War

It's okay, but I was getting kind of bored by the end. I'm more of a U2 singles guy.

Sunday Bloody Sunday was the obvious high point on this album, but I am not much of a U2 fan and this album was perfectly ok.

The first track is fantastic and the rest I think I’m too naive to understand the underlying political tones behind the music; I just wanna bop my head.

Overhated until the point of currently being underrated in this age. U2 at their best are seriously good songwriters and impressive instrumentalists. War contains enough to keep you entertained, though it's not quite at the band's peak. Best Tracks: - Two Hearts Beat As One - Sunday Bloody Sunday Worst Tracks: - Drowning Man Rating: 7/10

When I was in college one of the schools e player used this album for their warm up music for our volleyball game. Really messed w me

pretty cool, the first song in the album really stood out to me, though I don't see myself listening to it anytime in the future I still enjoyed it very much

day 4 of listening to white dad rock :( eh New Year's Day's build is pretty good I do not like this man's voice like a song has a nice breakdown drowning man sounds like a medieval tavern music the refugee is my favorite kinda over the fade outs red light is so fun, giving Mario cart tho the back half of this album is much better not the kind of music I would listen to

Was dreading a U2 album coming on the list but it wasn't actually that hard of a listen.

Ugghhhhhhh we had U2 the other day. Leave me alone. They still aren't good. 😠

В целом понравился, но ничего выдающегося.

U2 is Irish??? That's information that never got to me? I know it's one of the classic rock bands, but idk this album doesn't really speak to me. (I do like the album cover tho) Will be reading the wiki pages of future albums!! Love learning about them!

Eh...next. album plz

“I can’t believe the news today Oh, I can’t close my eyes and make it go away” I firmly believe we are up to the third generation of “Dad Rock” with U2 being part of the second sandwiched by Black Sabbath and Green Day. I had never really understood U2’s apparent huge success as one of the biggest stadium rock bands of the last 40 years. I think this is largely because by the time I was born Bono had planted himself firmly in the realm of pretentiousness and U2 along with him (*that* South Park episode didn’t help either). Within guitar purist circles The Edge had also garnered himself a reputation as a bit of a peddleboard merchant with little technical ability. These things combined meant that I largely steered clear aside from their big radio hits. That said I approached War with an open mind and was pleasantly surprised. The Edge knows he is not a technical player and instead uses his creative range of guitar effects to flesh out the songs and provide some really interesting sounds without ever having to flex any instrumental muscles. I think the lack of any real solos on the album speaks to his awareness of this. Bono’s vocal performance is over the top, emotional, and theatrical but you are left with a firm belief that he means every word he sings. It’s a wonderfully produced 80s rock guitar album but it never quite reaches the heights of the opening “Sunday Bloody Sunday” throughout the subsequent 9 songs. The closer “40” felt like a bit of a damp squib given the crescendo I felt I was heading for and that the album deserved. The highs on here are very high and the lows are still better than good. If nothing else I have left the album with a fuller understanding of why U2 has consistently sold out stadia since their inception and will continue to do so for a good while yet.

I had the Joshua Tree just a week or two back and they may be their two most acclaimed albums. Not a huge fan of that, and the same with this. Yes, New Year's Day is a great song and Sunday Bloody Sunday still packs a punch but U2 are still striking me as a band that made great singles and then the rest of the album is boring filler with a whiny voice that really grates.

Love the style on here. Very 80's New Wave with a harsher edge. I've only heard the two singles from this album overplayed on the radio before, so it's nice to hear the whole album for the first time.

There are the obvious standouts (New Year’s Day, Sunday Bloody Sunday) but, like I find with a lot of their albums, it drifts into songs that rely on the U2 sound rather than on the quality of the songs themselves.

I’m sure there is something outstanding about this band but I don’t know what! Couple of songs were nice (last tracks). Let’s listen to it again, IDK….

Very easy album to listen too whilst working/gaming. Can imagine it to be nice background music.

Apesar de eu não gostar desse estilo, gostei de algumas músicas desses álbuns - além das letras serem muito boas. Melhor Música: Sunday Bloody Sunday Pior Música: 40

Not too bad!

classic angry but not too angry U2!

3.25 - some good tracks but quite a few annoying ones too.

The singles are by far the strongest tracks on this album. Everything else is just okay if not slightly stale.

3.1 / 5 Well, there's one of a few bands that I don't really enjoy listening to. U2's music has never really been striking me, even though I appreciate their creativity and musicianship, especially The Edge's experimental guitar effects. About 90% of what you hear about this group is Bono as if he's carrying the band alone, even though that's not the case at all. The album itself obv. contains some really good (but overplayed) songs like SBS and New Year's Day, the others aren't as hard-hitting for me. I think it's totally fine as background music, but it's nothing I'd go out of my way for with the intention of listening to it. Reason being is that while some songs are cool and experimental, some others are just basic 80s pop music. One plus though is that U2 carried an actual meaningful political and societarial message about the decade-long conflict between the Republic of Ireland & Northern Ireland (which the stupid bri*ish derogatorily called "the troubles") in many of their songs and actively tried to bring the people together with their music. I respect that and it goes beyond the usual "let's sing about issues but never do anything to solve them"-theme that so many creatives carry. All in all it's solid, can't rate it higher than 3.1/5 due to my harsh tendencies, but I wouldn't rate it lower than yesterday's Tracy Chapman album either.

So much better than expected. I would say this is their best album. Post punk and experimental backing. Strong 3

Nothing wrong with this U2 album and quite a lot of good stuff, I like that is sounds a bit like early Echo and the Bunnymen. Bono is annoying and the lyrics are hit and miss for me but I can’t argue with the majority of the instrumental work. It gets a bit anthemic in parts for me, hinting at their later career and superstardom but this is a good alt rock album with lots of post punk DNA. Solid 3!

this is just a test review!

Two bangers, admirable theme

Vintage U2

Other than the songs everyone knows had a couple ones that were "new" for me and really clicked nicely in the moment! Bono's vocals had me reaching for the PAUSE button every 2-3 songs, it's a little much if you're not already a huge fan of theirs... but overall worthwhile listen all the way through.

