absolutely bro. I havent listened to anything u2 has made in over 20 years but this song is perfect! this and party girl might be my faves from under a blood red sky (one of the grestest live albums ever)
20 March 1978, the Church Hotel in Dublin. The Hype played their final show with Dik Evans, playing purely covers. At the end of the set Bono announced that they would return to the stage after a short interval as a new 4-piece band called U2. U2 debuted as the permanent line-up U2 here and played only original material in their set. The only song of which was played for certain is Shadows And Tall Trees. Dik Evans was categorically never in U2.
I think their early work is far better than the stuff they’re making now. And this song is one of the best they ever made. I never get tired of hearing it.
Absolutely right. This is one of the best tracks they have ever produced. Then they started chasing the money, became too commercialized, their sound changed, and they lost that early political edge (no pun intended). Apart from a few good tracks (Vertigo, Zooropa, New York), it all started changing after Unforgettable Fire. 'War' was a real high point for me. And that chiming bell-like riff that Edge pumped out back then was sheer magic.
Indeed! I love all U2's music but the Boy era was unique for me, specially when they played live. All the rage, passion and sound... Simple magic. Cheers m8.
God they were so fucking great. I miss the late 70s-80s. Best music ever. Best drugs. Best chicks. Best parties. Glorious, carefree, no meth-heads or Trumpers. It was Heaven.
How can anyone vote thumbs down on this? I mean these dudes were 20 years old playing this......it is just awesome. My favorite U2 song, no my favorite song of all time! This is just so raw and powerful. Like I said, 20 years old!!!!
Judging by the crap on the radio, there are a lot of people with no musical taste…Btw, my favorite U2 song as well. Just unreal guitar playing from the Edge
Remember how fresh and different they sounded? I first heard them on the local radio station at 1:00 in the morning thinking , who are these guys? - they're great! Such, such were the joys.
I'm 50 and have been a fan since 1983. This song was one of the first songs back then i heard from them (older sister's cassette) to this day it still gives me goosebumps.
Im the same age but discovered more about them a year later than you. The magic of this era is something I still treasure,as the band from this time was too far beyond any other group. It's a shame they turned into a corporate business
The live version on the Under a Blood red sky album is amazing… that guitar tone!!! That whole album is one of my favorite live albums of all time. Their later pop garbage that defined them most of their career is not for me at all
This is so much better than the studio version. It flows a hell of a lot smoother. The studio version sounded like it was struggling and a bit erratic in spots.
probably because it was an erratic struggle considering larry couldn't play to a click track and adam couldn't play bass very well so martin hannett had to sample each note and play them through a keyboard, it also doesn't help that martin hannett was a mad bastard (in the good way) n had a very strange approach to mixing
@@sharklostworld Be that as it may, by the time they made this live performance they'd obviously ironed out all the proverbial wrinkles. Sorry, but my original statement still stands.
Lenny... you were born the year the released How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb....what an album, followed by their epic Vertigo Tour 2005 ..it's on DVD check it out😁 you got great taste KIDDO👍
Isn't it amazing how this song has aged so well?? Still sounds great! What passion and talent and power. (P.S. Did anyone else notice the interaction involving Adam's shoulder strap at about 3:25-3:30? Cute).
I spotted the shoulder strap moment 😇 One of the beautiful things watching their live performances is the interactions they had with each other - a quick nod, or whisper in the ear, shared grins, delight. Reading the U2 book with Larry talking about how Bono wanted freeform jazz inspired performances and the band had to be on point because they never quite knew where they were going next. It's what made them so exciting I think... Live Aid is the obvious example - they were supposed to play three songs, but Bad became the 10 minute epic with Bono plucking a woman from the audience. He'd always done that, but now a global audience got to see it for the first time. Amazing.
First album I ever got was Under a Blood Red Sky. Worked back through the first 3 then the anticipation of the Unforgettable Fire being released then The Joshua Tree and so on. Amazing band.
Boy was an incredible debut from any band but a a bunch of teen-agers???? Comon! Exceptional...not s single bad track.....any one listening would see the writing on the wall for world domination!
