March 12, 1987
THE term artist is used too loosely in describing rock music. Often it's used on acts which churn out a record every year to keep their name in the charts. The term should be reserved to identify true creative geniuses such as U2.
The modest Irish quartet is one of the few rock acts which continues to bloom, simply because it has the patience and grace to nurture its music until an offering of great worth and brilliance can be issued.
So it is with The Joshua Tree, a magnificent collection of 11 songs which surpass all of the band's previous efforts in quality and consistency. Each piece conveys a particularly poignant sentiment - Bono's poetic lyrics are even more passionate and evocative - and stand as integral parts of the album.
Musically, the work is superb. It follows on from the developments catalogued on The Unforgettable Fire, with a silken production uniting the rich textures of pulsing Celtic rhythm patterns, warm guitar melodies and gently sweeping keyboard embellishment as a sympathetic foundation for Bono's emotional vocal delivery.
Even though The Joshua Tree is stalwart as a complete body of work, there are exquisite highlights - the searing emotion of One Tree Hill, the passion of I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, the misty romanticism of With Or Without You and the foreboding tone of Bullet The Blue Sky.
Even the harshest critic of modern rock music could not help but be seduced and excited by the sheer power and beauty of this album.
It is a masterpiece.
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