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WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT...




  • Love this web site! B. Free turned me on to it and now I can't wait to log in on Friday morning!
M. Small  11/06/09

  • Congratulations for all for work! I love the music of Dione Warwick ... A hug. Later.  Felipe C.  10/21/09

  • Just found out about your web-site, it's wonderful! I'll be watching for my friday e-mails, thanks Freddy Seagraves (The Jesters Band) 9/22/09

  • Just found this website - WOW!!  AJ 8/08/09

  • Great song! "Wildflower" Brings back a flood of memories!!  Thanks for all the time you put into this fun site!
  7/23/09

  • I remember listening to Skylark on a Mini Radio walking to Burney Harris Middle School from Normal Town
  8th grade !!! R.Free  7/17/09

  • "Three Dog Night was my first "rock" concert at the Coliseum at UGA when I was in 7th grade! I wonder if the lead singer can still fit into that tight white fringed jacket?"  L.N. 7/3/09

  • First date with my wife, Three Dog Night, Omni in Atlanta, July 29, 1973....seems like yesterday.
Thanks Larry!    C.A. 7/3/09

  • Hey Larry. Love Robert Palmer and I Loooove that smooth sound. How about some Lionel Richie.
Thanks. Mom.  6/26/09

  • Randy and Tina Raburn turned me
on to this (Robert Palmer) and I
love it.  Out in Oregon.
Thanks. V.T. 6/26/09

  • LOVE the stories behind the performers and their  songs.
Robbie   5/24/09

  • Ain"t heard that one "Brother Louie" in a while.  hoss858  5/24/09

  • You (Dirk and Tony) are one of my fondest memories of UGA!!!!!  My best friend and I STILL sing, "Silly Little Girl" when we are on road trips together!  Deb Mc.  6/23/09

  • Larry, thanks for turning me on to this album (Yesterday & Today - The Beatles) way back in 19XX! It's remained one of my favorite Beatles albums of all time.
Dennis M.  6/19/09

  • Thanks for the lyrics to Louie Louie. I've always thought that they were the Kingsmen's lyrics recorded under the influence of Jack Daniel. Now we know it was rum. A great tune. I've never heard anybody say that they didn't like it.  rjenkins  5/29/09

  • Love the site!  Sheree  5/8/09

  • Have never seen a female lead singer play the guitar like that--Go Larry,thanks for your efforts to entertain your classmates!  tbirdamf  5/8/09

  • OMG, I didn't recognize this one (39-21-40 Shape) till it started playing!  Love it.
Dale 4/19/09

  • Larry, I just had to get up and move with (Shake A Tail Feather) that one! Keep it up!
Jeff  4/3/09

  • That really was a blast from the past!  The last time I saw Dirk and Tony perform was at Jon Tuck’s graduation party in the mid seventies.  What a party!  Love the photo.  And we all thought we looked so cute back then – foolish folks!  Thanks for the memory.  Leslie  P. 3/20/09

  • I have the songs on my Ipod now in the car...............cruisin' in the afternoon just got better!
L.D.  3/20/09

  • Great site!! I really appreciate Dirk and Tony spotlight.They've entertained multitudes when they worked together and still are today on their own.
R. Jenkins  3/20/09

  • Thank you, thank you, Larry!  I always enjoy the music you select but this (Dirk and Tony) is the best yet!!  Talk about memories!
  Melody P.  3/20/09

  • "Oh yeah - played this many times today.  I sent it on to a few folks who are not on the list.  The pictures almost made me sad - too much time has flown by.  Loved hearing the song again.  So glad you were able to get it on there.   I think I played it 3 times at least."  Betsy K.  3/20/09

  • Dirk, Looking GOOD my brutha!! I love the earlier pics of you and Tony.  I hope to get to Athens again one of these days, soon, and hear you sing. You are a treasure! Bobby D.
3/20/09

  • Awesome!!  Debbie G.  3/20/09

  • Loved hearing this song again!!!  When will y'all be playing together again?   Gilbert M.  3/20/09

