![]() ![]() So I added “Spanish Eyes,” the B-side to “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” It’s a smoldering, urgent, passionate number that would serve as a bridge to the stark, gritty “Bullet the Blue Sky.” Now the original track list had the fading peaceful final sounds of “With or Without You” interrupted by the jarring drums and bass of “Bullet the Blue Sky.” I felt that needed a bit of a transition. This is followed by “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and the amazing “With or Without You.” No need to break those three up. This sets the tone for “Where the Streets Have No Name,” the first song in what fans call the Holy Trinity of the album. Halfway through the song, Bono conjures up some spirits by quoting a William Blake poem: “Hear the voice of the Bard/who present, past and future sees/whose ears have heard the Holy Word/that walk’d among the ancient trees.” If ever there was an ancient tree, it’s the Joshua Tree. The first new addition is placed at the beginning of The Joshua Tree: “Beautiful Ghost/Introduction to Songs of Experience” is an eerie instrumental that picks up where The Unforgettable Fire left off. So I’ve taken one track away and added three B-sides and outtakes to the album – songs that either add to the feel of the album or are considered some of their better B-sides. With something like this, you just want it to continue for as long as possible. But like The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree could be longer. It’s a giant turd on a spotless floor, a zit on the face of a supermodel. But it’s a favorite among fans and is an integral part of the album, whether I liked it or not.īut there is no excuse for “Trip Through Your Wires,” an off-key, unimaginative blues song that is like nails on a chalkboard. “Bullet the Blue Sky” was played on one chord and featured very little melody and some spoken word preaching from Bono. But there was a new grittiness emerging from the band as Bono explored the roots of American music. In some ways, The Joshua Treewas a continuation of The Unforgettable Fire, with the same atmospheric elements, strings and the Edge’s guitar sound. And here I am, 25 years later, writing about the same album. I realized I liked to write, and I pursued a career in journalism. I drank the Kool-Aid and became a U2 disciple, went to their concert at the old Omni in Atlanta, wrote about it for the student newspaper, and received a Georgia College Press Association award for Best Music/Concert Review. And here came U2, nearing their creative peak, singing about life, death, God and the universe. I was contemplating life beyond proms and algebra, thinking of life, death, God and the universe. I was 18, at that dangerous intersection of life where teen angst meets free thinking and introspection. At the risk of venturing into hyperbole, I could argue that The Joshua Tree changed my life. ![]()
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