U2 - The Joshua Tree
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Free Music Notes for The Joshua Tree
Free Music Review: The Electricity Within The Joshua Tree
Hit: 5 Stars
Why do people love electrical storms? There's a certain spark in the air, a surge of movement that's out of our control, one that allows us to feel as though we are willingly partaking in some form of natural risk. By making the Joshua Tree, U2 took such a risk, and not just artistically or musically. Bono himself declared in 1987 "that the thought of people waiting for The Joshua Tree is ridiculous. It sounds as though it'll sell three copies." I can see his point. At the time, it sounded like nothing else on mainstream radio. Instead, you had an album that sounded like it was derived from some kind of spiritual fall-out. It sounded too natural, too organic to compete with the artifice that was running rampant all over the charts at the time (and still is). No other album that I've heard embodies such an earthiness, while also revealing the other-worldliness by which The Joshua Tree has been designed. Like much of Leonard Cohen's material, for example, there is a spirituality found on this record that doesn't deny the physical. It's a spirituality that isn't afraid of getting its hands dirty. Yet, there is a stillness, a serenity on The Joshua Tree, despite the harshness and intensity that permeates the record. It's as if the album has indeed been woven through the eye of the storm -- as though the album understands and replicates, in an organic sense, the line Bono would pen years later on Achtung Baby in the song 'So Cruel': "Head in heaven, fingers in the mire." The Joshua Tree lives these lines; and as is conveyed in songs like 'Red Hill Mining Town', there is a sense that, despite being "so cruel," life is still worth "holding onto," and sometimes is "all that's left to hold onto..." (Perhaps the themes of Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby aren't so different after all?) From the opening hymn-like organ intro of 'Where The Streets Have No Name' -- as it glides effortlessly into a tidal-wave of relentless explosion -- to the sublime beauty of songs like 'One Tree Hill', there is nothing but perfection; a musically cinematic perfection of an imperfect world striving past the pain and desperation felt throughout this album, and into the metaphysical sense of joy. Songs like 'Running To Stand Still' work so well because one is placed right into someone else's world in such a manner that it becomes your world -- or at least in a manner that gives you the sense that it could be your world. The Joshua Tree takes you to the scene of the crime, the very place of confusion, where emotion splits into mood and allows you to feel fragments coming together again. This album doesn't just tell you about something; it allows one to experience it. There is something going on inside the texture of the album that reveals this. Bono's falsetto, for example, has never sounded the same before or since The Joshua Tree. There is a mystical quality about it, as though it has traveled for miles and miles through the wide open desserts, the dense political jungles and forests throughout the record. The listener is carried through real life images of American foreign policy ('Bullet The Blue Sky'), the desperation of drug addiction ('Running To Stand Still'), and the very real emptiness behind suicide ('Exit'); yet despite it all, in many of the very same songs you will find an undying, underlying hope, an urge to transcend the very darkness of this album into the silver light found on 'Streets'. Even a slippery little love song such as 'With or Without You' comes from somewhere else completely, the pain of it feeding the very need to reach past the flesh of this album. Nothing on The Joshua Tree sounds commercial, yet it is one of the most commercially successful albums of all time.
Somewhere back in 1987, U2 found the very breath of their ability and filled their lungs with it. The Joshua Tree is the sound of the exhale, the consequence of their risk -- the fallout of the mystical -- scattered across miles of terrain. And, on this disc, we are lucky enough to breathe it all in again -- to go, to quote Van Morrison, back "into the mystic" -- to, in a sense, actually take that breath back to where it came from: here, we go back into the eye of the storm, back into that stillness that can't be defined by the written word, but can be felt by the right music. Where does the music on The Joshua Tree come from? Some would say U2. Others would say, simply, ourselves. It may be that neither answer is incorrect. It could be from somewhere in the middle, from somewhere in that eye, where we face the music on all fronts -- where the storm of the album's landscape, and the music that flows through that landscape, become each other -- forming a sustaining tension, one that somehow continually dissolves and yet builds on itself. And so we are left feeling out of control, yet calm; sad, yet elated; disturbed, yet peaceful; and angry, yet somehow accepting. That's the paradox of The Joshua Tree, and also why it's the greatest album of all time.
Free Music Review: Found What I've Been Looking For
Hit: 5 Stars
What can you say about U2? Quite alot apparently. There are those that love them and those that loathe them. Whatever you say about them, there is no denying that The Joshua Tree is something special. No doubt this is the album that put them firmly on the map despite being around for about ten years and releasing considerable efforts such as War and The Unforgettable Fire. Most people knew them but when Joshua Tree was released tens of thousands actually owned a piece of their work.
