The Joshua Tree 20th Anniversary edition on the way

It sounds like out of this world to me. Lillywhite looks to be a great fella, huh?
I've read about this show you've been in! It's one of the most unforgettable gigs, according to the band if I'm not mistaken. Good un!

 

I agree. If one accepts that there are modern rock classics recorded after 1975, The Joshua Tree is without a doubt one of them.

 

http://www.elevation-tour.com/show741.html
http://www.elevation-tour.com/show745.html


It has to be one of those, right?

 

I have a dvd copy of one of the L.A. shows from that tour and really enjoy it. The performance and sound are very good. Also, the audio to the Denver show, which sounds great too, imo. The Paris show being mentioned for the Deluxe limited edition release has been in trading circles for a long time, but that, in additon to different studio rarities that might be on disc two makes this release very tempting. I like the MoFi CD version as well.

 

Too good to be true!

 

So...no word on what the 'Rarities' disc will contain?

 

This would make a nice thread!

 

Since the DVD will feature a live show, I'm assuming that the rarities disc will contain all of the b-sides from the Josuha Tree singles, of which there were quite a few: "Spanish Eyes," "Silver and Gold (studio version)," "Walk to the Water," "Luminous Times," "Deep in the Heart," and probably a couple of others that I'm forgetting.

 

"Sweetest Thing" was another..

 

Oh, yeah. Ever since the remix/hit single version of that song, I've done my best to forget it.

 

I think it should, and more. Maybe the demo, or band recording - if there is one - of that brilliant song, Mystery Girl, that Bono gave to Roy Orbison. Race Against Time as well. And possibly U2-only versions - if they exist - of Sweet Fire Of Love and Testify (of course I love Robbie Robertson, but I'm just saying). Maybe the "other" Silver and Gold version they recorded as well. I'm sure they could fill the second disc with quality rarities. Love those B-Sides!

 

Never liked the "new" version of that song either. Love the original B-Side though!

 

You're a bigger fan than I am - I've never bothered to pick up the Robbie Robertson record that the Edge played on, although I keep meaning to - are "Sweet Fire of Love" and "Testify" U2 compositions or Robbie Robertson compositions? I agree that a U2 version of "Mystery Girl" would be nice treat. The more rarities, the better, imho.

 

Wow, had left AtU2 before they get it updated. Now they are really talking...and very seriously!

 

By memory, I am pretty sure Sweet Fire of Love is a U2-only composition, but Testify has a credit for Robbie. Of course, unfortunately, I may be wrong.

 

One of my favourite b sides by U2. It was never available on anything other than the CD single for "I Still Haven't Found..."
If it's on the Deluxe Edition, I'm in!

 

Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I thought some of you might find this interresting. The following is from an old website that no longer exists called "Restore The Joshua Tree." It's actually a pretty cool idea, and if the new release has all of the B-Sides, pretty easy to try. I did this a few years back and think it works pretty well:


