Customer Reviews
The band's best album evert 
2008-03-06
I'm not really much of a U2 fan. I do enjoy some of their music, all of the music I like by the band comes from the 1980s. THE JOSHUA TREE is my favorite U2 cd from that era. The band may be Christians and express their beliefs through their music on this album but what I like is that the songs on this album is more spiritual than religious. The themes on every song can be easily relatable to anyone of any faith (or no faith), like on "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "Where the Streets Have No Name". After all these years I still cannot get tired of listening to some of U2's biggest hits like the aforementioned tracks, and "With or Without You". My personal favorite song on the entire album is the gorgeous lush ballad "Running to Stand Still". The song still sends chill down my spine. "With or Without You" is a another great ballad that I still love after all these years. It is never cliched or condescending. Bono's lyrics on the album are like poetry in my opinion. The rest of the band compliments Bono's lyrics and functions very well as one cohesive unit. Bono may be horrified or embarassed of this era but frankly he has nothing to be ashamed of, it is current work that he should be embarassed for. THE JOSHUA TREE remains an eternal classic unlike the band's last studio album.
Best ever 
2008-01-28
I've been listening to it for twenty years now. This is the best album of any genre ever recorded. The only other one to come close is "Kind of Blue".
Beautiful simplicity 2008-01-09
The music is simple and melodic yet original. The band's output in recent years has been disappointing. When you compare everything they've done post-2000, it just doesn't come close to Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, and a few of their other earlier albums.
Coming to America! 2008-01-07
U2 is one of the most successful rock bands of all-time, and prior to 1987, built a strong foundation of deep, prophetic rock that touches the listener's soul. U2 has always been praised with their deep concern with the state of humanity and the planet we live on including efforts towards Amnesty International and the Live Aid and Live 8 concerts. The effort that ensued in the Joshua Tree is one of the most intelligently crafted, deep, meaningful and creative pieces of music ever created. U2 created this album as a tribute to the United States, and the freedom and beautiful land that it provides. The album never relinquishes its beauty, and sends chill through the air when the opening riff of "Where the Streets have no Name" echoes through the air. A magical achievement in music that few have equalled.
Sorry, I DON'T GET IT, either! 
2007-12-17
I give it a three, because I like the way "With or Without You" builds, which reminds me a teeny bit of "The Unforgettable Fire," but misses that mark--that song is like a symphony, this is just a single movement. I listened from the beginning--Gloria, I Will Follow (off Boy and October, which were kind of uneven albums, IMHO), but I liked War (New Year's Day is really good), and I loved The Unforgettable Fire, mostly for that track, but the rest is good listening as well. This album was just SO hyped, and like many have said, "Where The Streets.." and "And I Still..." are just too over-the-top, and they sound alike. (I love what the Pet Shop Boys did to "Where The Streets...," to which Bono cunningly(?) borrows a PSB song to ask them, "What Have We Done To Deserve This?" :-) Too big for your britches, and it gets worse, I fear. I think I'll like them again with Achtung Baby and POP!
'the Curse of the Colonies' 
2008-06-17
There are two glaringly obvious affectations to blame for the artistic failure of U2's 'the Joshua Tree'. One is the record company, who MUST for the sake of their shareholders, send young provincial bands to the colonies, and the huge rewards from the eager masses there. The other is the Clash.
'London Calling' sent U2, and any number of other groups from the UK and beyond, scuttling for their cowboy boots and neckerchiefs in the mistaken belief that they-could-take-on-American-influences-and-still-be-interesting....not so.
If you give young people in their 20's, lots of cash and put them on a plane to the heart of consumerism, they're gonna imbibe...and how. Within weeks they're adopting that ridiculous gait all rock groups must adopt when they're 'conquering' America, wearing leather vests, riding the subway, and plundering the not insubstantial culture to arrive at the (paid minions encouraged) conclusion that they are Guthrie, Kerouac and Dylan rolled into one.
