I'm a fan of The Unforgettable Fire (their best, in my opinion), but it only went to number twelve on the US chart. (And I still like the Joshua Tree and War too. War's getting the reissue treatment with extras soon). You can go with '87's The Joshua Tree if you like since it also topped both the US and UK charts. And its critical praise certainly snowballed the Lifes Rich Pageant hype from the previous year ('86) into a movement. And by '88's Rattle and Hum feature film, the transition to the mainstream was complete.
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Originally Posted by dr6x3
Although I'm not sure that U2 were ever 'alternative' in the same way that REM were - more a grass-roots band that suddenly became titans. Hmm, an interesting one this.
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Well, if we examine the question, U2 are, as we know, on Island, a relatively small-but-known label before being sold to PolyGram in '89 (now it's part of the Universal Music Group behemoth and U2 are enjoying megabucks), and R.E.M. started on the truly independent I.R.S. label. Although, it wasn't until R.E.M.'s second effort on Warner Bros. until they went no. 1 on the British and American charts. It's a toss-up really and ultimately it depends on how "slick" one thinks early-to-mid U2 is. We can also think of it this way: R.E.M. got the deal for a multi-album contract in the 100 mil neighborhood from Warner before U2 got their even bigger deal when they re-upped. Thanks for your input.