8) U2: The Joshua Tree

U2’s fifth album “The Joshua Tree” crafted all the positives of their past albums into their best work of art. U2 decided to take a step back from the politically charged music a bit and look towards newer topics. Although taking a step back from the political songs they did not completely neglect them. In “The Joshua Tree” Bono and crew looked towards more spiritual and personal songs which most definitely worked in their favor. Opening up the album is the enduring classic “Where the Streets Have No Name.” The song opens up with surreal sounds of an organ followed by an echo of arpeggios from The Edge. Aside from “Where the Streets Have No Name” this album is rather haunting and gloomy. There are some brighter songs but those don’t quite have the strength that the gloomier songs have. Songs like “With Or Without You” and “Running to Stand Still” best sum up the album as a whole. “With Or Without You” is a song that could bring anyone to tears, the way Bono is able to convey his commanding lyrics makes this song what it is. The highlight of the album is a haunting song to say the least. The politically charged “Bullet the Blue Sky” captures such an incredible emotion. It gives such a surreal feeling of anxiety and passion, it really gives the listener the feeling that they are on the front lines of a battle. It’s haunting and chilling and hits the point better than nearly any U2 song ever recorded, not to mention it is the centerpiece of their live shows where Bono showcases his incredible stage presence. “Bullet the Blue Sky” best shows the strength of lyrics and passion that U2 has. Next there is “Running to Stand Still” which is another powerful song that is so beautiful. The album ends with the fitting song “Exit” which has a strong build up and then followed by “Mothers Of The Disappeared” which has the haunting sound which in essence sums up the album. The one thing you can take away from “The Joshua Tree” is how powerful it is and the incredible lyrics it contains. It was pretty difficult to write this review because there are only so many ways to say powerful and I feel that I couldn’t say it quite enough. This is a must have album!

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