Customer Reviews

Classic Albums - U2: The Joshua Tree

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I was little apprehensive buying this DVD sight unseen. I was afraid that this was going to be a collection of videos from the "Joshua Tree" album, with perhaps some stock footage thrown in to make it look like a documentary. I was pleasantly surprised.

The producers sat down recently (probably while making the new U2 album) with U2, Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, and Flood and discussed in detail all that went into making this album. Bono and Lanois even play back the master tapes to show instumentations and vocals that weren't included in the final mix. The Edge also breaks down the master for "Where the Streets Have No Name" and discusses how the song evolved, and shows all of the different guitar parts included in the final mix. I found the whole DVD fascinating.

I only wish that it had lasted longer (60 minutes). My hope is that maybe some of the magic that went into the production of "The Joshua Tree" will find it's way onto the new album...

I must admit that I didn't have high expectations for this DVD. I imagined a lot of old interviews and video footage of the band and not much else. However, when I watched the DVD, I was pleasantly surprised. This DVD was made in the last two years...interviewing all of U2, Flood, Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, Steve Lillywhite and Paul McGuiness. There is also an interview with designer Steve Averill and photographer Anton Corbijn about the sleeve work. Lanois, Bono and Edge sit down at the mixing console and pull out the old 2" recording tape to listen to the old mixes of many of the songs. I also found it humorous to watch Bono wince as he listened to some of his old vocal tracks from the album's recording. Edge even pulls out the guitar and plays along to the end of With or Without You. He also plays the original 4 track recording of "Streets" that he made. There are also a great deal of unique short clips of the band...most notably one of U2 performing "Mothers of the Disapeared" in Chile (with some of the actual mothers of the disappeared) a couple years ago. Yes, it is short, but still worth the time and money. The DVD doesn't cover all the songs, leaving out One Tree Hill, In God's Country, Trip Through Your Wires and Red Hill Mining Town. It was interesting though to learn how songs like Exit and Mothers of the Disappeared were created. This DVD is a must for die-hard fans.

I remember how Joshua Tree transformed U2 into superstars. Before, they had been on the same level as the rest. Duran Duran, Ultravox etc. The music was different, but they were one of those post-punk bands, and that was it. Joshua Tree changed all that. As the other bands were dying a slow and painful death, U2 exploded. It was and is a great album and this DVD only enhances that experience.

The only vice I could possibly find is that it's short. 60 minutes is not a lot of DVD. Including the Sweetest Thing video was a neat thing, but I would have liked to see the rest as well. I guess they want you to buy Best of 1980-1990, but then they better release that. Why was that only released on VHS?

I'm ready for the laughing gas. I want some ZooTV stuff on DVD... soon.

A great, short DVD, well worth the money if you like U2 or are interested in how albums are made.

This rare, insider's look into the making of U2's classic release "Joshua Tree" was filmed after their most recent Popmart tour in their hometown of Dublin. This video gives the viewer a close up, personal glimpse into how that masterpiece was constructed. From Bono's no-nonsense, personal recollections to Edge's guitar demonstations and ancedotes, this video is like being in the studio with the members themselves. The video also includes in depth and detailed track-by-track analysis by the production team of Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno (who are also working on the forthcoming U2 release scheduled for later this year). Adam and Larry are also featured as well as Steve Lillywhite , and long time friend and photographer Anton Corbijn.

This video is a must have for all U2 fans as well as anyone who is interested in how a brilliant aural masterpiece such as Joshua Tree is conceived, contructed, and recorded.

To those expecting Joshua Tree videos: Given that there were only 5 videos made for Joshua Tree Songs (With or Without You, Where the Streets Have No Name, I Still Haven't Found, Red Hill Mining Town, and Spanish Eyes) why the hell would one include already released video material on a "making of" style documentary!? BTW, most of these videos can be found on U2's Greatest 1980-1990 VHS and videos for all other tracks are nonexistent.

To those expecting live or studio action: This is a documentary, displaying the action behind the mixing console and in the sound room where all tracks were laid down. So of course it's only fitting to have Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, Steve Lillywhite, and Flood guiding the viewer through the recording and mixing processes while each band member embellishes with their own personal experiences and memories of those landmark recording sessions. Tidbits of live action and additional video footage are interspersed with studio interviews and commentary. The comments by world famous photographer Anton Corbijn and Marketing Agent Steve Averill add further flavor to this DVD by telling the story behind the album artwork and photographs, as well as the significance of the Joshua Tree itself.

