U2 - Under A Blood Red Sky

Under A Blood Red Sky is a live album by Irish rock band U2, originally released in November 1983 via Island Records.

U2’s incantatory power is no more vividly demonstrated than in concert. Previous album War turned them into arena rock stars, and Under A Blood Red Sky captures the band on its supporting tour as the band members adjusted to their larger audiences. Unsurprisingly for a band that always favoured the grand statement, the group flourished in such a setting, as this LP attests.

Comprised of material recorded in America and Germany, Under A Blood Red Sky draws equally from the band's first three albums, and these live versions, while less textured, are considerably tougher than their studio counterparts and illustrate quite effectively why U2 were considered one of the best, most exhilarating live bands of the '80s.

With the production toning down the distorted guitar-and-drums sound of the band, without sacrificing the sheer rock & roll energy and slashing attack that have already made U2 popular, U2's secret weapon was uncovered - the versatile, elastic playing of bassist Adam Clayton. Clayton's steady bottom creates the space for the Edge's dazzling fretboard wails throughout the record. "Gloria", which in its studio version sank under the weight of its overwrought piety, here turns into a blazing rocker, while the Edge's lonesome keyboards bring forth a "New Year's Day" that outstrips its original.

The high point is "Sunday Bloody Sunday." It may not be a rebel song, but it is practically everything else: an anguished, thoughtful synthesis of religious and political beliefs, backed by the bone-crushing arena-rock riff of the decade.

Through it all, Bono is his ineluctable self, whether he's getting carried away (the "Send In The Clowns" interlude in the otherwise admirable "The Electric Co.") or carrying us away, as on the sweetly plaintive "40".

Check out the tracks: “Gloria”; “Sunday Bloody Sunday”; “New Year’s Day” and “I Will Follow”.

This LP record is a reissue on 180 gram heavyweight vinyl with a 16 page booklet and featuring remastered audio, pressed in Europe.