"What needs restoring?
But what do I mean by "Restore The Joshua Tree"? The answer goes back to the recording of this album, a time when Bono, The Edge, Adam and Larry were being introduced to new types of music they had ignored before, Blues, R&B, American Music. At the same time, they were experiencing the heartbreaking suffering of Ethiopia, the strife of El Salvador and Guatemala, and the oxymoron's of Reagan's America. And U2 was writing songs like they never had before.
Now most bands write a lot of songs for an album, but hopefully among them are 10 good enough songs to release as an album. The other tracks are forgettable, throwaway or left for another time which almost never comes. However, as the "weeding" process started to take place during the Joshua Tree sessions, they came down to almost 20 tracks considered good enough to be placed on the album.
The Edge and Bono Talk
Not long after the album came out and hit it big, I began to notice an interesting trend in the interviews where the band would talk about the learning process they had gone through, the exposure to so much they had not considered before, and how they had "learned to write songs", a lot of songs. I pored through other interviews and stories, and found one in Hot Press (one of Ireland's premier music magazines) as reprinted in America in Three Chords and the Truth, (a book you may be able to still special order from Harmony Books).
The following excerpt is from from Hot Press, December, 1987, from an article by Bill Graham with an interview with Edge and Bono:
[Edge:] "... For instance, we disagreed vehemently about what songs should go on the album. If Bono had his way, 'The Joshua Tree' would have been more American and bluesy, and I was trying to pull it back."
That compromise led to the later flood of new B-side tracks. Bono will argue that "the album is almost incomplete. 'With or Without You' doesn't really make sense without 'Walk to the Water' or 'Luminous Times'. And 'Trip Through Your Wires' doesn't make that much sense without 'Sweetest Thing.'
[end of excerpt]
Another interview was on Radio One in Dublin, with Dave Fanning, where Bono talks about how they originally thought of releasing a double album, but there were so few good double-album releases (he mentions Bob Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde" as being a good one). He also felt that their pared down version of "The Joshua Tree" was almost "too much" for one listen as it was released.
Single album, Extra Songs
Ultimately, with these interviews and others as evidence, there was plans at one point to release The Joshua Tree as a double-album with up to 18 songs. As we all know, this was not to be, but U2 did not leave its fans without options. In most of U2's history, b-sides were either old reworked demos that had been sitting around for years, or live tracks to attempt to capture the concert energy of U2. In the case of the Joshua Tree, however, 7 of the songs left off the album were released as via b-sides of the first three singles. Island Records even marketed three-packs of these singles in many parts of the world as "The Missing Tracks"
Conclusions
Having laid out the facts of the story, let me now get into my opinions on the subject. While I like The Joshua Tree the way it is (and many have emailed me not to argue with success), I tried to piece from interviews and articles what the track listing MIGHT HAVE BEEN if all 18 tracks were issued together. Back in October of 1993, I first posted this story and my suggested restored track listing for other U2 fans on Usenet and the U2 mailing list now known as Wire and sparked controversy on the subject. Overwhelmingly, though, I have received mail from other fans about how they could hear the music in a new way and get something from it they had not previously.
So finally, let me give you the Ingredients to make your own "restored" Joshua Tree album. Of all the b-sides, only Race Against Time doesn't really cut it as an album track, IMHO. Anyways, I put the b-sides where I thought they belonged based on the information available through these interviews and what sounded right to me.
Ingredients
To make your own "restored" Joshua Tree, you will need your Joshua Tree album, plus the first three singles (or at least the 2 CD version of the Greatest Hits). These singles were released on CD and were available here in the US in the import section of your favorite local music store. In order of release, these singles are: With Or Without You, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, and Where The Streets Have No Name.
Track Listing for restored Joshua Tree
Side A and B are for those making cassettes. You can also fit the entire 18 tracks on an 80 minute CD if you have a burner!
Side A:
Where The Streets Have No Name
Silver And Gold (Studio Version)
I Still Haven't Found...
Spanish Eyes
With Or Without You
Luminous Times
Walk To The Water
Bullet The Blue Sky
Running To Stand Still
Side B:
Red Hill Mining Town
Race Against Time
In God's Country
Trip Through Your Wires
Sweetest Thing
One Tree Hill
Deep In The Heart
Exit
Mothers Of The Disappeared"

 

A rare moment when critical acclaim meets mass commercial acceptance and everyone's on the same page musically (ie. everyone liked U2 in 1987)

 

All things considered, I think paring the proposed double album Joshua Tree down to a single was the best decision, as it was with Who's Next. However, some great songs were condemned to b-side obscurity because of this. "Spanish Eyes" is the biggest omission from the album, imho. This track could have been an a-side and as big a hit as "Pride (In the Name of Love)," imho. I also think that either "Luminous Times" or "Walk to the Water" would have been a better album closer than "Mothers of the Disappeared."

 

It's true, U2 essentially owned 1987. 20 years later, it's still remarkable to see such a great artistic achievement do so well commercially.

 

Sweet Fire Of Love is brilliant! The "Robbie Robertson" album is one of the best albums of the 80's IMO. Some have called it a masterpiece.

 

Probably not going to happen, but I'd like to see a deluxe edition of the "Robbie Robertson" record. "Hell's Half Acre" is a song waiting to be rediscovered. Dare I say it's "underrated?" (I realize some people here don't like words that end with "rated.")

 

I know where you've been thread-wise!...
Widely praised in '87 and fairly commercially successful (I remember a few tunes getting radio airplay on Toronto FM radio), this album seems to have slipped under the radar a little.
I'm sure a lot on this forum who may not know it well (although I'm sure most do) would be well advised to give it a listen. Those of us who know it and love it will give it another listen (I haven't heard it in a few years!)
Excellent album and one Daniel Lanois should be very proud of producing!

 

I'm pleasantly surprised by this news. Sounds like they are doing it right. I actually prefer the B-sides to several of the JT album tracks. "Luminous Times", "Walk To The Water" & "Deep In The Heart" are some of my favorite U2 songs.

How about a 25th Anniversary WAR set next year with the full Red Rocks show on DVD?

 

I can't remember if "Slow Dancing" was a song from that era or later (Rattle And Hum/post 1987): they played it on the Love Town tour