#135 U2, 'The Joshua Tree' (1987)
Previously #27
During U2’s meteoric rise in the early ‘80s, the band fell in love with the US after multiple months-long tours. Their strong affection for the country inspired them to write ‘The Joshua Tree,’ their love letter to the US. By this stage, they were, by all accounts, an incredibly successful band. They’d enjoyed #1 albums in the UK, Australia & New Zealand and already had a few hit singles under their belt, but it was this record that made them the biggest band in the world. Love them or hate them, U2 created a masterpiece. An album of epic cinematic proportions, thanks to the massive production by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno backed up by solidly crafted songs. The album opens with the 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 latter two producing the only two #1 singles for the band in the US and all three topping the charts in their native Ireland.
With the singles out of the way, the album takes a turn down a dusty road on ‘Bullet The Blue Sky,’ opening with one of my favourite drum performances by Larry Mullen Jr, backed up by Adam Clayton’s driving bass. The rhythm section in this band is just so tight. Slowing down for ‘Running To Stand Still,’ Bono gives a masterclass in singing. ‘Red Hill Mining Town,’ another highlight vocally, is about the National Union of Mineworkers' 1984 strike in Great Britain. U2 has always been a politically & socially motivated band singing about issues with conviction. This song is inspired by the UK, but it could take place in the desert, the Joshua Tree Desert, no less, which is a good segue way into ‘In God’s Country,’ a song about the desert. And that’s the continuing theme throughout the record. It’s hot, it’s dusty and it’s spiritual. This record is timeless and sounds as good today as it did 34 years ago. To date it’s sold 25 million copies, won 2 Grammys and remains the band’s best-selling album. The album went to #1 in every single country except for Australia, where it was held off by John Farnham’s ‘Whispering Jack,’ an album that spent 25 weeks at #1 and is the best-selling album in Australia by an Australian artist. Unlucky for U2 who missed out on the clean sweep.
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