TRACKING THE JOSHUA TREE

The Joshua Tree is a monumental album in part due to how many of its 11 songs emerged as stand-alone singles. A great deal of credit for the cohesiveness of the record must go to the producing team of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, who let the listener soar into the skies with the shimmering guitars of Where the Streets Have No Name and row-out on the Irish, traditional-influenced closer Mothers of the Disappeared. We offer a track-by-track breakdown of the album:

1 Where the Streets Have No Name:

The template for so much contemporary songwriting is mandatory textbook-required study for any guitarists wanting to craft one of the most-memorable introductions in rock.

2 I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For:

How good a gospel song is this? So good that it’s become a staple of church choirs across many different denominations.

3 With or Without You:

The exact opposite of Where the Streets Have No Name rides in on Adam Clayton’s low-end heartbeat, as Bono drops some verses about someone he’s down with who has, among other things, a “thorn twist in your side.” Anyone?

4 Bullet the Blue Sky:

The song where the Edge does something radically different on his guitar. He plays it like a ’70s guitar hero instead of an atmospheric soundscapist.

5 Running to Stand Still:

It’s a railroad ballad. It’s slow blues. It’s one of the band’s most-tender tunes.

6 Red Hill Mining Town:

Go figure, reports in the news media say that this is the first time the band will be performing this tune live. Bonus.

7 In God’s Country:

Admittedly, the one song on this album that sounds as though it could be from Boy. The most straight-ahead rocker.

8 Trip Through Your Wires:

Can U2 convincingly play ’70s-style Southern California country rock? Yes, yes they can.

9 One Tree Hill:

The cowbell throughout this funky testimonial is pretty irresistible.

10 Exit:

This was more influenced by Patti Smith’s Horses than anything else. One of the band’s most punky tunes.

11 Mothers of the Disappeared:

Part Irish ballad, part border rock, the message is better than the music on this one.