  • Good morning & Happy first day of Spring!!!! What a great way to start my morning, Dirk and Tony!
Patti  W. 3/20/09

  • You did a wonderful job on this week!!!!  Dirk and Tony takes ya back a long way to some good times!!!
Thanks, Rhonda  T. 3/20/09

  • Tina R. shared this and it was great fun.  Thanks from Oregon. 03/13/09

  • Great to see you bashing the drums in the group video that your mum sent, we spotted her dancing. Also enjoyed the music played by the group. Uncle Jack & Aunt Carole in the U.K. 02/19/09

  • Thanks bsh69r, I missed that.  Two heads or more are better than one.
  02/17/09   friday@fridayinathens.com

  • Correction: The song that's played here was done by Scott McKenzie and is called "San Francisco".  The MP3 is mistitled. Aside from that, I love your site...absolutely a great site and will keep revisiting it.  :-)                 bsh69r         02/16/09

  • Really enjoying the site.  Love the featured act (The Zombies) and their music.  Great work you do.
     A service.  Barry H.  02/06/09

  • This ("Ain't That Peculiar") used to be the song back then!  Heidi R. 01/29/09

  • One of my all time favorite groups "The Intruders", doing one of their best!  I play this one on my home system at least once a week.  Your buddy, Dirk H.         12/05/08

  • You’ve created something wonderful with your Friday website.  Something positive to look forward to each week. Can’t wait to see what’s on the plate for this week.  Leslie P. 11/17/08

  • Thanks for the wonderful music I enjoy it... Great site   Connie  9/11/08

  • Larry,  Live for "Fridays"....I even get up and put on my tornado red shoes and tap along to the songs!!!
A.P.    7/11/2008

  • Growing up as an "old school" listener, I love this kind of music. Thanks so much for putting real music on so we all can hear what it was like back then. This music is NOT DEAD, it's still alive; and people like "us", the listeners keep it alive!
Babedoll  7/9/2008

  • This "Private Number" was always a great song.  Too bad they did not have more hits.  I loved this song.  Harper  7/9/2008

  • Don and Juan were one of the great Doo-Wop singing Duo's out there.  Love 'em!  "All That's Missing Is You" is one of their rarest records!  Northern Soul! Brian Y.  7/2/2008

  • Larry; What would Friday's be without you and Friday is Always coming in Athens? Jimmy J      6/30/2008

  • Thank you for this site, I'm french and
  I have 40 years. I am a collector of
  vinyl and American music oldies, soul,
  funk.  Il are very few in my french
  cas.Je this site is fantastic because I
  found some artist American and that
  I discovered the other, bravo and
  keep this site.      5/20/2008

  • Hey! I haven't heard this song since I was visiting LLC in the summer of 1972. I was crazy about her... wow! Thanks for sharing this song with the public! MSH    5/19/2008

  • The words to this song (Expressway to Your Heart) are quite interesting. Larry keep the tunes coming.  
  TC jJ     5/19/2008

  • First timer for me.  I love your terrific format and exciting info.  I feel like I'm back in Athens.  ES   5/14/2008

  • IT DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS----THIS IS THE BEST!!!!    Unknown    5/9/2008

  • I love it. I am learning about all of these singers and I'm only
  16 years old.    Unknown     5/8/2008

  • Hey you,
  I LOVE that song by the Casinos
  this week.  I think it's
  one of the prettiest "pop" songs ever
  written and a great slow dance song.
  :) I keep getting a flash back of a
  girl/boy party in 6th or 7th grade.
  I remember slow dancing with
  someone - maybe Kevin.  I can
  almost see the room (someone's
  basement/ rumpus room) and I
  know the guy had on a sweater but I
  can't quite see the
  face.  I'll keep you posted.  Anyway -
  thanks for playing it for me.  
  Take care.    B.  -  4/25/2008

  • Larry - Thanks so much for Otis!
  Can you find "Then You Can Say
  Goodbye" by The Casino's?   Thanks!
  Betsy     4/18/2008

