Under A Blood Red Sky

Through a combination of zealous righteousness and post-punk experimentalism, U2 became one of the most popular rock & roll bands of the '80s. Equally known for their sweeping sound as for their grandiose statements about politics and religion, U2 were rock & roll crusaders during an era of synthesized pop and heavy metal. 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 Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. played the songs as driving hard-rock, giving the band a forceful, powerful edge that was designed for arena rock. And their lead singer, Bono, was a frontman who had a knack of grand gestures that played better in arenas 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 that 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, the band's following had grown large enough to propel them to the level of international superstars with the release of The Joshua Tree. Unlike many of their contemporaries, U2 was able to sustain their popularity in the '90s by reinventing themselves as a post-modern, 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, U2's sound was undeniably indebted to post-punk, so it's slightly ironic that the band formed in 1976, before punk had reached their hometown of Dublin, Ireland. Larry Mullen Jr. (b. October 31, 1961; drums) posted a notice on a high school bulletin board asking for fellow musicians to form a band. Bono (b. Paul Hewson, May 10, 1960; vocals, guitar), the Edge (b. David Evans, August 8, 1961; guitar, keyboards, vocal), Adam Clayton (bass), and Dick Evans responded to the ad, and the group formed as a Beatles and Stone cover band called the Feedback, before changing their name to the Hype in 1977. Shortly afterward, Dick Evans left the band to form the Virgin Prunes. Following his departure, the group changed their name to U2.

U2's first big break arrived in 1978, when they won a talent contest sponsored by Guinness; the band were in their final year of high school at the time. by the end of the year, the Stranglers' manager Paul McGuinness saw the band play and offered to manage the group. Even with a powerful manager in their corner, the band had trouble making much headway — they failed an audition with CBS Records at the end of the year. In the fall of 1979, U2 released their debut EP U2:3. The EP was available only in Ireland and it topped the national charts. Shortly afterward, they began to play in England, but they failed to gain much attention.

U2 had one other chart-topping single, "Another Day," in early 1980 before Island Records offered the group a contract. Later that year, the band's debut, Boy, was released. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, the record's sweeping, atmospheric but edgy sound was unlike most of its 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 and wet T-shirt contests, U2 was 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 the group a formidable cult following in the US.

Released in the spring of 1983, the Lillywhite-produced War was U2's breakthrough release, entering the UK 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 UK, college radio, and MTV hits "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day." During the supporting tour, the band filmed their concert at Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheater, releasing the show as an EP and video title Under A Blood Red Sky. The EP entered in the UK 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 followup 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 UK charts at number one and reaching number 12 in the US the album also generated the group's first Top 40 hit in America with the Martin Luther King Jr. tribute "(Pride) In the Name of Love." 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 the band's first American number one hit and its third straight album to enter the UK charts at number one; in England, it set a record by going platinum within 28 hours. Generating the US 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 of 1987, earning the group 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 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 UK, 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 10 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 multi-media electronics, featuring a stage filled with televisions, suspended cars and cellular phone calls. 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 was 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 and before the launch of the European leg of tour, U2 entered the studio to complete an EP of new material that 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 it received strong reviews. Nevertheless, the album stalled at sales of two million and failed to generate a big hit single. During the 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 an 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 (Bjork, Soul II Soul). Later that year, they recorded the collaborative album Original Soundtracks, Vol. 1 with Brian Eno, releasing the album 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, 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, as well as some of the strongest reviews of U2's career. 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 agreement with Polygram. 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.

War turned U2 into arena rock stars, and the EP 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 favored the grand statement, the group flourished in such a setting, as this mini-EP 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 '80's.

—Stephen Thomas Erlewine

In the early 1980's, U2 had earned critical respect and a swelling fanbase but, despite a UK #1 album, were far from superstardom. After debuting with Boy (1980), an album of strident post-punk, then following with a brief yet still promising hiccup (1981's October), in 1983 they released the more direct and overtly political War. Now tackling big themes and universal concerns with dramatic gestures and chest-beating choruses, U2 weren't yet an arena band but they carried themselves like one. What's more, they actually sounded better the bigger and brasher and bolder their music got. It's no surprise then that, in the U.S., this would-be Important Rock Group's profile and reputation became, like many other important rock groups, amplified via live performances-- the group's eye-opening 1985 Live Aid set, and the earlier mini concert album, Under a Blood Red Sky.

