The Joshua Tree

The Joshua Tree
A wide monochrome photograph of four men standing in the desert sits slightly above the center of black image, spanning the width of the background. The men are standing on the left half of the photograph, while a mountain range is visible on the right half. Small gold stripes border the top and bottom of the photograph. Tiny gold text reading "THE JOSHUA TREE U2" is stretched across the top of the cover against the black background.
Studio album by U2
Released 9 March 1987
Recorded

January 1986 – January 1987 in Dublin, Ireland

  • STS Studios
  • Danesmoate
  • Melbeach
  • Windmill Lane Studios
Genre Rock
Length 50:11
Label Island
422-842298-1
Producer Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno
U2 chronology
The Unforgettable Fire
(1984)		 The Joshua Tree
(1987)		 Rattle and Hum
(1988)
Singles from The Joshua Tree
  1. "With or Without You"
    Released: March 1987
  2. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
    Released: May 1987
  3. "Where the Streets Have No Name"
    Released: August 1987
  4. "In God's Country"
    Released: November 1987 (North America only)
  5. "One Tree Hill"
    Released: March 1988 (Australia and New Zealand only)

The Joshua Tree is the fifth studio album by rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 9 March 1987 on Island Records. In contrast to the ambient experimentation of their 1984 release The Unforgettable Fire, for The Joshua Tree, U2 aimed for a harder-hitting sound that used the limitation of strict song structures. The album incorporates influences from American and Irish roots music into the band's sound, and thematically, it depicts their love-hate relationship with the United States.

Inspired by tour experiences in the United States and American literature they were reading, U2 settled on "America" as a theme for the record. Recording began in January 1986 in Ireland, and to foster a relaxed, creative atmosphere, the group recorded in two houses, in addition to two professional studios. Several events during the sessions helped shape the politically- and socially-conscious tone of the album, including the band's participation in A Conspiracy of Hope tour, the death of roadie Greg Carroll, and lead vocalist Bono's travels to Central America. Recording completed in November, with additional production continuing into January 1987. Throughout the sessions, U2 sought a "cinematic" quality for the record that would evoke a sense of location, in particular, the open spaces of America. They represented this in the sleeve's photographs depicting them in American desert landscapes and with a lone Yucca brevifolia plant ("Joshua tree").

The album received critical acclaim, topped the charts in over 20 countries, and sold in record-breaking numbers. According to Rolling Stone, the album increased the band's stature "from heroes to superstars". It produced the hit singles "Where the Streets Have No Name", "With or Without You", and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For". The album won Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1988. The group supported the record with the successful Joshua Tree Tour. Frequently cited as one of the greatest albums in rock history, The Joshua Tree is one of the world's all-time best-selling albums, selling over 25 million copies. In 2007, U2 released a 20th anniversary remastered edition of the record.

Contents

Background

Before The Joshua Tree, U2 had released four studio albums and were an internationally successful band, particularly as a live act having toured every year in the 1980s.[1] The group's stature and the public's anticipation for a new album grew following their 1984 record, The Unforgettable Fire, their subsequent tour, and their participation in Live Aid in 1985 and the Conspiracy of Hope Tour in 1986. U2 began writing new material in mid-1985 following the Unforgettable Fire Tour.[1][2]

In the first half of the 1980s, the band spent up to five months per year touring in the United States. Band manager Paul McGuinness recounted that The Joshua Tree subsequently originated from "the great romance" that the band had with the country.[1] Lead vocalist Bono read the works of American writers such as Norman Mailer, Flannery O'Connor, and Raymond Carver so as to understand, in the words of Hot Press editor Niall Stokes, "those on the fringes of the promised land, cut off from the American dream".[3]

In 1985, Bono participated in Steven Van Zandt's anti-apartheid Sun City project, spending time with Keith Richards and Mick Jagger. When Richards and Jagger played blues, Bono was embarrassed by his lack of familiarity with the genre, as most of U2's musical knowledge began with punk rock in their youth in the mid-1970s. Bono realised that U2 "had no tradition", and he felt as if they "were from outer space". He was subsequently inspired to write "Silver and Gold", a blues-influenced song that he recorded with Richards and Ronnie Wood.[4] Until that time, U2 had been antipathetic towards roots music, but after spending time with fellow Irish bands The Waterboys and Hothouse Flowers, they felt a sense of indigenous Irish music blending with American folk music.[2] Nascent friendships with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and Richards encouraged U2 to look back to rock's roots and focused Bono on his skills as a song writer and lyricist.[5][6] Dylan told Bono of his own debt to Irish music,[7] and Bono's interest in music traditions was further demonstrated in his duet with Irish Celtic and folk group Clannad on the track "In a Lifetime".[7]

The band wanted to build on the textures of The Unforgettable Fire, but in contrast to that record's often out-of-focus experimentation, they sought a harder-hitting sound within the discipline of more conventional song structures.[8] Guitarist The Edge wanted the band to continue the European atmospherics of The Unforgettable Fire and was initially reluctant to follow the lead of Bono, who, inspired by Dylan's instruction to "go back", wanted a more American, bluesy sound.[9] Despite not having a consensus on musical direction, the group members agreed that they felt disconnected from the dominant synthpop and New Wave music of the time, and they wanted to continue making music that contrasted with these genres.[1]

Recording and production

"We had experimented a lot in [The Unforgettable Fire's] making and done quite revolutionary things for us... Well, we felt on this record that maybe options were not such a good thing. That limitation might be very positive and conducive. So we decided to work within the limitations of the song as a starting point. Let's actually write songs. We wanted the record to be less vague, open-ended, atmospheric and impressionistic. Make it more straightforward, focused and concise."

—The Edge, on the band's approach to The Joshua Tree[10]

In late 1985, U2 moved to drummer Larry Mullen, Jr.'s newly-purchased home to work on material written during The Unforgettable Fire Tour. This included demos that would evolve into "With or Without You", "Red Hill Mining Town", "Trip Through Your Wires", and a song called "Womanfish". The Edge recalls it as a difficult period with a sense of "going nowhere", although Bono was set on America as a theme for the album.[2]

Based on their success with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois on The Unforgettable Fire, U2 wanted the duo to produce their new album.[11] Mullen was excited about working with them again, as he felt the pair, Lanois in particular, were the band's first producers who "really [took] an interest in the rhythm section".[1] Lanois later spoke of the group's progress in musical proficiency since The Unforgettable Fire's recording.[11] Mark "Flood" Ellis was engineer for the sessions, marking the first time he worked with U2.[9] The band was impressed by his work with Nick Cave, and Bono's friend Gavin Friday also recommended Flood based on their work experiences together when Friday was a member of the Virgin Prunes.[11] Flood recalled that the band had asked for a sound that was "very open... ambient... with a real sense of space of the environment you were in", which he thought were very unusual requests at that time.[1]

Front gates to Danesmoate, one of two houses at which the band recorded.