  • Thanks for sharing the one hit wonder.
  I'm surprised this only made it to #7
  as its played quite often as an oldie.
  Keep the sounds coming.
  JJ    4/13/2008

  • Lovin the tunes, Larry.See ya in June. Randy R.  3/21/2008

  • Mr. Larry; Thanks for all you do for us little people.
Sincerely JJ    3/7/2008

  • Thanks Larry!  Nothing like a Dirty Old Woman!  Betsy
3/3/2008

  • This is very cool.My kind of music. Thanks.  George S.
   2/29/2008

  • Larry,  Does anyone remember the days at Legion Field with POCO & Pure Prairie League and the music park behind the pool and all the good times concerts concerts?
Bill M.    2/29/2008

  • Mr. Green sure does have a smooth voice. I'm surprised he didn't do even better.  JJ     2/18/2008

  • Hey Larry - Ever heard of "Dirty Old Woman" by Denise La Salle?   You make my Fridays.  Betsy
2/15/2008

  • Enjoyed Joe Cocker. Thanks folks. - Jim  2/8/2008

  • This is a great song. Larry keep the tunes coming.
TC YF JJ  2/8/2008

  • A WONDERFUL site-  Thanks for keeping GOOD MUSIC- Alive. - Big Doc-Bdge, GA  2/8/2008

  • Greetings to all at FIA!
  I've been longing to hear "The Bus' by
  the late, great Billy Preston. Any
  chance you got that in your vaults?
  Here's to a soulful 2008!
  Carlos - Cleveland, OH  1/29/2008

  • Hey Larry, I just read about Miles and Jimi being friends. How about some Hendrix soon.
Love the website, Joy  1/18/2008

  • Great to get the Twelve Days of Christmas.
  Thanks, Pat M. 12/28/07

  • A great way to enjoy the history of music and the  beautiful sounds of the blues.  Robert B.  12/7/2007

  • Enjoyed your special on the Rolling Stones. I would like to see more on Blues Artist old and young. Keep it Groovin.  Robert B.  11/28/2007

  • Larry, Johnny Guitar Watson really brings back some wasted brain cells!  Wore out the grooves in that album the year it came out.  Thanks David L.  11/9/07

  • Watson is the man!!!   Your Bro. Young Robert!  11/9/07

  • OMG, This song (Humble Pie - Thirty Days In The Hole) so reminds me of you Larry and 1972! LOL  Andrie - 10/5/07

  • I love this website, I have to listen to this each and every day.  Thank you very much.  I will share this with all my
  co-workers and friends. Nate  9/30/07

  • Love this site! I call it "Continuing Music Education"! I know the songs, but I didn't know all the stories behind the people who performed them.   Andrie - 9/23/07

  • Can you dig up Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel by Tavares?  Thanks! D. - Cleveland OH   8/17/07

  • The site is wonderful Larry and the music is just awesome!!!  I love visiting It's Friday In Athens!!!!  Please keep this going forever!!!! - Dierdra L. - President/CEO, Getan Records, THE LIGHTHOUSE GOSPELETTES!!! Athens, GA  7/29/07

  • It's Friday? How about "Don't Roll Your Bloodshot Eyes at Me" for a little local flavor?  Mark B. 7/27/07

  • Consider the Manhattans on Friday’s!  Frank P.  7/27/07

  • Larry!!!! You MADE my day with "Build Me Up"! I'm on vacation in Santa Barbara and sent it to my co-workers with the threat that I can now play it anytime I want! Psych! Hello Don M in the bay area and to Betsy! Everyone raves about your site, Larry! It's awesome! Gratefully yours, Scotty  7/20/07

  • Hey Larry,  Before the summer's over we need something from the summer of love for its 40th anniversary. It's for us in the bay area.  Don M.  7/13/07

  • Hey Larry The music is just great.Would also like to hear'The Horse' by Cliff Nobles. Thanks.  Double Divine 7/6/07

