U2 may have gotten in the door with “I Will Follow,” but it took
an album like War to get them into the big leagues. On stage,
U2 came alive with the new material, so Under A Blood Red Sky,
the first of many “live” EPs, was rush released to capitalize on
the group’s budding popularity. In fact, they did one better by using
the same title for a video of concert footage from the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre
in Colorado, considerably more filled out than its audio counterpart. On the
heels of a massive U2 reissue campaign, Universal has cleaned everything up and
are offering the EP and video on CD and DVD, respectively, together or separately.
With so many choices, how can you go wrong?
The seven-song CD is U2 at full throttle, taken from three shows during the
band’s War Tour through Europe and America. ”Gloria”
and “I Will Follow” are prime examples of that early U2 urgency
and power. But it was the heavy stuff like “Sunday Bloody Sunday”
and “New Year’s Day,” swimming in political overtones and
anthem-like cadences that raised U2’s profile above other “new wave”
bands of the early 80s. Even back then, Bono could enrapture a crowd of thousands
with his exuberance and passion. And that’s when he sported that silly mullet.
This is even more evident on the DVD where the singer becomes the focal point
for much of the shoot. Recorded June 5, 1983, the Live At Red Rocks portion
makes its digital debut, and features five previously unreleased songs, a director’s
commentary, a deluxe digital overhaul and a 5.1 mix. The four young mavericks
blaze through a highly charged set of songs that includes “Out Of Control,”
Two Hearts Beat As One” and “Cry/The Electric Co.” In the
cold chill of the night, the group soldiers on. At one point, Bono and The Edge
lock in on the morose mood of “October” before blasting off into
“New Year’s Day,” which includes the lyric “under a blood
red sky…” At its heart, this single
line broadens the whole idea of what U2 is about. They are not just a band,
but socially conscious and concerned individuals whose respect for humanity
has turned them into the most universally beloved group since the Beatles.
~ Shawn Perry
