U2, "The Joshua Tree"
Ken finds what he's looking for
Ken’s Pitch:
A lot of my favorite music is a bit before my time, and because of that I discovered it long after it became popular. I took my first deep dive into The Beatles in 1984, the same year I heard Born in the USA and became a Springsteen fan. My first foray into The Rolling Stones was early for me (I was 10), but the album was Tattoo You and their best stuff was years before. There were some great albums that were introduced to me at the same time as they were announced to the world; I remember vividly the several weeks Freeze Frame was the talk of the town, and Synchronicity was huge too, but they weren’t those once-or-twice-in-a-generation albums. A lot of kids my age were already into U2 by the mid-’80s, but I wasn’t one of them. I could sing along to “I Will Follow”, “Gloria”, “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, and “Pride (In the Name of Love)” but I wasn’t what one might call “into” the band. That changed in March of 1987 when The Joshua Tree almost instantaneously became the biggest rock album of the ‘80s, and for the first time since Thriller, I experienced a mega-album in real-time.
U2 was already one of the biggest bands on the planet by 1987; they had four successful studio albums and a huge live album under their belt. Their reputation in the music universe was a massive, fiery ball of energy and momentum that was growing with each new release, and The Joshua Tree became their Big Bang. Bono was well-known as one of the finest and most powerful voices in rock, The Edge had a signature sound, and his use of effects to facilitate certain moods helped create a uniqueness that was wholly owned by the boys from Ireland. And while Adam and Larry hung somewhat in the background, they are as solid a rhythm section as any rock band has ever had, and they play their parts on stage and in public with the utmost sophistication and class.
The trouble with pantheon-level albums is that we’ve heard them a thousand times, and over the years they become more comfortable than they are awe-inspiring. But even after 34 years, if you can listen to those first 40 seconds of “Where The Streets Have No Name” without great anticipation that something incredible is about to happen, you’re probably not doing it right. From “Streets”, we’re launched right into “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” which is not only one of U2’s greatest songs, but it also became one of the most highly-acclaimed songs in rock history.
This album is a who’s who (or a what’s what) of 1980s radio staples. The two already mentioned were actually way overplayed back in the days of radio. But continuing down the line, “With Or Without You”, “Bullet The Blue Sky”, “In God’s Country” and “Exit” all ended up on the charts as well. And for my money, the best song on the album is “Red Hill Mining Town”, a beautiful protest song which set the table for the politically-driven content that would go on to define much of the band’s work throughout the 1990s.
I went out and bought The Unforgettable Fire and War after listening to The Joshua Tree nonstop for about a month, and they are both great albums. But there is nothing like experiencing a new album in real-time, and being blown away along with several million of your closest friends around the world.
CJ’s Response:
U2 makes me think a lot of things. I listen to songs like “I Will Follow”, “Out of Control” and “Gloria” and I think “Man, that is once-in-a-generation music.” Then, I listen to songs like “Numb”, “One” and “Lemon” and I think “Man, that is gawd awful.”
I see Bono planting the white flag at Red Rocks while leading 10,000 people in an anti-war chant and I think, “That dude held us in thrall.” Then, I see Bono appearing on panels with world leaders and I think, “That dude is reaching levels of sanctimony and self-righteousness heretofore only achieved by Don Henley.”
U2 makes me think a lot of things.
What I’m not ambivalent about is The Joshua Tree. It’s an exceptional album chock-a-block with legendary songs. “Bullet the Blue Sky” is a personal favorite. “Trip Through Your Wires” gets better with age. And, like Ken, I believe that “Red Hill Mining Town” is the hidden gem, if any song can actually be overlooked on this record.
Unfortunately, “The Joshua Tree” is also the album where U2 went from being rock stars to being celebrities, much to their detriment. So, once again, I am conflicted. And when I get conflicted, I tell stories:
Back in the ‘90s, my dad went to Ireland for two weeks on business. He spent his last night at a boutique hotel in Dublin. As he was sitting at breakfast waiting for his ride to the airport, a man approached and sat down across from him. The man said he was the owner of the hotel and he wanted to know if my dad had enjoyed his stay. They chatted amiably for a few minutes and then my dad saw his driver waving from across the room. He and the man shook hands and wished each other well.
When he got into the car, the driver, who was inexplicably flustered, turned to my dad and asked, “How long have you known Bono?”
To which my dad replied, “Who?”
Turns out Bono owned the hotel. He must’ve seen my dad, guessed correctly that this man would have no idea who he was and figured he could actually get some honest feedback on his hotel.