This can only result in one thing - the recording of the `American' rock album.
In the case of a group like U2, the American Rock Album is a laughable betrayal. A suspicious dirge of such ropiness and lack of character that it becomes a danger to itself and others. A concept so crass and the results so boring that one must wonder if it's all part of the record companies (I suspect) anti-young agenda anyway. "We hate the young, let's go out of our way to not understand them, and pointedly send them off in the wrong direction."
So, Bono and Co, well stocked up on the cliché's, and even though they're from leafy avenue Dublin, don't find it at all embarrassing to sing about "red orange glows" and "fighters over mud-huts" (!)
Well it is. Very.
Take 'Bullet the Blue Sky', an AWFUL song in the worst sense. Bono thinks he's being all passionate and powerful, but in reality he's fallen head first into the ditch of tunelessness, the slurry-pit of unforgivably hideous pretention. Lyrics with no substance accompany sour one-note feedback-guitar playing. Worse, he seems to be singing in a funny accent. He's not from Brooklyn (or Nashville for that matter!) he's from Ireland. To hear him drawl "into the arms of Amurca.." and reciting some of the worst poetry you'll hear, "rose on a thorn bush, like the colours of a Royal Flush, and he's peeling off those dollar bills, slappin' 'em down..100...200" and worse: "take the staircase to the first floor, turn the key and slowly unlock the door, a guy breathes into his saxophone, and through the walls you can hear the city groan...outside it's Amurca" it's so bad it can actually pull you up short. Sharp intake of breath and all that. To some-one who adored the likes of 'Boy' and 'October' (ie; Me!) it's quite hard to take.
Apart from the singles (too obvious, obviously) 'Red Hill Mining Town' is passable, but spoiled by more rotten poetry and commonplace rising orchestra, and there is one good song(!)-'One Tree Hill'.
Here,U2 forego all the faux- rockism to a degree, and deliver an almost jaunty, calypso-led number. It's still has some of the (deliberate) dirge-style quality of the rest of the album, but it seems there is genuine soul at work, trying to break free of the creative constraints and narrowness. Up to a point it succeeds, until it's effect is bludgeoned to a pulp by 'Exit', a worthless ballad trying to invoke the spirit of 'Combat Rock's - Death is a Star' but failing miserably.
I had to laugh at 'Running to Stand Still' too, where Bono meaningfully intones "Halal, halal, halal ..today" (That'd be all we need, Bono in the Islam corner!) over a music operating at no level of competence above that of the worst 70's campus commando's, before letting rip with more yodelling and angst. Then, just to ram the whole farcical context home, a Dylan-style harmonica comes in, serving just one purpose only...further attempted authenticity. But by now it's not even consolation.
The rest of 'The Joshua Tree' ploughs a pedestrian and unoriginal rock furrow. Very quickly the listener becomes bored with gospel backing singers (an abomination in rock terms) and long, purposeless passages of egotistical and neurotic verse and sludgy, murky geetar. Gets more and more irritated at Bono's 'soulful' posturing and screaming. Becomes homicidal at yet more "faces frozen against the wind" and "red desert skies". (I didn't know there were deserts in Contae Bhaile Atha Cliath, Paul. You live and learn.)
'The Joshua Tree' isn't a surprise, and that's a major problem with it. It doesn't need a genius to predict that the US would have this kind of influence on U2 and that this was the only album that could result. People spend lifetimes making sense of this massive culture and only scratch the surface, U2 think they can do it after a couple albums and a tour. Dazed and daunted before their time is the inevitable result.
'The Joshua Tree' is the sound of rock eating it's young alive.
March 9th, 1987 ... 2008-04-27
To say that this was probably a red-letter day in the history of music ... is an understatement.
When this first album came out, I missed it completely. I just wasn't listening to anything this mainstream at the time and was caught up in the beginning of absorbing myself with classical music. I was young once and couldn't possibly be that hip to catch everything on the early adoption tip. I view this album probably as important as Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, as that may be what they were going for, or Vivaldi's Stabat Mater. These albums are all equally important and affected both music ever after and the listeners as well.