Great first song everything else was just alright. Mostly reminded me of sitting in the backseat as a child while my mom sang along with the songs.

Classic rock band. Had previously only heard their newer stuff but Sunday Bloody Sunday was a pretty familiar tune given how popular it is. I also liked Like a Song

The hits are strong and would be monumental in the early 80s. However there is a stark difference between the well known songs and the rest.

Good songs but not as great as would have liked.

I like U2 but I'm more of a post Rattle and Hum fan than some of their earlier stuff. Obviously there are a couple of amazing tracks on this album but also a lot of filler "lets-get-the-edge-to-switch-on-all-his-guitar-effects" type tunes. I do hope "Rattle and Hum" and "Achtung Baby" come up as future listens as this pop-style version of U2 is much more listenable. Before they started pushing unwanted music onto peoples phones etc......

Some good singles off the album, some of the other songs were more fillers

Initially it was way better than it ended

There were some hits, but the overall is just more U2

It’s okay. Pretty good songwriting. I can see how the songs are charismatic. But I wasn’t really intrigued musically or by the production. I like Sunday Bloody Sunday, and the last track was kind of cool. Everything in the middle blended.

Anthemic but not particularly catchy tunes in my opinion. The guitar drives the tracks on alongside some militaryesque drumming. Vocals are great of course but not really my cup of tea. I feel this album is lacking in really great moments. Most tracks are quite similar. Thematically interesting. Favourite track - Sunday Bloody Sunday. 7/10

U2 is my favorite bank. I love Sunday Bloody Sunday. This album is just not great IMO other than that one song. This is not in my top 5 favorite U2 albums

Rating: 7/10 A good attempt from the band still in its post-punk flavor, I usually like the sound with more edge to it. I enjoyed it but would have to go back to War to delve more into the lyrics here, and I probably should because it’s cool to have Irish music about politics and history. In the 6 7 range

Just very fine. New Year's Day fuckin bumps but overall its pretty lax and inoffensive and easy 6.1/10

Some good songs but honestly besides the messaging kind of a generic rock album

Intrigued to listen to this one as I'm not a fan of U2, but always kind of liked Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Years Day for at least having a bit of a raw edge to them (pun unintended). Unfortunately, they're very much the standout tracks here on a album that mines the same seam with diminishing returns. I'd still rather listen to it than their later output, though...

A couple songs on here I totally love, namely Sunday Bloody Sunday. A lot of the tracks I skipped through though.

I'm probably being unfair because I only listened all the way through once but I didn't really hear anything other than the singles that I cared about. Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Year's Day are great, almost enough for me to kick this to a 4 on their own, but I don't think I can justify more than a 3 for the whole album considering the rest kinda just washed past me without making much impact.

The essential stadium rock, energetic and the quality of the sound is very good.

Please, no more U2

Not that interesting

Almost strange to hear this knowing about their stadium future. Reminds you that the early stuff could be filed along your postpunk and goth stuff. Clearly Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Year's Day are the standouts - some tracks are a bit filler-y, but the guitar textures are always interesting and there's a dubby feel in places. Bono is earnest, but you can see how he held a crowd. A high 3 - needed a couple more good tracks to go higher, but an interesting sign of where they would go to.

Started out hot but faded quickly, was a nice change of pace from the last few weeks of albums

Sunday, New Year's Day, and Two Hearts are all time hits, but the rest of the album is just kinda ok. I didn't hate anything but didn't find anything new either. 2.5 rounded up because bc 3 singles on a 42 minute album is impressive.

Bell’album, non è joshua tree ma comunque bello

U2 are overrated

Some greatness here, of course, but I was surprised by the blah quality of several of the lesser known songs.

average

I don’t love it, a bit boring. The first tracks were nice, towards the end it started to lose me.

A bit dramatic. Hard to finish each song.

What I like about this is how raw and unpolished it is. Has a post-punk vibe going on with the scratchy guitar playing. The second half of the album kinda falls flat but there's enough good will built up at the beginning that it's fine. Bono has a lot of charisma on this album, was kinda shocked at that. 3/5 stars

Every song sounds the same.

founational

a few good ones

I've heard this many times. I like the idea of U2 and this album, but have a hard time connecting fully into it. It just doesn't have the dark, bass heavy sound I love of other post-punk bands of the era. I do like the punchy snare sound across the record, and will get the openings to both Sunday Bloody Sunday and Refugee stuck in my head.

Sunday bloody sunday and new years day are my favourite U2 songs. It’s just frustrating that it’s so front-loaded, as the last few songs on the album are either terrible or forgettable.

can't really get into to it, but it feels disingenuous to rate it worse than a 3 when there's some real hits and generally good tunes throughout. Don't really like U2, though.

Standouts Sunday Bloody Sunday New Year's Day Like a Song

3.5

A nice album, U2 good

It was a lot less U2 than the other U2 album we had, and that's obviously a good thing.

Was decent enough but I don’t think anything particularly special

I'm not a huge U2 fan but this was some decent easy listening.

Another U2? It’s okay

Not a ton of depth beyond the two hits and 40. It turns out Under a Blood Red Sky really is a better “early” U2 document and there are other U2 albums that have a more cohesive and distinct idea rendered.

This is pretty good stuff, and is when U2's career started to take off. But - I think they made much better records later. Especially, Bono's vocals got much better than the whiny wail he overuses here. And the songwriting improved too.

It's ok. Got kinda boring eventually.

U2 ne. Bom mas não é aquele trem todo

Another plus album by U2. This one is a bit heavier especially with one of their most popular and political songs in Sunday Bloody Sunday. I am always happy to see U2 come up and this one is a stronger 3.

2 bangers and a lot of filler

It's fine. Maybe one of the better U2 albums, but not by much. All I can think about is the one time U2 teamed with Apple and tried to force their album down everyone's throat. I'm still bitter about it.

Nothing special, but the band was in-sync and cohesive on this.

great opener and flatlined after that

Fortunately this album has Sunday Bloody Sunday which is like the only U2 song I like. The rest was not that good

Really encapsulates the frustration of a Sunday.

