Signs six-album deal with Island

In June 1993, U2 signed a six-album deal to remain with Island Records/ PolyGram . The Los Angeles Times estimated that the deal was worth US$60 million to the band, making them the highest-paid rock group ever. The following month, the group released a new album, Zooropa . Quickly recorded during a break in the Zoo TV Tour in early 1993, it expanded on many of the themes from Achtung Baby and the tour. Initially intended to be an EP , Zooropa evolved into a full-length LP album . It delved further into electronic , industrial, and dance music. Country musician Johnny Cash sang the lead vocals on the closing track ” The Wanderer “. Most of the songs were played at least once during the 1993 legs of the tour, which visited Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan; half the album’s tracks became long-term fixtures in the setlist. Zooropa reached the top ten in 26 countries, sold 7 million copies, and won the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album , but the band regard it with mixed feelings; the Edge called it “an interlude”.