u2 - Under a Blood Red Sky - Deluxe Edition CD/DVD
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Free Music Notes for Under a Blood Red Sky - Deluxe Edition CD/DVD
Free Music Review: This is THE Must-Have for Any U2 Fan. Essential.
Hit: 5 Stars
We've waited years for it and here it is. Finally. I have every U2 concert DVD you can have (even the Super Bowl performance and SNL) yet this is the one DVD that was a no-brainer.
For those of you around back then, it's nostalgic. This concert is what turned me on to U2. For some reason, MTV was showing it in 83 and when I saw it I said "Who ARE these guys?" From that point on, I was hooked. All because of this.
For others of you not old enough, this is a chance to see U2 at their absolute peak when they were the Band That Mattered, before they started playing around with irony beginning with Achtung Baby. Not that they don't matter now, but as other reviewers have pointed out, this is THE definitive version of "Sunday Bloody Sunday," just as Live Aid was the definitive version of "Bad."
The songs are almost universally great and well-played (save for a sloppy trainwreck of "Two Hearts") and you get to see the original order of the set; if you owned this back in the day, it made it seem like "Surrender" was the opening song.
The visuals are stunning because of the weather. The crowd is nuts. And this was the concert that launched U2 into the big time.
AS FOR PICTURE QUALITY: as the director clearly states in the commentary, this was shot on VIDEO. It's been treated to look like film for this reissue, but it was video. And when you point a video camera at a light, it "burns" the tube, creating streaks across the screen which are all over this. That was the POINT. The director threw out all the "rules" for filming and did not care about the streaking/flaring. This is NOT a flaw in the remaster it ALWAYS looked like this. If you want a perfect picture go buy Live in Boston or Rattle & Hum.
Who cares about the red streaks when you have a concert this powerful? Finally it is here and it was worth the wait. Enjoy!
The attached CD is a fine version of the EP but really I'd rather watch this than listen to it. Plus, not all the songs on the EP were pulled from the Red Rocks show (only "Party Girl" and "Gloria"). Still worth having.
Free Music Review: Editing a masterpiece, even after all of these years
Hit: 5 Stars
In 1983, I had just turned 16 years old, and this concert was my introduction to U2. It was one of those unforgettable musical moments that still holds a special place for me. What a great, simple, pure, and innocent time this was! There were no small cars hanging from the rafters, huge video screens, or giant lemons. It was just a great, uplifting rock n' roll concert.
The DVD is great. It captures everything nicely. Yes, even the red lines from the camera tube burn in. But, that was just how it was filmed. The packaging is very well done. I wish there would have been some current commentary/memories about the show from the band themselves. It is always great when artists look back, and we see their reaction when they look at some old footage. Wonder what Bono would say about his hair?
Finally, I still own the original cassette tape "Under A Blood Red Sky" from 1983 that has the unedited version of "Electric Co" with the "Send In The Clowns" reference. A couple of years later, I bought the CD, with the hacked up edit included. I agree with the other reviewer, on the CD, the edit in "Electric Co" sounds like a mistake. It makes me cringe when I hear it. I am usually against editing anything the artists put forth. After all these years, no agreement could have been reached to put the edit back in? Couldn't Bono have used his political power of persuasion to get it done? It is ironic, because I believe that the part that is edited out is actually the scene used for the cover of "Under A Blood Red Sky". The DVD version of "Electric Co", on the other hand, is perfectly done. The edit overlaps the solo to the next verse beautifully. I watched it again, and I still can't tell where the actual edit is, it is that flawless. Despite all that, this is the DVD that I have been waiting a long time for, and am very happy with the whole package. Even after 25 years, this performance is still a treasure, Thanks U2!