Great Songs: Sunday Bloody Sunday, New Year's Day, The Refugee, Two Hearts Beat As One, Good Songs: Seconds, Drowning Man, Red Light Mid Songs: Like A Song...,, Surrender, "40" Bad Songs:

Painfully obvious on this one that Bono can't sign.

It was good but I feel like I have heard it and what it inspired a lot

Bono looks really young here. I don't remember if we had any U2 albums yet, which is probably not a great sign. Are they really "post punk"? Well, I will credit 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' for teaching me that Bloody Sunday was a thing (in the past, I mean, not right this second). I guess U2 were the Derry Girls of my generation. And this album came out before they were super oversaturated, I guess, pre-Apple debacle and pre-'Sweetest Thing', so if I were around for it, I probably(?) would have liked it more than I like U2 now. In fact, I do like this album better than I like U2 now. It's pretty unobjectionable; the singing is a little more "generic britpop" and less "plaintive yodel". It's not that interesting to me but it's not bad to have on in the background. Highlights: 'Sunday Bloody Sunday'

I've never really given U2 a listen before this and I didn't really know what to expect. I've heard many people call them crap but I know a few fellas who obsess over them as if Bono is the second coming of Christ. And I don't really get where either side is coming from. It's nothing to rant and rave about, but it's not shite either. Decent, inoffensive rock really.

For me, U2 is one of those bands that I liked a few of the hits you heard on the radio, but never enough to want to listen to more from them, so this is the first time I’ve listened to a U2 album. My original thought holds. The hits are good, my favorite is Two Hearts, but the rest was just ok.

I spent a lot of time with the early U2 albums when I was younger. War shows the promise of greatness that the band would later find but also clear evidence of their greatest faults: the inability to know when to enough is enough and their undeniable love of themselves in the music. On tracks like Sunday, New Years, Two Hearts and 40, you hear the evocative lyrics supported by powerful yet simple compositions, a formula they would perfect on The Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum (both significantly better and more successful albums). But you also hear the indulgent, unedited bullshit that plagued Zooropa and Atomic Bomb all over songs like Red Light and The Refugee (which I swear must be a Bow Wow Wow song). Some of this bravado can be written off to 1983, but these guys were aficionados of the style and carried it far into their future. Stick with the singles on this one.

Classic and good to listen to, its interesting to see this in a Album, always listened separately

An album that I feel got the singles totally right. Sunday Bloody Sunday still hits hard, as New Year’s Day. My favorite was the album closer (40) which I listened to on repeat a few times. I’m not a U2 person so I don’t think I have ever really heard it.

Usual U2 album. Was never a huge U2 fan

Not bad for U2. Lots of recognisable hits.

A few good songs, and the rest were decent as well. Why do I not see any anti war albums anymore? Seems like a dying art.

Weird album that has my two fav U2 songs and nothing else I want to listen to.

As ridiculous as U2 has become, I have such a soft spot for this album.

Song you know and songs you don;t

It was fine 7 out of 10. To preachy

eh

"Sunday Bloody Sunday". What a great song. It really encapsulates the frustration of a Sunday, doesn't it? You wake up in the morning, you've got to read all the Sunday papers, the kids are running round, you've got to mow the lawn, wash the car, and you think "Sunday, bloody Sunday!" 3/5

Still a bit uneven. I prefer later works.

uninteresting

I’ll probably listen a couple times to get used to it. Softer rock vibe imo

As a Bosnian I kind of see Bono the same way that Palestinians view Macklemore. Anyway, I think U2’s cringe reputation precedes them and I’d probably like this way more if I didn’t know at least one Bosnian in his 30s called Bono

It was ok I didn't hate it or love it i

I liked it but was not obsessed with it

yeah it sure is U2

Okay album.

80s rock.

I like this, but it's not my favorite U2 album. several of their hits and a great sound for them overall but some of the tracks fall flat to me

I've always thought of U2 as being a highly overrated band. Even so I don't think I can give this less than 3 stars as there are a couple really fantastic songs here and the rest of the album is decent.

It's U2. It's...fine. I'm sure it had impact for people who lived through a certain moment of time. It's pretty benign to listen to, nothing I love but nothing I especially dislike.

I liked about half these songs, but the album kind of peters out (in my opinion) at the end: 4 awesome songs, 3 great songs, and 3 meh songs, which unfortunately end the album. Which left a bad taste in my mouth. This album should probably be a 4 star, but I have to be honest: those 3 last songs really blew it for me. 3 stars, good but not great and certainly not awesome.

I never got very into U2. Listening to this again didn't change anything.

pretty good

I'm perhaps in the minority in that I neither love nor hate U2. I do not own any U2 albums, but if U2 comes on the radio, I'm not going to jump to change the station. They're just meh in my book. This album is perhaps a little worse than meh. There are some songs that I did find a bit irritating.

Some great tracks but not yet peak U2

The lead singer is a sanctimonious douchebag. If you knew anyone who acted and talked like that in your daily life, you'd want to smack the shit out of them...but give him a microphone and a band and all of a sudden he's some rock icon. It's not the fact that he has political/social beliefs, it's how he goes about expressing them that's a turnoff. And if he's bad, their fans are worse. Look here in the reviews, you'll find mentions of how The Edge is the most revolutionary guitarist since Hendrix which is insane. No doubt he's a great guitarist but that claim is going a bit too far and ignores Eddie Van Halen who might be able to lay claim to being the best guitarist ever. This album is fine. I really don't care for Sunday Bloody Sunday but New Year's Day is pretty good. You won't catch me saying that they're bad musicians because that's not the case...this is a band that has top shelf musicians at every position. Bono, despite being insufferable, is a great singer. Clayton's bass slaps throughout this whole thing, Mullen's drumming is fantastic. Would I listen to this again? Hard to say, I can't say this is a bad album or bad music, it's just not what I really want to listen to if left to my own devices. I'm not sure if that's because I hate Bono or if the music doesn't grab me...probably a bit of both.