Intending to release an album in late 1986, U2 set up a studio in Danesmoate House in January of that year.[9] The band wanted to use Danesmoate, a Georgian house in Rathfarnham in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains, to create atmosphere and inspiration, much like their use of Slane Castle for The Unforgettable Fire sessions in 1984.[9] While the band mainly recorded downstairs, their friends Guggi and Gavin Friday used the upstairs rooms to paint, and Bono regularly joined them on trips into Dublin to work with artist Charlie Whisker.[9] A makeshift control room with tape machines, a mixing desk, and other outboard equipment was set up in the dining room, with the adjacent drawing room used for recording and performing.[9] The large doors separating the rooms were replaced with a glass screen, and to maintain a relaxed "non-studio" atmosphere for the sessions, the control room was dubbed the "lyric room" and the recording space was called the "band room".[11] The band found the house to have a very creative atmosphere. The large drawing room, with tall ceiling and wooden floors, created an "ear-splitting" drum sound, that while difficult to work with, produced takes that ended up on the finished album.[12] Lanois said that it "was loud, but it was really good loud, real dense, very musical. In my opinion it was the most rock and roll room of the lot." He thought the room sounded better than Slane Castle, and he was particularly impressed with the room's "low mid-range ... where the music lives", a property that he believes was a major factor in the success of The Joshua Tree.[11]

U2 began with their usual method of sorting through tapes from soundcheck jams, working through Bono's lyric book, and recording jam sessions.[11] Eno and Lanois intentionally worked with the band at alternate times—one producer for a week or two, followed by the other. Eno and Lanois encouraged an interest in older songs, particularly American roots music. More contemporary references included the textural guitar work of The Smiths and My Bloody Valentine.[11] The band's musical vocabulary had improved since their previous album, facilitating communication and collaboration with the production team.[11] One of the first songs worked on was "Heartland", which started during The Unforgettable Fire sessions and was eventually released on 1988's Rattle and Hum.[9] "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", two of the album's most significant songs, were written early in the sessions, giving them the confidence to experiment.[11] Subsequent sessions at STS Studios in Dublin with producer Paul Barrett saw further development of "With or Without You" and the genesis of "Bullet the Blue Sky".[2] U2's songwriting methods were also developing; not all material was being worked out in band sessions, rather Bono and The Edge often brought basic song ideas to the rest of the group.[13]

U2 interrupted the sessions to join Amnesty International's A Conspiracy of Hope Tour in June 1986. Rather than distract the band, the tour added extra intensity and power to their new music and provided extra focus to what they wanted to say.[14] For bassist Adam Clayton, the tour validated the "rawness of content" and their attempts to capture the "bleakness and greed of America under Ronald Reagan".[14] In July, Bono travelled to Nicaragua and El Salvador and saw firsthand the distress of peasants bullied by political conflicts and US military intervention, experiences which formed the basis of the lyrics for "Bullet the Blue Sky" and "Mothers of the Disappeared".[15] The group experienced a tragedy in July when Bono's personal assistant and roadie Greg Carroll was killed in a motorcycle accident in Dublin. The 26-year-old's death overwhelmed the U2 organisation, and the band traveled to his native New Zealand to attend his traditional Māori funeral.[15]

On 1 August 1986, U2 regrouped at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin to resume work on the album.[9] Work continued for the rest of the year, with the band also using Danesmoate, STS Studios, and The Edge's newly-bought home, Melbeach.[9] "Mothers of the Disappeared" and "Bullet the Blue Sky" were among the songs that the group made progress on at Melbeach. Lanois said "the bulk of the record was done at The Edge's house. Even though the Danesmoate sessions were the backbone of the tonality of the record—we got a lot of the drums done in there."[11] In August, Robbie Robertson, the former guitarist and chief songwriter for The Band, visited Dublin to complete an album that Lanois was producing. Since Lanois was working with U2, Robertson recorded two tracks with the group that appear on his self-titled solo album.[11][16]

Recording for The Joshua Tree wrapped up in November 1986. Rough mixes had been created after each song was recorded, to, in Lanois' words, take "snapshots along the way ... because sometimes you go too far".[11] The final weeks were a frantic rush to finish, with the band and production crew all suffering from exhaustion.[11] Lanois and Pat McCarthy mixed songs at Melbeach on an AMEK 2500 mixing desk, where without console automation, they needed three people at the console. Eno and Flood had minimal involvement with the final mixes. In late December, U2 called in Steve Lillywhite, producer of their first three albums, to remix a few of the new songs, in particular the likely singles. His job was to make the songs more appealing to commercial radio, and his eleventh-hour presence and changes caused discontent among the production crew, including Eno and Lanois.[17] Lillywhite's remixing work was done on an SLL desk and extended into the new year.[11][16]

A creative spurt in October had resulted in new song ideas. However, they were shelved at Eno's suggestion lest they miss the deadline for the album's completion.[16] These songs were finished in January 1987 following the completion of the album proper. They were used as B-sides to the album's singles and included "Walk to the Water", "Luminous Times (Hold Onto Love)", and "Spanish Eyes".[18] The band considered releasing The Joshua Tree as a double-album that would have included the B-sides. Bono was the most vocal proponent of the idea, whereas The Edge argued for the 11-track version that was ultimately released.[19] U2 agreed that the track "Birdland" was too strong for a B-side and they held it for a future album release.[18] In 2007, a re-recorded version of the song, retitled "Wave of Sorrow (Birdland)", was included with the 20th anniversary edition of the album.

On completion of The Joshua Tree, Bono said that he was "as pleased with the record as I can ever be pleased with a record". Although he was "very rarely pleased" with their finished albums to that point, he thought the new record was their most "complete" since their first.[6] In 1987, Clayton bought the Danesmoate house, and it remains his Dublin home.[20]

Composition

"I love being there, I love America, I love the feeling of the wide open spaces, I love the deserts, I love the mountain ranges, I even love the cities. So having fallen in love with America over the years that we've been there on tour, I then had to 'deal with' America and the way it was affecting me, because America's having such an effect on the world at the moment. On this record I had to deal with it on a political level for the first time, if in a subtle way."

—Bono, on the album's thematic inspirations[6]

U2 is credited with composing all of The Joshua Tree's music, and Bono is credited as the sole lyricist.[21] The group's sound on the album draws from American and Irish roots music more than previous albums, following the counsel and influence of Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and Keith Richards. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" has strong gospel influences.[22] The slow piano-based ballad "Running to Stand Still" exhibits traits of folk music and acoustic blues in the slide acoustic guitar and harmonica played on the track.[22] "Trip Through Your Wires" most strongly demonstrates the band's interest in blues.

