as evidenced by the international hits "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day." During the supporting tour, the band filmed its concert at Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheater, releasing the show as an EP and video titled Under a Blood Red Sky . The EP entered in the U.K. charts at number two, becoming the most successful live recording in British history. U2 had become one of the most popular bands in the world, and their righteous political stance soon became replicated by many other bands, providing the impetus for the Band Aid and Live Aid projects in 1984 and 1985, respectively. For the follow-up to War , U2 entered the studios with co-producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois , who helped give the resulting album an experimental, atmospheric tone.

Released in the fall of 1984, The Unforgettable Fire replicated the chart status of War , entering the U.K. charts at number one and reaching number 12 in the U.S. The album also generated the group's first Top 40 hit in America with "(Pride) In the Name of Love," a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. U2 supported the album with a successful international tour, highlighted by a show-stealing performance at Live Aid. Following the tour, the band released the live EP Wide Awake in America in 1985. While U2 had become one of the most successful rock bands of the '80s, they didn't truly become superstars until the spring 1987 release of The Joshua Tree . Greeted with enthusiastic reviews, many of which proclaimed the album a masterpiece, The Joshua Tree became U2 's first American number one hit and their third straight album to enter the U.K. charts at number one; in England, it set a record by going platinum within 28 hours. Generating the U.S.

number one hits "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," The Joshua Tree and the group's supporting tour became the biggest success story of 1987, earning U2 the cover of respected publications like Time magazine. U2 decided to film a documentary about their American tour, recording new material along the way. The project became Rattle & Hum, a film that was supported by a double-album soundtrack that was divided between live tracks and new material. While the album Rattle & Hum was a hit, the record and film received the weakest reviews of U2 's career, with many critics taking issue with the group's fascination with American roots music like blues, soul, country, and folk. Following the release of Rattle & Hum , the band took an extended hiatus. U2 reconvened in Berlin in 1990 to record a new album with Eno and Lanois . While the sessions for the album were difficult, the resulting record, Achtung Baby , represented a successful reinvention of the band's trademark sound.

Where they had been inspired by post-punk in the early career and American music during their mid-career, U2 delved into electronic and dance music with Achtung Baby . Inspired equally by late-'70s Bowie and the Madchester scene in the U.K., Achtung Baby was sonically more eclectic and adventurous than U2 's earlier work, and it didn't alienate their core audience. The album debuted at number one throughout the world and spawned Top Ten hits with "Mysterious Ways" and "One." Early in 1992, the group launched an elaborate tour to support Achtung Baby . Dubbed Zoo TV , the tour was an innovative blend of multimedia electronics, featuring a stage filled with televisions, suspended cars, and cellular phones. Bono devised an alter ego called the Fly, which was a knowing send-up of rock stardom. Even under the ironic guise of the Fly and Zoo TV , it was evident that U2 were looser and more fun than ever before, even though they had not abandoned their trademark righteous political anger.

Following the completion of the American Zoo TV tour in late 1992 and preceding the launch of the tour's European leg, U2 entered the studio to complete an EP of new material that soon became the full-length Zooropa . Released in the summer of 1993 to coincide with the tour of the same name, Zooropa demonstrated a heavier techno and dance influence than Achtung Baby and received strong reviews. Nevertheless, the album stalled at sales of two million and failed to generate a big hit single. During the subsequent Zooropa tour, the Fly metamorphosed into the demonic MacPhisto, which dominated the remainder of the tour. Upon the completion of the Zooropa tour in late 1993, the band took another extended break. During 1995, U2 re-emerged with "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me," a glam rock theme to Batman Forever that was produced by Nellee Hooper ( Björk , Soul II Soul ). Later that year, they recorded the collaborative album Original Soundtracks, Vol. 1 with Brian Eno , releasing the record under the name the Passengers late in 1995.

It was greeted with a muted reception, both critically and commercially. Many hardcore U2 fans (including drummer Larry Mullen Jr. ) were unhappy with the Passengers project, and U2 promised their next album, to be released in the fall of 1996, would be a rock & roll record. The album took longer to complete than usual, ultimately being pushed back to the spring of 1997. During its delay, a few tracks, including the forthcoming first single "Discotheque," were leaked, and it became clear that the new album was going to be heavily influenced by techno, dance, and electronic music. When it was finally released, Pop did indeed bear a heavier dance influence, but it was greeted with strong initial sales and a few positive reviews. Demand for the album lessened in the following months, however, and Pop ultimately became the band's least popular album in over a decade. In late 1998, the group returned with Best of 1980-1990 , the first in a series of hits collections issued in conjunction with a reported 50 million dollar agreement with Polygram.

Included in the comprehensive track list was a remixed version of "Sweetest Thing," originally released as B-side in 1987, which charted well in multiple countries. Three years after the mediocre response to Pop , U2 teamed up with Eno and Lanois once again to release All That You Can't Leave Behind in fall 2000. The album was heralded as a return to form, melding the band's classic sound with contemporary trends. It topped charts around the world, reached number three in America, earned Grammy Awards for the singles "Beautiful Day" and "Walk On," and became the band's biggest-selling record in years. (The Elevation tour that followed also brought U2 a hefty paycheck.) Steve Lillywhite , producer of the early-'80s landmarks Boy , October , and War , returned to the helm for U2 's next record, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb . Released in November 2004, it hit the top of the Billboard charts and quickly gained platinum status.

