THE JOSHUA TREE (U2, 1987)
Artist: U2 (C+)
Recording Dates: Jan ‘86 - Jan ‘87
Release Date: March 9, 1987. IRL
Record Label: Island
Producer: Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno
Rating: 9.5 (ICONIC ALBUM)
Era: New Wave (1976-???)
Subgenre: New Wave (1976-1990)
Best Song: Where The Streets Have No Name, With Or Without You or Bullet The Blue Sky, it depends how social , emotional , or political we are
Tracklist: 1) Where The Streets Have No Name; 2) I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For; 3) With Or Without You; 4) Bullet The Blue Sky; 5) Running To Stand Still; 6) Red Hill Mining Town; 7) In God's Country; 8) Trip Through Your Wires; 9) One Tree Hill; 10) Exit; 11) Mothers Of The Disappeared.
9.5??? But Corvan, you said that… - Yes, I know. I said that this album was the ultimate of the 80’s and blah blah blah Blah. But as they say, "A liar is caught sooner than a cripple", and I prefer to correct myself now rather than give an inflated rating. At this point, I seriously doubt it isn’t the best album of the 80’s, but of 1987, and even of U2.
I think that's the problem with the vast majority of iconic albums: they were incredibly popular, perhaps the financial peak of their creators, but not necessarily their creative peak. Their mark is etched in history; they have the most played singles on the radio, the best reviews at the time, but the passage of time eventually puts them in their place. Another important point is that U2's name has been significantly devalued since this album was released. The band's heyday is behind them, and the general perception today is that they're more of a Top 40 band than a serious rock station, if such a thing even exists. Mentioning Bono today is like talking about the local priest or Chris Martin. But in the '80s, U2 was indeed one of the few serious rock bands, not only one of the few with a guitar in their lineup, but one of the few where the guitar was still the main instrument (and who didn't wear mascara, it has to be said). U2 polarizes opinions due to the radical shift in their role within rock (which, upon reflection, has always remained the same; what changed was the environment surrounding them). Currently, you either love them or hate them, and as such, that opinion can radically alter your perception of this album. Is it the greatest gem of the '80s, as their fans claim? No, not really. There must be at least twenty better albums, including War. But it's also not the boring, hypocritical disaster their detractors try to portray it as. The truth is, whether you love them or hate them, you have to accept that this album catapulted them from rock stars to superheroes, making them the biggest act of the late '80s.
Before Joshua Tree, U2 was already big enough to headline Live Aid. In other words, even if they had broken up at that point, their first four albums had already established them as one of the most powerful bands of the 8’0s, whether we like it or not, but keeping in mind the decade's stark reality. This kept them busy with extensive tours across the United States, which, along with the American writers he was reading at the time, such as Norman Miller and Ray Carver, had a profound impact on Bono. After the tour, they took a break, and Bono began to get involved with Amnesty International thanks to the contacts he made at Live Aid. He first traveled to Ethiopia, where he witnessed a level of poverty that brought him to tears of helplessness. This would eventually turn him into the insufferable preacher he is today, but at the time, it led him to write the first song on this album. It's said that this is an album about "Love for America", and when we read it that way, especially in English, "USA" is understood to mean America. In a more detailed analysis, I think Bono at least does notice the difference between continent and country, and he encompasses more than that. In July 1986, he was in Nicaragua and El Salvador, which were experiencing internal wars. Bullet the Blue Sky speaks of the Salvadoran Civil War and US intervention, while "Mothers of the Disappeared" speaks of the childless mothers left behind by the Chilean and Argentinian dictatorships, following his connection with the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo. Bono, therefore, encompasses all of Latin America, not just the United States.
Finally, they had another couple of significant musical influences on this album. On the one hand, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, with whom Bono worked when he participated in the anti-apartheid project Sun City, directed by Steve Van Zandt. The Glimmer We already know that U2 Twins have a fascination with the Blues, and Bono wasn't exactly well-versed in the subject, remaining silent in the face of the wisdom of the old sea dogs. Bono realized that U2 didn't have a strong foundation beyond Punk, and this would influence the musical twist of The Joshua Tree, as he began to take an interest not only in the Blues, but also in his roots in Irish music. The other influence was none other than Bob Dylan, whom they approached through their search for natural Irish sounds, which in turn led them to Folk. Bono would begin a friendship with Dylan and Van Morrison, who encouraged him to delve deeper into his roots and pay special attention to the lyrical aspect, since he was undoubtedly now the voice of his generation. Well, if you want someone to blame, you know who, haha. All these elements blended together to make The Joshua Tree a unique album.
