25 Years Later - U2 "The Joshua Tree"
As hard as it may be to believe for children, teens and young adults of the 1980's, a full quarter century has come and gone since the release of one of the most singularly beautiful and passion-filled albums in rock music history. If ever there was an album that truly lived up to the phrase, "required listening", it is U2's The Joshua Tree.
And that required listening starts with one of the best recorded opening cuts ever put to tape. Even after the passing of two and a half decades, the slowly building atmosphere leading into The Edge's chiming guitar at the outset of "Where The Streets Have No Name" still gives me chills each and every time I hear it. In all seriousness, stop reading, watch and listen to one of the most important events in the history of music in Southern California.
The corner of 7th and Main in Los Angeles is forever immortalized by these images and despite it still being a rough part of town, a must-see site on the lists of those who desire to visit the places where music history took place.
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| The corner of 7th and Main, Los Angeles, via Google Street View (used under Fair Use) |
In truth, the first trio of songs on Side 1 of The Joshua Tree comprise three of the most important songs in the oeuvre of U2 as well as the overall canon of popular music. In this age of Shuffle and random music from the cloud, it is easy to forget what a powerful statement just these three songs in succession make.
"Where The Streets Have No Name"
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
"With or Without You"
See my point? And out of the majestic beauty of these three songs comes the perfect counterpoint, with the steamy drums, ominous bass and grinding guitar that open "Bullet The Blue Sky". Bono's voice goes from passionate and plaintive to positively sinister, a bit of early foreshadowing to where U2 would take their sound just four years later with "Achtung Baby". Side 1 of The Joshua Tree ends much as it began, with the softer tones of "Running To Stand Still", and I know that I am not alone in this world as being among the many who wore out their cassette copies of the album simply from replaying Side 1 over and over and over again.
That is no exaggeration. There is the chance that Side 2 of the album never made it into my ears on March 9th, 1987, as I vividly remember repeat listens of Side 1 with ever increasing amounts of volume, awe and wonder at what I was hearing. Side 2 of The Joshua Tree opens on "Red Hill Mining Town", which sets up the seemingly impossible task of replicating the magic of Side 1, which it does in perfect one-two combination with it's follow up, "In God's Country".
"Trip Through Your Wires" introduces Bono's harmonica into the mix, bringing an earthy feel to the beatific tones which came before it. And follow it, as "One Tree Hill" is yet another chill-inducing example of the power of recorded music. Please, listen.
The Joshua Tree ends on a much darker note than how it began. "Exit" takes on the role of counterpoint which "Bullet The Blue Sky" filled on Side 1, with lyrics telling a tale from the point of view of a killer. The song stands out starkly in theme and sound from the rest of the album. "Mothers of The Disappeared" concludes the album, again with dark thematic material, but underscored by a gentle sound of hopefulness. In retrospect, the album finishes in similar fashion to Achtung Baby did, four years later. Being young and awed by the impact of Side 1 of the album is what likely led me to not finding an appreciation for these closing tracks until much later.
With over 25 million copies of The Joshua Tree in existence, it is likely that only the very young music fan may find something new in these words and hopefully a first, proper listen themselves. Truthfully, I hadn't set out to write this post the way it came out. There is something inspiring though when it comes to listening to U2, particularly this album. Whether you've heard these 50-plus minutes of music countless times or if you've never experienced The Joshua Tree before, now is the perfect time, to listen.
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