Customer Reviews
Too Many Remixes, Not Enough Actual U2 - By: Mr. M. A. Reed, 02 Aug 2008 
"War", meanwhile, is the third U2 album, which saw them at the cusp of fame. The album is sonically a progression which has barely dated, the song writing is sound but painfully earnest & boringly sincere, & the band are clearly creating their own identity, their own personality, & have their own rare voicein the world. There are four or five truly classic songs on the main album, including the played-to-death "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (which repeated exposure to has now made me sadly numb & immune), &in true U2 style, it sounds very much like no one else, yet also unique to that particular record. If the band had split at this point, they'd go downin the annals of history as a band that were almost huge. And probably reformed a few years ago as a pension plan.
Nonetheless, "War" is certainly a fine & assured album that is imperfect onlyin its naivety. It's almost as if Bono felt he could cure the worlds ills with a stunning melody & an effective lyrics. Oh, youth. Nonetheless. as an album "War" is a product of its time,a reflection of youthful ideals, & well worth getting if you are a fan of the band.
The bonus disc, again an assortment of single-only b-sides, live fragments, & extra stuff is a boring listen, for one reason & one reason alone. Of the 12 songs on there, four of them are remixes of "New Years Day" (presentedin one half-hour chunk of boredom, including two rather dated 1999 remixes by Ferry Corsten), followed by a quarter-hour of dated 12" mixes of "Two Hearts Beat As One" which explore the endless possibilities of the echo box & syndrum to their very limits. It turns what could have been an interesting listening experience into a barren plain of boredom. There's an unreleased track - average b-side fodder "Angels Too Tied To The Ground", & a couple of live songs, but ultimately, it's a uneven & frustrating compilation produced without care or thought for what actually sitting down & listening to itin one go might be like.
In addition, there are some alternate mixes that were issued on a 1993 remaster that are omitted, as are 5 well-circulated demo & rehearsal recordings that could easily have fitted on the disc to create a more satisfying & cohesive listen. Given that these albums have each shifted several million copies each, I have to be honest & say that most people who buy these reissues already have the albums - & that seems a little exploitative to put together an underwhelming & inexhaustive selection of extra tracks at such a high price, especially when there's copious amounts of extra space on the discs themselves. These reissues are worthy, & I'm glad they were released, but they could've been so much more than they currently are, & been producedin a fashion that satisfied the bands knowledgable & large fan base. Close, but no cigar.
U2'S "WAR" IS GIVEN A GREAT REMASTER - SHAME ABOUT DISC 2 THOUGH! - By: Mark Barry at Revival Records, Berwick Street, 21 Jul 2008 U2's third album was unleashed on an expectant worldin 1983 & launched them as a genuine global phenomenon. This long overdue CD Remaster is released today, Monday 21 July 2008in the UK & then 22 July 2008in the USA & other territories. Also released today are "Boy", their 1980 debut & "October" their second album from 1981. The Edge has personally overseen the remastering of all of them utilizing the same team that brought us the amazing quality re-issue of "The Joshua Tree" last year.
DISCS:
Herein the UK, "War" (like the others) comesin no less than 4 physical variants. The single CD is a straightforward remaster with an extended & upgraded booklet (it's one of those new round corner jewel cases) & costs £10. The second is this issue - the 2CD Deluxe Version at £20 - the 2nd disc being the B-sides of singles & new previously unreleased mixes. The third variant is a Limited Edition containing the 2CD Deluxe Edition housedin a DVD sized card box with a T-Shirt of the album sleeve - it costs a frankly ludicrous £35 & is a waste of space & moneyin my book. Last is the humble 10-track LP - it's housedin a repro of the original gatefold sleeve & is pressed on 180 grams vinyl with upgraded liner notes - it costs £15 & is a limited edition. THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE 2CD DELUXE EDITION & the SINGLE DISC EDITION.