  • Hey Larry,  Remember those instrumentals that played before the top of the hour on AM Radio?  How about "The Horse" by Cliff Nobles or "Soul Finger".
Thanks!  Betsy K.  6/30/07

  • Larry, If I ever need a D.J. Guess what,You The Man!!! Thanx: Corndog  6/22/07

  • Yes! it's Friday and I'm up here jammin' in Cleveland, OH. How about some Soul Generation - Body & Soul (That's the Way It's Got to Be) Ya'll remember that one?  Have a great weekend!  losplus 6/22/07

  • How about Earth, Wind and Fire?  Angie G.  6/6/07

  • Hooray for Friday!!   Mary A. 6/1/07

  • This group (The Four Tops) is great. Thanks VM Jimmy J. - 5/25/07

  • Thanks for a Friday of Dusty Springfield, The Look of Love. Erica from Red Lobster, thanks for the look. - F.L. 4/5/07

  • I love this site! Any chance I could hear "Coldest Days Of My Life" by the Chi-Lites?  -  4/4/07

  • I would love to hear "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous
Brothers or "Fats" Domino's
"Ain't That a Shame" or
"Blueberry Hill."  Thanks,
Patrick - 3/30/07

  • Hey Larry! You are amazing! I have my whole office dancing to these! Just great! Can you do a BeeGees for my boss and slip in Build Me Up Buttercup? I sing it anyway at work, may as well have the music to go along with it (the more to torture my co-workers with! Looking forward to all the Fridays-with-Larry! :) Scotty - 3/30/07

  • Oh, my goodness, you found "Black Pearl."  I nearly fainted this am, when I opened the site.  Thank you sooooo much.  Blessings  P.W. Smith - 3/30/07

  • Please add "Black Pearl" by The Checkmates...not sure what year, but thinking mid 60's.  Thanks sooooooo much.
P. Smith - 3/23/07

  • This is a great website.  My mom always listened to the "Oldies" station here, and I wanted to be just like my Mom, so I started listening to it and I loved it, and this website has some of my favorites.   M. Pierce - 3/22/07

  • Hey, I love the t-shirt.  I have had it on
  since I got home from Arizona.  You
  did a good job. That was a great
  song last Friday (Wang Dang Doodle)
  - didn't know it but who ever
  requested it is someone I
      would like to hang with. And then
  today we had
  The Zombies....that took me back to
  8th grade and one of my first boy/girl
  parties. They were always held in
  someone's basement and the lights
  would go off by 9:00.
  That song always seem to bring on
  lots of smooching.  I will
  not be naming names....  ;)
  Thanks again,
  Betsy

  • This is awesome!!! Thanks for the great site and fabulous music!! WooHoo!! Jen B. - 2/18/07

  • I could not have picked a better artist. Thanks, Pat M.

  • Thank you Larry - You have made my day! Betsy K.

  • Mr. Larry, I really enjoyed Roy Head-Hey Hey. YF
Jim J. - 2/5/07

  • This always gets my Friday off to a great start!  Love it!
  Debbie - 1/26/07

  • Every once in a while my mornings are worth rising for, this has been one of them with Tina Turner.
  Thanks Bill S. - 1/19/07

  • Keep up the good work. JJ - 1/19/07

  • Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year 2007!  I remember at this time in 1969 we were really gettng into Abbey Road!  But oh, how I love the sweet soul music of the 60's and 70's as well.  Thanks for your work in keeping this music alive.  And keep on sending it, Brother!    Dennis M. - 12/29/06

  • Moonchild Diva in Motown - found the site by looking for Billy Stewart!  I think you answered my question...who played bass on Billy's recordings?  SO THANK YOU for clearing up the mystery! - 12/11/06

  • Billy Stewart , alright, one of my favorites.   Also, Jerry Butler, Major Lance, Willy Tee....
Your friend, Dirk H.