Sunday bloody sunday is a generational bop obviously but the rest of the tunes on this are banging (though don't have the same impact as SBS for me and I can't name any of them as I type this). Defo worth a re-listen for me and will be on rotation in the next few weeks.

Different to what I usually think of when I think of U2. Sunday bloody Sunday was instantly recognisable, but the rest was new to me. Overall it was pretty decent.

I expected more.

2.5

Starts out strong, ends kind of meh. Like many U2 records.

3/5 ihan ok rok

It's weird how Bono can be so unlikable but also respectable at the same time. I think as time went on he was more relaxed but still had this air of trying to be cooler than he was. I don't know what that really has to do with the music but that's all I remember about this the next day. Sunday Bloody Sunday was the only one here I was really familiar with before.

Probably the best U2 album, but that’s not a high bar. They’re an accomplished band but I find them somewhat…unlikeable.

Good

Still don't like U2 but this album was not a bad one

War by U2 [1001 albums]: 6/10, Starting off with the great Sunday Bloody Sunday, this is a gradual descent in quality across the tracklist. Without much of a background with U2 other than a vague idea of their presence, XXX by Kendrick Lamar, and having heard Sunday Bloody Sunday once before, I didn't really have any specific expectations for this album. By far my biggest complaint here is Bono, he did choose a pseudonym that literally means great voice, and it's clear why: he has a big ego. While Bono does undeniably have a good voice, there's a lot more beauty in restraint than a constant need to show off as much as possible. What makes Sunday Bloody Sunday so good is the cohesion between the instruments and the vocals, there's no over-the-top vocal performance and the instrumentation is very present. The rest of the album struggles with the exact opposite, Bono is constantly putting himself at the center with unnecessarily flashy vocals that still manage to be vaguely uninteresting because there isn't much quality melody writing behind them. Other than my very clear issues with the vocals and the gradual decrease in quality as the album goes on, there's an undeniable level of initial quality that really could be better captured by a band more focused on cohesion and restraint.

Sunday Bloody Sunday - 8/10 Seconds - 7.5/10 New Year's Day - 7.5/10 Like A Song - 9/10 Downing Man - 7/10 The Refugee - 8.5/10 Two hearts beat as one - 7/10 Red Light - 7/10 Surrender - 8/10 "40" - 7.5/10 77/100

Looking at the track list and seeing Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Years Day I expected to be in for a treat. After all, clearly they were able to write great songs early in their career. Unfortunately, other than the hits, the songs I didn't already know didn't do much for me. Bono seems to be emoting 100 percent at all times.

I enjoyed the hits and a couple of the other songs. Not sure I would throw this album on again. In terms of being a U2 fan - I think I’m a greatest hits fan. Though choice between a 3 and a 4…

Album is okay once again, has a few goof familiar songs. Probably will have to revisit but has a very 80s rock vibe

sounds like U2

Good album. Doesn't wow me but doesn't offend me.

Classic era. The “hits” still sound great, and the lesser known tracks hold up.

Suprised by the large number of people calling this one of the best albums of all time. It was okay,, but that's about it. Achtung Baby was much better.

Gott band en mér fannst þetta hálfleiðinleg plata

Didn’t like it or hate it, but I was hyper aware of the fact that I was listening to U2. I was glad to be done with it when it finished, though.

I'll never forgive what they did to our apple libraries 11 years ago

Ég er ekki alveg á U2-vagninum. Að hlusta á þessa plötu lætur mig samt fatta að þetta er hljómsveit sem var að reyna ýmislegt. Tengi samt ekki alveg við þessa plötu.

I like the singles and closer but I didnt dig the rest at all honestly!

A difficult album to rate for me. Like most U2 albums in my opinion, it's a mixed bag. Some songs are great, while others are more forgettable. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" remains a powerful song to this days despite its overuse over the years, and "New Year's Day", although a bit cheesy, is an iconc hit of the 80s. Listening to it again after so many years, I also gained a new appreciation for a few overlooked tracks (I really enjoyed "Like a Song", and "Drowning Man" wasn't bad), while others remained... meh. I was suprised to see that this album is so old (1983 !). I remember hearing Sunday Bloody Sunday everywhere in the early 90s - a testimony to its lasting popularity. Not my favourite kind of music, but clearly a landmark in the landscape of mainstream rock. It was ahead of its times, and it aged much better than I would have imagined.

apart from a few songs ("Sunday bloody Sunday", "New Year's day") and the album photo which marked their era and have become timeless, this album is not the best of U2 and is quiet average... but luckily they did not "surrender"

It’s hard to ignore how much this album shaped my big sister’s musical taste, or to separate it from everything that happened to the band afterwards, to take War as it must have sounded back in 83. Stripping away any emotional bias, I hear an album that was remarkably mature for its time, but beyond its two timeless tracks, it’s clearly not U2’s peak. Still, two of its singles and some more songs have won over my wife, my daughter and myself, and honestly, that alone makes it a win.

to be honest I put this album on in the background while I was doing other things and was only half paying attention to it. for that reason it was my favorite u2 album

It was a good listen and I enjoyed it.

Sunday Bloody Sunday / New Year's Day are absolute classics - mixing angry politics with great pop/rocks sensibilities. Rest of the album unfortunately pales by comparison - have listened to it 3 times and none of the other tracks have really made any impact.

no mucho que decir, tipico de la epoca, pero no me ha aportado nada en exceso. Aun asi estaria bien oirlo mas veces para tener una mejor opinion

Definitely U2 at their most credible

decent

It’s hard to look past what U2, but mainly Bono, has become in the 21st Century. However, there are some songs on this that are good. There are also some that aren’t good. The ones that are good are sadly the blueprint for what U2 would become and churn out in ever-reducing quality for years to come. It’s no more than 3 stars, though if I could award decimal places I would have scored it 2.6/5.

Myönnän että tämä on tosi pätevä albumi! Vähän jeesusteleva, jos niin haluaa kuunnella, mutta lähinnä täynnä suurta aika naiivia tunnetta. Vallan iskeviä biisejä.