The album also garnered eight Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Rock Album of the Year, and Song of the Year (for "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own," which Bono had written for his father). U2 were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in early 2005 and launched an international tour soon after, selling out arena venues in the U.S. and outdoor stadium shows abroad. The Vertigo Tour became the highest-grossing tour of 2005; by the time the entire tour concluded in late 2006, its gross of $389 million had made it the second most successful tour ever. U2 returned to the drawing board in 2006 by partnering with veteran rock producer Rick Rubin . Two songs from those sessions appeared on the compilation U218 Singles , but the remaining material was ultimately scrapped. The band then turned to longtime friends Brian Eno , Daniel Lanois , and Steve Lillywhite , all of whom helped shape the sound of U2 's 12th studio effort.

Entitled No Line on the Horizon , the album was originally slated to appear in October 2008, although the release date was ultimately pushed back to March 2009. No Line on the Horizon was met with enthusiastic reviews but failed to yield a big radio single; even so, the band embarked on another lucrative tour that summer. A second leg, originally planned for 2010, was postponed when Bono suffered a slipped disc and underwent emergency back surgery. Touring resumed the following year, and the so-called 360 Tour was ultimately named the highest-grossing concert tour in history. Meanwhile, Bono and the Edge also worked on music for the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, which opened in June 2011. Not long after completing the 360 Tour, U2 turned their attention to recording their 13th album, a process that turned out to be rather complicated. Initially, the group worked with such dance-oriented producers as will.i.am and David Guetta , but as the sessions progressed, the concept of the record changed, as did the producers, with the band trying out Ryan Tedder and Flood before eventually settling in for the long haul with Danger Mouse .

The first fruits of these sessions appeared in late 2013, when "Ordinary Love" was released as part of the soundtrack to the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom ; the song was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe. The next song up was "Invisible," which appeared to be the opening salvo for a new album as it soundtracked a commercial for Super Bowl XLVIII and the group played it on the inaugural February 17 2014 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Commercial response to the single was lukewarm and the band retreated into the studio for several more months, unexpectedly emerging with a completed album called Songs of Innocence on September 9, 2014. Available in its first month-and-a-half as a free download, Songs of Innocence saw a physical release in October. Upon that release, it debuted at nine on the Billboard 200, selling 25,000 copies; in comparison, No Line on the Horizon sold 484,000 copies in its first week of release.

Biography of U2's drummer, Larry Mullen E-mail Larry Mullen's biography Lawrence Mullen was born in Artane, Dublin to Larry and Maureen on 31st October 1961 and brought up there at number 60 Rosemount Avenue. He had a tragic childhood, losing both his sister Mary (1973) and his mother (in a road traffic accident in 1978). In the mid 1970s, he began doing military style drumming, taking lessons from legendary Irish teachers, Joe Bonnie and his daughter, and becoming a member of the Artane Boys' Band (which was later to feature in the video for the 1998 re-release of 'The Sweetest Thing'). Forced to leave for refusing to cut his long hair (I know - it's hard to believe that Larry ever had long hair), he then learned to play in a more jazz style around the time that he formed U2, which meant that his initial contribution to the band was often limited to merely filling in and adding drum rolls.

After his sister had bought him his first drum kit, Larry famously posted an ad on the noticeboard at Mount Temple Comprehensive in 1976, asking for musicians to form a band with. As he's said since, the motley crew who assembled in his kitchen for their first practice were The Larry Mullen Band for about 10 minutes....until Bono turned up. Larry was the youngest of the group and wasn't a natural front man, so it was no surprise that the outgoing singer took charge and became the focal point of the band. When U2 were first making a name for themselves around Dublin, Larry was viewed as a weak link as his drumming wasn't thought to be good enough. The rest of the band stuck with him even when CBS Ireland refused to sign them initially unless they found a new drummer. Bono, Adam and Edge refused to back down and once the deal was eventually secured, Larry became much more assured and competent as his drumming became a more integral part of the songs. He often worked closely with Adam as they together formed the rhythm section of the band. He describes his style as 'unteachable' and says that he plays by instinct more than anything.

Bono has described Larry as "a very complex character" and that it's the way Larry hits his bass drum that makes U2 a true rock 'n' roll band. It's fitting that as the founder of the group he is still credited with being the backbone of the band. In fact during concerts, Bono often thanks Larry for giving him his "first and only job". Larry (and U2 as a whole, in fact) are often thought to take themselves too seriously and lack a sense of humour. I've never understood this, as As U2's popularity increased in the early 1980s, Larry decided to adopt the 'Junior' suffix to his name in order to avoid being confused with his father. At the time, Larry senior was receiving some unexpectedly large tax demands which were intended for his son. Larry has always been the quiet man of U2, preferring to let the other band members take centre stage at press conferences etc. He is also perhaps the most level headed, and is the most likely to put the brake on any elaborate and expensive plans that Bono in particular might have for complex stage sets etc. Despite the fame that success has brought, he is still content to remain largely in the background.