Here's the layout:
Disc 1 is the 10 track original album, issued March 1983 on Island ILPS 9733, remastered 2008 (42:11 minutes)
Disc 2 is the B-sides of 7" & 12" singles from Germany, the UK & the USA along with two brand new mixes of "New Year's Day" - all tracks remasteredin 2008. It should also be noted that the CD lists 12 tracks, but the booklet lists only 11 - &in the wrong order! Looks like the track list was changed at the last minute, but the booklet wasn't upgraded to reflect this - a bit sloppy to say the least considering the expensive price of the 2disc set. Whether this is a mistake or a hidden track is unsaid, but the song not listed on the packaging is number two, "Angels Too Tied To The Ground" (59:29 minutes)
PACKAGING:
Housedin an outer hard card sleeve is a 36-page hardback booklet with lyrics, album history by noted writer NIALL STOKES, 7" singles pictured, photo outtakes from the videos & a detailed breakdown of the tracks on Disc 2. The 26-page single disc booklet is extended for the deluxe one by about 12 pages & there are informative notes by The Edge on how & why some of the B-sides were recorded. Both the single CD & 2CD set are picture discs with 2 members of the band on Disc 1 & the other 2 on Disc 2. A nice touchin the 2CD set is the way the card leaves that hold the CDs have slits at their base to let the disc slide out a fraction (it would have cut through anyway). It's a small thing, but nice attention to detail. The packaging is good (apart from that track list), & classily presented, but the best bit is the SOUND...
SOUND:
Remastered by ARNIE ACOSTA at Bernie Grundman Mastering, the tapes & remasters were also overseen by THE EDGE & the quality achieved is FANTASTIC! I've waited like most fans for over 20 years to hear "Seconds", "Drowning Man", "Surrender" & "40"in truly great sound quality & this re-issue delivers thatin dollops. The drums are clear & loud, the guitars & keyboards passages leaping out of the speakers at you - the great guitar work given the muscle it needs - as I say - FANTASTIC STUFF. Fans will really delight to this.
EXTRAS:
The extras, however, are a very mixed bag. "Endless Deep" is the non-album B-side to the German & UK 7" singles of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" & is a sort of a meandering instrumental - interesting but hardly great. "Angels Too Tied To The Ground" is much better though & new to me - it's got to be an outtake from the sessions - musically it sounds like a rehearsal for "New Year's Day". It's a fully formed song & would have made a great B-side - it's a superb little ditty - & without question one of the best surprises on here. Fans will eat this one up. Unfortunately, tracks 5 & 6 are -in my mind - absolute travesties. They're 1999 Ferry Corsten remixes of "New Year's Day" which sound like those endless crap versions that came off "Pop" CD singles - they're staggeringly inappropriate to an 1983 album & its unique sound. What were they thinking about - tagging these on here - they're so out of place as to be laughable? "Treasure..." is the B-side to the UK issue of "New Year's Day" while 10, 11 & 12 make up the 3 other songs on the UK double 7" pack of "New Year's Day". The live tracks are good, but not that well recorded. Allin all, with 4 mixes of "New" & 3 mixes of "Two", Disc 2 is a very boring & disjointed experience. In truth, I doubt I'll be returning to these soon, despite their rarity value.
To sum up, Disc 1 is 10 out of 10, but Disc 2 is pushing 5.
"War" is a superb U2 album & still stands up to this day - & this great remaster has only reminded us of that. Shame that Disc 2 lets the side down somewhat. Fans will have to own the 2CD Deluxe Edition, while the casual buyer should opt for the single disc version instead. On its own, it's a superlative remastered reissue.
Essential - By: BWJC, 27 Jun 2008 
A must have for any self-respecting U2 fan, these deluxe editions followin the footsteps of last year's Joshua Tree anniversary release.
Overseen by The Edge himself, the original albums have been fully remastered, but its the 2nd disc that will most appeal - containing B-sides, rarities & live versions that would take a small fortune to track down on the original singles. U2 were one of the first rock bands to experiment with remixes & multiple mixes of 'NYD' & 'Two Hearts...' are included on Disc 2 of War Deluxe. Extensive liner notes, lyrics & unseen photographs are includedin each version.
The first three albums represent the band's early punk influences (Boy) their religious leanings (October) & the first steps toward stadium rock (War) & the fact that U2 still play songs from this periodin their live sets today is testament to the quality of the albums.
