U2 - The Joshua Tree

Anniversary edition of a monumental achievement; what we’re looking for

Two albums released 20 years ago have gone on to be arguably more important and influential than their makers ever dared to dream. Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite For Destruction all but reinvented heavy metal, kick-starting a new era in hard rock and inspiring countless others to follow suit. The legacy of The Joshua Tree is perhaps more subtle, its delicate atmosphere and anthemic musical explorations urging those who followed to completely reconsider the notions of “serious” popular music. Listen today to bands such as Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Keane and – intermittently – REM and the appropriation of motifs originally fashioned by U2 is unmistakable.

It was the sound of U2 finally reaching the destination they set out towards four years earlier on their third album, War, which attempted several big chorus epics but still with a little too much of the bluster associated with generic guitar rock. The Unforgettable Fire, released a year later, reined in those excesses without sacrificing the emotional power. Bono’s voice and The Edge’s guitar developed a near telepathic understanding, with one effortlessly filling the spaces left for it by the other.

Here, however, is where they mastered their craft. It’s a disciplined piece, meticulously mapped out and executed with a swagger and confidence afforded only to those with crystal clear vision and the determination to forge ahead with what they know to be right. The passion of the performances, the imagery of the words and the regimented yet loose instrumental figures mesh together perfectly to create a work of stunning bravura. It could be argued that U2 became the biggest band in the world because they tried harder than anyone else.

What tends to be overlooked about The Joshua Tree is U2’s own points of reference. The influence of American cultures stretches far beyond Anton Corbjin’s iconic desert photography on the sleeve, the group doffing their hats (often literally) to at least the spirit of Hank Williams, Johnny Cash or Bob Dylan. This was thought-provoking music with a restless conscience and a fragile heart. When Bono sings I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For it conjures images of a lost soul despairing at the elusiveness of any answers to life’s more troubling questions.

The production roles of Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno in the studio should not be overlooked, their sonic invention and editors’ ears playing an integral part in making the hypnotic sway of Mothers Of The Disappeared and the chilling Red Hill Mining Town such affecting pieces of music, filled with the subplots and diversions one would normally associate with a great novel or movie. Few records made in the intervening two decades have come anywhere close to such levels of ambition.

In addition to the remastered version of the album, the group are marking the recording’s 20th anniversary with a deluxe two-disc release to include singles B-sides and rarely heard outtakes featuring curios like a sample of Allen Ginsberg reading his own poem America. There’s also the mega-deluxe edition which adds a DVD of the band live in Paris, plus a handful of promo clips. Whichever format you opt for will depend on your level of fandom, but it’s an album that any rock fan ought to have somewhere in their collection.

It’s all too easy, in 2007, to poke fun at the group’s worthiness, at the supposedly self-important grandeur of their exalted place in the rock firmament and at Bono’s ever-growing reputation as a thorn in the side of world leaders, but almost every aspect of their modern-day persona can be traced back to this one bold and uncompromising near masterpiece.

4 stars 4 stars 4 stars 4 stars

Universal/Island | 1750948 (2-CD+DVD)

Reviewed by Terry Staunton
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