The Joshua Tree

U2

Released

There is some kind of epochal argument embedded in this album, because soon enough U2 go from town heroes to supervillains. But if you want to hate, would you really put your hand on a stack of Bibles and say you don’t believe in Track 1 (“Streets Have No Name”), Track 2 (“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”), and Track 3 (“With Or Without You” aka “Ross and Rachel”)? They got the power to torture us all because, for ten years, they were devil magicians. The ability to pace and reframe songs with just guitar, bass, and drums—this practice went light years into the future because of U2. And Bono, so easy to throw into the canyon now, was still a true wizard of dynamics on this album. It’s actually a bit like another Eno project (though he didn’t produce this one): Bowie’s Heroes. Half of this is pure hits, and the other half is a heat-dazed wasteland of echo and harmonica and steel.

Sasha Frere-Jones

Suggestions
Elton John cover

Elton John

Elton John
Saturation cover

Saturation

Urge Overkill
Born to Quit cover

Born to Quit

Smoking Popes
Amores Perros [Original Soundtrack] cover

Amores Perros [Original Soundtrack]

Various Artists, Gustavo Santaolalla
Sublime cover

Sublime

Sublime
Purple Rain cover

Purple Rain

Prince and the Revolution
Cuatro Caminos cover

Cuatro Caminos

Café Tacuba
Enemigos De Lo Ajeno cover

Enemigos De Lo Ajeno

El Último de La Fila
Everyone Is Here cover

Everyone Is Here

Finn Brothers
Up! cover

Up!

Shania Twain