“The Lost Boys: Hard-To-Find ’80s Albums” gives you exactly what the title implies: a rare or out-of-print album from the ’80s in its entirety. Some will be from CD, but most will have been lovingly transferred from pristine vinyl culled directly from the Analog Kid’s vast collection. Whatever album I choose, it will be one that you can’t easily find a physical copy for sale on Amazon or in your local record store (if you even have one anymore). Death…by stereo!
U2’s 1983 live EP Under A Blood Red Sky isn’t exactly rare– you can go buy the CD on Amazon right now, and you can also download the album from multiple music stores. There’s even a deluxe edition available that contains a second disc of live recordings from the War tour, but even that fantastic package doesn’t offer Under A Blood Red Sky as it was originally released on vinyl back in 1983. During the song “Electric Co.,” Bono throws in a few lines from “America” (West Side Story “America,” not Neil Diamond “America”– but damn, that would have been awesome!), and also adds a verse from “Send In The Clowns.” When Under A Blood Red Sky was issued on CD in 1986, this portion of “Electric Co.” had been magically excised. I guess U2 forgot to pay Stephen Sondheim his songwriter royalties, and as a result the original LP version of “Electric Co.” has never been digitally released in the United States.
This has bothered me for years, and I am not exaggerating when I say this. I listened to this album every day for two years back in high school, and simultaneously wore out a VHS copy of the legendary Red Rocks show. Under A Blood Red Sky is the release that turned me into a U2 fanatic, and the entire record is completely ingrained in my subconscious. I still remember coming back to my dorm from Sound Warehouse with the newly-issued CD in 1986, and I was furious before I even played the CD. What was this cheap paper casing holding the disc? Paper sleeves are obviously quite commonplace now in this lovely green world that we live in, but in 1986 I was really not down with the concept. Needless to say, I still have that CD. And the cover, of course, is in fantastically shitty condition:
My already sour mood was immediately worsened when I hit play for the first time. I noticed the edit to “Electric Co.” immediately, as you would expect given my familiarity with every note on the record. That was 28 years ago, and this CD has been sitting on my shelf virtually unplayed ever since. And yet, somehow it still looks like I ran over it with my ’79 Ford T-Bird sometime in the late ’80s. Thanks a lot, you damn tree-huggers.
Disclaimer: I am kidding. I love hippies– honest! My wife works for the EPA, and I truly value the works she and her colleagues do for our environment. But I still want my $14.99 back, Island Records!
As I was attempting to occupy my brain while anxiously awaiting the start of yesterday’s U.S.-Portugal match, I decided that it was time to finally do a proper high-quality rip of my original vinyl copy of Under A Blood Red Sky. Hold on a second– I have to run outside for a moment.
[Mother@#$@!! G*d%#$&&# stupid e$#^# give away the ball at midfield %%#$#& Ronaldo $@%^# arrrrgggggggghhhhh #$#&$&#%#%# Bradley!!! &&#%$% crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
Ok, I feel better. So here ya go, sports fans: my original 1983 copy of Under A Blood Red Sky, lovingly transferred from vinyl on a day that was almost one of the greatest sports days in our nation’s history. We are still in good shape to advance, though, so life is still alright in America!
![Under A Blood Red Sky [Original U.S. LP]](https://analogkidblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/under-a-blood-red-sky-original-u-s-lp.png)
U2: Under A Blood Red Sky [U.S. Mini LP]
Island Records, 1983
1. “Gloria” (U2)
2. “11 O’Clock Tick Tock” (U2)
3. “I Will Follow” (U2)
4. “Party Girl” (U2)
5. “Sunday Blood Sunday” (U2)
6. “The Electric Co.” (U2/Sondheim/Bernstein)
7. “New Year’s Day” (U2)
8. “40” (U2)
___________________________________________________________
Bonus Tracks!
The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.
U2: “Twilight [Live From Red Rocks]” (U2)
Twilight [Live From Red Rocks]
U2: “An Cat Dubh [Live From Red Rocks]” (U2)
An Cat Dubh [Luve From Red Rocks]
Both taken from the European CD Single Sweetest Thing
Island Records, 1998
Rita Moreno & George Chakiris: “America” (Sondheim/Bernstein)
From the motion picture soundtrack West Side Story
Sony Classical, 1961
Judy Collins: “Send In The Clowns” (Sondheim)
From the album Judith
Elektra Records, 1975
Neil Diamond: “America” (Diamond)
From the album The Jazz Singer
Capitol Records, 1980
The Analog Kid 
You, sir, are a gentleman and a scholar. “Electric Co.” from Under A Blood Red Sky was my favorite live cut from any band, ever – move over “Young Man Blues” from Live At Leeds – but only in its unmutilated, ORIGINAL album form. Like yourself, I played that cut until I wore out the vinyl. When the powers that be snipped off those 20 plus seconds out they stole part of my youth and castrated a juggernaut rock classic. Thank you a million times over for restoring what others so cruelly took from me. This is the song as God intended it to be heard. All is right with the universe once more…
My pleasure, sir!
What Leo said. Times one million. My vinyl copy of this album is trashed, but I’m too attached to throw it away.
I remember seeing the concert on TV…MTV I think….back when the M meant something. One of my favorite songs was the 11 O’Clock Tick Tock, which I had never heard before the concert. There was a wonderful instrumental section in which Bono danced with a cute girl from the audience. At this point U2 had not completely hit it, but I recall thinking, these guys are going to be big.