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While there are some undeniably great songs on The Unforgettable Fire ("A Sort of Homecoming" and "Bad" especially), there's also some absolute tripe (the last two songs, especially). In retrospect, I think the real importance of this album was the introduction of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, and, as others have said, the evolution of their live show. It's definitely a transitional album and shows that, for the most part, the band is capable of retaining their accessibility while becoming more experimental.
And Slop, I have the Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs gold disc version of this album from the late 80's and that alone sounds significantly better than the currently available CD, so I think a proper remaster will do wonders for this album. |
I think of Unforgettable Fire as U2's strangest, warmest album. As I said with October, I think the core traits of U2 work better when they're in more of an abstract, expressionist form, like this album. I also appreciate the choice of the band in going in this direction. After War and UABRS, everyone, including the band, knew they were going to be huge. And rather than write that album full of monster hits that would catapult them to the top, they instead took a pause, and went to work in this sort of off-kilter vibe. Edge's use of keyboards greatly contributed to the moody sound of a lot of these songs, like the title track, and Promenade. But along with the low, moody vibes, Edge mixed in some very sharp, almost frantic guitar work on songs like Wire and Indian Summer Sky (maybe my all time favorite song by anybody). I also love Elvis Presley and America. The one thing I cannot figure out is why the hell they left off the track Love Comes Tumbling Down---I think that's a fantastic song, and a world-class single. The other main track that was left off, Three Sunrises, was decent as well. I would have liked to see both of those make the album and have 12 songs total.
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Released: 1987 Tracklisting 1. Where The Streets Have No Name 2. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For 3. With Or Without You 4. Bullet The Blue Sky 5. Running To Stand Still 6. Red Hill Mining Town 7. In God's Country 8. Trip Through Your Wires 9. One Tree Hill 10. Exit 11. Mothers Of The Disappeared Credits Spoiler:
Bonus Discussion: Spoiler:
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The Joshua Tree is obviously the album that launched U2 into superstardom, and rightfully so. The opening quartet of tracks were all instant classics, and still hold up well today. I don't, however, think the full album holds up quite as well, as I always find myself tuning out after "In God's Country," one of their best songs. Still, it's the album that best defined the first phase of their career, combining the earnestness and accessibility of War with the moodiness and mystery of The Unforgettable Fire.
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I hate <i>The Joshua Tree</i> and most of their subsequent albums (yes, I've listened to them) so I'll refrain from posting in this thread from now on so I don't come across as a threadcrapper.
:wave: OK, "Bullet the Blue Sky" is pretty awesome. |
I've heard most of the songs so many times I am tired of them. Well, really on tracks 2-4. I could never hear those again and be OK. The second half is underappreciated and holds up pretty well. Favorites: Running To Stand Still, Red Hill Mining Town.
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Originally Posted by wendersfan
I hate <i>The Joshua Tree</i> and most of their subsequent albums (yes, I've listened to them) so I'll refrain from posting in this thread from now on so I don't come across as a threadcrapper.
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Originally Posted by slop101
Well, as a mod, you should understand that while coming into a thread and just saying "it sucks" is thread-crapping, giving thought-out and articulate reasons why you think it sucks is not only not thread-crapping, but a welcome thing as it keeps the thread from being a boring love-fest.
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The Joshua Tree is probably my favorite album of all time. And I had no clue that was about to happen when it came out in 1987. I didn't chime in on the previous album, but loved how they used Eno/Lanois to create some new sounds. Evenso, I was still a little tired of U2. I first heard the whole album on a radio station and thought it was from another time. Timeless. I can still hear "With Or Without You" today and it sounds just as fresh, original and utterly not of 1987. No other song from that time period sounds anything like it. And to think it was a hit single.
Adam's bass sounds so warm and big in so many places. None of their albums hit me as emotionally as this one. Even the lesser known songs are top notch. Exit might be my favorite U2 tune next to Bad. At the time I was programming smaller indie and alternative bands at a campus radio station, but couldn't ignore the creative peak these guys were hitting. Definitely one of the few recordings I never seem to tire of hearing and it will forever keep me a fan of this band. |
i used to be so burned out on this album, and it honestly wasn't until the remaster that i really really enjoyed it. the sound improvement was immaculate, and now i finally see how it's considered by most to be their best, hands down.
it feels like they're running out of steam by the last two songs, but they are still vastly better than the 3rd 5th of the unforgettable fire. |
I like some of the songs on Joshua Tree---In God's Country, Where the Streets Have No Name, Exit, but I was never really in tune with the vibe of this album. To me, music has to come more from the heart than the head, and I always felt with this album U2 decided with their HEAD that if they really wanted to be a big rock band, then they had to start mixing in the blues/country/rockabilly American stuff that wasn't really there in their previous work. And to me, it just sounded a bit forced and a tad inauthentic. But worse than the music for me were some of the videos, and them deciding to dress like 60's hippies.