Thematically, the album juxtaposes antipathy towards the United States—including anger at its foreign policy in Central America—against the band's deep fascination with the country, its open spaces, its freedom, and its ideals.[23] Bono said, "I started to see two Americas, the mythic America and the real America",[24] hence the album's working title, The Two Americas.[1] The band wanted music with a sense of location and a "cinematic" quality, and the album consequently drew on imagery created by American writers the band had been reading.[25] Having toured the United States extensively for a number of years, the group were inspired by the country's geography. As such, the desert, rain, dust, and water appear as lyrical motifs throughout the record. In many cases, the desert is used as a metaphor for "spiritual drought".[24] One track that chiefly represents these themes is "In God's Country", which critics interpreted as addressing America's role as the "promised land".[26]

Political and social concerns were the basis for several tracks. Bono wrote the lyrics to "Bullet the Blue Sky" after visiting El Salvador and observing how US military intervention hurt the local people. The Edge developed the song's aggressive, feedback-laden guitar part after Bono told him to "put El Salvador through an amplifier".[27] This trip also inspired "Mothers of the Disappeared", after Bono met members of COMADRES—the Mothers of the Disappeared—a group of women whose children were killed or "disappeared" by the government during the Salvadoran Civil War.[16] The 1984 UK mining strike inspired the lyrics to "Red Hill Mining Town", which Bono wrote from the perspective of a couple affected by the strike. The story of a heroin-addicted couple was the basis for "Running to Stand Still", which Bono set in Dublin's Ballymun Flats. For "Where the Streets Have No Name", he wrote the lyrics in response to the idea that, in Belfast, a person's religion and income can be deduced based on the street they live on.[6]

Bono described 1986 as "an incredibly bad year for me", which was reflected in the album's lyrics. His marriage was under strain, in part due to the album's long gestation period, the band was criticised by the Irish media for their involvement in the Self Aid event, and his personal assistant Greg Carroll was killed in a motorcycle accident in Dublin.[10] Bono said, "That's why the desert attracted me as an image. That year was really a desert for us."[9][15] "With or Without You" was written while he was struggling to reconcile his wanderlust as a musician with his domestic responsibilities.[28] "One Tree Hill", named after a volcanic peak in Carroll's native New Zealand, describes how Bono felt at Carroll's funeral.[24][29] The album is dedicated to his memory.[21]

The Edge's guitar playing on The Joshua Tree demonstrates what came to be his trademark chiming, echo-laden sound. The album was recorded at the height of the 1980s heavy metal era, but The Edge's minimalist style sharply contrasts with the period's emphasis on technique and speed. Much of his rich sound is created by a delay effect.[30] For example, the riff in the introduction to "Where the Streets Have No Name" is simply a repeated six-note arpeggio, broadened by a modulated delay. The Edge has said that he views musical notes as "expensive", in that he prefers to play as few notes as possible.[30] The riffs to "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "With or Without You" also prominently use a delay effect, with Bono likening the guitar hook from the former track to "chrome bells".[22] The Edge continued to utilise ambient styles of guitar playing that began with The Unforgettable Fire; on "With or Without You", he used a prototype of the Infinite Guitar to add layers of sustained notes, an approach first taken on his 1986 solo album, the Captive soundtrack.

The group's religious faith was a source of inspiration for many lyrics. On "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", Bono affirms this faith but sings of spiritual doubt ("I believe in Kingdom Come"... "But I still haven't found what I'm looking for").[21][31] Some critics surmised that the place Bono is referring to on "Where the Streets Have No Name" is Heaven.[32][33] These two songs were singled out by some critics as demonstrating that the band was on a "spiritual quest".[26][32] Several critics interpreted "With or Without You" in both romantic and spiritual manners.[34][35] Biblical references are made on other songs like "Bullet the Blue Sky" ("Jacob wrestled the angel", images of fire and brimstone) and "In God's Country" ("I stand with the sons of Cain").[21]

The Edge explained that the arrangement and production of each song was approached individually and that while there was a strong direction, they were prepared to "sacrifice some continuity to get the rewards of following each song to a conclusion".[10]

Packaging and title

A tree with multiple, spiked limbs sprawling in several directions stands in a desert. A mountain range stands in the background
The Joshua tree that was featured throughout the album artwork.

The album sleeve was designed by Steve Averill,[21] and the band developed the idea for it from the record's "imagery, and cinematic location" in the desert. The initial concept for the sleeve was to represent where the desert met civilisation,[1] and accordingly, one of the provisional titles for the album was The Desert Songs.[36] They asked their photographer Anton Corbijn to search for locations in the United States that would capture this.[17] From 14–16 December 1986, the band travelled with Corbijn and Averill on a bus around the Mojave Desert in California for a three-day photo shoot. The group stayed in small hotels and shot in the desert landscape at locations such as Zabriskie Point and other sites in Death Valley, and at the ghost town of Bodie. Many of these photos appeared on the album packaging and in the concert tour programmes.[16] For the shoot, Corbijn rented a panoramic camera to capture more of the desert landscapes, but having no prior experience with the camera, he was unfamiliar with how to focus it. This led to him focusing on the background and leaving the band slightly out of focus. Corbijn said, "Fortunately there was a lot of light."[15] He later recounted that the main idea of the shoot was to juxtapose "man and environment, the Irish in America".[37]

On the evening after the first day's shooting, Corbijn told the band about Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia), hardy and twisted plants in the deserts of the American Southwest, and he suggested their use on the sleeve.[1] Bono consulted the Bible and was pleased to discover the religious significance of the plant's etymology.[36] According to Mormon legend, early settlers referred to the Joshua tree as "the praying plant" and said that its branches represented the Old Testament prophet Joshua raising his hands in prayer. The following day, Bono declared that the album should be titled The Joshua Tree.[36] That day, while driving on Route 190, they spotted a lone-standing tree in the desert, unusual for the plant, which is usually found in groups.[1] Corbijn had been hoping to find a single tree, as he thought it would result in better photographs than if he shot the band amongst a group of trees.[36] They stopped the bus and photographed with the lone tree for about 20 minutes, something The Edge called "fairly spontaneous".[23] The final day of shooting was spent in snow-covered ghost towns. Corbijn's insistence in photographing there upset Bono, prompting him to question, "Why have you brought us to this shitty place?"[15]

"I'm proud of the pictures, I'm happy to be part of them. But I guess people felt they took themselves too seriously. It was definitely the most serious, I think, that you can photograph a band. You couldn't go any further down that line unless you start photographing graves."