Over twenty years old the album still holds its own and actually starts off sounding like a greatest hits album. Such classic singles such as With or Without You, Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For and Where The Streets Have No Name are just so good and well known that its easy to forget that they all come from one album. I believe that this is the point that Bono found his true voice. In earlier releases he sounded like every other new band to come out during the early 80's, but here his vocals are spot on and the start of the Bono that we have all come to recognise and, most of us, love. This in itself breathes freshness into the bands sound but add that to superior song writing and The Edge's new guitar sound and we have a giant leap forward from the Irish lads.
There is a nice mix of songs here but they all help with the overall feel of the album. It's easy to emagine being in the desert that is pictured on the cover as the sound perpetuating every track give off that feel of the desert. Every song seems to fit perfectly after the previous one taking us alone through this journey of the desert. All great albums should have this sense of wholeness within it, rather than being just a collection of songs, even if they are great ones. To me this is what Joshua Tree does. Put any other U2 song in and it wouldnt fit, take one of these ones out and the album would collapse. Each track relies on the others to balance out this mood.
However good your music collection may be, if this is not included then you having a glaring chasm in it. This is U2's best. Even if you do not like U2 then you should at least try this album. It may change your mind and, if not, then at least you are being open minded.
1. Where The Streets Have No Name: A great opener for an album. This track slowly builds up to the hit that it is well known for being.
2. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For: Another classic single, this track can be read on many levels. Perhaps this is one reason why it was so popular. People identified with it in different ways, people's questioning life and answers, looking for that special someone or that drive in life. All or none of these can be applied to this song. Bono surely has his own interpretation of it but he purposely leaves it ambiguous for the listener.
3. With Or Without You: Maybe the best known, and over played, track of the album, and perhaps their entire career.
4. Bullet The Blue Sky: My least favourite of the `big songs' on here, this track is still quite powerful and deserves its place. The guitar and drums in the intro again evoke the desert feel.
5. Running To Stand Still: It's a tragedy that this track isn't more well known. This is such an understated song, Bono tempers his voice well here, not overdoing it but putting the exact amount of feeling into it. A beautiful and simple pleasure, easily one of the best U2 songs ever.
6. Red Hill Mining Town: Some of Bono's finest vocals are present on this track. Bono screams `I'm hanging on, You're all that's left to hold on to' and you can feel it in his voice.
7. In God's Country: A catchy song that doesn't quite impress but is a good listen nontheless and should never be skipped when listening through the album.
8. Trip Through Your Wires: The harmonica that opens the song seems a bit out of place, especially this late on in the album. There is nothing really special about the song, it's pleasant enough but too mediocre to follow the previous great tracks.
9. One Tree Hill: Again, another understated song. Whilst this isn't as good as other tracks, it is still a good solid piece. Just about everything is underplayed, the guitar, the vocals but the lyrics are really quite good.
10. Exit: For me, this is the weakest of the album. It doesn't fit as much as the other songs and it sounds more dated, harking back to a sound of the early 80's. The slow build up really doesn't end with anything worthwhile.
11. Mothers Of The DisappearedL: A simple tribute to the women who lose their children to kidnappers and slavery. A beautiful guitar riff plays gently behind Bono's soft singing. A slow track but definitely one to listen to several times before being judged.
Free Music Review: The Pinnacle of U2
Hit: 5 Stars
The Joshua Tree is U2's spiritual masterpiece. This is the album where the hungry boys from Dublin became true adults not only in their age, but also in their music. After redefining their sound on The Unforgettable Fire, U2 mastered their new style and created this beautiful and emotional work of art. At this point, Bono had still maintained his love for poetic lyrics, so, like with The Unforgettable Fire, the majority of the songs more closely resemble poems.
