A Riff in Three Parts: U2's 'The Joshua Tree'

1. The Review: Wherein the Parenthetical Rules

Ten years ago U2 made its worst album, "Pop."

But 20 years ago U2 made a pop masterpiece.

A newly remastered anniversary edition of "The Joshua Tree" highlights the album's importance not just to the band's career but to the late' 80s music scene:

U2 wasn't just the biggest alternative rock group in the world anymore; it was the biggest band, period.

While "The Unforgettable Fire" is a more mysterious album, and in many ways more eclectically artistic, "The Joshua Tree" is the succinct sound of a band so in sync it hurts. Where "The Unforgettable Fire" was based, in part, on U2's desire to break free from the strident sound of "War," "The Joshua Tree" marries the edgy ("Bullet the Blue Sky") and the atmospheric ("Where the Streets Have No Name") alongside pop ("With or Without You") and the bluesier feel ("Running to Stand Still") that the band would later dive into (with mixed results) on "Rattle and Hum."

The two-CD remastered version of "The Joshua Tree" adds a disc of B-sides, such as the original version of "Sweetest Thing," and previously unreleased works such as "Wave of Sorrow (Birdland)," whose bones were recorded during "The Joshua Tree" sessions but wasn't fleshed out until recently.

There's also a deluxe box set that includes a DVD with a 1987 concert in Paris (purple cummerbund alert!), the MTV documentary "Outside It's America" (a precursor to the "Rattle and Hum" film) and videos for "With or Without You" (alternate version) and "Red Hill Mining Town" (which was shelved and never released). Also in the handsome package are five photographic prints and a hardcover book with reminiscences from the band, as well as producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois and various friends.

Like any album that had the mega-success of "The Joshua Tree," the songs are so familiar you might think there would be little in the way of surprises, but the remastering helps bring out the warm studio sound and textured sonic nuances provided by Eno, Lanois, mix-master Steve Lillywhite and recording engineer Flood.

It's a headphone album made to be played in arenas.

In other words, "The Joshua Tree" is everything "Pop" wanted to be and isn't.

2. The Reminiscence: Wherein Our Narrator Identifies With the "Without" and Engages in the Italic

I can remember the exact moment I first heard "With or Without You":

It was March 1987 and I was a high school senior working as a stockboy at Denton's Discount Drugs, a mom-and-pop "party store" (as we say in Michigan).

The guy who worked the day shift before me was named Billy; he was a twenty-something going on 47. He always had the crappy boombox in the attic portion of the stockroom tuned to 101.1, the home of WRIF-FM — and of classic rock.

I grew up listening to the "Riff," and I even had one of their infamous "Disco Sucks" club-membership cards — even though I knew the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack word-for-word, had a mad crush on Donna Summer and could do a mean hustle when nobody was looking.

Billy, however, truly believed that disco did indeed suck and anytime the Riff deviated from its well-worn playlist — you know the one — it would seriously mess with his heavily formatted listening habits. ("Wait, they should be playing Grand Funk Railroad right now.")

Being a budding new waver with punk tendencies, the Riff and I didn't spend much time together anymore except for on Sunday nights when a show called "Sonic Rendezvous" played guitar-based alt-rock for two hours. Otherwise, the only time the Riff was on around me was at work because Billy had left it blasting and I was too lazy to turn off Eric Clapton (yet again).

For once, however, I was glad my lethargy overcame my intense hatred of "Layla."

As I was unpacking a box of paper towels (or some such staple that needed restocking) in the attic, I heard the DJ say something to the effect of "Stay tuned for the Riff debut of U2's new song."

Despite my spiky hair and frosted tips, I wasn't much of a U2 fan then. While I owned every album by The Cure in 1987, there wasn't a single record by Ireland's favorite sons in my collection. But my friend Derek loved U2 and I wanted to tape the new tune for him and bring it to school the next day.

The attic at Denton's Discount Drugs was a messy hodge-podge of products, new (in the front) and really frickin' old (buried in the back). I had gone through virtually every nook and cranny of that attic, however, digging up outdated summerwear, faded toys still in their wrappers and dusty boxes of candy well past their expiration dates. And I remembered there was a package of Certron cassette tapes hidden somewhere in that labyrinth, near the little fort we had created for ourselves when we wanted to skip out on work, drink Cokes and read nudie mags (Billy) and rock rags (me).