As far as the videos: "And the Lord sayeth to U2, 'Thou shalt play from a rooftop, and lo, all the people will come from the ends of the earth to praise you, for they recognize you as righteous. And then thou shalt walk the streets of Las Vegas, as wandering sages, and the people shall follow, and look upon you in wonder and adoration." And the Lord sayeth to Bono "And in that video, thou shalt kiss a homely black woman, and all shall see that thou are good." :lol: I just thought they were spreading it on a bit thick with some of those videos, and it was the same with Rattle and Hum. Again, I thought there were some really good songs on Joshua Tree, but for me, after Unforgettable Fire, a bit of something that I really liked about the band was gone. |
Those first four tracks might be among the best opening four tracks on any album.
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Originally Posted by slop101
Well, as a mod, you should understand that while coming into a thread and just saying "it sucks" is thread-crapping, giving thought-out and articulate reasons why you think it sucks is not only not thread-crapping, but a welcome thing as it keeps the thread from being a boring love-fest.
2. I've posted complimentary things about <i>Boy</i> and <i>October</i>, so it's not like I just posted the once and left. 3. There's no atmosphere to <i>The Joshua Tree</i>, it's got too much thick production, and I think the songs are, in general, kinda mediocre. Whatever it was that made me love about this band in 1980 was gone by this point. |
personally, the opening of where the streets have no name still gives me goosebumps.
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Originally Posted by kms_md
personally, the opening of where the streets have no name still gives me goosebumps.
Especially live. I'm pretty sure that Streets is their most played song live, by far. I think they've played it at pretty much every concert since Joshua Tree, save for a small handful of shows. |
This is the album that made me the hardcore fan I am today. I remember getting this on day one as a CD and it was an early day-date release. Argueably one of the best albums of all time, by any band, this album really is U2's best (in my opinion) and holds up very well today compared to many other "80's" albums. Besides the obvious hits, the last three tracks, One Tree Hill, Exit and Mothers Of The Disappeared are 3 of my very favorite U2 songs. Great songwriting, and great production make this album my favorite.
I saw them 5 times on the Joshua Tree tour including the two final nights that were filmed for Rattle and Hum. This was the first tour of theirs (that I remember) where tickets were hard to get, and scalpers were having a field day. One of the best audio recordings of the tour is the 04-29-87 recording from Chicago, IL (Rock's Hottest Ticket) or track down the Proshot DVD of Nov 18, 1987 from the LA Coliseum. <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IZvdsOKHZgc&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IZvdsOKHZgc&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object> From the DVD... My Tshirts http://www.chrisedge.com/photos/d/1234-2/1987u207b.jpg http://www.chrisedge.com/photos/d/1231-2/1987u207a.jpg http://www.chrisedge.com/photos/d/1219-2/1987u205a.jpg http://www.chrisedge.com/photos/d/1213-2/1987u204a.jpg http://www.chrisedge.com/photos/d/1207-2/1987u203a.jpg http://www.chrisedge.com/photos/d/1201-2/1987u202a.jpg |
i saw them on the 3rd (?) show of the tour in tucson and then again for both rattle and hum shows in sun devil stadium (once in the seats and the other on the "floor").
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Released: 1988 Tracklisting 1. Helter Skelter 2. Van Diemen's Land 3. Desire 4. Hawkmoon 269 5. All Along The Watchtower 6. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For 7. Freedom For My People 8. Silver And Gold 9. Pride (In The Name Of Love) 10. Angel Of Harlem 11. Love Rescue Me 12. When Love Comes To Town 13. Heartland 14. God Part II 15. The Star Spangled Banner 16. Bullet The Blue Sky 17. All I Want Is You Credits Spoiler:
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This is the album that should've been a single album (the live tracks and covers were superfluous), and Joshua Tree should've been the double album with the studio versions of Siver&Gold, Sweetest Thing and others.
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Rattle and Hum was U2's biggest misstep of their career. Seemingly having no direction after the confident and assured Joshua Tree, the band grasps about with several different attempts at Americana that more often than not fall flat. Angel of Harlem and Desire are two notable exceptions, however.
The film that accompanied the album is even worse, showing the band at their most pretentious and conceited. This is the darkness before the light that is Achtung Baby. |
Originally Posted by Suprmallet
Rattle and Hum was U2's biggest misstep of their career.
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I don't consider it a proper album, but there is some very good original stuff on there (All I Want Is You, Hawkmoon, Angel Of Harlem, Heartland), and some crap (When Love Comes To Town, Love Rescue Me).
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Originally Posted by slop101
This is subjective, of course, but I would say that R&H was U2's second biggest misstep, Pop being their biggest, by far.
Move along. Nothing to see. You have three more years until the 2nd best album of their career comes out. |
Originally Posted by slop101
This is subjective, of course, but I would say that R&H was U2's second biggest misstep, Pop being their biggest, by far.
just watching the popmart DVD showcases how much fun they (at least seemed) to be having. guess i should save more talk about that until we get there... rattle & hum is pretty lame. i like the americana sound & feel of the joshua tree. i don't have any interest in them actually playing americana. i guess this wasn't the first time they got too big for their britches, though. |
Originally Posted by slop101
This is subjective, of course, but I would say that R&H was U2's second biggest misstep, Pop being their biggest, by far.
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