Having said that, he's often received the most attention from female fans and even Bono once commented that U2 "needed a Ringo [Starr]" - i.e. a drummer who wouldn't distract the female fans away from himself! Even Boy George quipped that if Bono "still hadn't found what he's looking for, he should look behind the drum kit". During the recording of Pop Larry suffered from severe back problems as the result of an earlier injury and was forced to take a back seat while he underwent surgery. He'd previously resorted to regular injections of bull's blood as treatment for his back after being recommended to try it by a German holistic healer. Conventional doctors were somewhat sceptical of the benefit of this but Larry was convinced it helped, so kept up the treatment. As a result of his and prompted by Edge's interest in new music, he experimented much more with electronic drum machines, which contributed heavily to the more techno feel of the album.

He lives in Howth near Dublin with long time girlfriend Ann Acheson, who he's known since his days at Mount Temple, and their 3 children - sons Aaron Elvis (born October 1995) and Ezra (born February 2001) amd daughter Ava (born December 1998). Ezra's arrival was announced to the crowd during the Astoria show in London shortly after his birth, when Bono announced that Larry and Anne had become parents for the third time. Larry's also a dog lover to the extent that their names have been included in the credits on previous albums. Random U2 lyric: "One day I'll die...the choice will not be mine. Will it be too late? You can't fight it" - Out of Control Search this site: Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen, Jr. - Mission: Impossible Theme (Mission Accomplished) - YouTube Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen, Jr. - Mission: Impossible Theme (Mission Accomplished) Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented.

This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Jun 5, 2013 The second of two versions of the Mission: Impossible theme on the soundtrack album for the 1996 movie. This version of the the theme is slower and more electronic, and has a more triumphant mood. Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen, Jr. are best known as the rhythm section of the band U2. The Mission: Impossible theme was written by Lalo Schifrin. Category A Sort Of U2 - About Us About Us U2 Tribute Band // A Sort Of U2 About Us Formed in the Autumn of 2012, four friends all with a big passion for live music and the Greatest live band today....U2. We All have Music backgrounds and we do the best to make our set as "Live" as a U2 gig Lets us take you on a Musical Journey from U2,s back catolouge of the last 35 years.

BONO On The Bass Guitar its Matt LARRY MULLEN Jnr Drums - Darren Clark I have been playing the Drums for over 20 years, started playing in local garage bands and has been gigging in the Bournemouth music scene since the early 90,s playing in cover bands(all had a few U2 numbers in the setlist). What made me want to play the drum,s ,the opening drum beats of "Sunday Bloody Sunday "and the War album ,this also got me into U2. I just fell into their music, its great that the band are still together after over 35 years ,still making great music and touring and I have seen them on 6 tours. I,m a big fan of Larry, and I think Larry and Adam make a great rhythm section, and what they play works well within U2. Favourite Songs- One, The Unforgetable Fire, Where The Streets Have No Names ,Sunday Bloody Sunday, Bad, New Years Day, Walk On, Untill The End Of The World. Favourite Albums- Acthung Baby, The Joshua Tree, War, All That You Cant Leave Behind, "Live" at Red Rocks. Favourite Tour - Zoo TV , Elevation, Vertigo.

My Gear: Yamaha Beech Custom Drum Kit Yamaha Hardware GTC Custom Snare 13 x 7 (wood) Rhythm Tech Tambourines x 2 Paiste Cymbals Disclaimer We do not own or have permission to use the Images of band U2 or the name U2. Larry Mullen, Jr. - Drumstick Collector Wiki Larry Mullen, Jr. Jump to: navigation , search Laurence Joseph "Larry" Mullen, Jr. (born 31 October 1961) is an Irish musician and the drummer for the Irish rock band U2. One of the four original founders of U2, he would relate that he described the band as "'The Larry Mullen Band' for about ten minutes, then Bono walked in and blew any chance I had of being in charge." Some of his most famous contributions to the U2 catalog include ""40"," "Zoo Station," and "Mysterious Ways." He has worked on numerous side projects during his career, including a collaboration with Michael Stipe and Mike Mills of R.E.M.

to form Automatic Baby in 1993 and working with bandmate Adam Clayton on the re-recording of the theme to Mission: Impossible, in 1996. He has been awarded, both as part of U2 and in his own right, 22 Grammy awards. Contents 8 Drumstick Price Guide Early life Mullen, the middle child and only son of Laurence Joseph Mullen and Maureen (née Gaffney) Mullen, was born 31 October 1961 in Artane, Dublin, Ireland, and lived there, on Rosemount Avenue, until his twenties. His father was a civil servant and his mother a homemaker. He has an elder sister, Cecilia, and had a younger sister, Mary (died 1973). He attended the School of Music in Chatham Row to learn piano at the age of eight and, then, began drumming in 1971, at the age of 9, under the instruction of Irish drummer Joe Bonnie. After Joe's death, Bonnie's daughter, Monica, took over from him. But Mullen gave up the lessons and started playing by himself.