—Anton Corbijn, on the serious tone of the sleeve images[15]

Corbijn's original idea for the sleeve was to have a shot of the Joshua tree on the front, with the band in a continuation of the photograph on the back.[1] Ultimately, separate photographs were used for each side of the sleeve; an image of the group at Zabriskie Point was placed on the front, while an image of them with the tree appears on the reverse side.[38] Rolling Stone believes the title and the images of the tree befit an album concerned with "resilience in the face of utter social and political desolation, a record steeped in religious imagery".[39] In 1991, Rolling Stone ranked the album at number 97 on its list of the "100 Greatest Album Covers of All Time".[40] The tree photographed for the sleeve fell around 2000,[41] yet the site remains a popular attraction for U2 fans to pay tribute to the group. One fan inserted a plaque into the ground reading, "Have you found what you're looking for?", in reference to the album's track "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For".[42]

Release and singles

Just prior to the release of The Joshua Tree, Bono was stricken with a sudden panic that the completed album was not good enough. He contemplated calling the production plants to order a halt of the record's pressing, but he ultimately held off.[43] Island Records spent over $100,000 on store displays advertising the album; president Lou Maglia called it "the most complete merchandising effort ever assembled".[44] The Joshua Tree was released on 9 March 1987, the first new release to be made immediately available on the compact disc, vinyl record, and cassette tape formats on the same date.[44] Record stores in Britain and Ireland opened at midnight to accommodate the large amount of fans who had queued outside to buy the album.[15][45]

The Joshua Tree became, at the time, the fastest-selling album in British history, selling over 300,000 copies in two days.[44] On 21 March 1987, it debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number one,[46] spending two weeks at the top position, and it remained on the chart for 163 weeks.[47] On the US Billboard Top Pop Albums, the album debuted on 4 April 1987 at number seven,[48] the highest debut for a record in the US in almost seven years.[49] Within three weeks, it topped the chart,[50] where it remained for nine consecutive weeks.[51] The album spent a total of 101 weeks on the Billboard Top Pop Albums,[52] 35 of them in the top 10.[49] On 13 May 1987, the RIAA certified the album triple Platinum.[53] The Joshua Tree topped the albums charts in 20 other countries,[44] including Austria, Switzerland, New Zealand, Sweden,[54] and Canada.[55] Rolling Stone declared that the album increased the band's stature "from heroes to superstars".[56] It was the first album by any artist to sell one million copies on CD in the United States.[44] U2 became the fourth rock band to be featured on the cover of Time (following The Beatles, The Band, and The Who), who declared that U2 was "Rock's Hottest Ticket".[57]

"With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" were released internationally as the first two singles in March and May 1987, respectively, and they both topped the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's first two number-one hits in America.[11] By May, sales of the album surpassed 7 million copies worldwide.[58] "Where the Streets Have No Name" was released in August 1987 as the third single, reaching number four on the UK Singles Chart and number 13 in the US.[11] The album's first three singles all topped the Irish Singles Charts,[59] while charting within the top 20 of the singles charts in the UK,[60] the US,[61] Canada,[62] New Zealand, and the Netherlands.[54] "In God's Country" was released as a fourth single in North America with modest success. "One Tree Hill" was released as a fourth single in Australia and New Zealand,[63] and having been written for the New Zealand-native Carroll, it reached number one in his home country.[54] Originally planned for use as a single, "Red Hill Mining Town" was the only track from the album not played on the tour. Referencing the social and family cost of the British miners' strikes, a video by Neil Jordan was made for the song,[64] but the group were unhappy with it and it was shelved.[11][65] Bono has suggested that the song's high notes put too much strain on his voice to perform live regularly,[66] while Mullen had difficulty remembering the song's drum track during soundchecks.[67]

"Luminous Times (Hold on to Love)" and "Walk to the Water" were released as B-sides to the "With or Without You" single.[68] "Spanish Eyes" and "Deep in the Heart" were released as B-sides to the "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" single.[69] "Sweetest Thing", "Silver and Gold", and "Race Against Time" were released as B-sides to the "Where the Streets Have No Name" single.[70] This version of "Sweetest Thing" was incomplete and the band later expressed regret that it had not been completed for the album. At the time, they thought it did not fit with the other songs. In 1998, it was re-recorded and released as a single for the compilation The Best of 1980-1990.[71]

By the end of 1988, The Joshua Tree had sold more than 14 million copies worldwide.[72]

In 1996, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab remastered the album and released it as a special gold CD. This edition rectified the incorrect track splitting between "One Tree Hill" and "Exit" that affected some CD releases; the quiet coda that concludes "One Tree Hill" had previously been included in the same track as "Exit".[73][74]

Critical reception

 Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 5/5 stars (1987)[75]
Robert Christgau (B) (1987)[76]
NME 8/10 (2007)[77]
Pitchfork Media (8.9/10) (2007)[78]
Rolling Stone 5/5 stars (2007)[39]
Q 5/5 stars (1987)[79]
Slant 4/5 stars (2007)[80]
Uncut 5/5 stars (2007)[81]

Album reviews were almost universally positive, and the best of U2's career to that point. Rolling Stone wrote, "For a band that's always specialized in inspirational, larger-than-life gestures—a band utterly determined to be Important—The Joshua Tree could be the big one, and that's precisely what it sounds like."[39] The review described the album's sound as "wed[ding] the diverse textures of The Unforgettable Fire to fully formed songs, many of them as aggressive as the hits on War".[39] Steve Morse of The Boston Globe echoed these sentiments in his review, stating, "It's another spiritual progress report, enwrapped in music that strikes a healthy balance between the lushness of their last album, 1984's The Unforgettable Fire, and the more volcanic rock of their early years." Morse called it "their most challenging work to date" and the "most rewarding rock record of the new year".[32] Q gave the album a rating of five stars, noting that "their reinvention of stadium rock sounds as impassioned as ever" and that the album strikes "a finely balanced mix of intimacy and power".[79] NME praised the album as "a better and braver record than anything else that's likely to appear in 1987. It's the sound of people confronting their own ghosts in a country where they can if they wish become a dusty speck on the landscape. It's the sound of people still trying, still looking..."[82]

In Time's cover story on U2, the magazine called the album the band's best, commenting that it had both commercial and thematic depth.[83] Spin called The Joshua Tree their "first wholly successful album because it finally breaks free from the seductive but limiting chant-and-drone approach of earlier material". The review stated, "There isn't a bad song on the record" and that "every one has a hook". The magazine praised U2 for eschewing ambient experimentation in favour of uncomplicated but layered arrangements.[84] Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times said the album "confirms on record what this band has been slowly asserting for three years now on stage: U2 is what the Rolling Stones ceased being years ago—the greatest rock and roll band in the world". Hilburn noted that the band expanded on the "sketches" from The Unforgettable Fire with "sometimes breathtaking signs of growth", playing more "tailored and assured" music.[85] Hot Press editor and longtime U2 supporter Bill Graham said that "The Joshua Tree rescues rock from its decay, bravely and unashamedly basing itself in the mainstream before very cleverly lifting off into several higher dimensions," and that U2 "must be taken very seriously indeed after this revaluation of rock".[86] John Rockwell of The New York Times was complimentary of the band for expanding its musical range, singling out their exploration of other genres and the combination The Edge's "obsessive, repetitive guitar textures" with Eno's "eerie synthesizer coloration". Rockwell was more critical, though, of Bono's vocals, which he said were "marred throughout by sobbing affectation" and sounded too much like other singers, resulting in a "curious loss of individuality".[87] In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic rated the album a perfect five stars, saying, "their focus has never been clearer, nor has their music been catchier". Erlewine found it ironic the band achieved its greatest success with an album filled with such dark lyrical content. His review concluded, "Never before have U2's big messages sounded so direct and personal."[75]

Anthony DeCurtis of Rolling Stone summarized the album's examiniation of America both lyrically and musically as such:[88]

"The wild beauty, cultural richness, spiritual vacancy and ferocious violence of America are explored to compelling effect in virtually every aspect of The Joshua Tree—in the title and the cover art, the blues and country borrowings evident in the music ... Indeed, Bono says that 'dismantling the mythology of America' is an important part of The Joshua Tree's artistic objective."