To be fair though he did have that bicycle accident where he broke a bunch of bones arms and facial bones (which from a first hand account was when someone walked out right in front of his bike and he swerved to avoid him) Then he had emergency heart surgery because of an aortic valve issue...those two things would age anybody.
I can't believe that it will be the 40th anniversary of this concert! Guys (2 of them) were still teenagers in here. Man, I feel nostalgic! U2 will never get old!!
you must see a show at red rocks. there is really nothing more magical in person. saw fleet foxes and beach house there a few years ago. the same hazy fog always arrives for that 'ambiance' that just can not be replicated with fog machines. 😂
The energy & the quality is there for all to see. The music still sounds fresh today. No wonder they achieved unparalleled greatness. The best, consistent live band ever!!! Thank you Bono, Edge, Larry & Adam for my life’s memories( good & bad!!). You have, & always will ,pull me through.
Can you believe for their first gig there was only 9 people in attendance, I don’t think there is a band who has played to more people live than U2 have
Pat Fraser Yup. That’s the point. Edge was trying to be the opposite of Eddie Van Halen. But his guitar lines are stripped down to pure intensity on this track.
I think, back in 1981, if you wore a beanie people would mistake you for a binman. It wasn't, exactly, fashionable. I saw these dudes in Concert in late 1980. Needless to say, I was very impressed with their live performance. I seem to recall Bono jumping off what I would call scaffolding onto the stage. When he did it, I thought he'd break both his legs but he didn't. Might account for why he's a little short though, what's called The Compression effect! :-)
The live versions are so much better than the studio version. It's not even close.
Trying to comprehend what these guys would create and achieve after this in the space time of just ten years, is nearly impossible.
Man, The Edge was not even 20 years old and made an awesome guitar work. One of my favourite songs. So underrated.
@@carljules3123 ouch? Lol
The Edge
absolutely bro. I havent listened to anything u2 has made in over 20 years but this song is perfect! this and party girl might be my faves from under a blood red sky (one of the grestest live albums ever)
The boy was Made for this.
the explorer .... sweet as a nut
Is it me or is the sound Edge gets from his Explorer just so cool and powerful?
So young, and they're playing with sucha a confidence on the BBC no less.
1978-1987 was U2 at their very best
Man, you are eliminating some stunning music from the next era. Not saying you're wrong, but it's debatable.
Edge's guitar can pour so much emotion that most other so called guitar shredders and 10 minute long solo makers are unable to produce
The cool thing is that U2 has never had a change in band members.
untrue...the brother of the edge was in the band in the beginning.
Must be one of the longest runs for a band under one name. Stones have changed over the years, maybe ZZ Top??
@CPM his brother was still in the band.
They say Adam is the funniest guy in the band. One thing is for sure........He's a great (underated) bass player !!!
20 March 1978, the Church Hotel in Dublin. The Hype played their final show with Dik Evans, playing purely covers. At the end of the set Bono announced that they would return to the stage after a short interval as a new 4-piece band called U2. U2 debuted as the permanent line-up U2 here and played only original material in their set. The only song of which was played for certain is Shadows And Tall Trees. Dik Evans was categorically never in U2.
I think their early work is far better than the stuff they’re making now. And this song is one of the best they ever made. I never get tired of hearing it.
Absolutely right. This is one of the best tracks they have ever produced. Then they started chasing the money, became too commercialized, their sound changed, and they lost that early political edge (no pun intended). Apart from a few good tracks (Vertigo, Zooropa, New York), it all started changing after Unforgettable Fire. 'War' was a real high point for me. And that chiming bell-like riff that Edge pumped out back then was sheer magic.
At least something to like on everything up to Achtung, Baby for me. After that, they sound like trying too hard.
The last 10 years of u2 sucks… they should stop making new songs and just become a legacy band
I agree 100 percent with everything you just said!
Me either. I get the chills just listening to this song. Amazing.
Still have the original 7 inch vinyl. Still remember getting a neighbour to pick it up for me in Dublin City one Saturday afternoon.
