War (1983)
War is a 1983 alternative rock album by U2.
U2 traded atmosphere for a clenched fist on their third album, and it made them a stadium band. Released in 1983 and produced by Steve Lillywhite, War is the group's first openly political record, built on Larry Mullen Jr.'s martial drumbeats and The Edge's chiming, echo-heavy guitar. Bono sings about the conflict in Northern Ireland on Sunday Bloody Sunday and reaches toward Solidarity-era Poland on New Year's Day. The title captured how the band saw 1982. Raw, urgent and unafraid of a slogan, it set the template for the arena anthems that followed.
Quick answers
What is War about?
U2 traded atmosphere for a clenched fist on their third album, and it made them a stadium band. Released in 1983 and produced by Steve Lillywhite, War is the group's first openly political record, built on Larry Mullen Jr.'s martial drumbeats and The Edge's chiming, echo-heavy guitar. Bono sings about the conflict in Northern Ireland on Sunday Bloody Sunday and reaches toward Solidarity-era Poland on New Year's Day. The title captured how the band saw 1982. Raw, urgent and unafraid of a slogan, it set the template for the arena anthems that followed.
When was War released?
War was released in 1983.
Who made War?
War is by U2.
Official site
http://www.u2.com/discography/index/album/tagName/Albums/albumId/4004
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A few thoughts on War
Pair it with the film Bloody Sunday or Hunger for a harrowing look at the conflict Bono sings about. Patrick Radden Keefe's book Say Nothing digs deep into the same era's wounds. For anthemic urgency turned into drama, the series Derry Girls sets teenage life against that Troubles backdrop with warmth and wit.
Landmark rock albums that defined their era
U2's War planted a flag with martial drums and open politics, joining the ranks of rock records that captured a moment and never let go. These albums share that ambition, each a band at full stretch reaching for something bigger than a single, from art-rock reinvention to opera-sized anthems.
Music that captured a moment in history
War took its name from how U2 saw the world in 1982, aiming its songs straight at Northern Ireland and beyond. These records and performances carry the same charge, bound to the times that made them, from a global charity concert to the last albums of a band coming apart.