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| War [Vinyl] | ![War [Vinyl]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51fWX9rVeFL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Artist: U2
Label: Island
Category: Music
List Price: $24.98
Buy New: $17.21
You Save: $7.77 (31%)
New (17) Used (1) Collectible (1) from $15.75
Avg. Customer Rating:  168 reviews
Sales Rank: 13232
Format: Original Recording Remastered
Media: LP Record
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 12.3 x 11.8 x 0.3
MPN: 001083201
UPC: 602517616745
EAN: 0602517616745
ASIN: B0013LPS8O
Release Date: July 22, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Sunday Bloody Sunday | | • | Seconds | | • | New Year's Day | | • | Like a Song... | | • | Drowning Man | | • | Refugee | | • | Two Hearts Beat as One | | • | Red Light | | • | Surrender | | • | "40" |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com essential recording
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
Amazon.com
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
Album Description
RE-MASTERED VERSION (1CD): standard jewel case w/ 24pg. book
Album Details
Same as USA Version.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 163 more reviews...
 U2 move into the political arena... November 2, 2004
30 out of 31 found this review helpful
The 1983 U2 release, "War," features a boy with haunted eyes on the cover, and the song cycle displays an increasing political awareness by the group, with "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "Seconds," and "New Year's Day."
What caught my attention back in the day was the video for "New Year's Day" played in high circulation on MTV. The band playing their instruments in that snowy field was cool, but I really liked the powerful bassline and piano melody. The Edge's slashing guitar style was unlike anything I'd heard before, and Bono's vocals are passionate and evocative. This remains one of my favorite U2 songs.
"Sunday Bloody Sunday" invokes images of Irish history, and with its rat-a-tat-tat martial drums and guitars, it's more choppy than "New Year's Day" but more anthemic. This really hit home with the Red Rocks video when Bono was waving that huge flag. It's a powerful song.
"Seconds" benefits from being sandwiched between these two songs, but the cold war lyric and intertwining vocals of Bono and the Edge, along with the largely acoustic tracking, make this an interesting piece.
Another standout is "Two Hearts Beat as One," which does not usually make the best of compilations, but is an underrated nugget with a propulsive guitar line and vocal performance by Bono. "Like a Song" moves with youthful energy and urgency, and the band captures excellent dynamics. "40" is a short closer, but another anthemic rouser that was captured well on the live Red Rocks EP.
While less atmospheric than "Unforgettable Fire," the songs on "War" are full of heart and soul and the band's personal convictions. They're playing like they mean it.
U2 - 'War' (Island) January 20, 2006
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
Review no.153.Originally released in early 1983,as 'War' was U2's third album and the one that more or less made them a household name.I remember the day this lp came out and the 'impact' it apparently had on some people.I think I may even still have my cassette copy of this relic.Impressive cuts like the boot-stomping "Sunday Bloody Sunday",the extremely well-written "New Year's Day","Surrender" and "40" deals with Ireland's political issues.The only tune here I never cared for was "Two Hearts Beat As One".Maybe it's just that I've heard one TOO many cover bands play it.A must-have for any and all true U2 fans and followers alike.Recommended.
 U2 Takes A Stand December 11, 2000
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
War is the most overtly political album of U2's career. They touched on political subjects on their first two albums, but on War they take up arms. The album opens with the anthem "Sunday Bloody Sunday" which finds the band outraged at the situation in Northern Ireland. "Seconds" is about the nuclear arms race. "New Year's Day" is an apathetic song about despite all the rhetoric, nothing really changes. It contains a lovely piano and strong Edge solo. "Like A Song" is another anthem-like song, a declaration for solidarity. "Refugee" finds Larry Mullin providing a pounding drum beat to a fierce Bono vocals and Adam Clayton bass gives "Two Hearts Beat As One" it's driving backbone. Despite all the anger, "40" closes the album on an optimistic note. The song is based on Psalm 40 and the band states that there is chance for peace and understanding all though things are bleak. War broke U2 in America as it was their first top twenty album. They shifted away from making another album this political, but War's spirit still continues to permeate their work.
Play this loud on New Years Day!!!! August 17, 2005
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
War is where it all began. It is funny as War is a strange name for a breakthrough album, but that is what War was for U2 a very big breakthrough, and 22 years later it is still their most political release, and is oddly therefore the bands most back to roots album, as some of the issues discussed were to do with British & Irish relations during the 1980's!!!
And what a way to start things off, Sunday Bloody Sunday, along with one of the most recognisable drum intros of all time (perhaps only second to Zeppelin's Rock & Roll) & it makes me laugh when U2 go on today about How to dismantle an atomic bomb as a back to roots album because Sunday Bloody Sunday, a song about the IRA British conflict is the most roots song U2 have ever done!!!!
Seconds is a typical U2 anthem, well if you can call it typical, I mean at the time it wouldn't have been because this would have been many people's first exposure to U2, but still it's great. Whilst New Years Day is a song to be played at every New Years Day party enough said, well actually its another song about The IRA & Britain & it was also the bands first ever top 10 UK hit. 40 & Refugee follows the U2 early punk influences whilst Drowning Man could be considered U2's first classic mid-tempo song. Two Hearts is a classic, great chours, one of U2's best unknown rock anthems. Red Light is similar though light weight compared to Two Hearts it's still great, whilst Surrender is another great rock anthem, I especially like the children chant near the end, kinda Floyd like but still brilliant. And I have to say that Like a Song is one of the best "songs that sound imcomplete" I've ever heard, it kinda finishes before it should, which is still kinda irritating but doesn't really spoil the album!!!
OK War isn't up there with The Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby. But for sheer fun & quality it definitely deserves its place along one of U2's greatest achievements. It was the first U2 album I brought and it was enough to get me hooked on their other stuff so I definitely recommend this to anyone wondering what Bono & co. are all about!!!!
I'm weird, but 2 hearts is my favorite U2 song July 7, 2005
11 out of 12 found this review helpful
This is my favorite U2 album; I feel like it was made at the crossroads of their career; their songwriting skill had matured beyond the atmospheric feel of "October" (another album I love) but hadn't yet become big megastars. The songs are still more "raw" than "cooked" like they were to become in the 1990's when Bono seemed to become a lost, self-parody who's biggest talent was wearing sunglasses - what was that about?
I'm not the only person who points out that "Two Hearts Beat As One" is an underrated tune and, along with the tracks which make the "best of", part of the winning hand on this set. It was one of the first U2 songs I ever heard and immediately I knew there was something different about this band from the usual new-wave fare. It's something that hockey fans routinely call "heart" and, not to mix metaphors, but this song has it in spades. Bono sounds like he is standing on a mountain peak, shouting the words:
I try to spit it out
I try to explain
The way I feel...oh, yeah, two hearts...
The rhythm section is driving and Edge's guitar line is propulsive with a riff that constantly invades my memory. I don't know, maybe you had to be there...hard to believe that was 22 years ago and that I'm that old!
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