Wednesday, March 9, 2011

This Week In Rock History: U2 Release 'The Joshua Tree'


March 9, 1987: U2 Release The Joshua Tree
With massive radio hits "Pride (In The Name of Love)," "New Years Day" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday" under their belts, U2 were already very popular before The Joshua Tree came out. But the 1987 LP transformed them into one of the biggest bands of all time. Produced by Daniel Lanois and  Brian Eno, The Joshua Tree yielded some of the most memorable songs of the Eighties, including "Where The Streets Have No Name," "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "With Or Without You."

By the end of the long tour behind the disc they were headlining stadiums and filming the ill-fated documentary Rattle & Hum. U2 went on to huge success, especially with 1991'sAchtung Baby and 2000's All That You Can't Leave Behind. But they were never quite as massive as they were in the summer of 1987. 
In 1998 the Edge talked to Rolling Stone about "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." "At first it was complete gospel," he said.  "I was like, 'How are we going to make this U2?' Then one afternoon Bono was working on a vocal for it and just hit on this approach. The final thing that nailed it was the chiming guitar part with the echoes. Suddenly, rather than sounding like 'U2 go gospel,' it was this little gem. I still harbored a sense that it might be too gospel, but when I eventually heard a gospel choir sing it, I never felt so white!"
For many of us, it means a new anniversary of being a U2 fan!!! 

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