Music: The Joshua Tree (U2)

Album Review: The Joshua Tree by U2

Joshua Tree, U2's fifth studio album, was released in March 1987 (look at all these great albums released around my birth! ;) I wouldn't say that I'm a U2 aficionado at all; this is pretty much the only album I know very well. I also have their greatest hits album and a few others, and I have to say, I think Joshua Tree is far better than most of their other material. I think Bono is a great vocalist, but the style of most of their music is just not quite my thing. Still good, though. And this album is just fantastic. It's another that I remember from way back in my childhood, so that's one reason, but it still resonates.

1. "Where The Streets Have No Name"
What a way to start. First we have a haunting organ/keyboard introduction, and then the great guitar part comes in to change the tone even as the organ fades out. Bono's vocal is fantastic, and the verses convey a sense of longing that has a neat combination of the haunting from the organ intro as well as the more hopeful tone of the guitar part. The chorus is a perfectly smooth transition from the verses and does a great job of encapsulating those varied moods, just like the chorus should, without going overboard. Bono's intensity builds throughout, the doesn't explode, and the song finally ends with the organ/keyboard again. Fantastic opener.

2. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
Now for my favorite U2 song, and probably one of my top 20 or so favorite songs overall. It's a pretty simple song, and I'd certainly say the opening track is considerably more complex. But the power of this song, I think, is just incredible. The verses are, again, hopeful and yet both reminiscent and regretful as well. It sounds like Bono is praying, but just singing his prayer. And then of course the chorus, which is simply the song's title; Bono's voice rises and holds on the "still," and that combination of regret with hope is at its strongest. The song just keeps powering along throughout; not a lot of variation, but it doesn't need it. This one always gets me at least a little emotional.

3. "With Or Without You"
What can you say? You'd be hard-pressed to come up with a better string of three songs on any album. The song starts at a decent pace, with a subdued lyric from Bono bracketed by a prominent bass line on the bottom and high-pitched synthesizers of some kind at the top. After the first verse, Bono's vocal acquires considerably more intensity and the guitars start to break out. Bono's vocal rises like a wave singing the song's title, bringing it up to the crest - and then whoosh - an explosion of energy that will send chills running down your spine even after hearing it dozens of times. And after that, the wave peters out harmlessly on the beach, as the listener recovers and rides it out on some finishing guitar parts. Three for three.

4. "Bullet the Blue Sky"
This song is what I think of when pondering an "average" U2 song. This track is far harsher and less musically smooth than the terrific trio to start the album. Which isn't to say it's a bad song; in fact, I think it's quite creative and has some strengths; but it's also the style of U2 that makes me more of a casual fan of theirs. The song starts with distorted, harsh guitar sounds before going to an equally harsh vocal from Bono. There is a neat bass part hidden beneath it all, and I like the drum part as well. In typical U2 fashion, the singing of the title in the chorus is catchy enough. Probably one of the best U2-style songs.

5. "Running To Stand Still"
The intensity and the volume come way down in this one. When you switch from distorted guitar to piano as the main instrument, that tends to happen. The verses are fine; they are quite reflective in mood, and Bono does a good job in his transition to this style (although I think his voice is a little better suited for the louder stuff). He does have a few nice falsetto parts here. There's even a little harmonica part towards the end. This one won't blow you away, but it's certainly a nice little song.

6. "Red Hill Mining Town"
This one channels the musical style of "Where The Streets Have No Name," with a bit of the intensity of "With Or Without You" - but it doesn't do either nearly as well. Again, though, that's not to say it's bad, simply not amazing. I think the biggest problem is just that - it doesn't seem to have much new to add musically, being a little too derivative of the classic tracks on the album. I do like a couple things about this song in particular, such as the guitar part and the backing vocals that come in during the chorus. Verses and chorus are fine, but really nothing special, at least relative to the rest of the album.

7. "In God's Country"
I think of this song as sort of the more upbeat, happier sibling of "Bullet the Blue Sky". The instrumentals of both songs are pretty active - especially in this one - but the harshness of "Bullet" is completely absent here. The biggest downside to this song, unfortunately, is the chorus, which musically is pretty lazy I think, and not very pretty (which it should have been). The verses are pretty cool, though, and the guitars just continue to drive it forward. Another fine vocal from Bono - a decent song, but kind of mediocre for the album.

8. "Trip Through Your Wires"
Eeek. This one does not appeal to me much at all. It strikes me as a strange sort of combination of U2 rock with American country (harmonica included) and a romantic touch that falls flat on its face. The swing to it almost feels like parody, and the sustained vocals do not suit Bono's abilities at all. I guess the... bass is alright. OK, let's move on.

9. "One Tree Hill"
This is more like it! I consider this sort of the lost classic of the album (or maybe not lost; like I say, I'm not a U2 aficionado, but know it wasn't a hit single). Driving the song forward is a fantastic guitar part, supported by yet another strong bass part. Bono's voice works just as well in this one as it does in the earlier hits, and the verses just mesh perfectly with that sweet guitar. Just like in "Where The Streets", the chorus just fits in perfectly smoothly. The song goes along at a fairly subdued intensity for awhile, but suddenly builds with about a minute left, in a very "With Or Without You" like way. Unlike "Red Hill Mining Town", however, this combination of earlier hits works perfectly. It even ends with an unexpected little a capella rendition of the chorus. Fantastic.

10. "Exit"
Here's kind of a strange one. It takes about a minute for this one to really start. Bono has only a limited vocal in this one, and it's mainly instrumental. It almost seems like just an atmospheric sort of song, but it does a very nice job of creating that atmosphere of forboding. Yet another great bass part is involved, but the guitars do a great job while ceding the starring role to the bass and the drums accompany things very well, too. Cool song, though limited.

11. "Mothers Of The Disappeared"
Good way to end album (in fact, a little tidbit from Wikipedia says that U2 only stipulated the placement of this one and the opening track). It brings back the haunting mood of "Where The Streets", which is appropriate considering the title of the song. The guitar sets the tone with a kind of strange part, but one that is appropriate and contributes to the haunting. There are bits and pieces of some harsher sounding instruments, but they are kept minimal to only supplement the mood. Bono's vocal is restrained but detailed; I think there may be a backing chorus too, but I'm not sure. It's a good finisher to the album, though perhaps not a great standalone track.

Score: 4.5 out of 5. The first three songs along are practically worth giving this song its score, but the rest is also at least decent, with some highs and lows as usual. It seems like I'm giving out great scores left and right... but I can't diminish any of these classics! And this one deserves to be right there with the others.

Essentials: "Where The Streets Have No Name", "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", "With Or Without You", "One Tree Hill"
Weak(er) Songs: "Trip Through Your Wires", "In God's Country"