Maps of Music

Under a Blood Red Sky (1983)

Where the lyrics of Under a Blood Red Sky take you, and where it was really made.

The eight tracks come from three different concerts, and the title is taken from a lyric of a song on the band's previous album, War.

Key places

Red Rocks, 5 June 1983 (1983)

Recording site Red Rocks Amphitheatre — The concert film was recorded entirely at the outdoor Red Rocks Amphitheatre on 5 June 1983. Two songs from that show are included on the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Boston show at the Orpheum (1983)

Recording site Orpheum Theatre — The album draws on three War Tour shows, from Colorado and Boston in the US and from Germany. The Boston show was held at the Orpheum Theatre. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

German show behind the album (1983)

Recording site Freilichtbühne Loreley — One of the three War Tour shows behind the album took place in Germany. The candidate venue is the Freilichtbühne Loreley in St. Goarshausen. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Under a Blood Red Sky: live mini-album by the Irish rock band U2
• Produced by Jimmy Iovine, released 21 November 1983
• Eight tracks compiled from three concerts on the 1983 War Tour
• Two songs come from the 5 June 1983 performance at Red Rocks Amphitheatre
• Companion concert film U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky released the following year
• Remastered CD with a Red Rocks concert DVD reissued on 29 September 2008

Background

• Recorded during the band's 1983 War Tour
• Title taken from the lyrics of the song New Year's Day, originally released on U2's War album
• The album and the concert film together helped establish U2's reputation worldwide as a renowned live act

Recording

• Live recordings from three shows: two in the US (Colorado and Boston) and one in Germany
• The concert film was recorded entirely at the outdoor Red Rocks Amphitheatre on 5 June 1983
• Two songs from the Red Rocks show are included on the album
• The album's concert sources are therefore spread across the US and Germany rather than a single venue

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• U2 are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1976 by teenage pupils of Mount Temple Comprehensive School.
• Members: Bono (lead vocals), the Edge (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Adam Clayton (bass), Larry Mullen Jr. (drums).
• The band was first named Feedback, then The Hype, and in March 1978 took the name U2.
• They won the Pop Group '78 talent contest in Limerick and signed with Island Records in 1980.

Career

• Debut album Boy (1980); War (1983) was their first UK number-one album.
• The Joshua Tree (1987) made them international stars and was their greatest critical and commercial success, selling about 25 million copies.
• The band reinvented their sound in the 1990s with Achtung Baby (1991) and the Zoo TV Tour.
• Their 2009–2011 360° Tour held records for the highest-grossing concert tour until 2019.
• In 2023 they released Songs of Surrender and began the U2:UV Achtung Baby Live residency at Sphere in Las Vegas.
• Estimated record sales: about 170 million worldwide; 22 Grammy Awards; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees (2005).

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Wikipedia's introduction says both the album and its concert film helped establish U2's reputation globally as a renowned live act
• The record's eight tracks were compiled from three concerts on the band's 1983 War Tour
• Released 21 November 1983, produced by Jimmy Iovine

Reappraisal

• Re-released on 29 September 2008 as a remastered CD, bundled with a DVD of the Red Rocks concert
• In November 2023 the band celebrated the album's 40th anniversary with a newly remastered release on Record Store Day Black Friday
• The remastered editions all contain the edited version of The Electric Co., so the reissues differ from some earlier pressings in that track's length

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Bono included a 27-second snippet of Stephen Sondheim's Send in the Clowns during The Electric Co.; U2 had not obtained permission, and after Sondheim objected the band agreed to pay a US$50,000 penalty and to press future releases with a version without the snippet.
• Two versions of the vinyl album exist: the original with the full 5:18 track and an edited 4:51 version.
• The CD pressings differ: the US trifold digipack lists the track at 4:51 with the edited version, while some European pressings list 5:18 with the unedited version.
• An Australian CD pressing lists the track at 4:57, although the song actually runs the full 5:18.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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