His mother died in a car accident in 1976. Before founding U2, Mullen was involved for three weeks, on the suggestion of his father, in a Dublin marching band called the Artane Boys Band (now known as the Artane Band), contributing to the martial beats common in Mullen's work, such as "Sunday Bloody Sunday". Mullen lost interest again and left the band after they asked him to cut his shoulder-length hair. He saved money and his father helped him out to buy a drum kit made by a Japanese toy company, which was for sale by a friend of his sister Cecilia. He set up the kit in his bedroom and his parents gave him certain times to practice. Then his father got him into the Post Office Workers Band, which played orchestral melodies with percussion, along with marching band standards. He attended Scoil Colmcille, Marlborough Street, Dublin. He took the exams for Chanel College and St. Paul's, two Catholic schools his father wanted his son to attend. After Mary, the youngest of the three Mullen siblings, died in 1973 (aged 9), Larry Mullen Sr.

gave up the idea of pushing his son into those schools and sent his son to Mount Temple Comprehensive School, the first interdenominational school in Ireland. Musical career Mullen's father suggested that he place a notice on the Mount Temple Comprehensive School bulletin board, saying something to the effect of "drummer seeks musicians to form band." U2 was founded on 25 September 1976 in Mullen's kitchen in Artane. The band, originally consisting of Mullen, Paul "Bono" Hewson, David "The Edge" Evans, his brother Dik Evans, Adam Clayton, and Mullen's friends Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin, was originally known as the "Larry Mullen Band", but the name quickly changed to "Feedback", as that was one of the few musical terms they knew. Soon after the band formed, McCormick and Martin left and the band, by then known as "The Hype", was a 5-piece band. Just before they won a talent contest in Limerick, Ireland, they changed their name again, for the final time, to U2 at a farewell concert for Dik Evans, becoming the 4-piece band they are today.

Mullen left school in 1978, having taken his Intermediate Certificate exams. The school offered him the chance to complete his Leaving Certificate exams. He and his sister Cecelia worked for an American company in Dublin, involved in oil exploration off the coast of Ireland. Mullen worked there for a year in the purchasing department, with the prospect of becoming a computer programmer in their geology section. "People say, 'Why don't you do interviews? What do you think about this? What do you think about that?' My job in the band is to play drums, to get up on stage and hold the band together. That's what I do. At the end of the day that's all that's important. Everything else is irrelevant." —Larry Mullen Jr. Style and techniques In the early days of U2, his contributions to the band were often limited to fills and drum rolls, but he became more involved in the writing of the songs later, particularly in conjunction with Adam Clayton, his partner in the rhythm section, with whom he has collaborated on solo projects. When the band was first being signed to CBS Records, they refused to sign the band unless Mullen was fired.

He was not, and as a result, his drumming became more integrated into the song structures. His experiences in the Artane Boys Band reportedly heavily contributed to the martial beat featured in many of U2's songs, helping to evoke military imagery. During the recording of the album Pop in 1996, Mullen suffered from severe back problems. Recording was delayed due to surgery. When he left the hospital, he arrived back in the studio to find the rest of the band experimenting more than ever with electronic drum machines, something driven largely by guitarist The Edge's interest in dance and hip-hop music, and, given his weakness after the operation, he relented, allowing The Edge to continue using drum machines, which contributed heavily to the album's electronic feel. Mullen has had tendinitis problems throughout his career. As a means to reduce inflammation and pain, he began to use specially designed Pro-Mark drumsticks. He uses Yamaha drums and Paiste cymbals. He was placed at #21 in Stylus Magazine's list of the 50 Greatest Rock Drummers. Although he occasionally plays keyboards and synthesiser in concerts, Mullen rarely sings during performances.

He contributed backing vocals to the songs "Numb", "Get On Your Boots", "Moment of Surrender", "Elevation", "Miracle Drug", "Love and Peace or Else", "Unknown Caller", "Zoo Station" (only during Zoo TV Tour) and others. He occasionally performed a cover version of "Dirty Old Town" on the Zoo TV Tour. During live performances of "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight", Mullen walks around the stage, contributing to the song with a large djembe strapped around his waist. Mullen is said to have a preternatural sense of rhythm. Brian Eno recounted that while working with Mullen on a U2 album, Mullen kept insisting that the click track was off and lagging behind the tracks that had already been recorded. Eno adjusted it, thinking that he was just humoring Mullen, but later found that Mullen was right and the click track had indeed been off by six milliseconds. Mullen switches between the traditional cross-sticking playing style & the open handed style, which is why one of his 16" floor toms is on the left.

For the song With Or Without You, he rides the left side floor tom with his left hand leading. Solo projects Mullen has worked on many solo projects in his career, including collaborations with Maria McKee, Nanci Griffith, and U2 producer Daniel Lanois. In 1990, Mullen co-wrote and arranged an official Republic of Ireland national football team song `Put 'Em Under Pressure' for the World Cup. He played drums on many of the songs on the 1995 album, Wrecking Ball. Mullen and Adam Clayton recorded the soundtrack to the 1996 movie of Mission: Impossible, including the theme song, whose time signature was changed from the original 5/4 time signature to an easier and more danceable 4/4 time signature. The "Theme from Mission: Impossible" reached #8 on the U.S. Billboard chart, and was nominated for a Grammy award in the "Best Pop Instrumental Performance" category. He worked with producer Daniel Lanois on his album Acadie. Mullen and Clayton collaborated with Mike Mills and Michael Stipe from R.E.M.

