| RETRO REVIEW Classic albums no 1. U2 "THE JOSHUA TREE."  Released in the spring of 1987 The Joshua Tree was U2's fifth studio album. By the time of its release the band had conquered America, and was playing to full Stadiums all over the world. In the summer of 1985 the band had made a massive impact at "Live Aid," and by the end of 1987 U2 were the biggest Band on the Planet. Trying to mirror the huge success of Bruce Springsteen' s "Born in the USA," The Joshua Tree was geared very much towards the American Market. The name of the album and cover pic placed the band in the Californian desert a few hours drive from LA, far from their more familiar streets of Belfast, Derry, and Dublin. The album sold ten million in America, and nearly 250,000 in its first week in the UK making it the fastest selling album in British Chart history. The Joshua Tree opens with "Where the streets have no name." This song sets the quality, tone and imagery of the album. The track emerges from the morning darkness as the Edge's guitar bursts into life, with a dawning realisation the listener begins to grasp what the song is really all about. It points to the fact that in Belfast the street where someone stays can tell others not only what religion they are, but also how much they earn. For me "Where the streets have no name" is a song about breaking free from the prisons of our minds. The album also tracks "I still haven't found what I am looking for," and "With or without you." These show that Bono's song writing is both political and deeply personal. My favourite track on the album this week (!) is "Red hill mining town," a song that highlights not only Bono the wordsmith, but also the Edge's guitar. Fans of U2 will instantly know what I am talking about. This is The Edge's "Finest Hour". Not forgetting Larry Mullen Jnr. and Adam Clayton, who help provide a solid foundation to this, and all of U2's work. But it was on The Joshua Tree that the band found perfection. U2 discovered its gestalt. The album is much more than the individual contributions of the musicians that created it. The album's relevance has also stood the test of time. "Bullet In The Blue Sky" originally concerned the troubles in El Salvador, but is equally applicable today to war-torn Iraq. "In the locust wind comes a rattle and hum, Jacob wrestled the angel and the angel was overcome, Plant a demon seed; you raise a flower of fire, See them burning crosses, see the flames, higher and higher." Or "Peeling off those Dollar bills 100, 200, … and I can see those Fighter Planes." ("Bullet the Blue Sky") This albums longevity is one of the most important elements in determining why U2's The Joshua Tree is a "Classic." Its subject matter is as germane today as it was 17 years ago. When you consider U2 also gave us "War" and The Unforgettable Fire," and later singular works of importance such as "New Years Day," "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "Pride (in the name of love)," and "Bad," The Joshua Tree must be the Cherry on top of the cake. While The Joshua Tree might not be the album of the 80's, it has to be in my Top Five albums of that decade. If you haven't heard it, get a hold of it now. You won't be disappointed. I never am. |
 'Celtic Connections And Twa Twisted Fifers' Jackie Leven and Ian Rankin Strathclyde Suite. Royal Concert Hall. Glasgow. Most years "Celtic Connections" brings together music from the Four Corners of the world. This year however the show was home-grown. The headliners were singer/songwriter Jackie Leven, and author Ian Rankin. Each representing different corners of the Scottish arts scene, their 'Celtic Connection' is that both hail from the Kingdom of Fife. With such a diverse line-up, few in the audience knew what was in store. First up, Ian Rankin told his short story. "Jackie Leven says." The plot is of a Fifer returning home to bury his mother and meeting up once again with his brother. The brother with whom he used to be in a band in his early years, the brother who had married his former girlfriend! Despite the funereal story line, this is a light-hearted tale. Rankin's main character "Jimmy the Fifer" had left home to try and make it down in London in the music business. A move not without some success. At appropriate points in the story Jackie Leven came on to perform such songs as "Jim of Windygates" and "Classic Northern Diversions". A novel idea that helped support the unfolding plot. His story told Ian Rankin then left the stage to Leven who entertained us some more. The highlight of the evening I thought was "Poortoun," which deals with growing up in a family that has had more than its fair share of troubles. This 'Celtic Connection' night was unusual. Reflecting the pros each are, Rankin and Leven carried the night with relative ease. They each gave to it something different that lent itself to the whole affair. Rankin is a world-class wordsmith and tells a good tale. Leven's vocals are as sharp as ever and his range improves with age. A fact I enjoyed immensely as he moved effortlessly through the octaves to stunning effect. It was only later I realised something else these two have in common, and maybe that was the whole point of this particular 'Celtic Connection'? Both are storytellers, the only difference being their medium of delivery. Promoting such diversity, but also communality, is maybe why Glasgow's Celtic Connections has become increasingly more popular as the years have gone by. It tries, and succeeds to offer something for everyone. |
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