I found one of those crappy orange tapes — whose 3-for-99-cents price was still overcharging the consumer — and jammed that hunk o' junk into the boombox.

And then the static started.

Seems I had knocked the coat-hanger antenna lose, and since the Riff was in Detroit and Denton's was in Howell, about 50 miles away, it was imperative to have this radio rigged just so in order to pull in the station.

As I worked furiously to rebalance the wire hanger, the jock was doing one of those cheeseball talk-ups while Larry Mullen Jr.'s synth drums kicked, The Edge's guitar droned and Adam Clayton bounced through that simple pattern of 8th notes that gave the song its distinctive propulsion.

Just before the vocals, the DJ finished his rap (" ... the Riff!") and Bono began to sing:

See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side
I wait for you

I sat down on a cardboard box, mesmerized at first ... shaken by the end.

It turns out Bono had written a song specifically for me and my situation.

No, really.

I don't remember consulting with the elfin Irishman on these lyrics:

My hands are tied
My body bruised, she's got me with
Nothing to win and nothing left to lose

But there's no way I could not have participated in penning those words because those sentiments not only spoke to me, they were me.

Long story short: My exchange student girlfriend had to return home to France in the summer of 1986; I worked at a party store to save money to go see her after graduation in 1987; in between she started dating someone else.

I went to stay with her in France that summer anyway, arriving three months after I first heard "With or Without You."

But I already knew what would happen with our relationship. The song already told me:

Sleight of hand and twist of fate
On a bed of nails she makes me wait
And I wait without you

3. The Randoms: Wherein the DVD Is Left On in the Background

» A version of the above sensitive moment was also shared by Ross and Rachel on an episode of "Friends." Thanks. Sigh. I feel so honored to be among such cultural treasures.

"Outside It's America" documentary notes to follow:

» U2 wore a lot of short vests over long puffy shirts in the 1980s.
» Larry Mullin always looks good. He was never a victim of fashion since his James Dean uniform is timeless. Bono's bare-chested man-vests and The Edge's billowy dress shirts? Not so much.
» Adam Clayton is often shirtless. He also seems to have many pairs of Swifty Lazar eyeglasses.
» While watching the DVD, I realized I had my 6-month-old son on my lap. I don't mean that I just realized he was on my lap as opposed to, say, being left out in the street. What I mean is that I realized, "Wow, I now have a child; when I first saw this video I wasn't even getting ..." Well, um ... you know.
» This docu has some of the last glimpses of The Edge sans his beanie or cowboy lids to cover his balding head. But he's still compensating at this point with a ratty ponytail.
» Bono: "[Sighs as Anton Corbijn takes another snapshot ] Now I know why we always look so grim in our photographs. I'm so bored."
» Bono's so stiff on film, even as his thinks he's being au natural. His self-aware high school acting, be it on stage or when he's interacting with the littles — i.e., when he's kissing random women to show his regular guyness — is so awkward. You remember the "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" video, showing him crawling on cars, smooching up strangers, acting like a general douche?

"U2 Live From Paris — Concert" notes to follow:

» The group starts the show with "I Will Follow," a tired and dismally straightforward song compared to the tunes from "The Joshua Tree" and "The Unforgettable Fire." I will risk the wrath of U2-heads and state that "Boy" and "October" haven't aged well. They're rigid and frequently tuneless. Also, "War" is half brills, half blah.
» It's amazing to think just seven years separate "Boy" and "The Joshua Tree."
» Bono's velvety pants, purple cummerbund, Western vest and tiny little boots make him look like Liberace on a hike.
» Adam seems like a guy unsure of his playing. He's always eye-checking The Edge and Bono for musical cues and often stares at his fingers to make sure he's gonna hit that next note. That's how I play bass, too.
» On that note ...

» Stream an audio excerpt for the B-side song "Spanish Eyes" here.
» Stream an audio excerpt for the original B-side version of "Sweetest Thing" here. Below is the video for the version released on "The Best of 1980-1990/The B-Sides."

Posted By Christopher Porter at 7:38 AM on December 3, 2007 Tagged in Arts & Events , CD Review , DVD Reviews , Music , Top Stories

Your Station:Select Your Station

Comments (3) | Archive