Bono in 1987: "The Joshua Tree" will not be our best

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He was half right. The Joshua Tree was likely their landmark album. We can debate quality but it is hard to debate the importance of The Joshua Tree. He was right however that the band was young and their best work was yet to come. U2's work in the 90's is proof of that. The Fly, Mysterious Ways, Zooropa, Lemon, the Passengers album and Mofo were examples of the band's creative peak. The Joshua Tree captured magic even if the band pushed their limits in the 90's.
 
I put all of the 90s albums, TUF, and NLOTH above TJT (Pop is my favorite right now), but I like TJT a lot still. So I agree with Bono on everything except TJT being their best album at that moment.
 
I think it just shows that he was as much of a talker in 1987. Edge wasn't on fire yet, that was the only difference.

Joking aside, you actually raise a really good point here, which I think also relates to the endless "Bono's vocals" thread on this page. One thing that really strikes me if I see the old live footage from the 80s is how hard they had to work on stage. And it was really Bono who was doing 90% of the grudge work, live. When comparing his performance then to now, I think this needs to be taken into consideration. Whereas today, I would say Bono is about 30% of the live U2 experience (Edge is maybe 20%, Adam and Larry 15% each) and the technology is about 20% in itself (not to mention the sequencers, programmed sounds, Dallas helping out under the stage, etc.), back in 1987 Bono almost WAS the live show in himself.
 
Joking aside, you actually raise a really good point here, which I think also relates to the endless "Bono's vocals" thread on this page. One thing that really strikes me if I see the old live footage from the 80s is how hard they had to work on stage. And it was really Bono who was doing 90% of the grudge work, live. When comparing his performance then to now, I think this needs to be taken into consideration. Whereas today, I would say Bono is about 30% of the live U2 experience (Edge is maybe 20%, Adam and Larry 15% each) and the technology is about 20% in itself (not to mention the sequencers, programmed sounds, Dallas helping out under the stage, etc.), back in 1987 Bono almost WAS the live show in himself.

very good post. Very correct:up:
 
I'd put AB above TJT and Pop and NLOTH about equal so I guess he was right. But to the rest of the world they are never going to top TJT.
 
At this point, I wonder how they would even measure if a new album was their best? Consider the music/media culture of 2010 vs. 1987. TJT hit during the peak of MTV as well as when hit radio was still viable and as cassettes were transitioning to CDs. The music industry was still a very powerful machine and it was possible for anyone with a pair of Top 10 singles to sell 10 million copies of their album. The climate of the industry and listener's buying habits have changed considerably. I would argue they won't even come close to selling as many copies of TJT (or AB) nor does the current fragmented listening culture invite the kind of "buzz" they generated from 1986-1992. U2 doesn't have it but neither does anyone else. They won't get any better reviews than they did for TJT or AB, either. Frankly, it's amazing that U2 still has the relevance they do. Of course, I hope their ambition leads to a brave new record that shows they still have the chops musically, politically, & spiritually to bang out a new masterpiece. Wouldn't mind a bit, actually. :hyper:
 
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