Now on to the songs themselves. The first song, "Where the Streets Have No Name," features one of if not the most beautiful guitar intros I've ever heard. As with many of their songs, the song reveals the influence of Christianity on the band and provides a song that especially moves me. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," is probably my favorite on here. Again, U2 gives us a very emotional song with a message that many of us can relate to. Of all the songs on here, I believe this one truly grasps the overall theme of the album with the greatest efficiency. The next and probably most famous song, "With or Without You," is, again, a truly beautiful U2 masterpiece. The climax at the end features some of Bono's best vocals of all time and the Edge's conclusion is enough to send shivers down your spine. "Bullet the Blue Sky" is the song that really stands out on this cd. Unlike the others, it provides a more rock n'roll kind of tune rather than a spiritual one. Fortunately, in this case it does not matter. It is still a very good and interesting song which shows U2's diversity in their sound. "Running to Stand Still" is probably the most poetic song on the album. Like the others, it is very moving, and I love the little hermonica solo Bono does at the end. "Red Hill Mining Town" is the most cinematic song here. The song clearly paints a picture of a poor town and the feelings of its citizens. Bono's vocals and the Edge's subtle guitar provide the listener with a truly emotional experience. "In God's Country" is another display of brillance by the Edge. Again, poetic and emotional. "Trip Through Your Wires" has a very different pace from the previous songs and provides a feet tapping rhythem. Bono again gets to show off his hermonica skills. Kinda makes you wonder he doesn't play it more often. "One Tree Hill" is probably the most underated song on here. It is an emotional song that describes the loss of a close friend and features the best of Bono's vocals. Since this song is so beautiful and so favorably reviewed, I find it surprising that it was only used on The Joshua Tree tour. "Exit" is probably my least favorite on the cd. However, it is still a very good song. It just has too long of a silence in the middle of the song and not enough of the Edge to satisfy me. The closing song,"Mothers of the Disappeared, is also one of my favorites. It is a song that can make you cry and is again cinematic, poetic, and emotional. The repetition of "we hear their heartbeat" is very simple but touching at the same time. This is the perfect way to close a perfect album.
I wish I could say that the following albums were as good as this. Rattle and Hum and Achtung Baby came close, but this remains U2's pinnacle and best-selling album ever. I recommend this album to anyone who has any descent taste in music whatsoever. It is certainly a favorite of mine.
Overview:
The Great
Where the Streets Have No Name
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
With or Without You
Bullet the Blue Sky
Running to Stand Still
Red Hill Mining Town
In God's Country
Trip Through Your Wires
One Tree Hill
Mothers of the Disappeared
The Good
Exit
Free Music Review: March 9th, 1987 ...
Hit: 5 Stars
To say that this was probably a red-letter day in the history of music ... is an understatement.
When this first album came out, I missed it completely. I just wasn't listening to anything this mainstream at the time and was caught up in the beginning of absorbing myself with classical music. I was young once and couldn't possibly be that hip to catch everything on the early adoption tip. I view this album probably as important as Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, as that may be what they were going for, or Vivaldi's Stabat Mater. These albums are all equally important and affected both music ever after and the listeners as well.
To date, April 2008, The Joshua Tree has several different releases now.
The Original Studio Release - c. 1989
The Superbit `Gold CD' Release - c. 1990
The Remastered Release - c. 2007
Amazon also has a combined 460 reviews on this product now and while most of the populous enjoy this, a contingent of listeners don't feel that this measures up to be one of the great rock albums of all time.
While I do feel that this is one of the best albums of the last 100 years, easily, it is not a Rock album, per se. I know that may sound deviant to you, but it's very simply explained.
The bulk of the songs on this album are ballads. You may not want to hear that, but it's the truth. Some may just be realizing this for the first time, and it's okay, too. While I have no problem with ballads, being big fan of Beethoven and Chopin, masters of just such a thing, I wouldn't dare call Moonlight Sonata (Sonata Quasi una Fantasia) Rock Music at any time. Ballads are just that, they're ballads. They're beautiful and they typically speak on the subject of love, loss, frustration or isolation. That's not a rigid rule, but just a personal observation.
1. 'Where the Streets have no name' - Ballad. A song about feelings of isolation and love.
2. 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For' - Ballad. Another song about the feelings concerning isolation, loss and love.
3. 'With or Without You' - Ballad. Another song about the feelings concerning isolation, loss and love.
4. 'Bullet The Blue Sky' - Rock Song Primo. A song about political discord, military might, poverty, etc.
5. 'Running To Stand Still' - Ballad. A song about isolation
6. 'Red Hill Mining Town' - Ballad. A song FULL of double entendres about sex, love and frustration.
7. 'In God's Country' - A Bluesy Ballad. A song about a girl ...
8. 'Trip Through Your Wires' - Rock Song.
9. 'One Tree Hill' - A bluesy ballad. A song a bout a girl, and emotions of love.
