[originaltext] By the end of the 1980s, U2 had established itself not only a

By the end of the 1980s, U2 had established itself not only as one of the world’s most popular bands but also as one of the most innovative. The members are Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. The band members were attending a Dublin secondary school when they began rehearsing in spite of their lack of technical expertise. The band’s early records were characterized by an intense spirituality, and they commented on social and political issues, with compassion and tenderness.
    The group became renowned for its inspirational live performances before it made much of an impact on the pop charts. But with the multimillion-selling success of The Joshua Tree album and the number one hits With or Without You and I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, U2 became pop stars.
    On Rattle and Hum, the bend explored American roots music—blues, country, and folk—with typical earnestness, but were ridiculed by some critics who found the project shallow.
    U2 reinvented itself for the new decade, reemerging in 1991 with the album Achtung Baby and a sound heavily influenced by European experimental, electronic, and disco music. However, despite the flashy exterior, the band’s lyrics remained obsessed with matters of the soul. In 2000, U2 released the aptly entitled (All That You Can’t Leave Behind), which combined the elements of the band’s earlier music.