To date, April 2008, The Joshua Tree has several different releases now.
The Original Studio Release - c. 1989
The Superbit `Gold CD' Release - c. 1990
The Remastered Release - c. 2007
Amazon also has a combined 460 reviews on this product now and while most of the populous enjoy this, a contingent of listeners don't feel that this measures up to be one of the great rock albums of all time.
While I do feel that this is one of the best albums of the last 100 years, easily, it is not a Rock album, per se. I know that may sound deviant to you, but it's very simply explained.
The bulk of the songs on this album are ballads. You may not want to hear that, but it's the truth. Some may just be realizing this for the first time, and it's okay, too. While I have no problem with ballads, being big fan of Beethoven and Chopin, masters of just such a thing, I wouldn't dare call Moonlight Sonata (Sonata Quasi una Fantasia) Rock Music at any time. Ballads are just that, they're ballads. They're beautiful and they typically speak on the subject of love, loss, frustration or isolation. That's not a rigid rule, but just a personal observation.
1. 'Where the Streets have no name' - Ballad. A song about feelings of isolation and love.
2. 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For' - Ballad. Another song about the feelings concerning isolation, loss and love.
3. 'With or Without You' - Ballad. Another song about the feelings concerning isolation, loss and love.
4. 'Bullet The Blue Sky' - Rock Song Primo. A song about political discord, military might, poverty, etc.
5. 'Running To Stand Still' - Ballad. A song about isolation
6. 'Red Hill Mining Town' - Ballad. A song FULL of double entendres about sex, love and frustration.
7. 'In God's Country' - A Bluesy Ballad. A song about a girl ...
8. 'Trip Through Your Wires' - Rock Song.
9. 'One Tree Hill' - A bluesy ballad. A song a bout a girl, and emotions of love.
10. 'Exit' - A unclassifiable song about frustration, danger and isolation
11. 'Mothers Of The Disappeared' - Your guess is as good as mine on this one.
So ... what's the score here? The ballads heavily outweigh the Rock anthems. While this isn't necessarily an indictment on this album it's just an opinion placed casting light on seeing this album in the proper context. U2 has been branded passion rock since this album came out, and it's probably fitting to say the least, but they are one of the best RnR bands on the planet. People should just see this release for what it is. If one day, the bulk of us decided to start referring to Sting's Ten Summoner's Tales as Rock or even Hard Rock and not Easy Listening, then more of his listeners would be displeased by that as well.
The Joshua Tree is a groundbreaking album where a lot of U2 fans split off after this, unhappily. But over the years they gained even more fans with the releases after Joshua Tree, myself included. But it is a masterpiece in every sense of the word.
Their best album! 2008-04-12
This album contains many of people's favorite U2 songs - this is my favoite album (and I have all of them). Highly recommended!
Still a work of art! 2008-04-01
This album was released over twenty years ago, I was in college when it broke, and in this era where actual musical talent is no longer required to get someone on MTV...this CD is still a work of art.
A sonic departure from their earlier works, Tree builds upon the European sound of "Unforgettable Fire" and adds an American R&B simplicity to it. The hits from the the first side of the album are well documented...but the real magic here is on side 2...well from "Red Hill Mining Town onward for the CD generation. "Town", "Trip Through Your Wire", "Exit" are remarkable tunes and "One Tree Hill" might be the best song U2 has ever laid down (perhaps only eclipsed by "One")
This is one of the classic albums of the eighties without a doubt, and of our generation.
I Don't Get It 2008-03-31
Not only don't I get why this is considered one of the best albums of the 1980's, I don't get how U2 came to be so successful at all. I've listened to all of their music and I can count on an average of about 3 songs per album that don't put me to sleep. Then, the songs that are fast always sound like they have the same guitar part! Maybe I'm not "worldly" enough or something. I just never got it.
