Classic Albums - U2: The Joshua Tree

Starring:Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr., U2, Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, Elvis Costello, Anton Corbijn, Paul McGuinness, Steve Lillywhite
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
An outstanding entry in the Classic Albums video series, this hourlong documentary, produced in 1999, assembles the creators of U2's The Joshua Tree to comment about the musical magic that occurred a dozen years earlier in a home studio in Dublin. Merging past and present, coproducers Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, mixer Steve Lillywhite, and guitarist The Edge isolate separate tracks on the album's master tapes to illustrate how some of U2's greatest songs were layered with each individual's crucial contributions. Bono listens in while Lanois deconstructs the masters, appearing genuinely shy about his vocal tracks but eloquent in describing the album as "not Irish at all" in its innovative sound, but "very Irish" in terms of the emotions that inspired it. Later, The Edge describes the "cinematic" sound of the album, intended to transport the listener to a specific physical location based on each song's mood and atmosphere.

Amazon.com

An outstanding entry in the Classic Albums video series, this hourlong documentary, produced in 1999, assembles the creators of U2's The Joshua Tree to comment about the musical magic that occurred a dozen years earlier in a home studio in Dublin. Merging past and present, coproducers Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, mixer Steve Lillywhite, and guitarist The Edge isolate separate tracks on the album's master tapes to illustrate how some of U2's greatest songs were layered with each individual's crucial contributions. Bono listens in while Lanois deconstructs the masters, appearing genuinely shy about his vocal tracks but eloquent in describing the album as "not Irish at all" in its innovative sound, but "very Irish" in terms of the emotions that inspired it. Later, The Edge describes the "cinematic" sound of the album, intended to transport the listener to a specific physical location based on each song's mood and atmosphere.

Description

Packed with reminiscences and powerful performances, this is the story of one of the most famous and best records of the eighties, a true Classic Album. Released in 1987, U2's The Joshua Tree topped the Billboard album chart for nine weeks, spending 58 weeks in the Top 40 and earning a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. The Joshua Tree gave birth to several major hit singles, including "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," both of which reached Number 1 on the Billboard Top 100. The story of the making of The Joshua Tree is told here, via interviews and archival film footage, with contributions from band members Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen. U2's long-time manager Paul McGuinness reveals how this powerhouse album catapulted the band into the category of rock superstars. 60 minutes.

Customer Reviews:

For those interested in how an album is put together..........2007-05-29

There seems to be some confusion from people when they buy this DVD on what they will receive. If you are not familiar with the Classic Albums series (often played on VH1), they go through the process of mixing and mastering and creating an album. For musicians and die-hard fans, these programs give insight into the whole recording process.

Having seen several other Classic Albums shows such as Cream and The Band, I knew what to expect, but I also am married to a guitarist and am able to see the writing and production of songs firsthand. In addition, I am a HUGE U2 fan, and so this was definately interesting to me.

If you are looking for videos or concert footage, U2 has some excellent DVDs out there (and part of my own collection). But, if you want more insight on how albums are created and the work involved that goes into them, then this is the DVD for you.

Good find for U2 fans.......2006-07-31

Being a long time fans of U2, we found the DVD interesting and enjoyable. I recommend it for others that would like hearing a mix of insightful dialog from the creators of the Joshua Tree album which included not just the band but in no small part the producers as well as some classic videos.

I loved it!.......2006-04-28

I have never been to see U2 in concert, and this is the closest that I will probably ever get to watching them perform. I own several U2 CD's, and their music helped me out through a rough time in my life. What I enjoyed about this CD, is that I was able to see "behind the scenes." I was able to see how The Joshua Tree was put together, from management, to production, the types of rhythms and variations of them, to their final choices. This is not a music DVD, it's more about the making of their album. I was entertained, and glued to my TV. I enjoyed everything about this DVD. Now, I must buy the DVD from their Greatest Hits 1990-2000. I am sure that I will love it just as much!

A look back into a great album.......2006-03-31

This is a DVD which is certainly not for the average U2 fan. First of all, you won't find any live footage or music videos from the album (except for The Sweetest Thing, but although the song was written back in '87, the video wasn't released till '98). Then, you will find the documentary doesn't really focus on the writing of the songs, but rather on the creative process in the studio, how the mixing was done and how the songs came to sound the way they do. This may not be the most romantic part of making an album, but as you'll see on this DVD, it is a really interesting and very demanding process, for both the artists and the engineers.

The analysis goes track by track (although, as some have noted, there are some tracks missing), and it's done predominantly by Daniel Lanois, with input from Pop-era band members.

U2 fans and music aficionados alike will be pleasantly surprised at how insightful this seemingly boring documentary can be. I wished they made a follow up on some of their latter albums.

As for people looking for live footage or music videos for U2's The Joshua Tree, I recommend looking into the feature film Rattle & Hum and the Best of 1980-1990 compilation.

Great Documentary - Fascinating Insights into the Joshua Tree album.......2006-01-22

"Classic Albums - U2: The Joshua Tree" is not like the other DVDs with the band's name on it. This is not a concert video, or a collection of their music videos. This is a feature length documentary (about an hour) on the making of the Joshua Tree album. Featuring interviews with members of the band, producer Daniel Lanois, and the band's manager, Paul McGuinness, the documentary offers some very interesting information on what went in to the making of such a timeless record: it offers some fascinating stories on the troubles the band faced switching from 6/4 to 4/4 time on "Where the Streets Have No Name"; you will hear some lost guitar tracks that never made it in to songs like "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"; and you will hear what the Edge has to say about his favorite guitar part on the album (the closing of "With or Without You"), or what Bono has to say about how interesting such an odd sounding song (at the time) became such an enormous hit.
If you are looking at this DVD expecting a concert film, check out "Rattle and Hum", "Elevation Live from Boston" or "Vertigo Live from Chicago" instead. If you want a collection of U2's videos, check out the DVD "U2: Best of 1990-2000". But, if you are simply curious about the making of such an amazing album, this DVD is well worth it, although you probably won't watch it very often. But certainly, if you enjoy well-made documentaries, and you love The Joshua Tree, this is a DVD well-worth looking in to.