U2, War
U2WAR.
U2's third album sharpened the band's sound and subject matter at the same time, turning Windmill Lane sessions into the record that pushed the group into a new commercial tier.
Album artwork shown for commentary and historical reference. Image source: Cover Art Archive / MusicBrainz.
SEVEN THINGS
WORTH KNOWING.
Recording stories, credits, physical details and numbers worth keeping with the record.
War was released on February 28, 1983 and contains 10 tracks.
The album was recorded at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin with Steve Lillywhite producing, except "The Refugee," which was produced by Bill Whelan.
Paul Thomas is credited as the album's engineer.
War entered the UK album chart at No. 1 and eventually reached No. 12 in the United States.
It became U2's first Gold album in the United States and was later certified for four million U.S. units.
Producer Steve Lillywhite recalled that "New Year's Day" was mixed in only ten minutes.
The UK received a special picture-disc edition using the black-and-white Peter Rowan cover image, while a Japanese edition included a comic-book-style insert.
WHY THIS
ALBUM MATTERS.
War is the record where U2's urgency became scale. The songs remained direct and confrontational, but the production and performances were now big enough to carry that intensity into arenas.
THE
NUMBERS.
TRACKS
War contains ten songs.
UK
The album entered the UK chart at No. 1.
U.S. UNITS
U2's official archive lists eventual U.S. certification at four million units.
THE
PHYSICAL OBJECT.
Peter Rowan's face connects War visually to U2's earlier records, but the harder expression and stark photography make the sleeve feel much less innocent.
RESEARCH SOURCES
Facts are checked against artist, label, archival and recording-credit sources before publication.
KEEP
DIGGING.
More recording stories, strange credits, cover art, chart numbers and details hiding inside the records.