U2 - War
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Free Music Notes for War
Free Music Review: A Rock Classic
Hit: 4 Stars
'War' is a very good collection by U2. This album is definitely focused on the Irish-British conflict and makes many powerful statements.
The music is strong vocally and instrumentally. The guitars and drums are a major force on this CD.
There are two all time classics on this album - 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' and 'New Year's Day'. The version of 'New Year's Day' on this album is quite a bit longer than the one on the 'The Best of 1980-1990' album. I would recommend this album for that song alone.
If you enjoy classic rock, this is definitely a good one to have.
Free Music Review: Classic U2!
Hit: 5 Stars
This is U2's third official commercial release and it's a gem. A spectacular follow up to "October", the group's sophomore effort, "War" is the last of what many call the "first phase" of U2's long and glorious career, before we find the group moving in a different direction with "The Unforgettable Fire" album that was to follow.
First off is the anthemic "Sunday Bloody Sunday". Just pure power and energy. Other classics (in my opinion) include "New Year's Day", "Like a Song" (don't know why, but never received any airplay), "Two Hearts Beat as One, and "40", the latter of which, even today, is played often to close out the group's live sets.
This is the album that put U2 on the map, in America anyway. New Year's Day got heavy play on MTV back in the day (1983) as did "Sunday Bloody Sunday". The group's popularity would then shoot through the roof. If you don't have "War", go get it. After only a couple of listens, you will rank it as one of your all-time favorites!
Free Music Review: Some great songs, some only so-so
Hit: 4 Stars
I've listened to all of U2's albums many times over and have often found myself putting a different album at the top of the heap depending on my mood at the time. Of all their works there are only three albums that I have never thrown on top - October, Rattle & Hum, and War.
War has got some fantastic music. I think the first three songs easily rival the 1-2-3 punch of The Joshua Tree. By my count there are six great songs on this album: Sunday Bloody Sunday, Seconds, New Year's Day, Two Hearts Beat as One, Surrender, and "40". The midpoint of this record somewhat fizzles. Like a Song is alright but overlong and it gets boring after a bit. Drowning Man is slow and fails to capture you at all, never coming close to the moodiness on the previous album, October, or the atmosphere that makes that album so good. The Refugee was a great song at first, but it doesn't hold you at all. None of these songs is a horrible listen, but I wouldn't suggest that any of them is U2 at it's best. The last song on the album that I don't care as much for is Red Light. It's more upbeat, not quite as boring, and brings in some horns but it ultimately never really goes anywhere.
The band experiment a little more heavily on this album and get more outside of the four piece mentaility by bringing in strings, additional backup singers, and brass. It's clear they were trying to get away from the echoing, frenetic sound of Boy and the somewhat eerie, moody sound of October (though Drowning Man seems to want to recapture this a bit but fails).
This is still an album well worth owning. None of the songs are bad and Sunday Bloody Sunday, New Year's Day, and "40" are classics. I think Surrender is heavily underrated and think Two Hearts Beat As One comes close to the other classics on the album. Seconds is a great song also notable for debuting The Edge as the lead singer on a song, at least partially (Bono sings about half of the lines as well).
Despite my criticism, I like War. Any band that can claim an album like War to be their worst overall album (at least I will make that claim) is a great band indeed. Greater things were to come and are still coming as How to Dismantle on Atomic Bomb may be U2's best album.
Free Music Review: Good, bloody good.
Hit: 4 Stars
I often try to pick a favorite U2 album, and always end up in an 11-way tie. I think "War" is what most would consider to be the end of their early/punk period, and arguably the best of the first three albums. "War" is also the album that first caught the ear of many people, including hits such as "New Year's Day" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday". However what makes the album completely shine for me are songs like "Seconds", "Two Hearts Beat As One", and the great "Surrender". We also get the incredible closer "40", which sounds even better on the live "Under A Blood Red Sky" album, or of course in person. Overall I find this as essential as any of their other discs, and this is probably THE throw-your-fist-in-the-air U2 album.Free Music Review: U2 takes on the world
Hit: 5 Stars
You can say what you will about U2 and their youthful exuberance and, at times, pretensions, but there is no way to deny their third album's power. Quite frankly, it has two of the most brilliant songs to emerge from the early 80's with "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day." Growing up in an embattled Ireland gave them the visions that came forth on "War," and the tastes of success gave them the brass to venture into the political realm. Like on the band's first two albums, the mix of secular and sacred gave the album a sense of conflict that fuels all the great rock albums. "Too right, to be wrong in this rebel song," Bono wails in "Like a Song," and more so than the Sex Pistols ever could, they meant it, maaaannnn.
But even with those two anthems to carry it, "War" had treasures that often go unheralded. "Two Hearts Beat As One" was actually a single of the album, and probably got as much airplay as "NYD" did. The martial drums of "The Refugee" are propulsively catchy, and the tasty balladry of "Drowning Man" remains un undiscovered gem in U2's catalog.
But by now, the band was becoming increasingly popular by both the nature of their music and their larger than life concerts. This was the period when Bono was usually found climbing rafters to wave his giant white flag, and music fans looking for groups with passion and commitment, as well as a social conscious, were jumping on board en masse. "War's" closing number, the biblically inspired "40," was the kind of uplift that the band and its fans embraced. Other than The Clash (who were beginning to unravel about this time), no one else even came close to delivering the kind of excitement that U2 did.
(While we're at it, why has this album and the U2 catalog not been upgraded? U2 are easily one of the best and most influential bands on the planet, and their early albums deserve more than to have shoddy liner notes and a late 80's quality CD transfer.)