10. 'Exit' - A unclassifiable song about frustration, danger and isolation
11. 'Mothers Of The Disappeared' - Your guess is as good as mine on this one.
So ... what's the score here? The ballads heavily outweigh the Rock anthems. While this isn't necessarily an indictment on this album it's just an opinion placed casting light on seeing this album in the proper context. U2 has been branded passion rock since this album came out, and it's probably fitting to say the least, but they are one of the best RnR bands on the planet. People should just see this release for what it is. If one day, the bulk of us decided to start referring to Sting's Ten Summoner's Tales as Rock or even Hard Rock and not Easy Listening, then more of his listeners would be displeased by that as well.
The Joshua Tree is a groundbreaking album where a lot of U2 fans split off after this, unhappily. But over the years they gained even more fans with the releases after Joshua Tree, myself included. But it is a masterpiece in every sense of the word.
Free Music Review: "I see seven towers, but I only see one way out."
Hit: 5 Stars
'Running to Stand Still' is essentially, THE archetypal Joshua Tree track in that it is imbued with an American sound, but a meaning far removed. The song deals with a girl struggling with heroin addiction, with the "seven towers" being a reference to the Ballymun Seven Towers area of Dublin, an area with a notorious heroin problem. Just as on The Unforgettable Fire's 'Bad', Bono tries to bring somebody back from the brink, a person so consumed by their addiction that they have already misguidedly accepted that there is only one escape. Suicide.
In certain respects, U2 can be said to be one of rock's most underrated bands, a contention almost laughable when considering their stratospheric success. Yet amid the hits and the bombast and the zeal, the intricacies and idiosyncrasies that have endeared them to the discerning listener have often been lost. Whereas (two of U2's other triumphs) 1993's Zooropa was something of a parody to Achtung Baby!'s (1991) pastiche, The Joshua Tree offers an earnest counterpoint to their oft-laconic 90s forays into electronica.
First and foremost the album is a startling artistic achievement; a master class in onomatopoeia, through artwork and aesthetic, subject matter and performance The Joshua Tree is expansive, invigorating and consummately cohesive.
America's arid south-west - the Nevada desert in particular - is the record's heartland. Desolate and unforgiving, yet numinous and majestic, the region's historically blurred demarcation between frontier and wilderness is perfectly articulated by the music through the band's enchantment at their surroundings. Where the ode 'One Tree Hill' and the exhalant 'In God's Country' and 'Trip Through Your Wires' bore witness to the stimuli of the landscape lyrically and musically, the real success of The Joshua Tree lies in its amalgamation of typically cherished American modes, particularly folk, blues, rock n roll and country, and heterogeneous humanist concerns. Indeed such aesthetic syntheses often leads to an intriguing incongruity upon closer inspection, for the specificity of Bono's lyricism is often dialectical in relation to The Edge's evocative America-infused guitar work. A notable example of this is 'Red Hill Mining Town' whereby his lyric "through hand of steel and heart of stone" alludes to the closure of England's northern coal mines by NCB chairman Ian McGregor and the disastrous free market economic policies of PM Margaret Thatcher, yet the instrumental pays homage to the classically American folk and blues genres.
Faith and religion also constitute a large part of The Joshua Tree's lyrical canon, but it is another area rife with contradistinction. Bono seems at ease with Christianity ('Where the Streets Have No Name'), despite its many innate paradoxes ('I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For'), yet simultaneously at odds with fundamentalism.
The Joshua Tree also calls on America's more unseemly secular traits to convey the band's antinomy toward the Land of the Free. 'Exit' deals with a violent death, yet whether it is murder or suicide is indecipherable, while 'Bullet the Blue Sky' is the album's most flagrant example of antipathy with reference to then-US president Ronald Reagan ("His face red like a rose on a thorn bush...peelin' off those dollar bills, slappin' 'em down"), the economic blockade and civil war supported by the US in Nicaragua, and the US-backed campaign of murder and oppression in El Salvador. The album closes with 'Mothers of the Disappeared' a lament to the mothers and wives of student opposition and dissidents under both the Argentinean military juntas and Augusto Pinochet's brutal regime in Chile following his US-backed coup in 1973.
Massively successful, The Joshua Tree, by virtue of its three mega-hits ('Where the Streets Have No Name', 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For' and the claustrophobic, masochistic ballad 'With or Without You') served to propel U2 to the position they had appeared destined for after stealing the show at Live Aid in 1985, that of the world's biggest band, a position they have held unopposed for nigh-on twenty years.