9th March - U2's The Joshua Tree

Artist – Album: U2 – The Joshua Tree

Released:  9^th March 1987           

Sounds Like: A guilty pleasure

I think today is the day that I finally get something off my chest. It’s something that I’ve been coming to terms with for a long time but it’s also something that people in today’s society can still react badly to and responses can vary from faint mocking to downright hostility. Hopefully writing it down here will help me deal with my issues and any enmity from my readers will be buffered by the computer screen. Just bear with me. Ok, here goes... I like U2. I know that’s not something people tend to admit nowadays, but, honestly dude, they’re good. I swear. Wow, I feel so much better; like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders (should that be chest?). It makes me want to share more. Do you want to know what else I like? You don’t? Well I’m going to tell you anyway: Massive movie mess Waterworld. How I Met Your Mother. Chicken McNuggets. Haddaway/A Night at the Roxbury’s ‘What is Love’. I think the American version of The Office might actually be better than David Brent’s UK version... I’ve gone too far haven’t I?

Let’s ignore that latest can of worms I’ve opened and concentrate on the U2 conundrum. In fairness, people generally agree that The Joshua Tree is a great album, but time (and Bono’s day job of being the 2^nd biggest crap ever taken) has certainly diminished or even tarnished the public’s perception of it.

Listen to it with an open mind though (as much as you can listen to anything with your mind), take the preaching with a pinch of salt and you’ll have a blast. ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’, ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’ and ‘With or Without You’ stand as an amazing opening trio to rival that from any record ever. Minus the laboured ‘Bullet the Blue Sky’, which was pretty much rehashed and released as ‘Elevation’ in 2000, the whole album is consistently brilliant. ‘Trip Through Your Wires’ is a slumbering party track, ‘Running to Stand Still’ is blessed with great sliding guitars and ‘Red Hill Mining Town’ is enjoyably over the top. In summation, this is a pleasure that shouldn’t make you feel guilty.

Albumaday... rating: 9/10

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

Listen to ‘Red Hill Mining Town’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLvpZwN9Oko

Also released on the 9^th March:

1999: Wilco - Summerteeth

Also released on the 9^th March:

2005: Daft Punk – Human After All

Also released on the 9^th March:

2010: Broken Bells – Broken Bells