to form the one-performance group Automatic Baby, solely for the purpose of performing "One" for Bill Clinton's inauguration at MTV's 1993 inaugural ball. The group's name refers to the titles of both bands' latest albums, Achtung Baby and Automatic for the People. He performed on Underworld's song "Boy, Boy, Boy" from their 2007 album, Oblivion with Bells. Acting career Mullen's film debut was in a film by Phil Joanou called Entropy where he played himself alongside bandmate Bono. He played a thief in Man on the Train, which starred Donald Sutherland. Filmed in Orangeville, Ontario, Canada, Man on the Train was released in 2011. The following year, it was announced that Mullen would appear in his second film, A Thousand Times Goodnight, starring Juliette Binoche. On 3 September 2013 the film won Special Grand Prix of the Jury at Montreal World Film Festival. Personal life "We all have views on what our Irishness means to us. Two members of the band were born in England and were raised in the Protestant faith. Bono's mother was Protestant and his father was Catholic.

I was brought up Catholic. U2 are a living example of the kind of unity of faith and tradition that is possible in Northern Ireland." —Larry Mullen Jr. Mullen has never been married, but has lived with his girlfriend Ann Acheson for more than 30 years. They met in their first year in Mount Temple. They have three children. He is a first cousin of Irish actor Conor Mullen. As U2 became increasingly successful, Mullen had to add the suffix "Junior" to his name so as to disambiguate himself from his own father, who was receiving large tax bills meant for his son. In 1995 Mullen had surgery on his back because he had been carrying an injury since The Joshua Tree tour. He and Clayton own places near Bono and Edge in the South of France to make the work easier. He prefers to let the other band members take the spotlight at interviews. He has played synthesizer or keyboards on several songs, including "United Colours" from 1995's Original Soundtracks 1, an album that Mullen has always disliked. In the 1980s, The Prunes gave him the nickname of The Jam Jar.

(xxxx) Larry Mullen, Jr. - Pro-Mark signature drumsticks, Zooropa 1993 Tour (not in collection yet). (xxxx) Larry Mullen, Jr. - Pro-Mark signature drumsticks, late 1990s (not in collection yet). Drumstick Price Guide Irish Rock Discography: U2 • Saturday 17 November 1979 with The Epidemix • Sunday 23 December 1979 with The Threat They were signed to CBS Records in 1979 and released their debut single in September. Their first trip to London was after the November gig with the Epidemix (it was billed as a "farewell gig") and played their last Dandelion show in December 1979 after returning from London. The early singles and first two albums are excellent post-punk/new wave records. All are well worth owning though "October" is perhaps a classic example of the 'difficult' second album. They were accused of plagarism at the time (Ian McCulloch of Echo & The Bunnymen was forever sniping in the press) but that was nonsense.

However, for various reasons their records gradually became unlistenable, in direct proportion to their attempt to break in USA, peaking with the godawful "Joshua Tree", and remaining so until 2000's "All That You Leave Behind". Note: the bands discography is presented here up to about 1982, focussing on Irish releases. There are several excellent and highly scientific websites which delve into the minutae of the Irish CBS releases. Please refer to them for such matters, i.e. please do not email me anymore about whether your copy is a first pressing or not! Discography • various artists - Just For Kicks LP - Kick Records - KK-1 - IRL - 1979 See Compilations section for full track listing. tracks: Stories For Boys (early version) • U2 3 EP 7" - CBS Records - 7951 - IRL - September 1979 - PS CBS sunburst label, UKTM No.B81 8092; PS with thumb cut front and back Subsequently repressed as part of the 4U2Play pack.

tracks: Out Of Control / Stories For Boys / Boy-Girl Notes: The U2 3 EP spent 2 weeks in the Irish charts beginning 29 October 1979, peaking at #19. None of U2's subsequent singles charted in Ireland until "Fire" in 1981. • U2 3 EP 12" - CBS Records - 12-7951 - IRL - September 1979 1st press - label: Ireland spelt correctly, band name on both sides; CBS disco bag with hand-numbered sticker, limited to 1000 copies Beware bootleg editions of the handnumbered sticker!

2nd press - label: Ireland misspelt, band name on both sides; CBS disco bag 3rd press - label: Ireland misspelt, band name on one side; CBS disco bag 4th press - label: Ireland misspelt, band name on one side; black bag tracks: Out Of Control / Stories For Boys / Boy-Girl Notes: The U2 3 EP spent 2 weeks in the Irish charts beginning 29 October 1979, peaking at #19 by which time all 1000 copies of the original numbered 12inch edition had sold out. None of U2's subsequent singles charted in Ireland until "Fire" in 1981. The 4th press may not be a distinct pressing, it may simply be the pressing plant ran out of CBS bags and switched to plain black bags; there are also 1st pressing labels in un-numbered CBS bags, suggesting either MORE than 1000 were actually pressed and the excess copies were sold, or some of the original 1000 became separated from their original stickered bag.