  • Thanks for Billy Stewart Larry - You have made
my day!  Betsy K. - 12/8/07

  • I look forward to Friday's email.  This is great.
Linda L. - 12/8/07

  • Wow! From your personal E-Mail account. I forward "Its Friday in Athens!!!" on to my friends often. The folks here at work are trying to figure me out. Their 56 year old C.E.O. sits in his office every Friday morning booming out R&B. Though it works for me, its not the type of behavior they  expect from someone in my position. BLUES BANKER!
  T. Turgeon -

  • Thanks for Joe T. Luv'd it! Roy Head and the Traits?
Hope you had a good Turkey Day.
  T. Turgeon - 11/27/07

  • I keep waiting for Jackie Wilson and Billy Stewart....I have
  decided that like me, you have an
  older brother or sister who had you
  listening to this music as a kid.
    Hope all is well your way.
    Betsy K. - 11/25/06

  • How about a little Joe Tex?  T. Turgeon

  • Thanks, "I LOVE IT! Makes my day! M.N. - 9/29/06

  • WOW WOW WOW AN OUTSTANDING REVIEW OF THE real STYLE OF MUSIC - Atlanta Cooking - 9/23/06

  • In my time, this is the most fascinating music I have ever heard.  **86 - 8/17/06

  • Keep up the great and extremely important work. We met I believe at Michael Guthrie's house a few weeks ago at the HVARII Reunion. I am a great lover of our R&B and it's great to see someone who truly cares about it. Ole!
T. Turgeon - 8/2/06

  • Again, the "It's Friday" series is great - I love it every week and have sent it on to so many folks -
      thanks again.  Betsy K.

  • Aretha is my personal favorite so far!  Peggy M.

  • LOVE THIS...I NEED SOMETHNG TO GET ME THROUGH THE DAY !!!!  C. Lady - 6/3/07

  • Great! Perfect! Dance Music I Love It!!!  Laine L.

  • I think you missed your calling as a DJ!   Nicki S.

  • Keep 'em coming!!   I really enjoy listening to "my kind of music". Thank you.  Mary M.

  • I like getting your email every Friday, keep it coming!
       Carlas A.

  • DON'T FORGET THE 'QUEEN OF SOUL'........ ARETHA!!!!! YOUR MAKING MY FRIDAYS.    RONK

  • MY FRIENDS REALLY LIKE FRIDAY IN ATHENS! ONE IS SENDING EVERYONE AT THE COURTHOUSE AN  EMAIL.   Ron H.

  • THANKS SO MUCH EACH WEEK!  Nancy W.

  • This makes me smile!  Ray C.

  • Great job, keep up the good work.  Terry T.

  • I SAVE UNTIL FRI AFTERNOON, BY 5:00 P.M. I'M REVVVVED!!!   RONK - 5/19/06

  • Thanks for this humanitarian service to get us crunk for district wide planning.  Wilson Pickett reminds us to put a “spotlight on Otis Redding y’all”.  Yeah,yeah, oh yeah. Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-Faaa!  Karl S.

  • Thanks. What a pleasant surprise to get to work and open this e-mail- glad I started with yours first.  Melanie B.

  • Thanks for the Friday emails Larry!!  I really enjoy them.
Kim S.

  • Thanks for the sound of good music. I really do love my oldies but goodies. E. Luke - 5/19/06

  • Thanks!!!  This is great! Jane B.

  • Great site!  How about some Sam Cooke??? - 5/19/06

  • Thanks for the music!  Steve P.

  • I love this! Thanks.   Dianne M.

  • I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your Friday emails.  Thanks for including me!  Betsy K.

  • I appreciate the link – good stuff!
Jon W.

  • I LIKE IT!!!!!!  Thanks and HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!  Barbara S.

  • THIS IS GREAT!!!!!!  Susan R.

  • So in your spare time you try to cheer up everyone?   Thanks, Lori R.

  • I love these songs. Thanks. Terri S.

  • Awesome……Thanks for doing this, we all look forward to it every week.  I’ve sent it to everyone I know!
Debi D.

  • I needed this today! Thanks. Susan S.
Good selection for this fabulous
Friday!!!!!