I'm not a huge U2 fan, but it's hard to deny that they made a big jump forward with "War", especially their three big singles. I'm not all that familiar with the other songs on this album, so it was also nice to hear new-to-me and decent U2 songs like "Seconds" (especially having The Edge singing vocals), and the somewhat uneven tracks "The refugee" and "Surrender". Watching the video for "New Year's Day" reminded me again how similar Bono and Sting look (although the video itself is weird and not very interesting or well-done, and I still don't really get the connection between a love song and the Polish Solidarity movement). It's also funny how the "1001 Albums" entry is right next to Police's "Synchronicity", almost a handoff from a megaband to one about to enter that limelight.

3 Courics for Bono and 3 stars for U2! __because I'm just not into them__

Was actually alright

Not my favorite band but they had some good classics in here

I liked this more than I expected. Bono is so far up his own a*** but I respect the message. A lot of the tunes had a good driving rhythm and some good licks from The Edge (daft stage name) it did end up feeling very samey

Ein Album mit herausragenden zwei Songs und viel durchschnittlichem das die Zeit nicht überdauert hat. Es gibt besseres von U2.

Full disclosure, I groaned when I saw this come up. I've never really liked U2 despite never really listening to them or disliking them for any real legitimate reason. Just whatever I got from cultural osmosis was an impression of them being annoying (I wasn't even affected by the whole iTunes shoving their album down everyone's throats episode, although that definitely wasn't a good look). That said, I've definitely heard the songs Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Year's Day before (who hasn't), and those are good songs. Didn't really know U2 were a post-punk band (albeit a much poppier/commercial version of the genre). This album is definitely better than I was expecting though. I was expecting more of a commercial pop sound, and while that's still here a bit, the post-punk does shine through. What I don't like though is how most of the time Bono is constantly at 110%, belting everything out. Not that it's necessarily a problem in this specific song, but The Refugee is a pretty terrible song (along with Red Light. That opening was weird and the sax was entirely unneeded). But songs like Sunday Bloody Sunday and Drowning Man are Bono with zero restraint. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But yeah, better than I was expecting, but whether I'm merely just whelmed, or my preconceived notions are getting in the way, I'm not particularly feeling this either. Probably not a band I'd go back to outside of this list.

If you would've asked my before I dove into this album, I probably would've told you something along the lines of "I really like U2 but I'm only really familiar with their singles". And while their singles are good - the rest of this album doesn't reach those heights. There were a song or two that caught my ear, but it never really crossed the threshold past pretty good.

Very solid collection of tunes! Nothing especially groundbreaking to my ear, just good good songwriting the whole way through.

Especially being that this was my first U2 album, this was pretty good overall, with my only complaint being that Bono was definitely doing too much on some songs. Sunday Bloody Sunday has been stuck in my head all day.

Everything sounds solid, with standout trumpet moments and killer bass throughout -- but other than that, it somehow kept slipping into background music for me. Maybe it just needs a relisten, but for now it lands as “pretty good” and not much more. Also, Bono weirdly sounds like Robert Smith from The Cure. I can't explain it. Standouts: Like a Song... • Two Hearts Beat As One • Red Light

I never “got” U2, but re-listening now, I think I do. Solid album.

1. On Apple Music, the album cover is animated and the kid blinks. It is a little unsettling. 2. I consider myself an odd sort of U2 fan, in that I was not a huge fan of anything they did in the '80s. I didn't DISlike them and actually liked some of their songs, but never went and bought an album of theirs until Achtung Baby. My friends all went nuts over Joshua Tree and I just never got caught up in it. 3. But when I bought Achtung Baby I got a little obsessed with it and nearly wore out my copy freshman year of college. And later on my roommates had all the early stuff so I was able to go back and listen to the things I had been missing. 4. I finally saw them live in 2011 and was blown away. I think I actually turned to Elizabeth during the show and said "OK, I get it now. I understand why everyone is so crazy about these guys." Nonetheless, Achtung Baby is still the only album I have really been crazy about. 5. So all of that being said, let's listen to War... 6. Of course I knew the hits off this album, and always liked (never loved) them. I don't remember the violins being so prominent in "Sunday Bloody Sunday" - I wonder if the version I'm more familiar with is a live one. 7. One thing I'm struck by listening to this is how YOUNG they sound. Which, well duh, of course, but being used to the polish of their present-day mega-stardom you can practically hear their youth in these songs. 8. I thought this album was good (maybe very good,) not great. I think it is more important as a big part of U2's history than as a complete collection of great songs though.

Think I enjoyed this more than All That You Can’t Leave Behind

Love Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Year's Day. The rest doesn't stand out much to me.

Some pretty big hits that almost make up for Bono's over-the-top wailing

pretty much reflects my experience with u2. sunday bloody sunday is their best song and the one i can leave on when i hear it. they made a cohesive album, but it does basically nothing to move me personally, least of all bono, who rarely shushes up. never understood that dude. it’s not bad, but it doesn’t move me.

U2 is not a band I can just put on and enjoy. When the stars align, it’s good. Sunday Bloody Sunday is so fucking good, New Year’s Day… so fucking good. The rest of the album might as well be muzak. Just doesn’t stick with me. They are talented mfers but I can do without a lot of their songs.

Very well-produced, but nothing really resonated with me emotionally. Favorite tracks: Like a Song...

Typical U2 shimmery guitars with Bono's plaintive vocals

Is iconic for Sunday Bloody Sunday. A good U2 album, not as essential as Joshua Tree. Has a different sound than future U2 albums.

i will never forgive U2 for what they did to my iphone in 2008

Couple good songs

good enough

All in all, a solid worthwhile rock and roll album

I liked it more than I thought I would

I mean it’s good but I wasn’t blown away.

I liked it. And then let other related music play after. Best album ever? Nah. But enjoyable.

I listen to this album twice, not because I enjoyed it a ton but I felt like I was missing something. Of course, Sunday Bloody Sunday is always going hood a special place in my heart but honestly the rest of the album just sounded like variations of that. That drum beat is cool, but not for every song. And not every song has to be minor.

