Originally released on 9 March, 1987, a date billed by rock critics as the most important music event since the Beatles split, U2’s The Joshua Tree surpassed all high expectations.
In spite of its gloomy surface – Anton Corbijn’s stark, black and white cover photography, the death of crewmember Greg Carroll hanging over the recording sessions, the restless lyrics yearning for spiritual and political wholeness – this set of desert dry rock propelled the Irish rockers into 16 million homes and onto the cover of Time magazine. It was a masterpiece.
Reinforced by producers Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno’s art school textures, U2 were given the freedom to explore American roots and craft loud, explosive anthems big enough for stadiums, yet exquisite enough to accompany long road trips.
"U2 is what the Rolling Stones ceased being years ago – the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band in the world" , Robert Hilburn concluded in his album review for the Los Angeles Times.
And now, 20 years after it was conceived, Bono, Edge, Larry and Adam revisit the album that changed their lives forever. And what a package they’ve come up with too. In addition to the remastered album, the Super Deluxe Edition boasts a second disc with B sides and rarities, a bonus Live from Paris DVD, promo clips, documentary and 56 page hardback book.
They say:
IGN: “Holds up surprisingly well all these years later.”
We say:
You know the songs by now, but how do they sound after a bit of spit and polish? Well, they sound fantastic. To quote fictional Eighties yuppie cum serial killer Patrick Bateman, you can practically hear every nuance of every instrument, especially bass and drums which were short changed on the original release.
Crisper, clearer and fuller without any noticeable clipping, it is a far cry from U2’s recent studio output which has been plagued by sound wars (i.e. cranking up every instrument in the mix). And for that, it should be applauded.
The B sides aren’t too shabby, either. Indeed, such was U2’s level of creativity back in ‘87 that many of these would have been scorching 45s for other artists, with highlights including ‘Walk to the Water’, which tells of a brief sexual encounter between two strangers over music as lonesome as their hearts; ‘Deep in the Heart’, a dark, seductive, disturbingly erotic tale of a man’s sinful obsession and relations with a 13 year old girl, clearly influenced by Vladimir Nabokov’s literary classic Lolita; and the haunting ‘Wave of Sorrow’, a previously unreleased JT demo Bono (in fine vocal form here) recently completed about his experience in Ethiopia as a volunteer for World Vision.
Elsewhere, the stunning Paris DVD and Outside It’s America documentary are everything U2’s pompous Rattle and Hum movie should have been: exhilarating, moving and genuinely insightful.
Like this? Try these:
Bob Dylan – Dylan
Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run
The Rolling Stones – Rolled Gold
RELEASED
Out now
LABEL
Mercury
POSTED...
Thu 6 Dec 2007 at 11:57am