  • Thanks for the Music this morning. I think I could listen to this all day, if people didn't think I was crazy for MOVING in my chair. Have a great weekend.  Joyce G.

  • This is awesome!   Thanks,  Debi D.
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About The Artist
 
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin, Ireland. The group consists of Bono (vocals and rhythm guitar), The Edge (guitar, keyboards, and vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar), and Larry Mullen, Jr. (drums and percussion).

The band formed at secondary school in 1976 when the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency. Within four years, they signed to Island Records and released their debut album Boy. By the mid-1980s, they had become a top international act. They were more successful as a live
act than they were
at selling records,
until their 1987 album The Joshua Tree, which, according to Rolling Stone, elevated the band's stature "from heroes to superstars". Their 1991 album Achtung Baby and the accompanying Zoo TV Tour were a musical and thematic reinvention for the band. Reacting to their own sense of musical stagnation and a late-1980s critical backlash, U2 incorporated dance music and alternative rock into their sound and performances, replacing their earnest image with a more ironic tone. Similar experimentation continued for the remainder of the 1990s. Since 2000, U2 have pursued a more conventional sound, while maintaining influences from their previous musical explorations.

U2 have released 12 studio albums and are among the most critically and commercially successful groups in popular music. They have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band, and they have sold more than 145 million records. In 2005, the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. Rolling Stone magazine listed U2 at #22 in its list of the 100 greatest artists of all time. Throughout their career, as a band and as individuals, they have campaigned for human rights and philanthropic causes, including Amnesty International, the ONE Campaign, Product Red, and Bono's DATA campaign.

Formation and early years (1976–79)

U2 in 1980. Shown from left to right: Clayton, Mullen, Bono, Edge.The band formed in Dublin on 25 September 1976. Larry Mullen, Jr., then 14 years old, posted a notice on his secondary school (Mount Temple Comprehensive School) notice board in search of musicians for a new band. Setting up in his kitchen, Mullen later described it as "'The Larry Mullen Band' for about ten minutes, then Bono walked in and blew any chance I had of being in charge." Mullen was on drums, Paul Hewson (Bono) on lead vocals, Dave Evans (The Edge) and his older brother Dik Evans on guitar, Adam Clayton, a friend of the Evans brothers on bass guitar, and initially Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin, two other friends of Mullen. Soon after, the group settled on the name "Feedback", because it was one of the few technical terms they knew. Martin did not return after the first practice, and McCormick left the group within a few weeks. Most of the group's material initially consisted of cover versions, which the band said was not their forte. The band's early original material was influenced by punk rock acts such as The Clash and The Sex Pistols.

We couldn't believe it. I was completely shocked. We weren't of an age to go out partying as such but I don't think anyone slept that night.... Really, it was just a great affirmation to win that competition, even though I've no idea how good we were or what the competition was really like. But to win at that point was incredibly important for morale and everyone's belief in the whole project.
—The Edge, on winning the CBS competition
In March 1977, the band changed their name to "The Hype". Dik Evans, who was older and by this time at college, was becoming the odd man out. The rest of the band was leaning towards the idea of a four-piece ensemble and he was "phased out" in March 1978. During a farewell concert in the Presbyterian Church Hall in Howth, which featured The Hype playing covers, Dik ceremoniously walked offstage. The remaining four band members completed the concert playing original material as "U2". Steve Averill, a punk rock musician and family friend of Clayton's, had suggested six potential names from which the band chose "U2" for its ambiguity and open-ended interpretations, and because it was the name that they disliked the least.

On Saint Patrick's Day in 1978, U2 won a talent show in Limerick, Ireland. The prize consisted of £500 and studio time to record a demo which would be heard by CBS Ireland. This win was an important milestone and affirmation for the fledgling band. The band recorded their first demo tape at Keystone Studios in Dublin, in May 1978. Hot Press magazine was influential in shaping the band's future; in May, Paul McGuinness, who had earlier been introduced to the band by the magazine's journalist Bill Graham, agreed to be U2's manager. U2's first release, an Ireland-only EP entitled Three, was released in September 1979 and was the band's first Irish chart success. In December 1979, U2 performed in London for their first shows outside Ireland, although they failed to get much attention from audiences or critics. In February 1980, their second single "Another Day" was released on the CBS label, but again only for the Irish market.