I was kinda getting into it but the Two Hearts Beat as One track threw me off completely. Is this band for like kids and moms in their 40s?

Not bad. A few hits, nothing skippable, mostly not very memorable.

3.8

Better than I remember. The non-radio songs are good

Good album. A few classics. The rest are kinda forgettable.

Meh.

There are some great moments. Sunday Bloody Sunday is undeniable. I could see how people might find Bono insufferable, but consider what California rock is doing at the time. Cum on Feel the Noise indeed. I do start to drift. It’s not a perfect album, but a good one.

Listened in the truck via YouTube. Tried YouTube Music and Amazon music first but the mix was real thin with no bass. Turns out that just may be the way the record was mixed. All in all the singles were bots for a reason and the rest sound like B sides. There’s definitely some remnants of influence from the Cure and some glamrock in the tracks. Fun record overall.

SBS is a tune, but the rest sort of blended into one - 40 was a decent album closer

Classic U2, not all the songs are bangers but it's got some hidden jems

Meh. It's like a bunch of dudes who wanted to be The Clash as well as be commercially smash popular got together, and came up with this. It's fine, but opened the door to a lot of late-career bullshit from U2.

ok

Still trying to get U2. They seem so famous, but I've never heard anyone mention them, never heard of Harley anything they've put out. This one was ok, but still didn't blow me away by any means

The music is OK on this one, definitely better as a whole than Achtung Baby. However it suffers from the same problems. Each song stops developing musically after the first minute, yet the band insists on playing for another 4 minutes. Additionally, most of the tracks are very safe early eighties rock. Finally, Bono's vocals are average at best, and the production fails to lend any edge to the music. 2.5/5.0: Mixed

Significantly better than expected, still suffers from having Bono at the helm

couple of memorable tunes, but nothing grabs me

Good

Somenhits but I've never been huge u2 fan.

Not a huge fan of U2, but enjoyed this more than I expected too. Was even thinking four stars for a bit, but the back half was weaker and brought it down to three.

It's strongly tied to the time it came out in.

Vaak gehoord. Betrouwbaar, beetje saai?

The more I listen to U2, the more I find myself mostly unimpressed. Not bad, just kind of…meh. 3/5 Highlights: Sunday Bloody Sunday The Refugee “40”

Dig

No m'ha agradat, despres del que venia fent u2, aquest disc es fluixet.

Look, I know U2 is important in the history of rock and roll but I’m just not a huge fan anymore. This album has a couple great ones but otherwise I would never turn it on. I think I probably just overplayed the U2 greatest hits CD in my car in high school

ngl this is pretty good - definitely helping me understand where u2 came from. still a little overly serious for me but who am I kidding, I like Radiohead - this u2 album can stay.

The problem with U2 is that they're U2 - it's hard to come to their albums without all the baggage of Bono and his nobbishness. So I pretended that this wasn't U2 and just stuck strictly to the tunes - as is the key part of being in a band. It's earnest to say the least. The music is good - the vocals can get a bit much. Is this only in here as it's U2? I'd think their two key albums are enough. Best Tracks: Sunday Bloody Sunday; New Year's Day; Two Hearts Beat As One

- ganz stimmig und kurzweilig, nicht unbedingt etwas, was ich mir so anhören würde, aber war unterhaltsam

A few goodies, but not really the album for me

It was quite olright

Sunday bloody sunday

Good album, but nothing outstanding

Liked it, I get some of the U2 hype now. Especially interesting coming off of Say Nothing, have some context for it. Doesn't hit my personal vibe as much as my sad boy bands but enjoyed the listen. Probably won't revisit much.

Great singles, good album tracks

Ik

Ya se le veía la zanca al pollo. Vivillos desde chiquillos. Rolas que se volvieron emblemáticas de la banda alberga éste disco, como "Sunday Bloody Sunday" y "New Year's Day", pero "40" era una pieza que nunca había escuchado y captó bastante mi atención.

Pretty complex musically and interesting. Surprised how funky it is. Many different influences — vocally and lyrically not as into it, but the music, yea cool

Liked the first few songs.

Solid early U2 but I don't think they had hit their stride yet. "Joshua Tree" and "Achtung Baby" will always be peak U2 to me. I even really enjoyed "Zooropa" which I saw as a brave exploration of where they could push their sound to. "War" is good but not the greatness they would later reach.

3/5

Quite melodic in places.

Дивись: я не первый человек на земле, который пришел в мир музыки с уверенностью, что группа U2 - это кринж, не в последнюю очередь из-за инициативы Apple по пропихиванию их последнего(?) альбома в каждый ифон вселенной. И всё же это хороший альбом фо риал. Лучшая песня - New Year's Day.

Most of the songs sounded the same. And I dodn't like the vocals

#91 - Again one where maybe I have the privilege (or curse) of not being tinged by nostalgia. This is very listenable and its own sound but utterly unmemorable for me. Might have been breaking when it came out but if it came out today it would be ignored.

U2 isn't one of my fave bands, but there are a number of songs I really enjoy by them, and they happen to be on this album. Good to listen to front to back.

Really only know the U2 hits. Really liked this one. Red Light stood out, with New Year's Day still probably being my favorite. 3.5/5

An ok album. I guess I’m so used to pitch perfect production.. some off pitch vocals were a bit jarring.

I really love certain U2 tracks. I’ve listened to a few albums and they’re always solid but I think they’re a greatest hits band. I dig their sound and this album was a good listen. Strong 3.5 for me but going with a 3 because there’s not a ton of stand out tracks aside from SBS

I've always avoided U2. Why? I really don't know, they just dont appeal to me at all. One of the reasons for joining this generator for me was to force myself to listen to albums like this that I'd never choose to. It hasn't converted me into a U2 fan, but it's a solid album and I can understand why they became so big. A couple of big hits and few songs that were surprisingly good. 6/10

Much last atmospheric than the last U2 album I had (Joshua Tree), about I enjoyed it to about the same degree. 6/10

yeah me too

Not a huge fan of U2, with the exception of Achtung Baby which is an uncharacteristically fantastic album. On War, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day" still stand as classic tracks. The rest is never less than listenable but a lot of it is relatively indistinguishable from other, "lesser" bands of the period like Flock of Seagulls, China Crisis, Simple Minds. Not terrible, some great playing, particularly some of Clayton's basslines, but not mind-blowing.

