Under a Blood Red Sky is a live mini-album by the Irish rock band U2, produced by Jimmy Iovine and released on 21 November 1983 by Island Records. The album's eight tracks were compiled from three concerts during U2's 1983 War Tour, including two songs from their iconic 5 June performance at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado.
The title is taken from the lyrics of the song "New Year's Day," originally released on U2's War album. The companion concert film, U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky, was recorded entirely at the Red Rocks show and released the following year. Both the album and the film were instrumental in establishing U2's reputation as a world-class live act.
Track listing
All tracks written by U2, with lyrics by Bono.
Side one
- "Gloria" – recorded at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 5 June 1983
- "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" – recorded at Orpheum Theatre, Boston, 6 May 1983
- "I Will Follow" – recorded at Freilichtbühne Loreley, Germany, 20 August 1983
- "Party Girl" – recorded at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 5 June 1983
Side two
- "Sunday Bloody Sunday" – recorded at Freilichtbühne Loreley, Germany, 20 August 1983
- "The Electric Co." – recorded at Freilichtbühne Loreley, Germany, 20 August 1983
- "New Year's Day" – recorded at Freilichtbühne Loreley, Germany, 20 August 1983
- "40" – recorded at Freilichtbühne Loreley, Germany, 20 August 1983
Notable incident
During the performance of "The Electric Co.," Bono included a 27-second snippet of Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns." U2 failed to secure proper licensing and royalty permissions for the snippet. When Sondheim objected, U2 agreed to pay a $50,000 penalty and pressed all future releases with an edited version of the song that removed the snippet. Consequently, two versions of the album exist: the original (5:18) and the edited version (4:51).
Personnel
- Bono – lead vocals
- The Edge – guitar, piano on "New Year's Day," backing vocals, bass guitar on "40"
- Adam Clayton – bass guitar, guitar on "40"
- Larry Mullen Jr. – drums
Chart performance
The album peaked at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 1 in New Zealand. In the US, it reached No. 28 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart. It remained on the UK charts for 192 weeks.
Certifications
- United Kingdom (BPI): 3× Platinum
- United States (RIAA): 3× Platinum
- Australia (ARIA): 4× Platinum
- Canada (Music Canada): 2× Platinum
- Germany (BVMI): Platinum
- France (SNEP): Platinum
- New Zealand (RMNZ): Platinum
Legacy
The album was re-released on 29 September 2008 as a remastered CD with a bonus DVD of the Red Rocks concert. In November 2023, U2 celebrated the 40th anniversary with a newly remastered vinyl release on Record Store Day Black Friday.
