The Joshua Tree

(1987)

For guitarists it has to start here. The Edge had already proven himself a player who could create using effects but here on U2’s all-conquering fifth album his sound became an iconic blueprint that’s been widely imitated but never bettered. Influenced by the band’s experiences in America, they widened their horizons within pop structures under the guidance of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. The opening salvo is one of the strongest ever committed to tape with the Edge using modulation and two panned TC Electronic 2290 delays in the huge cascading tones of Where The

Streets Have No Name, and the sensitive journey from subtle sustain to emotive licks in With Or Without You. His use of space and slide on Bullet The Blue Sky shows a master painter of parts. Download: Where The Streets Have No Name