The Joshua Tree

U2

Island Records, 1987

http://www.u2.com

REVIEW BY: Jason Warburg

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 11/15/2004

[Editor's Note: An earlier version of this review appeared in On The Town magazine on April 30, 1996.]

One of the things that separates some of the best rock music from its peers in this or any other genre is social consciousness. Rock and roll started out as much more than just a rougher, faster dancing beat -- it was music that dared to stir strong emotions, that wasn't afraid to confront the listener musically and, over time, lyrically as well. This is why U2 is a great rock and roll band, and The Joshua Tree is a great rock and roll album.

The album is actually summed up effectively in its first two minutes. The opening song, "Where the Streets Have No Name," begins as a low, resonant hum, building into a ominous wall of sound before shifting to a brief, contemplative gospel organ melody which is swiftly overtaken by the slow eruption of one of guitarist the Edge's best pulsating, shimmering riffs. Then the riff explodes forward, momentum building as Adam Clayton's bass and Larry Mullen Jr.'s drums kick the lower end into gear and the entire song blasts off like a screaming sonic rocket, climaxing as Bono cries out in a voice equal parts desperation and determination: "I want to run / I want to hide / I want to tear down the walls that hold me inside / I want to reach out and touch the flame / Where the streets have no name."my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

This is quintessential U2 -- anthemic guitar melodies powering a blistering cry for release, for a hope to sustain you through hard times. The band's spiritual roots in Christianity are constantly apparent; the cultural touchstones of their songs are crosses and angels, thorns and heaven, Jacob and Cain. In songs like "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," though, they essay their belief that the right spiritual answers are never simple ones, and that what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another.

The poetry of some of Bono's best lyrics adds another majestic element to this, the band's most consistent album. "Bullet the Blue Sky" dazzles not just with the Edge's buzz-saw lead and the coiled intensity of the vocal, but with vivid images like "Suit and tie come up to me / His face red / Like a rose on a thorn bush / Like all the colours of a royal flush." The underappreciated acoustic gem "Running to Stand Still" follows with an even more surrealistic lyric, a preview of sorts to the band's '90s material, which has taken the music off into a similarly experimental, somewhat psychedelic direction.

Looking back at this album from the vantage point of 2004, it's easy to appreciate the size of the challenge U2 faces today, trying to both recapture the old magic and move the music forward with the upcoming How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb. The raw, unself-consciously spiritual rock and roll they pioneered here has never been matched since by them or anyone else; The Joshua Tree still stands as a milestone for one of rock's premier bands and, indeed, rock and roll itself.

Rating: A

User Rating: B+


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© 2004 Jason Warburg and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Island Records, and is used for informational purposes only.