War did so much to give U2 an identity that to this day they have not shaken it. The unforgettable image of Bono waiving a white flag on stage at Red Rocks, singing "Sunday Bloody Sunday" vaulted the band to new heights. The image was also easy fodder for critics to puncture the band's pompousness. Waiving the flag with Red Rocks on fire was dramatic theatre, but U2 had finally grown into the boots they wanted to wear.

Everything that U2 did wrong with October they did right on War. The Edge leaned away from the echo unit with guitars that were lean, and full of hooks. How could a song like "Sunday Bloody Sunday" become the classic it has with a topic that is very Irish? It is all in the passion and the hooks. Larry Mullen's drumming, that military stomp that starts and stops without warning, is oddly hypnotic. Edge's melody is also hypnotic before thrashing into the power chords for the chorus. The violins underneath add even another hook. The tension builds between the drums, guitar and violins, with Bono finding his voice over the top. The passion in the performance is why the song can still resonate some 25 years later.

"Seconds" follows as essentially a second take on "Sunday Bloody Sunday." In his best Bono impersonation, The Edge is actually on vocals. The song features the same kind of military drumming from Larry but driven by Edge's acoustic guitars instead.

Even with the force of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and the impact it had on U2's career, "New Years Day" is the better song on War. The song has been a concert staple on every U2 tour and is still an emotional high spot. Edge is using the echo unit less but to improved effect. His guitar solo combined with keyboard fills throughout the song standout. However, this is a song where the whole band is at their best. Adam Clayton's thumping bass is why the song even exists. Bono has come into his own as a lyricist and vocalist. Reaching out to notes he probably should not reach.

It is easy to take these songs for granted since they are among the most played for over 20 years now. It is also easy to forget how different U2 was to most rock bands of the time. With each record, the band moved farther away from what was popular yet still managed to have popular success. In 1983/84, bands do not get much farther from each other than Prince, Van Halen and U2.

War runs at a full beat tempo throughout. It only breaks for a slight left turn like the horn-inflected "Red Light." The song even includes an oddity in U2's recording history - female backing singers. Some horns and a few female vocalists equal the depth of experimenting the band indulges in with War.

By keeping the focus simple, U2 comes across as a stronger band. October felt like the band was trying to hard. War was focused and concise, coming in at 10 tracks.

The album ends with "40." The mellow track with its refrain - "How long to sing this song? "- that mirrors the chorus of "Sunday Bloody Sunday." The prayer that silences the shells overhead. "40" also became a concert staple, ending most U2 shows in the 1980s.