They knew they had something special at this point. There was no denying their talent. The sky was the limit, and I'd say ....they reached it.
That ringing riff makes you stand up and take notice, for sure. The old U2 material is just plain golden, no matter what!
All the proof anyone needs of U2's post-punk credentials. Orgasmic.
The Edge sound is fabulous
I love all eras of U2 music including their early work and latest music.
Indeed! I love all U2's music but the Boy era was unique for me, specially when they played live. All the rage, passion and sound... Simple magic. Cheers m8.
God they were so fucking great. I miss the late 70s-80s. Best music ever. Best drugs. Best chicks. Best parties. Glorious, carefree, no meth-heads or Trumpers. It was Heaven.
You haven't figured out that maybe it is the other side on the political scale who is at fault for the state of the world today? 🤔
Praise be to those who lived and experienced U2.
How can anyone vote thumbs down on this? I mean these dudes were 20 years old playing this......it is just awesome. My favorite U2 song, no my favorite song of all time! This is just so raw and powerful. Like I said, 20 years old!!!!
Judging by the crap on the radio, there are a lot of people with no musical taste…Btw, my favorite U2 song as well. Just unreal guitar playing from the Edge
U2 at their best
No one else has mentioned the drumming? I love the change at the start of the solo. Larry makes so many U2 songs
Over the years Bono has improved his singing , Edge was already amazing from the very beginning!!!!
Remember how fresh and different they sounded? I first heard them on the local radio station at 1:00 in the morning thinking , who are these guys? - they're great! Such, such were the joys.
The beginning of the Legendary Irish Rock Band
I'm 50 and have been a fan since 1983. This song was one of the first songs back then i heard from them (older sister's cassette) to this day it still gives me goosebumps.
Im the same age but discovered more about them a year later than you.
The magic of this era is something I still treasure,as the band from this time was too far beyond any other group.
It's a shame they turned into a corporate business
Now they sold out🤣
Maybe they sold out. Will never erase who they were then. They guided me though my teen years and I'll always be grateful.
@@jeffreymartin8486 to whom do they belong?
The live version on the Under a Blood red sky album is amazing… that guitar tone!!!
That whole album is one of my favorite live albums of all time. Their later pop garbage that defined them most of their career is not for me at all
I just read this chapter in Surrender, 40 songs, one story. WOW! What an amazing journey!
wonderful bass line
😀
U2 IS THE BEST BAND IN THE WORLD !!!! BONO
That guitar riff is just so moving .. always will be
Unbelievable. Those boys around 20 years old and amazing work. There is nothing nowadays like that time.
What a song and performance. An insane amount of talent, youth and energy for a band approaching greatness.
There is no audience at TOGWT and you would think they were playing to 20,000 people
Still my most-played song of all time.
The solo.........that........solo.
One of the best melancholy sound of guitar in the World !
This is so much better than the studio version. It flows a hell of a lot smoother. The studio version sounded like it was struggling and a bit erratic in spots.
probably because it was an erratic struggle considering larry couldn't play to a click track and adam couldn't play bass very well so martin hannett had to sample each note and play them through a keyboard, it also doesn't help that martin hannett was a mad bastard (in the good way) n had a very strange approach to mixing
@@sharklostworld Be that as it may, by the time they made this live performance they'd obviously ironed out all the proverbial wrinkles. Sorry, but my original statement still stands.
The studio version sounds great, not erratic, nor struggling. This live version sounds great too.
I'm only 16 and I love U2, my friends don't understand but I love everything of U2, I was born with U2❤️
Kudos to you,i wish more young people had good taste in music.
That's great kid. I am 52 and have been a fan since they began. Seen them live 9 times.
I'm 22 and have been listening to U2 since I was 3 years old.
Lenny... you were born the year the released How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb....what an album, followed by their epic Vertigo Tour 2005 ..it's on DVD check it out😁 you got great taste KIDDO👍
@@gerbear5346 thanks man,in fact my born song was The City of blinding Lights
When I build my time machine, I will travel back to see early U2 live =)
Take me with you!!
