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
Selvagem? cover

Selvagem?

Os Paralamas do Sucesso
Intriguer cover

Intriguer

Crowded House
Live at the Fillmore, 1997 cover

Live at the Fillmore, 1997

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Boston cover

Boston

Boston
Wild World cover

Wild World

Kip Moore
Good Times! cover

Good Times!

the Monkees
Cry Pretty cover

Cry Pretty

Carrie Underwood