Boy was their most energetic and sincere album. October, their most religious. War, their most political. The Unforgettable Fire is the most spiritual… The Joshua Tree is difficult to define so simply. The most poetic? Undoubtedly, it's where Bono realizes he can be the Bob Dylan of his generation and attempts a qualitative leap in his lyrics. Not at Zimmerman's level, but it's an improvement. We also can't say it's a "sincere" album; it feels forced and poseurous, as Starostin rightly points out, but at least they try. At least they don't talk about "girls wanna have fun", they don't talk about cars, or welcome us to the jungle… In any case, it feels much more sincere than anything they've released in the last 15 years. I insist that it must be placed in the context of its time, and thus, it's not so difficult to see why for many it's a masterpiece.
Unfortunately, it's also where they realize they're the biggest rock band of the 80’s, which is why they've also earned the label of "The most American". Several of the songs have a strange mix of intimate and stadium rock. The album mostly uses this same formula: starting songs subtly and delicately, building tremendous crescendos, and ending them in full arena rock mode. The formula works for most of the tracks, but it becomes tiresome in the second half. It's also obvious they needed to put the album together better. The beginning is impressive, with four of the best songs in the Irish band's discography, tracks already etched into the collective unconscious, with enough hooks to hum for weeks, and with some clueless idiots even dancing to "With Or Without You" like a wedding waltz. But the album gradually becomes more atmospheric, with fewer hooks, somewhat more forgettable songs, and weaker melodies. If you have this record on vinyl, you'll probably listen to side A about four times for every time you listen to side B. It's poorly balanced, and that's a flaw that true " masterpieces " don't have.
It's not a virtuoso album, musically speaking. I've said it countless times: neither The Edge, Adam, nor Larry are wizards on their instruments. But The Edge knows how to get the most out of his effects, from the delay and reverb, which he's accused of overusing, to the Lanois and Eno, which, at least here, I think guided him well. The Joshua Tree isn't an album whose instrumental level, and particularly the guitar playing, will knock you off your feet. The Edge focuses more on creating atmospheres, on doing something with his guitar similar to what Eno does with synthesizers. The guitar mostly serves an atmospheric function, although it has some truly wild moments, like in "Bullet the Blue Sky". It goes without saying that The Edge refused to make a blues and folk album as Bono wanted. There were some frictions during the recording, but in the end some of the nuances that Bono intended were incorporated: harmonicas and slides that give a Country feel, some quasi-acoustic beginnings with Folk and bluesy airs, although we must accept that they are not The Edge's strong suit, who in the end ends up using his snare drum to finish the songs with that epic air that characterizes him.
The Joshua Tree opens with "Where The Streets Have No Name”, which for many is U2’s best song, or at least the one that best reflects the band’s spirit and message. Bono was inspired during his first visit to Ethiopia, where he witnessed extreme poverty firsthand. The title refers to that unfortunate Western (and particularly Belfast) habit of identifying a person’s religion and economic and social status simply by mentioning the street they live on. Clearly, in Ethiopia there are circles of poverty where the streets don’t even have names (if there are any streets at all), and this misery deeply affected Bono, whom we can imagine with tears of helplessness: “I want to run, I want to hide, I want to tear down the walls, that hold me inside …” And yet, they have another kind of wealth, one that people with money don’t even suspect exists: “I wanna reach out , And touch the flame , Where the streets have no name”. Bono sings with enormous passion, starting in an almost intimate tone, and then reaching very high and powerful notes. At first, I thought there was a certain anger in his voice, but it's more of a hint of hope that he sings with, using his voice as the song's main instrument, with a multitude of inflections and nuances almost word for word. The theme here isn't raising awareness to help a place that the Western world has left in economic misery, but rather making that Western world realize the moral misery it's in, and his desire for us to reach that spiritual state possessed by the poorest on the planet. We are the poor ones, because no matter how much we have, we always want more. Musically, it seems very simple, with a synthesizer in the background for a few seconds, creating a satiny and ethereal atmosphere. Then The Edge's delay-laden fingerpicking comes in, forming the song's main riff, to which the rhythm section is later added. Legend has it that the day before the album recordings were finished, The Edge He was practicing alone at home and this riff came to him. He worked on it, and terrified he'd forget it, he recorded it on a 4-track recorder. He was so enthusiastic that he ended up putting together a demo by himself with keyboards, guitar, bass, and drums. Finishing it in the middle of the night, with no one to show it to, he started dancing in his room, knowing it would be one of the songs of his life. The song seems simple, with a spectacular crescendo that culminates in a colossal arena rock anthem, one of the climactic moments in any of the band's concerts. But the guitar solos are incredibly complex, and it also uses three different time signatures. Daniel Lanois would have had to extend the sessions by two weeks for the band to get a decent take due to its complexity. It's a very melodic song by U2 standards, with great work from The Edge, who sounds incredibly energetic and tries to add every possible effect to his guitar, maintaining the intensity in the middle section and returning to the forefront with that arpeggiated riff... It closes. A beautiful song, from every angle, and certainly one of the band's best.