Take me with you too!! =D
I saw them in a pub then saw them on the boy and war tours the lyceum show they were unbelievable I have the tickets somewhere
@@TheWelwyn21 You're so lucky!
@@Emburbujada Build it and go! I've seen them seven times, and there is absolutely nothing like a U2 show.
It’s freaky how his son Eli looks so much like him and now being a front man for his band Inhaler which I love
I love it. Back when The Edge probably only had two guitars .. his Gibson Explorer and a Black Fender Strat
pretty sure this was before the strat even showed up lol
this is honestly one of my favorite performances of baby U2!!
Isn't it amazing how this song has aged so well?? Still sounds great! What passion and talent and power. (P.S. Did anyone else notice the interaction involving Adam's shoulder strap at about 3:25-3:30? Cute).
I spotted the shoulder strap moment 😇 One of the beautiful things watching their live performances is the interactions they had with each other - a quick nod, or whisper in the ear, shared grins, delight. Reading the U2 book with Larry talking about how Bono wanted freeform jazz inspired performances and the band had to be on point because they never quite knew where they were going next. It's what made them so exciting I think... Live Aid is the obvious example - they were supposed to play three songs, but Bad became the 10 minute epic with Bono plucking a woman from the audience. He'd always done that, but now a global audience got to see it for the first time. Amazing.
First 3 albums.....the very best!
First album I ever got was Under a Blood Red Sky. Worked back through the first 3 then the anticipation of the Unforgettable Fire being released then The Joshua Tree and so on. Amazing band.
Boy was an incredible debut from any band but a a bunch of teen-agers???? Comon! Exceptional...not s single bad track.....any one listening would see the writing on the wall for world domination!
It's an incredible album full-stop. One of the best.
Here's another comment. This is the best recording of this song. It is timeless because it is just plain FANTASTIC!!!
The 80´s, the happiest time of my life
This makes me miss the 80s! Love the raw energy of their early music, the emotion of Edge's guitar and Bono's voice.
It was a very exciting time for music! Great to live through it.
Show.
Magnificent post... is a essence of the U2, like a autentic 80s garage band...
P .s. Underrated music...
From being the most youthful and energetic of the quartet back then, Bono has not aged as well as the other three.
To be fair though he did have that bicycle accident where he broke a bunch of bones arms and facial bones (which from a first hand account was when someone walked out right in front of his bike and he swerved to avoid him)
Then he had emergency heart surgery because of an aortic valve issue...those two things would age anybody.
OMG! I saw U2 in Las Vegas in 2024, all were AWESOME! Bono was FANTASTIC!!❤
Damn... were we all young!!! 😅
Suddently your memories are flooding back
In CpX days...
I can't believe that it will be the 40th anniversary of this concert! Guys (2 of them) were still teenagers in here. Man, I feel nostalgic! U2 will never get old!!
Saw them at the Music Machine in Camden in 78- they even handed out the promos to their next gig themselves- next minute voom
Batery is magistral!
I'd already fallen in love with this band, by the time I watched this back in 1981... So much energy.. And it still feels like yesterday.. ;-)
Adam sounds really good in this performance. A real "silver lining."
I see what you did there. LOL
@@joshuaeubanks8797 Thank you, sir.
They were and are SPECIAL.Edge is definitely an ALIEN.
U2 are the perfect example of where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts 👌
You mean, like a chocolate digestive?
@@paulgerardhosty9909 Yes! Or even a Jaffa cake 👍
When U2 were 12 years old. ...But seriously, they can be older than 19 - 20 yrs here. Already you see the greatness.
U2 = rock legends.
Born to be an epic band...
Love the guitar on this song 🎸🎸🎸👊
I thought the picked bass from Kansas was over the top, but Adam is taking it to a new level! Love, love, love it!
Under a Blood Red Sky it's a part of my life, including all my adolescence
you must see a show at red rocks.
there is really nothing more magical in person.
saw fleet foxes and beach house there a few years ago.
the same hazy fog always arrives for that 'ambiance' that just can not be replicated with fog machines.