Free Music Review: Relive The Power & Passion
Hit: 5 Stars
Two of things that make U2 such as special band is their passion and energy. While these traits are present on their studio albums, they come to the front in their live performances. Under A Blood Red Sky perfectly captures all their raw emotions and energy. The album opens with the soaring "Gloria" from their October album and then sieges into "11 O'Clock Tick Tock". Next is a scorching version of their first hit "I Will Follow". "Party Girl" is a great lost U2 song. It was originally issued as a b-side and available on imports only. It starts off with just the Edge strumming his guitar and builds up to a powerful crescendo. Bono states on the record that "Sunday Bloody Sunday" is not a rebel song, but it is definitely an anthem. Bono has always had a bit of a preacher in him and as he urges the crowd to chant "no more", the album takes on the feel of an old time revival. After whipping things up to a fever pitch, "The Electric Co." and "New Year's Day" follow and they mellow things out. The hymn-like "40" is the final track and the album ends on a poignant note with just the crowd singing the chorus. For those of you who may only be familiar with the U2 of the 90's and their mammoth Pop Mart and Zooropa concerts, this album is a fine sampler of their earlier efforts. While the approach is simpler in nature, it produces just as big of a sound. This deluxe edition is superb on several levels. First it contains the full concert video presented for the first time on dvd. The visual setting of the band in this breath-taking amphitheater perfectly compliments the music. The picture is crisp and clean with the sound being excellent. Then there is the packaging that has the cd and dvd housed in what looks like a hard covered book. The booklet contains a lengthy text as well as rare photos including ones from a different set of shows at Colorado State University.Free Music Review: Man, oh man! I wish I could have been there!
Hit: 5 Stars
What do you do when you plan to film a concert in a beautiful outdoor setting on a splendid summer evening and instead it rains? If you're an up-and-coming U2 you go on with the show and film anyway and it turns out even better than planned. As the notes in this deluxe reissue explain, the band reserved another venue for the following night and invited all the ticket holders to attend either concert or both. Only about half showed up but they made up for those unwilling to stand in the rain. And those who didn't come really missed out!
U2 had a lot of energy but by this point in their career they also had a lot of passion to go with it. This was the tour for the War album, their 3rd release (after Boy and October), and they were just becoming known in the US (not by me, unfortunately, as I didn't discover them until later). But if nothing else, U2 has a talent for promoting themselves, and this show made for MTV was designed for that.
And as much as I love The Joshua Tree, I might just like this one better (although that opinion might depend on the day you ask!). The relatively short CD alone is fantastic and worth buying (only 2 songs, "Gloria" and "Party Girl," actually came from that rainy concert), but the DVD is the best possible bonus for this remastered reissue. Be aware that since it was originally shot on video there are some red streaks from the lights. At first glance my wife thought the kids had taken a crayon to the TV screen, but you get used to it. Also, the "send in the clowns" line from "The Electric Co." has been omitted from the original VHS version, which seems to bother some people. But none of that changes how much I love this DVD/CD set (I hate that song "Send in the Clowns" anyway). I can't recommend it highly enough - make it ***6*** stars!
Free Music Review: Bigger than just a mini album.
Hit: 5 Stars
Live Aid may have turned U2 into the biggest band on the planet, but the first step to conquer the world had been taken some time ago through the release of this live mini-LP.
This is the recording that sold U2 to the masses. U2 had released 3 good albums but, at that stage, they were essentially a live band. Their studio recordings sounded raw and very live, so it's no wonder that a real live album would make these albums forgettable. Specially if this album concentrates the cream (and only the cream) of those first 3 albums, plus a non-album single and a cult b-side. C'mon, did anybody notice the Sunday Bloody Sunday original version, the one with the violin? Not really. But everybody remembers "This song is not a rebel song. This song is Sunday Bloody Sunday. Ra-ta-ta-ta..." That was the version that got played in every party, every disco, every home.
There is not a single track here that is not better than its studio version. Bono is now Bono Vox, an idol and leader of crowds and causes. And Edge emerges as the modern guitar hero for the 80's. As opposed to the hair-metal gods whose aim was to pack as many notes per second as possible, Edge approach was more of a sonic experience, a mix of punk and psychedelia through very loud amps. And even the Heavy Metal crowd loved him.
If you are not a die-hard fan, this is the first essential U2 album to buy.
This deluxe edition cuts off a few seconds of Electric Co. when Bono starts singing "Send in the Clowns", which is a shame. And adding a couple more tracks to the original 8-song, wouldn't have been a bad idea. But it's still a superb edition of one of the few indispensable live albums in any record collection.