We continue with “I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For”. Has anyone noticed that distant feel in the verses reminiscent of “Whole Lotta Love”? Maybe it's just my nerves. What's certain is the strong gospel influence in the chorus, and in the lyrics in general. It starts with a muffled guitar riff, a tambourine, and a distorted power chord, just before an overdubbed guitar arpeggiates with heavy delay to weave the main figure. Larry Mullen Jr. lays down a very peculiar mid-tempo beat. In fact, the song supposedly originated with that drum pattern, which fascinated Lanois and upon which they built the rest of the track. Bono sings the choruses with a rising and falling rhythm that can get tiresome, but the chorus is as catchy as gum, with the church choir-like vocals of The Edge and the two producers. Live, they'll actually use a gigantic Mississippi choir to round out that feeling that we're about to ascend to heaven. The song doesn't really have a climactic or explosive point; it maintains the same tension produced by The Edge's plethora of effects, including slides, distorted power chords, acoustic guitar, and something resembling a solo around 2:30. The lyrics are a summary of Bono's Catholic influences, although I'm not sure if they're sung more from the perspective of an American preacher. In any case, they reflect that inner search that never ends. Somehow, the title and the gospel feel strike me as a kind of continuation or tribute to "You Can't Always Get "What You Want", especially considering that around that time he was heavily influenced by the Stones.
Immediately we have “With Or Without You”. Yes, I know, it's overplayed, but that doesn't make it any less damn good. And simple. It's four chords, with Adam Clayton taking the lead, picking out four damn chords over and over again. One of the simplest and most recognizable bass lines in the history of the world. The rest is a piano tinkling a few notes and The Edge adding a bunch of effects, making his guitar sound as ambient as possible. Bono also has a prominent role, playing with the intensity and creating that powerful, heartbreaking climax around the three-minute mark. Eno and Lanois didn't see much potential in the demo and had already discarded it. Bono tried to salvage it, but it wasn't until The Edge added an effect with his newly acquired Infinite Guitar, giving it that sustained, violin-like sound, that the song was redefined and they picked it up again. The lyrics, I don't know why some people consider it a love song. Bono sings it with contagious pain. If there's one song he's genuinely passionate about, it's this one, and it's not exactly about marital problems. A relationship like that would be incredibly destructive, and he's one of the few rock stars who has stayed with his first wife, Ali, for over 30 years. I don't remember where I read that this song and "One" are dedicated to the same person: his father. I haven't found any proof, but the lyrics make sense, and they take on a new dimension, and both are incredibly painful. This one in particular it contains heartbreaking lines: “See the thorn, Twist in your side, I wait for you” or referring to his mother: “On a bed of nails She makes me wait, And I wait without you” or “And you give yourself away” sung repeated, as if to do notice plus that emptiness that It remained. In any case, it's one of Bono's most sincere and painful songs, which would become one of U2's emblematic anthems. It's a pop song, but it's a testament to the spark the band had at that time to create this kind of brilliance, a spark that later faded.