At the 30th Grammy Awards in 1988, U2 won their first two Grammy Awards—Album of the Year and Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal.[89]

The Joshua Tree Tour

Following the release of The Joshua Tree, U2 staged the worldwide Joshua Tree Tour. It began in April 1987, and comprising 109 shows over three legs, it continued through December.[90] The first and third legs visited the US, while the second leg toured Europe.[15] Before The Joshua Tree, the band had been proportionally more successful as a live act than as a record-selling act.[1] The album brought them to a new level of mega-stardom, and the tour sold out arenas and stadiums around the world—the first time they had consistently played venues of that size—while playing to over 3 million people.[15] Songs from the album became staples of the tour setlists, as the group regularly performed eight of the record's eleven tracks, and the only song not to be played was "Red Hill Mining Town".[90]

Like their previous tours, The Joshua Tree Tour was a minimalistic, austere production that was highlighted by U2's earnestness, and they used this outlet for addressing political and social concerns.[91] One such issue was Arizona Governor Evan Mecham's canceling the state's observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.[15] Throughout the tour, the band continued to explore American roots music: they collaborated with folk artist Bob Dylan, blues musician B. B. King, and Harlem's New Voices of Freedom gospel choir; the band also visited Graceland and Sun Studios in Memphis, where they recorded new material.[15] These new songs and the group's experiences on tour were documented for the 1988 Rattle and Hum album and Phil Joanou-directed motion picture.

Despite the tour's commercial success and positive reviews, U2 were dissatisfied creatively, and Bono believed they were musically unprepared for their success.[91][92] Mullen said, "We were the biggest, but we weren't the best" and that he had become bored playing the band's greatest hits.[91][93] On the road, the group dealt with death threats and injuries that Bono sustained from performing. The band hinted that the stresses of touring led them to enjoy the "rock and roll lifestyle" they previously avoided.[15]

Legacy

"During the two decades that have elapsed since then, every move the band has made has been, in some way, a reaction to the legacy of The Joshua Tree. Rattle and Hum was an extension of the album, further exploring American music forms such as blues, gospel, and soul. Then, inevitably, U2 got tired of living in their own shadow, and both Achtung Baby and Zooropa chipped away at expectations of the band. When they finally realized there was no escaping their iconic status sealed by The Joshua Tree, U2 mocked it on Pop. By then, though, fans had grown weary of the band's experimentation, and U2 have spent their last two albums trying to recapture the radio-friendly sound of their 1987 opus."

—PopMatters, in 2007[94]

The Joshua Tree ranks as one of the best-selling albums in the US. In 1995, the RIAA certified it as 10× Platinum for shipping 10 million units,[95] and the album subsequently received the Diamond Award for reaching this level.[96] In the UK, the album is certified 6× Platinum, with an additional Silver certification for the 20th anniversary edition.[97] The Joshua Tree is the band's best-selling album, having sold 25 million copies worldwide.[98]

The Joshua Tree is often cited as one of the greatest albums in rock history. In 1989, two years after its release, it was rated number three on Rolling Stone's list of "The 100 Greatest Albums of the 80's".[99] The Guardian collated worldwide data in 1997 from a range of renowned critics, artists, and radio DJs, who placed the record at number 57 in the list of the "100 Best Albums Ever".[100] In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked the album at number 26 on their list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time";[101] it was U2's best position on the list. "The Definitive 200" list, compiled by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers and sponsored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, ranks the album as the fifth-greatest in history.[102] In 2006, the album appeared on a number of rankings, including Hot Press's "100 Greatest Albums Ever" at number 11,[103] and Time's "The All-Time 100 Albums".[104] That same year, Q named it the best album of the 1980s,[105] while the publication's readers ranked it the 16th greatest album of all-time.[106]

Music television channel VH1 placed it at number 15 on their "100 Greatest Albums of Rock & Roll" countdown from their series The Greatest.[107] It has been listed as one of four U2 records in the 2006 music reference book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die and its subsequent revised editions.[108] In 2008, Entertainment Weekly ranked it at number 63 on its list of the greatest albums of the previous 25 years.[109] In 2010, the album appeared at number 62 on Spin's list of the "125 Best Albums of the Past 25 Years", which ranked the most influential albums in the 25 years since the magazine launched. The magazine wrote, "The band's fifth album spit out hits like crazy, and they were unusually searching hits, each with a pointed political edge."[110] Writing in 1996, Bill Graham said "the best young live band of their era had graduated as masterful pop mimics in the studio. With The Joshua Tree, their recorded work finally [caught] up and even outstrip[ped] their live reputation."[111]

The band's penchant for addressing political and social issues, as well as their staid depiction in Corbijn's black-and-white sleeve photographs, contributed to the group's earnest and serious image as "stone-faced pilgrim[s]". This image became the target of derision after the band's critically-maligned Rattle and Hum project was released in 1988.[15] Various critics called them "po-faced",[112] "pompous bores",[113] and "humourless".[114] After telling fans they would "dream it all up again", U2 reinvented themselves in the 1990s with a sound inspired by alternative rock and electronic dance music, and with a more self-deprecating, flippant image by which they embraced the "rock star" identity they struggled with in the 1980s.[115] The band referred to their 1991 album Achtung Baby as "chopping down the Joshua Tree".[113] Author Bill Flanagan summarised the impact of The Joshua Tree on the group's career in his liner notes to the album's 20th anniversary release: "The Joshua Tree made U2 into international rock stars and established both a standard they would always have to live up to and an image they would forever try to live down."[116]

Track listing

While the band and crew were working on the album's mixing, Lillywhite's wife, singer Kirsty MacColl, volunteered to set the running order for the album. The band told her to put "Where the Streets Have No Name" first and "Mothers of the Disappeared" last. The rest were sequenced according to her preference, which the band kept.[17]

All songs written and composed by U2, with lyrics by Bono. 

