War
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Editorial Reviews
Album Description
RE-MASTERED VERSION (1CD): standard jewel case w/ 24pg. book
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The final album of U2's early period, before the group broadened its sonic palette and lyrical vision, War is a brilliantly conflicted album, sounding martial and majestic while its very purpose is to tear down false idols propped up by politics. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "40" take the subject of Ireland's troubles head-on, while it's the subtext of "New Year's Day," which is about a sundered love relationship symbolic of a greater division. "Torn in two, we can be one," Bono pleads, as Edge's guitar scratches and snarls behind him. Songs such as "Two Hearts Beat as One" and the delicate "Drowning Man" take a back seat here, but they help make War a compelling and well-rounded album. --Daniel Durchholz
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U2 weren't always over-the-top multimedia showmen. Early on, as on this third album, they were an impassioned young rock band from Ireland, a country trapped in an endless civil war--a war whose terrors find their way into nearly every song on the record and into Bono's tormented howl, even as military rhythms find their way into Larry Mullen Jr.'s rattling drumbeats. War doesn't quite capture U2's live fire, but its arty production does augment the songs with some extraordinary touches: the stately piano that offsets the Edge's stuttering, keening guitar on "New Year's Day," the electric violin that darkens "Sunday Bloody Sunday," the disco-fied thump behind the jittering riff of "Two Hearts Beat as One." --Douglas Wolk
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Customer Reviews
Mogulmeister Said: U2's finest effort, and the single best CD of the entire 1980s ( Aug. 21st 2010 )
What can be said about War that hasn't been said? Nothing, really. This is by far U2's finest work, the single greatest CD of the entire 1980s, and one of the great rock CDs of all time. You can feel the urgency, the near desperation, and the incredible energy that power this amazing CD. When War first came out, I listened to it continuously for three years--for real. Nearly 30 years later, I still listen to it often. If I had to pick a single favorite song on this magnificent CD, it would probably be "Surrender."
For fun, I decided to rank U2's first 11 studio CDs from most to leave favorite, and here's what I came up with:
1) War
2) Joshua Tree
3) Pop
4) October
5) Boy
6) Zooropa
7) How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
8) Rattle and Hum
9) Achtung Baby
10) Unforgettable Fire
11) All That You Can't Leave Behind (but I wish I did)
War is the single greatest CD of the entire 1980s. Everyone likes The Joshua Tree, and I concur (although, shoot me for saying this, I think the weakest track is "With Or Without You"). I would rate the oft-maligned Pop third (it's probably their final "great" record), I give a slight edge to October over the more uneven Boy, and then put Zooropa 6th (although if I ranked these based on how often I listen to the CDs, Zooropa would definitely rank higher, and it contains an absolutely magnificent song, "Dirty Day"). Jumping to the bottom, All That You Can't Leave Behind is simply awful (I didn't think U2 could ever do "trite" but ATYCLB proves otherwise), and the noble failure that's called The Unforgettable Fire is just above the very bottom (five first-rate songs, two of which are badly done and vastly improved in their re-worked live versions, and the rest of it unlistenable). I know for many fans, "Achtung Baby" is a favorite U2 CD, but you know, that one has never worked for me. It seems like a random disconnected group of songs, some very good, more than a few not, with far too much filler (c'mon, does anyone really like "So Cruel", perhaps the most painfully long 5:49 that U2 ever recorded?) with very few crossings over into the "great" category--think "Mysterious Ways" and "Zoo Station." To my ears, not only is Zooropa far better, but it's also an unfairly criticized first-rate effort.
And one last list: my half-dozen favorite U2 songs: (in no particular order)
1) Surrender - War
2) I Will Follow - Boy
3) Dirty Day - Zooropa
4) One Tree Hill - Joshua Tree
5) Gloria - October
6) Pride - Unforgettable Fire
With the bottom half of the great dozen (i.e. runners-up, in no particular order):
7) Stories For Boys - Boy
8) Two Hearts Beat As One - War
9) Red Hill Mining Town - Joshua Tree
10) City of Blinding Lights - How To Dismantle...
11) Stranger In A Strange Land - October
12) Mysterious Ways - Achtung Baby
Steven Sly Said: U2 - Almost Perfect ( Jun. 4th 2010 )
It is hard to believe that this album was released over 25 years ago, but to my ears it remains one of the top albums in the entire U2 catalogue. Listening to this re-master from a perspective of many years down the line, the songs still bristle with an urgency that blasts through the stereo. These songs still sound both important and relevant even after the passage of so much time. The music on this disc is relatively simple in nature, but like many of the greats of rock n roll, U2 are experts at using the skills that they do possess to make quality music. The album produced the huge singles "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Years Day" for which it is best known, but almost all of the rest of the tracks here are equally as good. The only real track here that sounds dated is "The Refugee" and even it is such a great song that you hardly notice the 80's polished punk sound. My only complaint with the album and the reason I give it four stars instead of five is the final track "40". Through much of the track Bono is singing quite noticeably out of tune. It is so bad that the song is difficult for me to listen to. The live version on "Under A Blood Red Sky" is much, much better. Other than "40" this is a five star album all the way and still an essential album of the 80's.
Mandy Said: War Vinyl ( Feb. 7th 2010 )
"War," in my opinion, is one of U2's best albums. It produced the hits "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day," and is a percussion driven record that would keep any drummer satisfied. I bought this vinyl to display in a case on my wall. It arrived in perfect condition and looks fantastic. The lyric-booklet is a major plus (which I kept out of the case), and will give die-hard fans some interesting trivia about the record and amazing black-and-white photos. This is a must-have for any U2 fan or vinyl collector.
MUZIK4THAPEOPLE!! Said: My Introduction To U2 & A Glimpse Into What They Would Become!! ( Sep. 11th 2009 )
The phrase "echoes of things to come" comes to mind when I hear this album now,
but back in 1983 when I first heard it, I thought it was the most passionate,
urgent statement that I'd ever heard in modern rock up to that point!
Coming out of Ireland, U2 had a sound and a message that nobody else was even
thinking about at that time! "Sunday Bloody Sunday" went through me like a
laser beam and I was enthralled by Bono's almost crying delivery!
There are 5 other songs on here in addition to "SBS" that rocked my world too,
so I would say that this is U2's really first complete artistic statement as well.
They we're hungry, they had something to say, and they were hellbent on saying it!
This is U2's 3rd masterpiece in my opinion..."Joshua Tree" is #1, "Achtung Baby" is #2,
then comes this one for my money!--The remastering sounds good and brings it back to life!
Dr. Feelgood Said: WAR Remastered ( Sep. 8th 2009 )
The remastered disc does sound better than the original, this record was also one of U2's best records, where things really started to come together musically.