As someone who is not a big fan of earnestness, surely I cannot be the only dweeb to think that U2 Under A Blood Red Sky, named after a line from ‘New Years Day’ would actually have been better named from a line from ‘Party Girl’ instead?
I’d much rather be reviewing U2 I Know a Boy Called Trampoline, You Know What I mean. True story.
I was never/am not a fan of early U2, unlike almost everyone I was at school with* but I liked some of their later stuff, peaking with Zooropa^ and then got very bored when they then relapsed into a slough of arid self-regard that they have yet to pull themselves back out of. I picked up Under A Blood Red Sky in 1995 from Chester market on the same day I picked up a copy of Dwarves Blood, Guts & Pussy; I listen to U2 more, mostly because I don’t have to hide the LP cover to protect my children.
I’ll stick my neck out and say that Under A Blood Red Sky is one of my fave live LPs^^ ever, top 3 easy. The band are absolutely electrifying, recorded across three gigs in 1983, cutting loose from all production shackles, resolutely gimmick and (mostly) guitar pedal free. You can just hear them firing on all cylinders, giving it their all and feeding off the crowd’s energy. U2 sound young, like they still had adrenal glands.
Opener ‘Gloria’ just rocks, explodes right out of the gate, all adrenalin and whoosh! It slows down for the post-punky ’11 O’clock Tick Tock’, which isn’t much of a song; that’s fine because it is followed by an absolute TUNE. ‘I Will Follow’ is just superb, harder rocking than a lot of rockers I liked at the time – the bass work is particularly great, it sounds exciting – something U2, good though they were later, never quite did so much again.
‘Party Girl’ was an interesting choice, a B-side only with a Police feel, utter doggerel for lyrics, some great audience shouting along-y bits and a guitar solo that I reckon I could play without practising. It shouldn’t work at all, especially as it lowers the tempo again, except, somehow, it really does.
I Know a Boy Called Trampoline, You Know What I mean serves us up ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ as side 2 opener and again, the band play it like they really mean it. There’s genius of a kind in the soaring melody and that stuttering, militaristic drum beat. Non-album single, ‘The Electric Co.’*^, is another, umm, convulsive rocker, Adam Clayton again giving it loads of bottom end. It sounds a bit like the Skids to me.
This tees us up for the grand finale of ‘New Years Day’ and ’40’, both perfect examples of the sort of overarching grandeur U2 always strove for, hitting this time. ’40’ is a great closer for Under A Blood Red Sky, a relaxed, confident crowd singalong with the band leaving the stage one by one.
Under A Blood Red Sky is a great live release, properly capturing a band who were desperate to break through, still really passionate and energetic about what they were doing. The level of artifice involved is interesting too, if you look at the actual set list around that time the LP’s track listing starts with the 13th song played**, not to mention the seamless blending in of three performances. Producer Jimmy Iovine does a superb job here and a lot of the credit for just how exciting a document this is falls to him.
The cover image is superb, taken of Bono up in the lighting rig during ’11 O’clock Tick Tock’ at the almost-total-disaster-but-miraculously-pulled-off concert at the half-empty Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
I Still think it would be better called I Know a Boy Called Trampoline, You Know What I mean.
994 Down.
*and Mrs 1537, who tells me she collected tokens from egg cartons to get Under A Blood Red Sky, way back when the world was young.
^I am officially the only person in the world who rates Zooropa as his/her/its’ fave U2 album.
^^technically mini LP, but at 34 minutes it clocks in at 1.5 Van Halens^*.
^*the internationally recognised unit of short album measurement.
*^named for electro convulsive therapy and not, I now know, for my favourite utility on a Monopoly board.
**the sequence is 13, 15, 16, 14, 7, 8, 10, 17. Next week’s lottery numbers? you read them here first.
I’m gonna have to agree with you. You said some words that I wish I could of came up with. Something like “firing on all cylinders …” These 1537 cocktails are knocking me on my ass.
Zooropa has my favourite U2 song, Stay (Faraway, so close!) – the exclamation mark doesn’t hurt!
I, like you, am a big fan of exclamations in rock!!!!!!!!
The tracklist on the LP for Ian Dury’s New Boots is my favourite, I think it was something like 25 exclamations!
Love this album, it used to get a good playing down in The Cave which used to be Erics and other things and may not have been called the Cave but its what we called it. Anyway good work, 35 minutes is perfect for many things. I have enjoyed the decline of Bono into self referential front man with an ego larger than the collective ego of the rest of the band, isn’t that what we want in front men though. I think my limited guitar skills could give the Edge a run for his effects pedals. Listening now and it is still great.
I quite liked this when I bought it, but it sounds superb to me now. Did you ever see them early on?
I think I saw U2 a long time ago when they first started, I feel like the Alarm were involves, I also saw the Zooropa tour which I don’t remember.
I was into U2 since their debut album, “Boy.” My thoughts on this band are the reverse. I loved their 80s material but I thought they went a bit weird in the 90s. This album was a great starter for people just getting into them.
the energy on this LP is just top-notch!
Their are only two U2 albums currently in my collection…Joshua Tree and this one. I like your title way better, and I think I like the album about as much as you do. It is the U2 I like to hear. I saw someone has Zooropa at one of our local record shops, but it sold before I could get it. Someday that will be mine as well.
My copy of Zooropa was worth a lot, until the buggers reissued it!! I did like Joshua Tree, but it has been a long long time since I’ve heard it. Rattle & Hum was where it all got too pompous for me.
Rattle and Hum did nothing for me. I like Achtung Baby.
I remember this album coming out when I was in Grade 11. Had a buzz with some of my friends at the time who said this album was the Deal.
You’re right about The Edge and the jingly jangly tone of his.
I need to get this one on vinyl if I ever come across it.
Well worth a couple of $ if you see it, I really enjoyed this. They were rocking harder and faster than a few of the hairies I was into at the time.
They did an expanded edition I think as well a few years back.
This is the closest I got to guessing for a while! Right band, wrong album.
Your alternative title sounds like the sort of pish Marc Bolan would come up with. Or, by extension, Def Leppard.
Ha! I have a theory that Ian Hunter started Covid 19 as a means of keeping Joe Elliott away from his gigs. It just all got a bit out of hand.
The only way Joe can get close these days is by jogging past him whenever he goes for a walk.
Once again you and Scott so not disappoint in the comments…
He’s the Robin to my Batman.
The Hall to your Oates!
The Trigger to my Roy Rogers!
The Vince to your Sixx
For a while, “Numb” was my favourite U2 track. Seriously. I’ve had a serious hate on, off and on, for them over the years. However, my wife convinced me to see them live about fifteen or so years ago and they were really (and I mean really) good live. Still don’t listen to them very much.
I love Numb. I saw them on the Pop Mart tour in Leeds and they were incredible. I’ve not bothered since.
I’d really recommend this LP, it still sounds really exciting.
I’ll have to give it a spin. Live albums are not typically my thing but if the energy is right, they can be very satisfying.
I think Zooropa is their best 1990s album. I have this on cassette – I found it our shed the other day. Haven’t listened for ages. I remember driving some youth around in my car, and playing this. One of them turned it up during ‘Party Girl’ and started mocking it.
The youth of today! I only hope you tutted quietly under your breath, they deserved that.