There seem to be two major camps of U2 fans now: Those who dig the early albums (good and sensible people), and those who only like the ones from the '90s, putting everything previous down as "classic rock." But U2 only became a classic rock sort of band in 1984, with The Unforgettable Fire. The real early stuff, from '80 to '83, still comes off as edgy – and it's comparatively ignored. Here's a sampler: Under a Blood Red Sky is from a U.S. tour (1983's) in which U2 still thought of itself as a hungry little band from Ireland – and draws (fairly wisely) from the band's first three albums. There's nary a misstep on the entire disc, although it could stand a few more tracks. --Gavin McNett

Under A Blood Red Sky is a mini-LP live album by Irish rock band U2, produced by Jimmy Iovine and released in 1983. Along with its companion concert film, U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under A Blood Red Sky, the release helped establish U2's reputation as a live band, making the band a popular live college rock act. The album consists of live recordings from three shows on the band's War Tour from Colorado, Boston in the US and Germany. Album highlights include a fiery rendition of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (famously introduced by Bono with the words, "this song is not a rebel song") and a jaunty run-through of the B-side "Party Girl". An accompanying concert video entitled U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky was released the following year. Unlike the album, the film was recorded entirely at the dramatic outdoor Red Rocks Amphitheatre on 5 June 1983. The band's performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" from the film has been cited as one of Rolling Stone's "50 Moments that Changed the History of Rock and Roll." The title is taken from the lyrics of the song "New Year's Day", originally released on U2's War album.