Having nearly exhausted their capacity for pop-song politics on War and The Unforgettable Fire, U2 turned toward themes of personal identity and complex relationships on The Joshua Tree. Not that the group was willing to come down off the barricades entirely: "Mothers of the Disappeared" and "Bullet the Blue Sky" turned a jaundiced eye toward Central America and the United States' role there. But the predominant mood here is one of self-discovery and the hunger for something more on tracks like the pulsating "Where the Streets Have No Name" and the gospel-ish "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." The album's masterstroke, however, is "With or Without You," a nasty love song dressed up as an ode of devotion and care. It ranks with the Police's "Every Breath You Take" as the most misread smash hit of the '80s. --Daniel Durchholz

uuid:	1AD65EA3-BF52-4D15-BD1A-0137FE95577E
upc:	0042284229821
tracklisting:	Where The Streets Have No Name I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For With Or Without You Bullet The Blue Sky Running To Stand Still Red Hill Mining Town In God's Country Trip Through Your Wires One Tree Hill Exit Mothers Of The Disappeared
title:	The Joshua Tree
purchase date:	09-05-2005
published:	15-06-1990
price:	$13.98
net Rating:	4.5
last lookup time:	137383728
fullTitle:	The Joshua Tree
currentValue:	$4.44
created:	137383728
country:	us
aspect:	Audio CD
asin:	B000001FS3
artist:	U2