• U2 3 EP K7 - CBS Records - 7951 - IRL - 1985 tracks: Out Of Control / Stories For Boys / Boy-Girl • Another Day / Twilight (demo) 7" - CBS Records - 8306 - IRL - February 1980 - PS The first 250 copies came with a postcard which is now ultra rare. Subsequently repressed as part of the 4U2Play pack. • 11 O'Clock Tick Tock / Touch 7" - CBS Records - 8687 - IRL - May 1980 - PS A fabulous single by any standards. Subsequently repressed as part of the 4U2Play pack. Original Irish pressings in imported sleeves have "Record made in Ireland" stickers on the cover. • A Day Without Me / Things To Make And Do 7" - CBS Records - 8905X - August 1980 - PS Subsequently repressed as part of the "U2 Pac II" pack.

7" - Island/Ariola 102.657 - Netherlands - 1980 - different PS • A Day Without Me / I Will Follow (LP version) 7" - Island Records - 6837 672 - France 1980 - no PS • I Will Follow / Boy-Girl (live) 7" - CBS Records - 9065 - IRL - October 1980 - PS Subsequently repressed as part of the 4U2Play pack.

7" - Island Records - K 8150 - New Zealand - 1980 - different PS • I Will Follow / Out Of Control (live) 7" - Island Records - IS 49716 - USA - 1980 - different PS & B-side • Boy LP - CBS Records - 84658 - IRL - October 1980 - inner Irish CBS discs in stickered UK Island sleeves (and inner sleeve) also exist A rare Irish CBS sunburst label exists but I am unsure where it fits in the chronology • A Celebration / Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl 7" - CBS Records - 2214 - IRL - September 1982 Subsequently repressed as part of the "U2 Pac II" pack.

7" - Island Records - 6010 510 - France - 1982 - different PS • A Celebration / Fire 7" - Island/Polystar Records - 7S-69 - Japan - 1982 - different PS, +insert • I Will Follow (live dutch TV 14.5.82) / Gloria 7" - Island Records - 104.525 - Netherlands - 1982 - PS Also pressed in Germany with references to the "Countdown" TV show removed from cover • 4 U2 Play 4x7" - CBS Records - 7951 / 8306 / 8687 / 9065 - IRL - 1982 Reissue of four singles in a special plastic wallet. This was pressed (at least) four times.

Each pressing can be distinguised by examining the U2-3 EP single: 1st press - 1982 - label: red/black; on black, brown, white, orange and yellow vinyl 2nd press - 1983 - label: sunburst, UKTM, "Made in England" at edge, "CBS Inc" at bottom 3rd press - 1984 - label: sunburst, no UKTM/"Made in England"/"CBS Inc" 4th press - 1985 - label: red/black/(white CBS) Notes: Note this set is not strictly chronological. It collects Irish singles 1, 2, 3 and 5. Was this done to make sure the 2nd singles pack was a more attractive proposition with more non-LP tracks? • U2 PAC II 4x7" - CBS Records - 8905X + 1376X + 1718 + 2214 - IRL - 198? Reissue of four more singles. First pressing had CBS sunburst labels, later with red/black/(white CBS) labels. Notes: Note this set is not strictly chronological.

It collects Irish singles 4, 6, 7 and 8. Was this done to make sure the 2nd singles pack was a more attractive proposition with more non-LP tracks? Help! We need your help to correct and/or complete this entry. If you can provide more information about this band, have scans, photos or any other memorabilia we can use, or spare copies of any releases, then please get in touch . See Also: stumbleupon More StatsView More About Larry Mullen Jr The Irish drummer Laurence Joseph “Larry” Mullen, Jr. has an estimated net worth of $150 million. He ranks seventh among the top 30 richest drummers in the world. He was born in the year 1961 he started his career as a drummer at the age of seven in the year 1970. In his initial stages he was a part of a Dublin band called Artane, although is most popularly known as the drummer for the word famous Irish rock band U2. He along with the other band members Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr . have won numerous awards.

The awards won by the group are 86 and climbing, as well as being Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Inductees. Apart from being a drummer, Larry Mullen also involved himself in writing lyrics in conjunction with his partner in rhythm section, Adam Clayton. He also ventured in acting along with his band mate Bono in a film called Entropy. He carried out several solo projects and most of them were very successful and earned a great name to the Irish drummer. He composed the official team song “Put ‘Em Under Pressure” for the Ireland soccer team. ShareOn Facebook U2 - Listen to Free Music by U2 on Pandora Internet Radio more U2 Through a combination of zealous righteousness and post-punk experimentalism, U2 became one of the most popular rock & roll bands in the world -- equally known for their sweeping sound as for their grandiose statements about politics and religion. The Edge provided the group with a signature sound by creating sweeping sonic landscapes with his heavily processed, echoed guitars. Though the Edge 's style wasn't conventional, the rhythm section of Larry Mullen, Jr. and Adam Clayton played the songs as driving hard rock, giving the band a forceful, powerful edge that was designed for arenas.

And their lead singer, Bono , was a frontman with a knack of grand gestures that played better in stadiums than small clubs. It's no accident that footage of Bono parading with a white flag with "Sunday Bloody Sunday" blaring in the background became the defining moment of U2's early career -- there rarely was a band that believed so deeply in rock's potential for revolution as U2, and there rarely was a band whose members didn't care if they appeared foolish in the process. During the course of the early '80s, the group quickly built up a dedicated following through constant touring and a string of acclaimed records. By 1987, U2's following had grown large enough to propel them to the level of international superstardom with the release of The Joshua Tree. Unlike many of their contemporaries, they were able to sustain such popularity in the '90s by reinventing themselves as a postmodern, self-consciously ironic, dance-inflected pop/rock act, owing equally to the experimentalism of late-'70s Bowie and '90s electronic dance and techno.

