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Rating: THE REVIEW
The child from "BOY" is pissed off, it's 1983, and Ireland is going through a very difficult period. What better opportunity for a breakthrough?
No more garages, no more talking about teenagers and autumn: WAR represents the turning point album for U2, having left the underground behind, the four begin their journey to the rock Olympus.
The feeling you get listening to "SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY" is indescribable: the desperate march and MULLEN's hits go straight to the heart, THE EDGE's riff triggers a chain reaction on the skin, and an incredible shiver runs through the entire body…
"And the battle's just begun/ There's many lost, but tell me who has won/ The trench is dug within our hearts/ And mothers, children, brothers, sisters/ Torn apart."
"NEW YEAR'S DAY" is spectacular, the piano combined with the electric guitar creates something indescribable, the desperate lyrics are summed up by the album's title, and the blood-red sky mentioned in the song recalls the glowing title on the cover: "WAR".
"LIKE A SONG" is an explosion of hard and pure rock, "SURRENDER" is a less challenging and more relaxing song, as is "RED LIGHT," which with a bit more bass would have been at ease in "Blood Sugar Sex Magik". "SECONDS" is wonderful, and in "DROWNING MAN", BONO's voice overpowers all the instruments in a somewhat strange, but very passionate ballad without a chorus.
No superficial nonsense, the days of "ONE" and "BEAUTIFUL DAY" are far away… these are the U2 friends, four angry guys with enormous punk rafts on their heads, not exceptionally good, but very, very, very sincere (at least at the beginning of their career)!
In the eighties, a new page in the history of rock was written by those four, the drum roll of "SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY" is right there, next to "We Will Rock You", next to "Good Times Bad Times".
Back then they were indeed sincere, they had so many ideas, back then they really wanted to change the world…
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Summary by Bot
U2's War album represents a pivotal moment as the band moves from underground roots to rock stardom. Charged with raw emotion and political urgency, songs like 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' and 'New Year's Day' showcase the band's passion and sincerity. With a mix of hard rock and ballads, War captures a moment of intense creativity and social consciousness in the early 1980s. The album's impact places it alongside iconic rock anthems of its era.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1976 by Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. Rising from post‑punk roots to global fame, they fused atmospheric guitar textures with anthemic songwriting and ambitious tours such as Zoo TV and U2 360°.129 Reviews
Other reviews
By Alevox
"Sunday Bloody Sunday" is an unforgettable protest anthem with powerful and angry vocals that hit like arrows straight to the heart.
"40" is a calm, prayer-like closing that has endured as a staple in U2's concerts for over 25 years.
By Rax
U2, at the same age, released 'War' - for many, their most authentic masterpiece.
'Sunday Bloody Sunday' is mainly about this: 'And it’s true we are immune. When fact is fiction and TV reality.'
By Ocean
"War speaks (primarily) about this and can thus be defined as an excellent period document."
Bono’s lyrics about the Bloody Sunday massacre are "simple but effective" and evoke a deep sadness and anger.