😂
The energy & the quality is there for all to see. The music still sounds fresh today. No wonder they achieved unparalleled greatness. The best, consistent live band ever!!! Thank you Bono, Edge, Larry & Adam for my life’s memories( good & bad!!). You have, & always will ,pull me through.
Who is buying the 40th anniversary release tomorrow???
Facts!!!
- Amen!
"Unparalleled greatness" ?? 😆😆😆😆😆😆😆
Metal Head Who can equal them then??
Can you believe for their first gig there was only 9 people in attendance, I don’t think there is a band who has played to more people live than U2 have
That first U2 album was like nothing else at the time
These boys sound great, hope they go far 🤣🤣
Under the red blood sky live is awesome. For being a live album and able to hear them sing and play. Love that album!! Thanks U2!!
joey0077d they were at their best 1980-1987. Achtung Baby was still impressive. But it’s been downhill since 1994.
Bet that polo-neck was comfortable under those studio lights
Say so, say so. Wonderful!!
The solo screams rage! It’s an absolute riot and I love it!
I started listening to the band when I was 11-12 . Now my daughter at the same age is listening to them . Music that has stood the rest of time
For me, the best song.
WOW...they look so young and innocent.
A good version of U2 indeed.. The last section and outro is genius
BEST LIVE BAND EVER.
What a performance.
erm....don't think so
😂🤣
My favorite Edge riff by far.
Why do these dudes rock so much? Must be the best band in the world!
The solo in the middle is one of the best things I've heard in my life. The Edge is a master.
listen "electro co" and the bes riff is "i will follow".
So sad
What solo?
Yes one of his best, my favorites and in the bands top ten songs
Pat Fraser Yup. That’s the point. Edge was trying to be the opposite of Eddie Van Halen. But his guitar lines are stripped down to pure intensity on this track.
Thank you so much U2 for giving us these gems. The soundtracks that elevated our lives ;-)
My favorite U2 song.... . greetings of Peru...
This is my favorite U2 song
Everything was already there....
Energy, virtuosity, originality, CHARISM !!!😍🤩🌠 ❤
Their greatest song!
When U2 was U2 ✌
Woooo 40 anni fa . Eravamo tutti giovanissimi,La nostra vita l'abbiamo passata sempre con loro. U2 la nostre vite
I remember discovering U2 and thinking how different they were then. Brilliant
What The Edge does with the guitar is amazing. One of the best guitar players.
Boy, what a great record!
I am glad to hear them every day, all of them together for years, first songs were the best fo me.
When The Edge didn't need a beanie ;)
I think, back in 1981, if you wore a beanie people would mistake you for a binman. It wasn't, exactly, fashionable. I saw these dudes in Concert in late 1980. Needless to say, I was very impressed with their live performance. I seem to recall Bono jumping off what I would call scaffolding onto the stage. When he did it, I thought he'd break both his legs but he didn't. Might account for why he's a little short though, what's called The Compression effect! :-)
Bono should have wore one back then loll
🤣🤣👍
@@paulgerardhosty9909 Where did you see them?
The only band that time and time again gives me goosebumps
I had the pleasure of seeing U2 in 1981 and again in 82. Both gigs were in small venues in New Orleans. Old Man Rivers and The S.S. President
It is all there even at the relative beginning for them. Great live sound, great craftsmanship, professionalism, energy. charm, lyrics.
Even better than the real thing!!!
Little boys they were, goodness, I love them.
I love surprises I never saw this video before it f--king kicks ass
my god they were just so young
Bono's voice was so clear at that time
One of the most beautifully crafted songs in their entire catalogue, seeds of greatness on what was to follow...U2 quite simply the GOAT.
This is incredible. Love me some old U2!!!!
La meilleure époque de U 2.! 80 , 81 ,82 , 83 , après.... great song .
one of my favorite U2 songs. Up there with party girl.
Wasn't Edge just always brilliant?! Just so unique. Where did he learn how to play like this? There's no reference for it.