[edit] Boy, October, and War (1980–83)
Island Records signed U2 in March 1980, and in May, the band released "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" as their first international single. The band's debut album, Boy, followed in October. It was produced by Steve Lillywhite and received generally positive reviews. Although Bono's lyrics were unfocused and seemingly improvised, a common theme was the dreams and frustrations of adolescence. The album included the band's first United Kingdom hit single, "I Will Follow". Boy's release was followed by the Boy Tour, U2's first tour of continental Europe and the United States. Despite being unpolished, these early live performances demonstrated U2's potential, as critics noted that Bono was a "charismatic" and "passionate" showman.

The band's second album, October, was released in 1981 and contained overtly spiritual themes. During the album's recording sessions, Bono and The Edge left the band due to spiritual conflicts, and U2 ceased to exist for a brief period of time. Bono, The Edge, and Mullen had joined a Christian group in Dublin called the 'Shalom Fellowship', which led them to question the relationship between the Christian faith and the rock and roll lifestyle. Ultimately, they left the group to continue with the band. Recording was further complicated when a briefcase containing lyrics for several working songs was stolen from backstage during the band's performance at a nightclub in Portland, Oregon. The album received mixed reviews and limited radio play. Low sales outside the UK put pressure on their contract with Island and focused the band on improvement.

"Sunday Bloody Sunday" (1983)

"Sunday Bloody Sunday" features a martial drumbeat, raw guitar, and lyrically, a bleak emotionally-charged response to violence.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Problems listening to this file? See media help.
Resolving their doubts of the October period, U2 released War in 1983. A record where the band "turned pacifism itself into a crusade",[30] War's sincerity and "rugged" guitar was intentionally at odds with the "cooler" synthpop of the time. The album included the politically-charged "Sunday Bloody Sunday", where Bono had lyrically tried to contrast the events of Bloody Sunday with Easter Sunday.[32] Rolling Stone magazine wrote that the song showed the band was capable of deep and meaningful songwriting. War was U2's first album to feature the photography of Anton Corbijn, who remains U2's principal photographer and has had a major influence on their vision and public image. U2's first commercial success, War debuted at number one in the UK, and its first single, "New Year's Day", was the band's first hit outside Ireland or the UK.


Bono performs in Norway during the War Tour in 1983.On the subsequent War Tour, the band performed sold-out concerts in mainland Europe and the US. The sight of Bono waving a white flag during performances of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" became the tour's iconic image.  U2 recorded the Under a Blood Red Sky live album on this tour, as well as the Live at Red Rocks concert film, both of which received extensive play on the radio and MTV, expanding the band's audience and showcasing their live performance. Their record deal with Island Records was coming to an end, and in 1984 the band signed a more lucrative extension. They negotiated the return of their copyrights (so that they owned the rights to their own songs), an increase in their royalty rate, and a general improvement in terms, at the expense of a larger initial payment.


Information origin
www.wikipedia.org



  New Years Day

All is quiet on New Year`s Day
A world in white gets underway
And I want to be with you
Be with you night and day
Nothing changes on New Year`s Day
on New Year`s Day

I will be with you again
I will be with you again

Under a blood-red sky
A crowd has gathered in black and white
Arms entwined, the chosen few,
The newspapers say, say, say it`s true
And we can break through,
Though torn in two, we can be one

I will begin again, I will begin again
Oh and maybe the time is right
Oh maybe tonight

I will be with you again
I will be with you again

And so we are told this is the golden age
And gold is the reason for the wars we wage
Though I want to be with you
Be with you night and day
Nothing changes on New Year`s day
on New Year`s Day
on New Year`s Day



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