I’ll get it out of the way right now, I won’t be doing a best of compilation/reissues list for this year. I know you’re all devastated. If I did make a list though, there would be absolutely no contest for the number one spot. Ever since I can remember liking music and not just listening to it, The Joshua Tree has been my favorite album, and to celebrate the album’s 20th Anniversary it has gotten the full reissue/remaster treatment. Personally, I don’t think I can ever fairly compare another album to it, because to me, The Joshua Tree is absolutely perfect. I’ve listened to the songs a thousand times, and I don’t think any amount of radio play can lessen the power of tracks like “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and “With or Without You”.
Even those songs though, as magnificent as they are, pale in comparison to the album’s incredible opening track (perhaps the greatest opening track ever), “Where The Streets Have No Name”. Everything surrounding the song is legendary: it’s origin on the streets of Africa, the difficulty in creating the track that resulted in Brian Eno almost erasing it completely, the music video featuring a rooftop concert on Republic Liquor Store in LA that police were forced to shut down, the passionate live performances that have been the foundation for every U2 show since the album was released, and the inspiring Super Bowl performance where the names of those who died on 9/11 scrolled behind the band.
Although the three biggest hits are upfront the album in no way slows down, with it’s hardest hitting track “Bullet The Blue Sky” where Bono famously told Edge to “put El Salvador through an amplifier,” immediately followed by the chilling, heroine tune, “Running to Stand Still”. “Red Hill Mining Town” splits the album in half and features one of Bono’s best performances (one that he’s never even tried to replicate live). Two of my favorite songs by the band “In God’s Country” and “One Tree Hill” fill out the second half beautifully, full of those wide open American spaces that inspired the album.
The B-Sides of The Joshua Tree era are almost as legendary as the album itself, and gems like “Luminous Times (Hold On To Love)”, “Spanish Eyes”, and “Sweetest Thing” are all featured on second disc of the album as are some tracks even the most hardcore U2 fan probably wouldn’t own (“Drunk Chicken”, “Desert of our Love”, “Wave of Sorrow”) Although not all the songs are amazing, it’s great to have them in one collection. The three disc version comes with a DVD full of music videos, a documentary, and a live performance from Paris. A fitting collection for what is one of the greatest albums ever recorded.
MP3 In God’s Country
Music For Kids Who Can't Read Good 
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HI!
Thank-you for your service, everything has arrived without any hiccups.
🙂
Amen…I’ve been into more “pop” sounding stuff recently; thanks for reminding me why U2 is my favorite. Gonna get that album out now and play it!
Felt as if I’ve written this piece – Where The Streets Have No Name and The Joshua Tree – undoubtedly the greatest song and the greatest album ever:) So important to me.:)