No. Title Length
1. "Where the Streets Have No Name"   5:38
2. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"   4:38
3. "With or Without You"   4:56
4. "Bullet the Blue Sky"   4:32
5. "Running to Stand Still"   4:18
6. "Red Hill Mining Town"   4:54
7. "In God's Country"   2:57
8. "Trip Through Your Wires"   3:33
9. "One Tree Hill"   5:23
10. "Exit"   4:13
11. "Mothers of the Disappeared"   5:12
Total length:
 50:14

20th anniversary edition

The 20th anniversary box set edition of the album. Additional content includes a bonus CD and DVD, hardcover book, and photograph prints.

On 20 November 2007, a 20th anniversary edition of The Joshua Tree was released.[117] The album was remastered from the original analogue recordings under the direction of The Edge. Manager Paul McGuinness explained, "There has been continuous demand from U2 fans to have The Joshua Tree properly re-mastered. As always, the band had to make sure it was right, and now it is."[118] Two of the remastered formats include a bonus CD that contains B-sides and rarities/demos from The Joshua Tree. Some formats include new liner notes from the band members, the production team, Anton Corbijn, and author Bill Flanagan.[119] In an otherwise favourable review of the remastered album, Andrew Mueller of Uncut said that "any casual listener who can perceive a meaningful difference between this and the original has i) ears like a bat and/or ii) needs to get out more".[81]

The album was released in four different formats:[120]

Bonus CD

No. Title Notes Length
1. "Luminous Times (Hold on to Love)"   B-side from "With or Without You" single 4:35
2. "Walk to the Water"   B-side from "With or Without You" single 4:49
3. "Spanish Eyes"   B-side from "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" single 3:16
4. "Deep in the Heart"   B-side from "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" single 4:31
5. "Silver and Gold"   B-side from "Where the Streets Have No Name" single 4:38
6. "Sweetest Thing"   B-side from "Where the Streets Have No Name" single 3:05
7. "Race Against Time"   B-side from "Where the Streets Have No Name" single 4:03
8. "Where the Streets Have No Name" (Single edit) A-side from "Where the Streets Have No Name" single 4:50
9. "Silver and Gold" (Sun City) From Sun City compilation album 4:43
10. "Beautiful Ghost/Introduction to Songs of Experience"   From Unreleased & Rare compilation from The Complete U2 digital box set 3:56
11. "Wave of Sorrow (Birdland)"   Unfinished song from The Joshua Tree sessions; rewritten and recorded in 2007 4:06
12. "Desert of Our Love"   Demo from The Joshua Tree sessions 4:59
13. "Rise Up"   Demo from The Joshua Tree sessions 4:08
14. "Drunk Chicken/America"   Demo from The Joshua Tree sessions 1:31
Total length:
 57:04

Bonus DVD

Personnel

U2[21]
Additional[21]
  • Brian Eno – keyboards, DX7 programming, backing vocals
  • Daniel Lanois – tambourine, Omnichord, additional guitar, backing vocals
Production
  • Producers – Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno
  • Recording – Flood
  • Additional engineers – Dave Meegan with Pat McCarthy
  • Mixing – Steve Lillywhite (tracks 1, 3, 4, and 6)
  • Mix engineering – Mark Wallis
  • Mix engineering assistant – Mary Kettle

Charts and certifications

Album

Chart Peak position Certification
Australian ARIA Albums Chart 1[121] 5× Platinum
Austrian Albums Chart 1[54] 3× Gold[122]
Canadian RPM 100 Albums 1[55] Diamond[123]
Dutch Mega Album Top 100 1[121] Platinum[124]
Finnish Albums Chart Gold[125]
French SNEP Albums Chart 1[126] 2× Platinum[127]
German Album Top 100 1[128] 2× Platinum[129]
Swiss Albums Top 100 1[54]
UK Albums Chart 1[46] 6× Platinum*[97]
US Billboard 200 1[61] Diamond[96]

*The 20th anniversary edition was certified Silver.

Songs

Year Song Peak
IRE
[59]		 CAN
[62]		 NL
[54]		 NZ
[54]		 UK
[60]		 US
[61]
1987 "With or Without You" 1 1 2 5 4 1
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" 1 6 6 2 6 1
"Where the Streets Have No Name" 1 11 7 1 4 13
"Exit" — — 46 — — —
"In God's Country" — — — — 48 44
1988 — 25 — — — —
"One Tree Hill" — — — 1 — —
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

