February 28, 1983. U2‘s War album is released. Which makes it 40 years old this year. So let’s put some fresh ears on it.
You don’t usually hear War referred to as U2’s “breakthrough” album; that distinction is usually reserved for 1987’s The Joshua Tree. But looking back at War 40 years on, it might be time to do a little retrofitting. The album has gone 4 times platinum in the United States alone. U2’s first two albums–Boy and October–are still at single-platinum status as of early 2023. So there’s a case to be made on numbers alone.
Of course, I’m making this case from a decidedly Boston-based perspective. I’ve been a radio DJ playing U2’s music for 25 years, all but 3 of those years spent in Boston. And I grew up north of the city, listening to Boston radio stations and DJs that were the first to bring U2’s music to the masses in America. What I’m getting at is this: U2 is an Irish band, of course. But they’re a Boston band, too, in a way. And that counts for something.
Take this, for instance. March 6, 1981: U2 plays the Paradise Rock Club. It’s only their second-ever Boston tour date; their first was December 6, 1980 at the Paradise. Originally broadcast on the legendary and now-defunct WBCN, the bootleg of the March ’81 show was then released as a radio show on vinyl. Many of the songs played that night ended up on future U2 singles as B-sides. So that U2-Boston connection has been strong from the very beginning. I wrote about the gig for the 40th anniversary here.
4 Thoughts on U2’s ‘War’ Album Turning 40
Back to War, I’d like to share four thoughts on four songs from the album and why I think it’s U2’s true breakthrough. Let me know what you think on our Facebook or Twitter.