Then comes “Bullet The Blue Sky”, offering no respite to this album's opening. After “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, it's the band's most furious and dense track, with a tremendous political charge. It's also the point on the album where The Edge shines brightest, with exceptional guitar work, perhaps his bluesiest song (not counting “When Love Comes To Town”, whose guitar is played by King), where he blends his effects, sustain, and reverb with brutal slides. Bono would tell him to “Put El Salvador in the amp,” and I think he manages to portray the violence with notes. The song is held together by Clayton's tremendous bass riff, which reminds me of the one in “Fever Dog” by the fictional band Stillwater. The song is one of U2's darkest and most intense, only unlike “Sunday,” this one has a hard rock and seventies vibe that knocks you off your seat. In fact, I think even the Sepultura cover falls short in terms of the violence and power of the original. Bono sings with rage. He wrote it in El Salvador, trying to portray the armed conflict, while also making clear reference to the interventionist role of the USA and Reagan. On the bridge Speaking , he says: “This guy comes up to me, his face red like a rose on a thorn bush, like all the colors of a royal flush, and he’s peeling off those dollar bills, slapping them down.” Following this, The Edge delivers one of his most monumental and apocalyptic guitar solos, based on slides, power chords, and effects. Near the end, Bono makes a double allusion: “And through the walls you hear the city groan, Outside is America," which I see in a double meaning. El Salvador isn't that radiant "America" whose name the USA appropriated. South of the Rio Grande, we're a subcontinent, a backyard. And the other meaning of "Outside is America" is that outside of official reports, in the shadows, in unofficial reports, the United States is always there, pulling strings and injecting dollars based on its interests in the region… I don't understand why it wasn't singled out, like the three previous songs, but despite that, it was one of the most played tracks on the album, and it was the song with which they opened each and every one of their concerts for more than 10 years, up until the PopMart Tour. As a side note, one of its lines would give its name to "Rattle and Hum", which features a phenomenal live version that even surpasses this one.
“Running To Stand Still” lowers the intensity a bit, showcasing the band exploring American sounds, like that country opening that then evolves into a folk-tinged, acoustic-based track. Bono sings in an intimate, measured, almost spoken-word style, reminiscent of the old folk masters. The chorus melody is very beautiful and delicate, although at times it sounds like a demo that they would improve upon with “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses", for which they even use those "Lalalás". The lyrics tell the story of a heroin addict. Dublin was experiencing an epidemic at that time, directly referencing it in the line "I see seven towers, but I only see one way out". It had been barely a year since Adam's Irish hero, Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy, had died of an overdose, the same Phil Lynott from whom he had taken up the bass guitar as a child. The lyrics are good, without judgment, and attempt to portray the atmosphere of a couple of addicts living in those towers. The title tries to capture the sensation of injecting drugs, but also the feeling of being trapped trying to break free from addiction. At the end, Bono indulges himself by crafting the outro with a melancholic harmonica solo.
Next up is “Red Hill Mining Town”, which deals with a strike at a British coal mine in 1984, although rather than being based on the event itself, it was based on Tony Parker’s book, Red Hill A Mining. Community also showcases Bono's attempt to approach folk music, or at least that chronicler's style used by Dylan or even Springsteen, narrating social issues from an insider's perspective. The Edge uses a curious, almost clean arpeggio that at times makes me wonder if it's a mandolin or some other instrument. This arpeggio forms the foundation upon which more distorted guitars and the rhythm section rest. The sequence of tones is quite pleasing, with a warm and catchy vocal melody. For the choruses, Bono goes up an octave, reaching the limit of his register, but still maintaining the melodic appeal. In fact, Bono barely reached the pitch to record it, so it was never played live. The four of them play with the intensity, making the song dynamic. There's something about it that also gives it an Irish feel; I don't know if it's that arpeggio or something else. The song works very well, both lyrically and musically, and although it doesn't reach the level of the first 4 tracks on the album, I think it's another one of the album's strong tracks.
“In God’s Country” is the weakest track on the album, and from here on out, the album never recovers. With an acoustic guitar riff as its foundation and sharp electric licks, a two-tone bass line, and Bono singing in a shouty, grating style with little melody. The biggest problem is the lyrics. Bono can be a great lyricist, but he can also fall into a plethora of clichés. I understand that he wants to portray “America”, as they call the USA, and that while he addresses the negative aspects, such as politics and the way they manipulate and intervene in other countries, he also tries to portray the positive side: the landscapes he fell in love with on the 1985 tour… But here he descends into a cheap patriotism that doesn't suit him, simply because he isn't even American: “She is Liberty, and she comes to rescue me..." Really ??? It gives the impression that he wants to portray the USA as the promised land. And I want to think that Bono is, or was, too smart to believe that. The song seems to me like an attempt at Arena Rock to please the American masses for whom the album was intended, and predictably, it would be released as the fourth single from the album, but only in the USA. But the reason I'm highlighting it in blue is also because of the musical aspect, where the band runs out of ideas for the first time on the album.
