Iconic Albums U2 The Joshua Tree Era (1978): a band landscape global voice

Iconic Albums: U2 - The Joshua Tree Era (1987) explores the making, meaning and extraordinary impact of the album that transformed U2 from a major rock band into one of the biggest groups in the world.After the atmospheric experimentation of The Unforgettable Fire, Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. set out to create something more focused without losing the sense of space and discovery that had begun to redefine their music. Working once again with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, U2 drew inspiration from the American landscape, gospel, blues, folk music, political unrest, faith, personal relationships and the experiences Bono had encountered during his travels through Central America.This book follows the creation of the album song by song, from The Edge's towering guitar introduction to "Where the Streets Have No Name" and the gospel influence behind "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" to the emotional tension of "With or Without You", the fury of "Bullet the Blue Sky", the tragedy behind "One Tree Hill" and the haunting conclusion of "Mothers of the Disappeared".It also explores the recording sessions at Danesmoate, the evolving roles of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, The Edge's experiments with the Infinite Guitar, Bono's development as a lyricist, the contributions of Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr., the songs left off the final album and Anton Corbijn's iconic desert photography.The story continues through the album's release in March 1987, U2's breakthrough to number one in America, the enormous Joshua Tree tour and the band's growing fascination with American roots music that would ultimately lead into Rattle and Hum.Iconic Albums: U2 - The Joshua Tree Era (1987) is the story of eleven songs that changed the scale of U2's career and produced one of the defining rock albums of the 1980s.An unofficial, independent publication for fans interested in the music, history and creative process behind U2's landmark fifth studio album.