When my dad got back to the States, he called me first thing. “Guess who I met?” he gushed, excitedly. “Bono.” Except he pronounced it so that Bo and No rhymed.
“Really?” I replied. “What was Cher’s ex-husband doing in Ireland?”
Pitch Successful
Don’s Response:
Fall 1987, a 17-year-old girl and her friend were headed to a Philadelphia Phillies game at the old Veterans Stadium. Upon arrival, they realized their favorite band was playing next door at JFK Stadium. Whilst wistfully wishing they could sneak into the concert, a stranger approached, offering two tickets he couldn’t use. Turns out they were pretty good seats. Front row, matter of fact. The band was U2, and the girl still has The Joshua Tree t-shirt to prove it. Best luck ever.
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Spring 1987, a 16-year-old boy was at the captain’s practice for the Staples High School baseball team. It was a Saturday, so the good news was Coach Kelley wouldn’t be there. The bad news was he had enlisted the captains to coax the team into trimming the vines that were swallowing the left field fence. It was lining up to be a terrible waste of time. But then shortstop Josh Garey arrived and pulled his Volkswagen GTI into the unchaperoned shallow left field, opened the hatch, and blared the newest cassette he’d just lifted from his big brother. The album was The Joshua Tree. It was the first any of us had heard it. Best practice ever.
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Throughout 1987, nothing was bigger than The Joshua Tree. Especially to that boy and that girl, who happen to be myself and my wife. Our mutual love for U2 was one of the first things that bonded us when we met the next year at University of Richmond.
By Summer 2017, we’d been together nearly 3 decades, with 3 kids, and all the trappings. But we dropped everything when U2 landed in Boston as part of their triumphant 30th Anniversary Joshua Tree tour. After all, Gillette Stadium was only 20 minutes away, and what could be better than listening to them play some of our favorite songs on a ballfield?
Once again, U2 knocked us out with the colossal 1-2-3 punch of “Where The Streets Have No Name,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” and “With Or Without You.” The more modest, hidden gems “Running To Stand Still” and “One Tree Hill” were equally potent.
At one point I looked around as virtually all 60,000 attendees were singing along at full throat to U2’s anthems. Nearly everyone was in our life stage. And like the songs, for a night, it seemed we’d all aged well.
My wife wore the 1987 t-shirt. Best night ever.
Pitch Successful
Mitch’s Response:
My most hipsterish music take of all time is that U2 sold out with The Joshua Tree. Unlike Ken, I was a huge U2 fan from the get-go and I adored those first four albums (well, October a little less). When Bono was on stage waving that flag around I was convinced that U2 was an important band and that music could still change the world. I had no idea what Bono was fighting, but I assumed that he, too, was outraged that we weren’t allowed soda or shorts in middle school.
My most embarrassing music story is that one day in the early ‘80s I lied to my friends about owning a U2 concert tee shirt and didn’t consider that they might make me bike the three blocks home to prove it. Obviously, I refused to admit the lie, grabbed a white undershirt and some markers and made my own not-very-convincing “U2: SUNDAY BLODDY SUNDAY” concert tee and went back to my friend’s house. Thankfully, I’ve blacked out whatever happened next.
Upon reconsideration: I was right the first time. The Joshua Tree is the album where U2 tries too hard to score hits (“I Still Haven’t Found”) and Bono becomes a bit of a caricature (“Bullet the Blue Sky”). They still write incredible songs ( “Running to Stand Still”, “Red Hill Mining Town”) but the album really loses steam on the second half of side B.
I love U2. They are a pantheon-level band. Boy and The Unforgettable Fire are desert island discs. I respect them and their unique sound and Bono’s incredible voice. They deserve all of the success and acclaim that they’ve earned.
But The Joshua Tree is definitely their sell-out album.
Pitch Successful
Ken’s pitch went bonzo for Bono and U2’s The Joshua Tree has been added to the Newbury St. Collection.
All I want is you to get on your boots and fly to the comments section and tell us whether U2’s The Joshua Tree is bad or the sweetest thing.
Please join us next week as Don lights up the night sky with Nick Drake’s masterpiece, Pink Moon.
As the others know, I think the points are silly. But maybe I’m wrong. Perhaps. I liked how Ken put it out there with TJT. Not the “coolest” U2 album. So I appreciated his sell.
CJ throwing shade at "One" shouldn't surprise me, but for some reason it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.