By performing such a successful reinvention, the band confirmed its status as one of the most popular bands in rock history, in addition to earning additional critical respect. With its textured guitars, the band's sound was undeniably indebted to post-punk, so it's slightly ironic that U2 formed in 1976, before punk had even reached their hometown of Dublin, Ireland. Larry Mullen Jr. (born October 31, 1961; drums), posted a notice on a high-school bulletin board asking for fellow musicians to form a band. Bono (born Paul Hewson, May 10, 1960; vocals), the Edge (born David Evans, August 8, 1961; guitar, keyboards, vocals), Adam Clayton (born March 13, 1960; bass), and Dick Evans responded to the ad, and the teenagers banded together as a Beatles and Stones cover band called the Feedback. They then changed their name to the Hype in 1977. Shortly afterward, Dick Evans left the band to form the Virgin Prunes , and the group changed names once again, this time adopting the moniker of U2.

U2's first big break arrived in 1978, during the members' final year of high school, when they won a talent contest sponsored by Guinness. By the end of the year, the Stranglers ' manager, Paul McGuinness, had seen U2 play and offered to manage them. Even with a powerful manager in their corner, the band had trouble making much headway, and failed an audition with CBS Records at the end of the year. In the fall of 1979, U2 released their debut EP, U2 Three. The EP was available only in Ireland, where it topped the national charts. Shortly afterward, they began to play in England, but they failed to gain much attention away from home. U2 scored one more chart-topping single, "Another Day," in early 1980 before Island Records offered the group a contract. Later that year, the band's full-length debut, Boy, was released. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, the album's sweeping, atmospheric but edgy sound was unlike most recordings by U2's post-punk contemporaries, and the band earned further attention for its public embrace of Christianity; only Clayton was not a practicing Christian.

Through constant touring, including opening gigs for Talking Heads , U2 were able to take Boy into the American Top 70 in early 1981. October, also produced by Lillywhite, followed in the fall, and it became their British breakthrough, reaching number 11 on the charts. By early 1983, Boy's "I Will Follow" and October's "Gloria" had become staples on MTV, which, along with their touring, gave U2 a formidable cult following in the U.S. Released in the spring of 1983, the Lillywhite-produced War became U2's breakthrough release, entering the U.K. charts at number one and elevating them into arenas in the United States, where the album peaked at number 12. War had a stronger political message than its predecessors, as evidenced by the international hits "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day." During the supporting tour, the band filmed its concert at Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheater, releasing the show as an EP and video titled Under a Blood Red Sky. The EP entered in the U.K. charts at number two, becoming the most successful live recording in British history.

U2 had become one of the most popular bands in the world, and their righteous political stance soon became replicated by many other bands, providing the impetus for the Band Aid and Live Aid projects in 1984 and 1985, respectively. For the follow-up to War, U2 entered the studios with co-producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois , who helped give the resulting album an experimental, atmospheric tone. Released in the fall of 1984, The Unforgettable Fire replicated the chart status of War, entering the U.K. charts at number one and reaching number 12 in the U.S. The album also generated the group's first Top 40 hit in America with "(Pride) In the Name of Love," a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. U2 supported the album with a successful international tour, highlighted by a show-stealing performance at Live Aid. Following the tour, the band released the live EP Wide Awake in America in 1985. While U2 had become one of the most successful rock bands of the '80s, they didn't truly become superstars until the spring 1987 release of The Joshua Tree.

Greeted with enthusiastic reviews, many of which proclaimed the album a masterpiece, The Joshua Tree became U2's first American number one hit and their third straight album to enter the U.K. charts at number one; in England, it set a record by going platinum within 28 hours. Generating the U.S. number one hits "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," The Joshua Tree and the group's supporting tour became the biggest success story of 1987, earning U2 the cover of respected publications like Time magazine. U2 decided to film a documentary about their American tour, recording new material along the way. The project became Rattle & Hum, a film that was supported by a double-album soundtrack that was divided between live tracks and new material. While the album Rattle & Hum was a hit, the record and film received the weakest reviews of U2's career, with many critics taking issue with the group's fascination with American roots music like blues, soul, country, and folk. Following the release of Rattle & Hum, the band took an extended hiatus.

U2 reconvened in Berlin in 1990 to record a new album with Eno and Lanois . While the sessions for the album were difficult, the resulting record, Achtung Baby, represented a successful reinvention of the band's trademark sound. Where they had been inspired by post-punk in the early career and American music during their mid-career, U2 delved into electronic and dance music with Achtung Baby. Inspired equally by late-'70s Bowie and the Madchester scene in the U.K., Achtung Baby was sonically more eclectic and adventurous than U2's earlier work, and it didn't alienate their core audience. The album debuted at number one throughout the world and spawned Top Ten hits with "Mysterious Ways" and "One." Early in 1992, the group launched an elaborate tour to support Achtung Baby. Dubbed Zoo TV, the tour was an innovative blend of multimedia electronics, featuring a stage filled with televisions, suspended cars, and cellular phones. Bono devised an alter ego called the Fly, which was a knowing send-up of rock stardom.

