«The first of a trio of U2's masterpieces»

While I've enjoyed every U2 album (there's even redemption in at least half of their "Pop" album from the 1990s), The Joshua Tree is what got me into the band originally and is what I consider their first masterpiece. Achtung, Baby and then How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb eventually followed as triumphs, but this box set was a delightful gift to have received. Sure, I owned the Joshua Tree already, but after 20 years it's a bit worn out and the remastered versions are crisp and clear. The packaging is nice, although I don't need such a thick box just to hold a booklet and a couple of CDs/DVDs.

The book that is included makes for a great companion to the CD and the DVD of the Joshua Tree Tour show from Paris is actually very high quality, along the same lines of other U2 concert releases on DVD. I was a bit surprised at that, although I'm curious as to why the concert didn't open with Where the Streets Have No Name, which eventually became a concert standard. The "Outside, it's America" documentary is nearly worthless. I think I remember seeing it air originally on MTV when The Joshua Tree started becoming huge but it's really not a value-add to my collection. It's basically an hour of watching them eat and wander around. The bonus music videos are nice to have, but it's not like I'd pop in a DVD just to watch a couple of music videos. Perhaps if they had gone the extra mile of including all of The Joshua Tree-related videos, there'd be just a bit more value.

The bonus CD contains, as other posters have noted, a good number of songs that have already been made available on B-Sides compilations. "Beautiful Ghost/Introduction to Songs of Experience" is a spooky reading of some lyrics or poem and as such, can't really be considered a song. "Wave of Sorrow (Birdland)" is another new song that's pretty good for a B-Side song and has some familiar chord progressions reminiscent of U2 of that era.

"Desert of our Love" isn't really a complete song as it includes quite a bit of "bonoglese" or whatever Bono's placeholder lyrics language is called. You'll hear him calling out instructions such as "one more verse" or "bass and drums" which actually only seems distracting on the first listen or two but the mind learns to ignore those and appreciate what seemed like a good song and a good way to hear how the band worked in the studio. "Rise Up" is probably the best of the new songs and seems to really thrive. I wouldn't mind U2 taking a chance on reviving this as part of a future tour. The last of the new songs is "Drunk Chicken/America" which was not even worth space on my iPod. Still, a handful of new songs, a quality DVD, and a pristine version of the original Joshua Tree album make this a valuable addition to any U2 addict's collection.

[Wednesday, September 03, 2008]

«Better sound?»

Really, does anyone noticed a real SOUND improvement over the early 90s edition of this cd?

[Sunday, August 03, 2008]

«The Loudness War continues...»

Once again, a classic album falls victim to the idiotic modern trend of maxing everything out in the mix to create a muddled, lifeless sound. All the atmosphere and nuance of the original album is lost in this remaster; Bullet the Blue Sky sounds especially awful. Stick with the original album.

[Friday, July 11, 2008]

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