To Musicians and True Fans: Insight into the making of the Joshua Tree is like insight into the creation of the universe. The work, heart, and committment put into the making of this musical work of art is faithfully documented. If you play an instrument and or do some recording you'll more than appreciate what this DVD has to offer. True fans will be delighted in visiting the realm where all the magic took place. But please recognize that most audio releases have time limits...this is not a theatrical release. Albeit 60 minutes doesn't do the entire album justice, but provides insight to a majority of tracks. A documentary implies commentary and insight, articulated by all those involved in the recording process.

The documentary opens with Elvis Costello (a legend himself) recalling the excitement of purchasing "Joshua Tree" for the first time. That excitement hasn't been recaptured since by any other band or by U2 themselves. As Bono relates, the sound of the "Joshua Tree" songs ("Where the Streets Have No Name", "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," "With or Without You") have become so familiar after constant rotation on the radio. But in its time, each song was an unheard-of soundscape. Nothing else in pop music had that intensity, depth, and confidence.The "Making Of" documentary is a decent one. Not stunning with revelation, but interesting to reflect on U2's signature days in light of the band's resurgence with the latest album "All That You Can't Leave Behind." It's also an opportunity to see behind-the-scenes gurus like Daniel Lanois, Steve Lillywhite, Brian Eno, and the Flood who would otherwise remain just names on the album liner notes for we non-industry folks. You start to realize that the band is a collaborative act. Like the Beatles, it's not just the four guys up front.The DVD isn't as slickly produced as "Rattle And Hum" (a post-"Joshua Tree" examination of U2). However, if you enjoy looking at scratch notes to an album that's become a legend, this does the trick.

Filmed around the same time that U2 had put together a 'Best of 1980-1990', this "documentary" is suprisingly good. Producers Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno and members of the band provide fascinating insights and stories behind the songs on what is considered by many to be their strongest record. The weaknesses - there is no commentary on three songs on 'The Joshua Tree', "One Tree Hill", "In God's Country", and "Trip Through Your Wires" and the awkward inclusion of the full video versions of "The Sweetest Thing" (remixed in 1998) and "Running to Stand Still" (circa 1993 Zoo TV).

Having read the book "Until the End of the World", I hope they take a second try at this format with the making of their other classic, 'Achtung Baby'.

"Classic Albums - U2: The Joshua Tree" is not like the other DVDs with the band's name on it. This is not a concert video, or a collection of their music videos. This is a feature length documentary (about an hour) on the making of the Joshua Tree album. Featuring interviews with members of the band, producer Daniel Lanois, and the band's manager, Paul McGuinness, the documentary offers some very interesting information on what went in to the making of such a timeless record: it offers some fascinating stories on the troubles the band faced switching from 6/4 to 4/4 time on "Where the Streets Have No Name"; you will hear some lost guitar tracks that never made it in to songs like "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"; and you will hear what the Edge has to say about his favorite guitar part on the album (the closing of "With or Without You"), or what Bono has to say about how interesting such an odd sounding song (at the time) became such an enormous hit.
If you are looking at this DVD expecting a concert film, check out "Rattle and Hum", "Elevation Live from Boston" or "Vertigo Live from Chicago" instead. If you want a collection of U2's videos, check out the DVD "U2: Best of 1990-2000". But, if you are simply curious about the making of such an amazing album, this DVD is well worth it, although you probably won't watch it very often. But certainly, if you enjoy well-made documentaries, and you love The Joshua Tree, this is a DVD well-worth looking in to.

I'm not surprised that a lot of the reviews here are negative -- I think that in order to enjoy this DVD, you have to be either a diehard U2 fan or a musician. But since I am both, I absolutely loved it! This is not a DVD full of music videos (except for the hilarious "Sweetest Thing" video), rather it's a series of intimate, extremely informal discussions with band members, producers and other people involved in the making of the album, with a bit of concert footage thrown in. If you're into that kind of thing (and I am), this DVD is bliss. Otherwise, stay away.

i loved this dvd! ....i always get a kick outta learning new things about the greatest band ever! i found it refreshing to see bono so humble and to hear the original track versions in the raw!