The $50,000 mistake that changed a rock album forever
In short: In 1983, U2 released a live album that helped launch them to global stardom. But a brief, unauthorized musical detour during a performance created a legal headache that resulted in multiple versions of the same record existing today.
Released on 21 November 1983, 'Under a Blood Red Sky' captured the energy of U2's 1983 War Tour. The eight-track mini-album drew from three distinct locations: Colorado and Boston in the United States, and Germany. A significant portion of the recording, including two tracks, was captured during a performance at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre on 5 June 1983. This era helped solidify the band's reputation as a formidable live act on the world stage.
However, the album's legacy is complicated by a legal dispute regarding the track 'The Electric Co.' During the live performance, frontman Bono sang a 27-second excerpt from Stephen Sondheim's 'Send in the Clowns.' Because the band had not secured the necessary licenses or paid the required royalties for this snippet, Sondheim filed an objection. To resolve the issue, U2 agreed to pay a $50,000 penalty and committed to issuing future versions of the album without the unauthorized segment.
This dispute created a fragmented discography. While modern streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music use the edited version, and remastered editions follow suit, physical copies vary wildly. Collectors often encounter different runtimes for 'The Electric Co.'—ranging from 4:51 to 5:18—depending on whether the release is a U.S. trifold digipack, a standard jewel box, or a European CD pressing. Even an Australian pressing presents a discrepancy, listing the track at 4:57 despite the audio running the full 5:18.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Under a Blood Red Sky
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