Three or four weeks ago, I mentioned that we were going to explore early U2 — and we’re finally making good on that promise.
This episode starts in 1980 with the release of Boy, then moves into October from 1981. For me, War has always stood out — it’s the one I remember most vividly from my childhood, and it still holds up as one of their most emotionally charged records. We wrap with highlights from Rattle and Hum — we couldn’t quite fit the whole album in, but it felt wrong not to include it at all. That record is burned into my brain when I think about U2.
There are so many other albums that could’ve made the cut — The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, and Zooropa all offer different shades of who U2 is — but this episode is meant to honor the soul of U2. What they sounded like when they were still hungry, still raw, and still inventing themselves.
Hour 1
Artist – Song – Album – Label – Year
U2 – I Will Follow – Boy – Island Records – 1980
U2 – Twilight – Boy – Island Records – 1980
U2 – An Cat Dubh – Boy – Island Records – 1980
U2 – Into the Heart – Boy – Island Records – 1980
U2 – Out of Control – Boy – Island Records – 1980
U2 – Stories for Boys – Boy – Island Records – 1980
U2 – The Ocean – Boy – Island Records – 1980
U2 – A Day Without Me – Boy – Island Records – 1980
U2 – Another Time, Another Place – Boy – Island Records – 1980
U2 – The Electric Co. – Boy – Island Records – 1980
U2 – Shadows and Tall Trees/Untitled – Boy – Island Records – 1980
U2 – Gloria – October – Island Records – 1981
U2 – I Fall Down – October – Island Records – 1981
U2 – I Threw a Brick Through a Window – October – Island Records – 1981
U2 – Rejoice – October – Island Records – 1981
Hour 2
Artist – Song – Album – Label – Year
U2 – Fire – October – Island Records – 1981
U2 – Tomorrow – October – Island Records – 1981
U2 – October – October – Island Records – 1981
U2 – With a Shout (Jerusalem) – October – Island Records – 1981
U2 – Stranger in a Strange Land – October – Island Records – 1981
U2 – Scarlet – October – Island Records – 1981
U2 – Is That All? – October – Island Records – 1981
U2 – Sunday Bloody Sunday – War – Island Records – 1983
U2 – Seconds – War – Island Records – 1983
U2 – New Year’s Day – War – Island Records – 1983
U2 – Like A Song – War – Island Records – 1983
U2 – Drowning Man – War – Island Records – 1983
U2 – The Refugee – War – Island Records – 1983
U2 – Two Hearts Beat As One – War – Island Records – 1983
U2 – Red Light – War – Island Records – 1983
Hour 3
Artist – Song – Album – Label – Year
U2 – Surrender – War – Island Records – 1983
U2 – “40” – War – Island Records – 1983
U2 – Van Diemen’s Land – Rattle and Hum – Island Records – 1988
U2 – Desire – Rattle and Hum – Island Records – 1988
U2 – Hawkmoon 269 – Rattle and Hum – Island Records – 1988
U2 – I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – Rattle and Hum – Island Records – 1988
U2 – Freedom for My People – Rattle and Hum – Island Records – 1988
U2 – Silver and Gold (Alive) – Rattle and Hum – Island Records – 1988
U2 – Pride (In the Name of Love) (Alive) – Rattle and Hum – Island Records – 1988
U2 – Angel of Harlem – Rattle and Hum – Island Records – 1988
U2 – When Love Comes to Town – Rattle and Hum – Island Records – 1988
U2 – Heartland – Rattle and Hum – Island Records – 1988
U2 – God Part II – Rattle and Hum – Island Records – 1988
U2 – The Star-Spangled Banner (Alive) – Rattle and Hum – Island Records – 1988
U2 – Bullet the Blue Sky – Rattle and Hum – Island Records – 1988
U2 – All I Want Is You – Rattle and Hum – Island Records – 1988
Rolling with Scissors airs live every Tuesday from 2–5 AM on 89.9 FM in Madison and streams at wortfm.org. Missed it? You can catch the episode for two weeks after broadcast at archive.wortfm.org or at rws.osmondtech.com/.
While the audio disappears after two weeks, the episode notes and playlists don’t. Every deep dive, rant, and full album breakdown stays right here — so you can revisit the details any time.
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