One of the younger bands on Live Aid's Boomer-heavy bill, U2 spent more than half of their alloted time performing "Bad", the standout track from their then-recent The Unforgettable Fire. While most of the bands onstage in London and Philly that weekend remained aloof and distant from the enormous crowds, Bono waded into the photo pit to embrace and slow dance with a member of the audience-- a rare moment of real human connection at what was meant to be a showcase of global unity. Only Queen and their monumental performance of "We Are the Champions" came off better that weekend.Under a Blood Red Sky, released at the tail end of 1983, was a little less spontaneous and truthful. With its striking, scarlet-drenched cover, a shoutout to Colorado's Red Rocks on opener "Gloria", and the concurrent VHS release Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky (now bundled nicely as a DVD with some versions of this release), the LP was packaged to emphasize the natural beauty of the amphitheater's mountain setting.

In truth, however, only two songs from Under were recorded at Red Rocks ("Gloria" and "Party Girl")-- most were taken from a show in Germany, while one performance was recorded in Boston.Yet when the group performed at Red Rocks on a rainy June night, with lit torches above a panoramic skyline, the venue provided an ideal backdrop for U2's literally flag-waving music, with everything-- earth, wind, fire-- in place to maximize and heighten the drama of the moment and the songs. Red Rocks, too, began a love affair with America that carried through the rest of the decade, as the group's music began to match the spacious, seemingly limitless scope of the American countryside and they effectively explored American myths and touchstones on The Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree before carrying the approach a step too far on the bloated, pastiche-y Rattle and Hum.And, hell, it worked.

MTV played the hell out of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and other videos from the performance, and the audio and video documents cemented U2's reputation as a commanding live band. Rather than release a full concert-- which could have resulted in a cumbersome and unnecessary record, particularly for a group with only three albums to date-- U2 wisely cherrypicked their best songs, created an out-of-order tracklisting built to maximize the LP's impact rather than accurately present a their live experience, added a solid B-side ("Party Girl") to enhance the worth of the release to longtime fans, and let the package take on its own myth.The record itself opens with crowd noise, highlighting the bond between U2 and their fans and emphasizing the role of the audience in the group's ascendency. They were a true populist band, unafraid to make strong, direct connections with listeners at a time when many of their post-punk peers shied from such gestures.

The band's strident performances here are all interspersed with recognition of the crowd, the act of performance, and the value of entertainment, and most-- from "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and its "this is not a rebel song" intro to "I Will Follow" to rugged, lesser-known tracks "Gloria" and "The Electric Co."-- became arguably the definitive reads of these songs. (This reissue, like the original U.S. release of the LP, features the truncated version of "The Electric Co.", without the snippet of "Send in the Clowns" that appeared on some international editions.) The closing sing-along of War's "40" ends the record where it begins-- in the voices and cheers of the audience, a converted mass that, over the rest of the decade, carried the sound of the group back to their homes, places of work, schools.Eventually, the drive and work to be the biggest band in the world became a seriously uncool pursuit in many circles-- one could argue Nirvana punctured this sort of excess and spotlight-craving as surely as they did hair metal or indie dance.

These days, many distrust guitar bands who don't reflect their own personal values, who they don't believe merely walk, talk, think, and act like them. Somehow, a group is more genuine if they're more, well, regular, or plain, even less accomplished or incurious about a wider world-- groups are often unwilling to show flashes of ability, or they'd rather preach to a choir than attempt to unify the masses, or they're happy being a big fish in a small pond. It's a weird attitude. (Good thing Americans don't ask for the same from their national politicians-- oh, wait...) But anyone interested in retracing U2's meteoric rise-- in relocating what made them an 80's touchstone at a time when their flirtations with earnestness came across more as combativeness rather than self-righteousness-- would do well to start here.

— Scott Plagenhoef, Pitchfork