Even under the ironic guise of the Fly and Zoo TV, it was evident that U2 were looser and more fun than ever before, even though they had not abandoned their trademark righteous political anger. Following the completion of the American Zoo TV tour in late 1992 and preceding the launch of the tour's European leg, U2 entered the studio to complete an EP of new material that soon became the full-length Zooropa. Released in the summer of 1993 to coincide with the tour of the same name, Zooropa demonstrated a heavier techno and dance influence than Achtung Baby and received strong reviews. Nevertheless, the album stalled at sales of two million and failed to generate a big hit single. During the subsequent Zooropa tour, the Fly metamorphosed into the demonic MacPhisto, which dominated the remainder of the tour. Upon the completion of the Zooropa tour in late 1993, the band took another extended break. During 1995, U2 re-emerged with "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me," a glam rock theme to Batman Forever that was produced by Nellee Hooper (Björk, Soul II Soul ).

Later that year, they recorded the collaborative album Original Soundtracks, Vol. 1 with Brian Eno , releasing the record under the name the Passengers late in 1995. It was greeted with a muted reception, both critically and commercially. Many hardcore U2 fans (including drummer Larry Mullen Jr.) were unhappy with the Passengers project, and U2 promised their next album, to be released in the fall of 1996, would be a rock & roll record. The album took longer to complete than usual, ultimately being pushed back to the spring of 1997. During its delay, a few tracks, including the forthcoming first single "Discotheque," were leaked, and it became clear that the new album was going to be heavily influenced by techno, dance, and electronic music. When it was finally released, Pop did indeed bear a heavier dance influence, but it was greeted with strong initial sales and a few positive reviews. Demand for the album lessened in the following months, however, and Pop ultimately became the band's least popular album in over a decade.

In late 1998, the group returned with Best of 1980-1990, the first in a series of hits collections issued in conjunction with a reported 50 million dollar agreement with Polygram. Included in the comprehensive track list was a remixed version of "Sweetest Thing," originally released as B-side in 1987, which charted well in multiple countries. Three years after the mediocre response to Pop, U2 teamed up with Eno and Lanois once again to release All That You Can't Leave Behind in fall 2000. The album was heralded as a return to form, melding the band's classic sound with contemporary trends. It topped charts around the world, reached number three in America, earned Grammy Awards for the singles "Beautiful Day" and "Walk On," and became the band's biggest-selling record in years. (The Elevation tour that followed also brought U2 a hefty paycheck.) Steve Lillywhite, producer of the early-'80s landmarks Boy, October, and War, returned to the helm for U2's next record, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.

Released in November 2004, it hit the top of the Billboard charts and quickly gained platinum status. The album also garnered eight Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Rock Album of the Year, and Song of the Year (for "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own," which Bono had written for his father). U2 were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in early 2005 and launched an international tour soon after, selling out arena venues in the U.S. and outdoor stadium shows abroad. The Vertigo Tour became the highest-grossing tour of 2005; by the time the entire tour concluded in late 2006, its gross of $389 million had made it the second most successful tour ever. U2 returned to the drawing board in 2006 by partnering with veteran rock producer Rick Rubin . Two songs from those sessions appeared on the compilation U218 Singles, but the remaining material was ultimately scrapped. The band then turned to longtime friends Brian Eno , Daniel Lanois , and Steve Lillywhite, all of whom helped shape the sound of U2's 12th studio effort.

Entitled No Line on the Horizon, the album was originally slated to appear in October 2008, although the release date was ultimately pushed back to March 2009. No Line on the Horizon was met with enthusiastic reviews but failed to yield a big radio single; even so, the band embarked on another lucrative tour that summer. A second leg, originally planned for 2010, was postponed when Bono suffered a slipped disc and underwent emergency back surgery. Touring resumed the following year, and the so-called 360 Tour was ultimately named the highest-grossing concert tour in history. Meanwhile, Bono and the Edge also worked on music for the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, which opened in June 2011. Not long after completing the 360 Tour, U2 turned their attention to recording their 13th album, a process that turned out to be rather complicated. Initially, the group worked with such dance-oriented producers as will.i.am and David Guetta , but as the sessions progressed, the concept of the record changed, as did the producers, with the band trying out Ryan Tedder and Flood before eventually settling in for the long haul with Danger Mouse.

The first fruits of these sessions appeared in late 2013, when "Ordinary Love" was released as part of the soundtrack to the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom; the song was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe. The next song up was "Invisible," which appeared to be the opening salvo for a new album as it soundtracked a commercial for Super Bowl XLVIII and the group played it on the inaugural February 17 2014 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Commercial response to the single was lukewarm and the band retreated into the studio for several more months, unexpectedly emerging with a completed album called Songs of Innocence on September 9, 2014. Available in its first month-and-a-half as a free download, Songs of Innocence saw a physical release in October. Upon that release, it debuted at nine on the Billboard 200, selling 25,000 copies; in comparison, No Line on the Horizon sold 484,000 copies in its first week of release. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Question: Larry Mullins and Adam Clayton are the rhythm section for which band?
Answer: U2