#119: U2 - The Joshua Tree (1987)

Emily: U2 is a very polarizing band to music fans. They definitely have their impassioned fan base, the people who pack the stadiums tour after tour, who buy every remastered/live/rare/never-before-heard album, and who ponder and debate the deeper meaning behind Bono’s lyrics. On the other hand, their detractors are just as vocal, saying that they’re overblown, over-the-top, and just too self-righteous for their own good. Now, I tend to fall in the second camp most of the time. After listening to The Joshua Tree, however, I can at least appreciate the other side. This is an important album for U2, and the production shows that. It’s grandiose in its musicianship, yet intricate. The Edge’s masterful guitar playing was the best part of the album, at least for me. The lyrical content is sweeping and attempts universality, though I thought that made some songs more impersonal and distant. However, this music is made for arenas and stadiums. Though I won’t be going out and buying U2 tickets anytime soon, I must commend them for knowing how to play to a massive audience. It’s a feat that few musicians can accomplish, and U2 has set the bar high for any band attempting to do it today.

Favorite Tracks: With or Without You; I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For; Exit

Zack: If you were to ask someone who the biggest band in the world is, you would likely get a wide variety of results. There would certainly be some Radiohead supporters; maybe some Dave Matthew bros. Some may even offer up Red Hot Chili Peppers, depending on if they remember that they used to release albums from time to time. But I would be willing to bet that any music fan worth his or her salt will tab U2 as the biggest. How did they get into such a position? Well my guess is that they simply acted like they were the biggest band in the world until everyone else just decided to go along with it. Which I guess sort of makes Bono a glorified Flavor Flav. They take themselves ultra-seriously and add plenty of bombast and theatrics to their music until everyone just assumes that they are the best out there. It’s one hell of a winning strategy. Nobody has really been able to duplicate it, with the possible exception of Coldplay. Modesty is for chumps, so why even bother? But behind all of that lies the music, and you can’t hide under false bravados if your music is terrible. Surely, U2 must make some pretty life changing stuff to get four albums. Well, actually, no. It’s decent, but surely no better than that under any stretch of the imagination. I think that The Joshua Tree’s legacy and sales all are held afloat by that mask that U2 puts on every morning when they wake up. Pretend like you’re the best and ultimately everyone will think that you’re the best. It may sound kind of shitty, but then again it’s hard to argue with results.
Favorite Tracks: I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For; Bullet the Blue Sky; One Tree Hill