Maybe my 5th or 6th fav album of theirs but still good

Not to interesting and got a bit boring but nothing too bad to hate so probably a 3 star

Solid rock album but nothing that spoke deeply to me.

Soke solid songs, but at the end of the day it was U2.

Made me feel nostalgic! Heard songs I haven't listened to in quite a while. Not the best album, but definitely not the worst.

Decent album with some powerful hits (Sunday Bloody Sunday will always get me going) here and there and some good political commentary, but doesn't really stick the landing.

The drums are on point, sunday is a good song. But I struggle to take serious any guitarist who calls themselves "the edge". Bono's vocals leave a mixed impression, he's really trying but I just don't always like that sound.

The album as a whole is really same-y. There's not much that distinguishes one song from another. Not necessarily a bad thing, as long as the album doesn't go on for a long time, and there's enough difference between songs that they can at least keep you engaged as a listener. I enjoyed the album, but I wasn't completely engaged, partially due to the same-iness of it all. I think this album would also benefit from a re-listen (and honestly, probably multiple). "Sunday Bloody Sunday" is a song that will just pop in my head all the time, though, in a great way. Favorite Song(s): Sunday Bloody Sunday

It's a classic, but is it good? Eh...it was better before U2 jumped the shark.

It’s fine. Highlights are Sunday Bloody Sunday and Drowning Man.

Tea prepared by a new friend. The speaker is kitschy, plastic and already breaking. Dropped during a move, it's a memory that is shared and laughed over. In its spot on the windowsill it sits between two plants. The plants aren't named, but they've named themselves. Nothing deep, nothing consequential. Pleasant, kind, warm. I don't know if I'll remember this afternoon, but I'll carry it with me. Somewhere up there.

U2 was pretty big from their first couple albums. 1983’s album War vaulted them to international stardom, especially the hits Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Year’s Day which brought attention to the conflict (civil war) in Northern Ireland between the IRA and Ireland/Britian. The album is edgy, fast paced, and well polished. Three big hits and all others songs OK, it ties together well. I’m sure there were others wars going on as well, but I remember’83 for other reasons… L = (3.0*s) J = (3.3*s)

I have not listened to this album in its entirety (or much pre/post "Joshua Tree") prior and "War" is a good one from U2. Couple known great hits with not really a bad track throughout. Not surprised an 80s Irish band would take a political stance on the situation with the IRA and the "Long War" at the time. There will be more from these guys which belong on the list but I hope it doesn't dip into anything post early 90s. 3.15 for Bono and not Mr. MacPhisto.

War isn't an album that moves the needle for me. It's an OK U2 entry, but nothing special. Side One is significantly stronger and includes the 2 biggest hits, while Side Two is mostly forgettable. I'm a fan of U2, but there are other albums by them that I would prefer to see on this list over War. Not sure this is one I need to hear before I die, even if it isn't bad, it's just mediocre. 2.50 stars

Good start. Last track good. Middle a bit filler.

Never really been a fan though this is not the worst album.

This is the only era of U2 I can stand. Some of these tunes are very good (e.g. Sunday Bloody Sunday) but I've never been able to take them very serious given how sanctimonious and stupid Bono is.

Decent. Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Year's Day stand out.

Started amazing. Then New Years Day. But the rest was pretty bland.

Es hat ein par gute Songs, aber nach einer Weile klingt alles etwas gleich.

Not a big U2 fan but it was a little better than I figured it would be

Energetic with a good start, but becomes predictable and boring. Overall, average. Lyrics - 3 Vocals - 3 Production - 4 Originality - 3 Cohesion - 4 Replay - 3 Emotion / Vibe - 2 Replay Value - 4

First U2 album I tried wasnt it, but this worked well for them. A good first half for the album. For the second half, the songs dont stick out.

Post-punk is like pop rock's younger, slightly less ugly sibling, in my experience. Like, it's sometimes fun, sometimes catchy, and there are some bangers made within the genre (Joy Division), but most of it makes me feel absolutely nothing. War is kinda more of the same. Can't say it's bad, but I'm largely indifferent to the music here. I also don't like the production that much. It sounds clean, sure, but it's so thin and weak.

Not too bad. I like Sunday Bloody Sunday the most. 3.5 stars.

I perhaps haven’t given U2 their fair shot earlier. I prefer this one to The Joshua Tree, and I developed a new appreciation for “The Edge”’s guitar playing and tone. I felt like to rest of the band and producer did a better job at complementing his sound. Favorite Track: Seconds

Also not bad. Not great either, but unsure why U2 gets such a bad rap.

Carried by Bloody Sunday tbh

Sunday Bloody Sunday was the best tune for sure

Sunday bloody Sunday is my favorite u2 song and I could listen to it alone on repeat for awhile. The rest of the album was enjoyable rock and left me with a more favorable opinion of U2 than others albums have.

It was ok, nothing special

Actually good U2 album??? Can’t be

Pretty nice and chill. Would have liked it more as a moody teenager.

I only heard War once when I listened to all of U2's discog with my boyfriend and it was an obvious highlight by the simple fact that it was all the best parts of their early era while also going more "big" like they would later on, it's crazy that only one album later they'd put out The Joshua Tree (to my dismay) but you can see the seeds of what would become that, but all wrapped up in a "post-punkier" packaged, not yet the U2 we know and tolerate today. I think what makes this album stand out from Boy or October is simply that there's more things going on in the music, more instruments, more soaring choruses, more influences from general rock things, more EVERYTHING which makes the album more of an interesting time, I mean you hear something like Sunday Bloody Sunday and it's hard to forget the main riff and the extra instruments they add, or then have something like New Year's Day, a total pop tune with some of the neatest rock riffs. Even other songs like "Like a Song...", "Two Hearts Beat as One", and "Surrender" really do the most of the post-punk sound but poppier and larger in a way I forgot really was as enjoyable as it sounds! The other songs are fine but fine, not as exciting but in this album there's more fun things to get out of it than there are boring or corny ones, which may be some people's hang ups with this (I can tolerate Bono for so long, mind you) but if you like something post-punky that sounds more uplifting and just big, then why not War?