Follow “Trip Through Your Wires", in which Bono picks up the harmonica to give it that bluesy feel. The Edge delivers a frenetic guitar solo in a waltz rhythm with a touch of country. The music transports you to the heart of Mississippi while still retaining that signature Utu-esque sound. The melody is good, rhythmic, and I particularly like the silence in the chorus just before the line that gives the song its title. The lyrics … well, they sound like a reference to… gospels mixed with love references: “I was cold and you clothed me honey, I was down and you lifted me honey”, without neglecting that landscape desert American : “Thunder, thunder on the mountain, There's a rain cloud in the desert sky, In the distance she saw me coming 'round, I was calling out”. It's not the best track on the album, but it's pleasant. It's supposed to be a kind of continuation or precursor to “The Sweetest Thing”, which was recorded around that time but wasn't included on the album.
Next comes “One Tree Hill”, where Bono returns to a high level of lyricism. He sings about Greg Carroll, a Maori man he met in Auckland, New Zealand, one night when Bono couldn't sleep due to jet lag . Greg took him around the city, but instead of taking him to bars, he took him to One Tree Hill, a Maori ceremonial site. Greg became friends with Bono and his wife, and the rest of the band, to the point that they offered to get him a passport so he could be a roadie for the remainder of their 1985 tour of New Zealand and Australia. The song is quite emotional as it attempts to portray that night they became friends at One Tree Hill, after learning that Greg had died in a motorcycle accident. Although the song has some common themes, it also manages to include a reference to the Chilean singer-songwriter Víctor Jara. U2 rarely played it live because Bono says that the emotion gets the better of him and prevents him from hitting the high notes.
“Exit” begins almost as an ambient track, with cricket sounds and Bono whispering the lyrics so softly they're inaudible. The song is about a serial killer, from the novel “The Executioner's Song”. It was actually a one-take jam the band recorded on their last day. The original version was quite long, but Eno cut it down to five minutes and added effects. The lyrics are well-crafted, and they create a tense atmosphere with bursts of effects and, above all, a great display from Larry, who drives the song's ups and downs with his drumsticks. But it's still just a couple of notes, an interesting and well-executed jam, with a certain dark Joy Division influence.
The legendary Joshua Tree concludes with “Mothers of the Disappeared”, a slow track that begins with strange electronic effects and gradually gives way to a sweet, warm, tremolo-like arpeggio on Spanish guitar, which forms the main theme over layers of synthesizer. The song alludes to the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, without directly mentioning them, so in addition to the Argentine regime, it also serves as a critique of Pinochet's regime in Chile. Bono hadn't visited either country, but while in El Salvador and Nicaragua, he came into contact with a group called “Las Comadres,” which later led him to the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, who never lost hope of finding their children. Something we are experiencing today under the veiled PRI dictatorship in Mexico. It's a more ambient and emotional track, in which the subtle reminder of two of Latin America's greatest tragedies, perpetrated by the USA, is particularly welcome. “Midnight, our sons and daughters, Were cut down and taken from us, Hear their heartbeat, We hear their heartbeat”. The song and the album fade out.
Anyway. U2 is a polarizing band, with legions of fans and legions of haters. However, regardless of your stance, it's hard to deny that The Joshua Tree was their most popular album, the one that catapulted them to superstardom, to laser shows, giant screens, and the messianic attitudes that would come later. This album is a watershed moment for U2, and it also marked the beginning of a transition for 80’s bands towards more mature sounds, preparing them for the next decade. Whether or not it's their best album is quite debatable, but it's very good, at least the first half, with phenomenal tracks that compensate for the dip in the second half, which isn't disastrous either. There's some lyrical improvement, not in every song, but overall Bono's vocals improve somewhat. And they step out of their comfort zone, adding nuances of Blues, Folk, Country, Irish, completely distancing themselves from their Punk origin, but without abandoning their essence.
U2 attempts to paint a portrait of America (and by America we mean the USA), exploring its two sides: the dark side represented by its politics, and the bright side represented by its music and landscapes. It is, therefore, an album of contrasts, where, curiously, the best songs are the most politically charged. Americans (from the US) —oddly enough—disregarded the criticism (either they didn't understand it or they didn't care), and embraced the idea that the album was a tribute to their culture and "freedom", turning the Irish band into the new gods of rock. It's not hard to understand why the album was such a smash hit… it was made for that purpose.
By Corvan
Aug/26/2015