See also

References

Footnotes
  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 King, Philip, and Nuala O'Connor (directors). (1999). Classic Albums: U2 - The Joshua Tree. [Television documentary]. Isis Productions. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 McCormick (2006), p. 172
  3. ↑ Stokes (1996), p. 76
  4. ↑ McCormick (2006), p. 169
  5. ↑ McCormick (2006), p. 179; Graham (2004), p. 27
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "The Joshua Tree". Propaganda (5). 1987-01. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Graham (2004), pp. 28-29; McGee (2008), p. 91
  8. ↑ DeCurtis, Anthony (1987-03-26). "U2 Releases The Joshua Tree". Rolling Stone (496). 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 9.9 McGee (2008), p. 93
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Graham, Bill, and Niall Stokes (1987-05-01). "U2 Give Themselves Away". Musician. 
  11. ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 11.12 11.13 11.14 11.15 11.16 O'Hare, Colm (2007-11-21). "The Secret History of 'The Joshua Tree'". Hot Press. 
  12. ↑ McCormick (2006), p. 178
  13. ↑ Graham (1996), p. 28
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 McCormick (2006), p. 174
  15. ↑ 15.00 15.01 15.02 15.03 15.04 15.05 15.06 15.07 15.08 15.09 15.10 15.11 15.12 Dalton, Stephen (2003-09-08). "How the West Was Won". Uncut. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 McGee (2008), p. 98
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 McCormick (2006), p. 185
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 McGee (2008), p. 99
  19. ↑ Stokes (1989)
  20. ↑ Hickey, Shane (2009-12-24). "Clayton gets go-ahead for lighting system". The Independent. http://www.independent.ie/national-news/clayton-gets-goahead-for-lighting-system-1988286.html. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 21.6 (1987) Album notes for The Joshua Tree by U2 [Vinyl]. Island Records.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 McCormick (2006), pp. 181–182
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 McCormick (2006), p. 186
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 McCormick (2006), pp. 177–178
  25. ↑ Graham (2004) pp. 27-30
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Jaeger, Barbara (1987-05-12). "U2 Touches N.J. Hearts". The Bergen Record. 
  27. ↑ "U2". Legends. VH1. 1998-12-11. No. 6, season 1.
  28. ↑ McCormick (2006), pp. 179, 181
  29. ↑ McGee (2008), p. 97
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Flanagan (1996), pp. 44–45
  31. ↑ Stokes (1996), p. 65
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 Morse, Steve (1987-03-08). "U2's 'The Joshua Tree': A spiritual progress report". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/ae/music/packages/U2Fleetcenter/album_review_joshua_tree/. Retrieved 2009-12-02. 
  33. ↑ Stockman (2005), pp. 68–69
  34. ↑ Harrington, Richard (1987-03-22). "U2 Can Be Famous; Breaking into the Big Time with 'Joshua Tree'". Washington Post. 
  35. ↑ Stokes (1996), p. 66
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 36.3 Corbijn, Anton (2007). Release notes for The Joshua Tree by U2 (20th anniversary edition box set).
  37. ↑ Corbijn, Anton. "U2". corbijn.co.uk. http://www.corbijn.co.uk/page_photo_black_u2.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-03. 
  38. ↑ McGee, Matt (2009-11-09). "@U2 Remembers The Joshua Tree". @U2. http://www.atu2.com/news/u2-remembers-the-joshua-tree.html. Retrieved 2010-04-28. 
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 39.3 Pond, Steve (1987-04-09). "Review: The Joshua Tree". Rolling Stone (497). http://www.rollingstone.com/music/reviews/album/7076/36758. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  40. ↑ "The 100 Greatest Album Covers of All Time". Rolling Stone (617). 1991-11-14. 
  41. ↑ "The Joshua Tree". Henry Wagner Photography. http://www.henrywagner.org/pictures/California/Desert/JoshuaTree/. Retrieved 2010-04-14. 
  42. ↑ Cody, Caitrina (2009-01-20). "Minimalist cover could provoke maximum debate". The Independent. http://www.independent.ie/national-news/minimalist-cover-could-provoke-maximum-debate-1607146.html. Retrieved 2010-04-20. 
  43. ↑ Irwin, Colin (1987-06). "Glory Days". Spin 3 (3): 75. 
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 44.2 44.3 44.4 McGee (2008), p. 100
  45. ↑ Robinson, Lisa (1987-04-19). "A Social Conscience Can Be in Harmony With a Chart-Topping Hit". Orange County Register. 
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 "TOP 40 OFFICIAL UK ALBUMS ARCHIVE – 21st March 1987". The Official UK Charts Company. http://www.theofficialcharts.com/archive-chart/_/3/1987-03-21/. Retrieved 2010-08-04. 
  47. ↑ "U2 – The Official Charts Company". The Official UK Charts Company. http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/U2/. Retrieved 2010-08-27. 
  48. ↑ "Music Albums, Top 200 Albums & Music Album Charts - Week of April 04, 1987". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/billboard-200?chartDate=1987-04-04. Retrieved 2010-04-21. 
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 Grein, Paul (1987-12-26). "The Year in Charts". Billboard 99 (52): Y-4. 
  50. ↑ "Music Albums, Top 200 Albums & Music Album Charts - Week of April 25, 1987". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/billboard-200?chartDate=1987-04-25. Retrieved 2010-04-21. 
  51. ↑ "Music Albums, Top 200 Albums & Music Album Charts - Week of June 20, 1987". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/billboard-200?chartDate=1987-06-20. Retrieved 2010-04-21. 
  52. ↑ "The Joshua Tree - U2". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/#/album/u2/the-joshua-tree/17561. Retrieved 2010-04-21. 
  53. ↑ "Gold & Platinum – Searchable Database". RIAA. http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH. Retrieved 2010-09-24.  Note: Album must be searched manually.
  54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 54.2 54.3 54.4 54.5 54.6 "1ste Ultratop-hitquiz". Ultratop. Hung Medien. http://www.ultratop.be/en/showitem.asp?interpret=U2&titel=The+Joshua+Tree&cat=a. Retrieved 2010-01-14. 
  55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 "Search Results: The Joshua Tree". RPM. 1987-04-11. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=s8avl4qqqlcn0uk7dtnn8aj1u5&q1=%22The+Joshua+Tree%22. Retrieved 2009-11-25. 
  56. ↑ Gardner (1994), p. xx
  57. ↑ "TIME Magazine Cover: U2 - Apr. 27, 1987". Time. 1987-04-27. http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19870427,00.html. Retrieved 2010-04-23. 
  58. ↑ Stokes (1996), p. 204
  59. ↑ 59.0 59.1 "Search the charts". Irishcharts.ie. http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement. Retrieved 2009-10-29.  Note: U2 must be searched manually
  60. ↑ 60.0 60.1 "U2 singles". Everyhit.com. http://everyhit.com/. Retrieved 2009-10-29.  Note: U2 must be searched manually.
    "Chart Stats - UK Singles & Albums". ChartStats.com. http://www.chartstats.com/. Retrieved 2010-01-14.  Note: U2 must be searched manually.
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  62. ↑ 62.0 62.1 "RPM100 Singles: Top Singles - Volume 46, No. 5, May 09 1987". RPM. 1987-05-09. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.0807&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=m89iq841abagb37ld9c0fdc1f3. Retrieved 2010-06-04. 
    "RPM100 Singles: Top Singles - Volume 46, No. 20, August 22, 1987". RPM. 1987-08-22. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.0850&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=m89iq841abagb37ld9c0fdc1f3. Retrieved 2010-06-04. 
    "RPM100 Singles: Top Singles - Volume 47, No. 5, November 07 1987". RPM. 1987-11-07. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.0896&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=384c63lvagif3ugm5fqvmpjfs5. Retrieved 2010-06-04. 
