Thor Christensen

It's hard to imagine a time when U2 didn't have a mantel full of Grammys, Bono wasn't schmoozing politicians and the Edge wasn't yet bald.

But that was the case in the early '80s as four poufy-haired Dubliners set off on a journey to the center of world attention. Back then, however, it was doubtful they'd ever get there.

The band now revisits that era by rereleasing its first three albums – Boy, October and its U.S. breakthrough, War. Hard-core Bono-ites will be salivating over the deluxe editions (list price: $34.99) released Tuesday, which include a bonus CD of rarities, while casual fans can opt for the regular-priced single discs.

U2's October, originally released in 1981, is one of three remastered albums rereleased on Tuesday.

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Both versions have been "remastered" – label-speak for "we've slightly improved the sound to make you re-buy a CD you already own." The new versions are indeed crisper, but only a bit. If your speakers cost less than Bono's designer sunglasses, you probably won't notice the difference.

Still, the reissues are a strong reminder of just how different U2 sounded with producer Steve Lillywhite, and how many missteps they made early on. As the Edge writes in the liner notes to October, "It's both fascinating and quite embarrassing for all of us to listen to."

U2 started with a bang on Boy, its cocksure 1980 debut. Colliding punk, hard rock and post-adolescent angst (Bono was only 20 at the time), the band recorded some of its most lasting tunes, including "Out of Control" and "I Will Follow," an anthem about the death of Bono's mother and his belief in Christianity.

Of course, they didn't yet sound like the U2 we've come to know. Their influences were all over the place, from the bands Television and Siouxsie & the Banshees to Led Zeppelin and Bruce Springsteen (check out the E Street-inspired xylophones).

And with so many great bands emerging in the wake of the Clash and Sex Pistols, it was easy to miss U2's brilliance back then. As the Edge notes, CBS Records commissioned "Another Day" to "help them decide whether they should sign the band or not. On this and other evidence, they declined."

But Island Records stepped in with a contract, and Boy earned U2 a rep as "a band to be reckoned with," as Rolling Stone put it at the time. Then the group almost threw it all away.

Burned out from the grueling Boy tour, U2 was a band in turmoil. It had briefly broken up in a clash over what role Christianity would play in its career, and it was struggling to write new songs.

The result was 1981's October, an album with one great tune ("Gloria") and some of the group's most forgettable tracks. Writer Neil McCormick dubs it the band's "forgotten gem" in the CD booklet, and while that's a stretch, the album is worth a spin if only to hear U2's sound starting to jell as Adam Clayton finds his trademark rumbling bass and the Edge perfects his chinga-chinga staccato guitar.

If October was the low point, then 1983's War was the turning point. Not only did it vault the band on to U.S. radio, but it established Bono as one of rock's most ardent political songwriters, with tunes about nuclear arms ("Seconds"), the conflict in Ireland ("Sunday Bloody Sunday") and Polish solidarity ("New Year's Day").

Today, parts of War sound hopelessly archaic. The Afrobeat-style "The Refugee" could pass for a Midnight Oil reject, and the throbbing dance remixes on the deluxe CD are a hilarious reminder of just how far U2 was willing to go to win new fans.

Boy and October also suffer from outdated production styles as well: drums explode like a Mötley Crüe album and Bono's voice is drenched in so much echo he could be doing AM radio ads for a monster truck show.

Thirteen months after War, U2 found more compatible producers in Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, who steered the band to its masterpieces, The Joshua Tree (1987) and Achtung Baby (1991).

But today, the first three albums are an intriguing snapshot of four young punks honing their talent, finding their sound, and getting ready to blossom from a good band into a great one.

•Boy: A-

•October : B-

•War (Island): A-