The Joshua Tree
by U2

The first 3 songs are unbelievable, and I do like "In God's Country". This is my only U2 album and part of my favorites in my studio album collection. Without question one of the most iconic and original sounding records of the 1980s. It was the MTV video of "Where The Streets Have No Name" that caught my eye.

From CaptainPain 02/16/2026 09:35 | #313172

To be honest, I've never been a fan of Bono and his ostentatious antics, like snapping fingers symbolizing the deaths of starving children in Africa, etc. To be honest, they were a pretty good band (sometimes even albums) before the noughties, starting in 2000 and beyond - complete crap.
U2, who caught the hurricane of popularity, continued to develop it with the album "The Joshua Tree", which catapulted them once and for all into a permanent superstar. The album marks something of a conscious improvement in the sound of not only the band, but also the guitar sound in general.
No matter what they say, U2 was gaining momentum during this period of time, the first strong album where the band found themselves and their self.

Front heavy with the hits, but what great hits they are. Understandable why this album elevated them to a whole new level.

Album of the year at the Grammys in 1988

This comment is beneath your viewing threshold.

Opens with three absolute all-time bangers -- and follows with a fourth often-underplayed gem.

This has one of the greatest beginnings of all time to any record with 3 absolute classics in a row that start off the release in style. The height they reach at the start isn't reached again throughout the rest of the release but none of the remaining songs are poor and there are quite a few that fly under the radar a little as well. One example of this for me is Trip Through Your Wires which seems to get stuck in my head every time I listen to this album. The chorus on this song just stands out and I think Bono gives a brilliant vocal performance on here as well. Bono is also extremely consistent throughout the whole record with this being his strongest display in my opinion. The instrumentation is probably at its best as well or is at least at its most infectious with some of the guitar work being of a significant quality and it is also extremely memorable. The Edge is fantastic throughout and the partnership he has with Bono is something truly special with them making this an exceptionally cohesive listen. Despite this, I do find the ending to drag out a bit especially the final two tracks which feel like they could be cut as they are pretty average. Overall, this is the groups best work as it has their greatest songs as well as their best performances making it an essential part of musical history.

This comment is beneath your viewing threshold.

Well done, but frontloaded and quite boring for me, I prefer their earlier stuff. First four tracks are amazing but then it becomes more and more dull.

Good album