    "RPM100 Singles: Top Singles - Volume 47, No. 13, January 16, 1988". RPM. 1988-01-16. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.0923&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=m89iq841abagb37ld9c0fdc1f3. Retrieved 2010-06-04. 
  63. ↑ (1988) Release notes for "One Tree Hill" by U2 (7" vinyl). New Zealand: Island Records.
  64. ↑ Graham (2004), p. 33; McGee (2008), pp. 100, 103
  65. ↑ Stokes (1996), p. 71
  66. ↑ "Song/Lyrics FAQ". U2FAQs.com. http://u2faqs.com/songs/#9. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
  67. ↑ de la Parra (1994), p. 119
  68. ↑ (1987) Release notes for "With or Without You" by U2 (7" vinyl). United Kingdom: Island Records.
  69. ↑ (1987) Release notes for "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2 (7" vinyl). United Kingdom: Island Records.
  70. ↑ (1987) Release notes for "Where the Streets Have No Name" by U2 (7" vinyl). United Kingdom: Island Records.
  71. ↑ Graham (2004), p. 77; Stokes (1996), pp. 130–131
  72. ↑ Mico, Ted (1989-01). "Hating U2". Spin 4 (10). 
  73. ↑ "U2 – The Joshua Tree (CD, Album)". Discogs. http://www.discogs.com/U2-The-Joshua-Tree/release/440625. Retrieved 2010-10-04. 
  74. ↑ "U2 Discography - The Joshua Tree Album / U2". U2Wanderer.org. http://www.u2wanderer.org/disco/alb006.html. Retrieved 2010-04-20. 
  75. ↑ 75.0 75.1 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Joshua Tree - Overview". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:0jzsa9qgb23f. Retrieved 2009-12-02. 
  76. ↑ "U2 - Consumer Guide Reviews". Robert Christgau. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=u2. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
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  78. ↑ Klein, Joshua (2007-12-03). "Album Reviews: U2: The Joshua Tree: Deluxe Edition". Pitchfork Media. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/10953-the-joshua-tree-deluxe-edition/. Retrieved 2010-04-20. 
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  82. ↑ McCready, John (1987-03-14). "Out of Little Acorns...". NME. 
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  84. ↑ Piccarella, John (1987-06). "Spins – Platter du Jour: U2 – The Joshua Tree". Spin 3 (3): 32–33. 
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  104. ↑ Tyrangiel, Josh (2006-11-13). "The All-Time 100 Albums: The Joshua Tree". Time. http://www.time.com/time/2006/100albums/0,27693,The_Joshua_Tree,00.html. Retrieved 2010-05-26. 
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  106. ↑ "The 100 Greatest Albums Ever! (as voted by you)". Q (235). 2006-02. 
  107. ↑ "100 Greatest Albums of Rock & Roll". The Greatest. VH1. 2001-01-18. No. 045.
  108. ↑ Dimery (2006)
  109. ↑ "The New Classics: Music – The 100 best albums from 1983 to 2008". Entertainment Weekly (999–1000). 2008-06-27. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20207076_20207387_20207337,00.html. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
  110. ↑ Battaglia, Andy; Indrisek, Scott (2010-04-22). "125 Best Albums of the Past 25 Years: 62 - U2, The Joshua Tree". Spin. http://www.spin.com/spin25/125-best-albums-past-25-years#page=7. Retrieved 2010-04-23. 
  111. ↑ Graham (1996), pp. 29, 33, 34
  112. ↑ Stokes, Niall (1997-03-19). "The History of Pop". Hot Press. 
  113. ↑ 113.0 113.1 Mueller, Andrew. "U2 - The Joshua Tree Re-Mastered (R1987)". Uncut. http://www.uncut.co.uk/music/u2/reviews/10793. Retrieved 2009-12-31. 
  114. ↑ McCormick, Neil (2000-12-15). "Confessions of a Rock Star". Hot Press. 
  115. ↑ Dalton, Stephen (2004-10-26). "Achtung Stations". Uncut. 
  116. ↑ The Edge (2007). Release notes for The Joshua Tree by U2 (20th anniversary edition box set).
  117. ↑ "U2's 'Joshua Tree' Blooms Again". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003658805. Retrieved 2010-04-20. 
  118. ↑ "The Joshua Tree (Remastered)". U2.com. Live Nation. http://www.u2.com/discography/index/album/albumId/4084/tagName/Reissues. Retrieved 2010-05-04. 
  119. ↑ Klimek, Chris (2007-11-27). "U2's Roots Revisited In 'The Joshua Tree'". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/26/AR2007112601943.html. Retrieved 2010-05-04. 
  120. ↑ "The Joshua Tree: Remastered". U2.com. Live Nation. 2007-10-19. http://www.u2.com/news/article/2163/. Retrieved 2010-05-03. 
  121. ↑ 121.0 121.1 "The Joshua Tree". U2.com. Live Nation. http://www.u2.com/discography/index/album/albumId/4007/tagName/studio_albums. Retrieved 2010-05-20. 
  122. ↑ "Gold & Platin" (in German). IFPI Austria. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. http://www.ifpi.at/?section=goldplatin. Retrieved 2010-01-13.  Note: Album must be searched manually.
  123. ↑ "CRIA Certification Results: U2". Canadian Recording Industry Association. 1987-10-28. http://www.cria.ca/cert_db_search.php?page=1&wclause=WHERE+artist_name+like+%27%25U2%25%27+ORDER+BY+cert_date%2C+cert_award+&rcnt=81&csearch=20&nextprev=1. Retrieved 2009-11-17. 
  124. ↑ "Goud/Platina" (in Dutch). NVPI. Archived from the original on 2010-01-13. http://www.webcitation.org/5mlJ5IvYZ. Retrieved 2010-01-13.  Note: U2 must be searched manually.
  125. ↑ "Kulta - ja platinalevyt" (in Finnish). IFPI Finland. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. http://www.ifpi.fi/tilastot/kultalevyt/haku/?q=U2&national=0&type=album. Retrieved 2009-11-26. 
  126. ↑ "Tous les "Chart Runs" des Albums classés despuis 1985" (in French). InfoDisc. http://www.infodisc.fr/Albums_ChartRun.php. Retrieved 2010-05-20.  Note: U2 must be searched manually
  127. ↑ "Les Certifications" (in French). InfoDisc. http://www.infodisc.fr/CD_Certif.php. Retrieved 2010-01-13.  Note: U2 must be searched manually.
  128. ↑ "Top 100 Longplay - 11.05.1987". charts.de. Media Control Charts. Archived from the original on 2010-07-28. http://www.webcitation.org/5rYoGGjTZ. Retrieved 2010-07-28. 
  129. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank" (in German). IFPI Germany. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 2010-01-13. http://www.webcitation.org/5mlHb7b2q. Retrieved 2010-01-13. 
Bibliography
  • de la Parra, Pimm Jal (1994). U2 Live: A Concert Documentary. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-3666-8. 
  • Dimery, Robert, ed (2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Universe Publishing. ISBN 0-7893-1371-5. 
  • Flanagan, Bill (1996). U2 at the End of the World (Paperback ed.). New York: Delta. ISBN 978-0-385-31157-1. 
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  • Stockman, Steve (2005). Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2 (Revised ed.). Orlando: Relevant Media Group. ISBN 9780976035756. 
  • Stokes, Niall (1996). Into The Heart: The Stories Behind Every U2 Song. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-00-719668-7. 
  • Stokes, Niall (1989). U2: Three Chords and the Truth. New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 978-0517576977. 
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External links

Preceded by
Licensed to Ill by Beastie Boys		 Billboard 200 number-one album
25 April - 26 June 1987		 Succeeded by
Whitney by Whitney Houston
Preceded by
The Very Best of Hot Chocolate
by Hot Chocolate		 UK number one album
21 March 1987 – 3 April 1987		 Succeeded by
Now That's What I Call Music 9
by Various Artists
The Joshua Tree track listing

"Where the Streets Have No Name" · "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" · "With or Without You" · "Bullet the Blue Sky" · "Running to Stand Still" · "Red Hill Mining Town" · "In God's Country" · "Trip Through Your Wires" · "One Tree Hill" · "Exit" · "Mothers of the Disappeared"
U2
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