The Joshua Tree (remastered)

T

Texoz

1,000+ Posts
Came out this week. Haven't picked it up, yet, but I was curious if anyone had?

All I have to say is, damn. Twenty years goes by in the blink of an eye. I moved to LA that summer (1987) and was listening to Joshua Tree in my car as I drove through Southern California.
 
Just bought the deluxe edition today, and went straight to the live DVD. HOLY ****. Right now, they are playing "The Unforgettable Fire" and I am awestruck by how great this band was/is.

In other words, shell out the clams for the 3-disc set if you're a fan. You will not be sorry.
 
Disc 2 is all of the era's b-sides, all of which I have owned since 1987 (I am a dork like that). They did add 5 songs from the sessions (mostly demos), but one song called "Wave of Sorrow" is a fully-realized piece of U2 greatness. I think they may have cheated and finished it recently, because there's no way something this good sat on the shelf for 20 years.

I had almost forgotten what a GREAT singer Bono was back then. He hits everything perfectly. And The Edge-- the man is simply superb. Their recent concert DVDs are all good, but this is right up there with Red Rocks (which I've heard will be on DVD soon).
 
I too have been disappointed in the recent U2 releases. However, I still stand behind the band as they keep pushing themselves with different styles (i.e. all their records do not sound the same).

I do hope they get back to a more rock/gritty sound one day. But as long as they keep pushing themselves I'll have respect.

As an FYI, I was at the first Joshua Tree show in Los Angeles in April of 1987. The band sounded like crap. Then I saw the 2nd to the last show, of the tour, in November of 1987 as well and I could not believe how far they had come as musicians during that six/seven months. It was unbelieveable.
 
I can understand that some were disappointed with Pop and maybe Zooropa.

But, All You Can't Leave Behind and Atomic Bomb are great, great albums. They've never left my CD changer.
 
OK, does my DVD player suck? I can't get the DVD to get past the intro where the guys are out in the desert, or is the DVD suppose to replay that part 4 or 5 times?
 
bono has admitted to dumbing down his lyrics on the last few cds.

if i remember correctly, while the joshua tree was the wathershed album that changed their status in the world and proclaimed their rule on rock for the next 20 years, they got a lot of shyt from critics for the content of the lyrics. the album was received as too political by some. for others, it didn't make sense for an irish band to be bitching about US foreign policies. whatever.

they then released achtung baby which if i remember correctly was an album about love, in all its forms. it too had a political message but less explicitly--how you can love a thing, an idea, an ism but still be wrong.

since then, well, the songs have been clearly stripped down to mindless pop, but you can still hear the message if you listen carefully.

and i think JT was a perfect storm. they were young and very opinionated. bono was down in central american and had to flee for his life as govt helicopters and planes were shooting up a village where he and ali were visiting. the regime was sponsored by the US. bono was clearly pissed about that event.

so they were young and had something to say about it. JT was the wonderful product of that anger.

U2 and bono are older now. with age comes wisdom. he's learned that preaching can only go so far. actions speak much louder than words.

so now his anger and philantrophy is expressed in his actions. instead of bitching about change, he is literally trying to produce government-like changes on his own. he's less preachy in his songs, and clearly less opinionated. he can't piss off the people (read government leaders, READ U.S. govt leaders) when he needs their help.

i love who he is and what u2 are now, but i yearn for the fire and rage of yesteryear. i again want soulful unapologetic lyrics.

with that said, U2 have always been and will always be my favorite band. bono's philantropy and works for africa only add to my devotion to them.
 
I have the Mobile Fidelity gold disc version of Joshua Tree. I was wondering if the remastered Joshua Tree makes it worth a double dip (the live DVD may make it worth it)? Is it on the level of the Led Zeppelin remasters on Mothership?
 
BV Horn,

Hit play on your dvd remote when the Joshua Tree logo appears in the lower right-hand corner. It's like 20 seconds in. Took me a bit to figure it out too! Enjoy.
 
I learned how to drive to this CD.

I remember popping it in everytime I would get in the car with my papa and we would drive around California.

Only way I could be calm while driving on 101.
 
Pop wasn't the greatest, but "Please" was pretty damn good. As was "Staring at the Sun". "Gone" sounds awesome live.

And Zooropa...Lemon & Dirty Day are very good.

Best album is Achtung Baby IMO, slightly edging out JT.
 
My 11 yr old daughter gave me this for Christmas. I saw the JT tour at Reunion and was blown away by the power the band had. I got chills watching the DVD. Really brought back a ton of memories, especially as they leave the stage after 40 and the crowd continued to sing, without prompting. I remember standing in my seat at Reunion for probably 30 minutes after the show and there was still a sizeable crowd still singing "How Long, To Sing This Song". People were singing it as they left the building. People in the parking lot were still singing it.
 
IMO U2 had four epic albums - Boy, UF, JT, and AB, all of which I like for different reasons. JT was the pinnacle of their career, so it kind of stands out a bit. If I was to rank the rest, it'd go like this: October, War, All That, Zooropa, R&H, Pop and finally the latest one. There are definitely some gems on Zooropa and Pop.

I just got the 3-disc set and can't wait to see the DVD.
 
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