I like this album despite not really having much fondness for U2. The drums and guitar stand out to me in particular. Great bass. Even the vocals are great, if you can get past Bono's self-importance. But the album is mixed well, recorded well, produced well. It is a really good sounding record. One thing I notice is that this was sort of before The Edge (dumbest name ever) really leaned into effects so the guitar parts are still pretty raw and I think that's much better. I don't think this is as good as Joshua Tree, but I do actually like this album. I'm not sure I'd play the whole thing again though so I suppose it loses some points for that. I'm having trouble rating this, it's between 3 and 4 but I don't feel like I can give this one a 4. 3.5/5 but rounding down.

Listened Before? Y U2 was just beginning to develop into the powerhouse that they would become here. While I know a lot of people prefer this early protest music style - I believe their later works to be better in almost every way. Music doesn't always have to want to change the world. Good early one from the boys. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: 40

my first album from irish band U2 was a bit of a let down its not as i expected but this albums pretty forgettable in general except of course for the intro song "Sunday Bloody Sunday" which is probably U2's best song. I like the message her and Bono's singing is nice to listen to 7/10 Favourite: Sunday Bloody Sunday Least Favourite: Surrender

U2 has always been non-appealing to me. Plenty of cool tracks but something doesn't click to me. War defines this quite well, almost perfectly.

Another album I've had in my collection for years. I despise the bands modern output, their devolution has been horrific since the 80's. This one however is still rather good album, I like the soundscapes on it and especially the boxy drum sound. It's not all pure gold, there are some 80's stinkers on the album, but for the most part it's pretty enjoyable.

Helt okej album men gör mig less att detta är det som blir populärt från tiden

6.5/10 My first ever U2 album, and actually a pleasant surprise. I had no idea they had done politically credible post-punk, which this is. The band is tight. Best: New Year’s Day

1.) Surrender 2.) Sunday Bloody Sunday 3.) Seconds Sounds 80s. Liked way more than I thought. Would listen again. Vocals are thin in the right way - doesn’t feel overly produced even while listening to the remaster 2008 version. Guitar and bass go crazy would recommend listening to anyone wanting to learn.

Appreciate Sunday Bloody Sunday & anti-war themes

It's okay.

alapvetően eddig a U2 is a kellemes csalódások közé tartozik, és ez az album is teljesen hallgatható. az achtung baby viszont SOKKAL jobb volt ennél, azóval hármas lesz csak.

Great stuff here for sure, but U2 isn’t doing it for me. The different things they’re doing to define their sound and make them unique start feeling pretty hallow after a few tunes. Bono wailing, Edge syncopated rhythm, SMASHING the offbeat snare, reverb etc. Looking back at some of the records we’ve had like Joni and Neil, they have a unique sound that feels more authentic.

Bloody Sunday rocks and the rest is just a lot of u2

Don't hate it, don't love it. Alot of pretty good, not great songs, by my taste. Sunday Bloody Sunday and Surrender are the only two that stand out - I'll probably come back to these. Refugee is a really, really tough listen. I guess if I want an edgier (no pun intended) punk-ish sound, I'm not looking to U2 to give that to me. I went back to Joshua Tree again, and stand by my defense of them and that album. It's a little more cookie cutter, but it gives me what I'm looking for from Bono and the boys. I know Achtung Baby is supposed to be one of their fan favorites - looking forward to giving that a try someday.

Takie to dość przeciętne. Bono ma kawał głosu, ale nigdy do końca nie rozumiałam fenomenu U2. Na plus kilka mocniejszych kawałków, które wychodzą poza klasyczny rock, ale całość nie zachwyca. 6/10

Trochę lepsze, niż Joshua Tree dla mnie. Mniej zawodzenia, więcej konkretów i solidnego przekazu. Wciąż U2 to nie jest zespół dla mnie.

A lot of how we experience music is based on things we cant always control, like our stress levels, sleep levels, open-mindedness at the time. Whatever it is for me today, this one is feeling like a chore.

I really only listened to U2 greatest hits, don’t know the albums but this is a strong album, big opener.

Jotenkin iän karttuessa opin enemmän tykkäämään U2:sta. New year’s day on hieno styge. SBS puolstaan vähän menettänyt tehoaan ainakin mun kohdalla 3/5

I’m not opposed to bombast or pomposity. I like a lot of bombastic and pompous things. More than your average person, I expect. But I think that my tolerance for bombast and pomposity ends right before U2 begins.

it's always in one ear and out the other with me and U2. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day" are fine enough, but nothing else on War comes anywhere close to those two songs in terms of memorability or intrigue. it feels like a heavily sanitized version of post-punk, always hinting at the things which make that style so interesting, but never embracing them. it's far from being as insufferable as a lot of their (even more sanitized) later work is, but there's still nothing for me to write home about. light 5/10.

I wanted to like this more than I did, which is a shame because 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' is such a good song. 3/5

I knew some of these of course. Quite enjoyed the album and listened to it multiple times, but there are better U2 albums.

Fine. Didn’t know much about early U2, and this wasn’t fully expected

Mom's favorite band Sunday bloody sunday certified classic of course

Didn’t think I would like this but I appreciated a lot of the complex, layered instrumentation. I was reminded of The Cure at various points, but with more grit. The lyrics are poignant and many of them still apply today to various conflicts around the world. There’s an interesting mix of punk and new wave influence, and I have some new appreciation for U2, having only really known their pop hits in the 90s and 2000s.

Punk and rock - I like the raw vocals of U2 - Not my favorite album from them

A good but not great album. 3 killer tracks. The rest are meh.... There's better U2 albums

I like this album rather well for offerings by U2, but my favorite still remains Joshua Tree.

It's fine. As rock goes, a bit dull, but listenable. Meh out of 10.