Week in Review: March 9, 2020
The Joshua Tree Turns 33
Happy 33rd Anniversary to The Joshua Tree! It’s hard to believe that U2, dubbed the “Band of the 80s” by Rolling Stone in 1985 and “Rock’s Hottest Ticket” by Time in 1987, delivered this iconic album 33 years ago.
The album is not only U2’s best-selling, but it also became one of the best-selling albums worldwide with 25 million copies sold—making it certified ten times platinum by the RIAA. It won the Grammy for Best Album of the Year in 1987 and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group in 1988. The Joshua Tree, U2’s fifth studio album, reached the top of the charts three weeks after release and remained there for 103 weeks.
One of the most notable things about the album is that it delivered one of U2 fans’ favorite live songs, “Where the Streets Have No Name,” and lead to a surprise rooftop concert on a Los Angeles liquor store. To this day, the signature red lighting and first chords of the song give goosebumps to fans worldwide!
Did you know Bob Dylan, Keith Richards and Van Morrison all advised and influenced the band during the recording of the album? According to Dave Basner at iHeartRadio, the three legendary musicians suggested U2 draw from American and Irish roots. Read about this and other fun facts about the album here.
Digital Preservation Of The Joshua Tree Site Via Augmented And Virtual Reality
It is well-documented that Dutch photographer Anton Corbijn found the location for the cover shoot of The Joshua Tree. His black and white images captured the band in various poses near a real Joshua tree in Death Valley, California, and fans worldwide associate the band with that album cover and inner sleeve photos. For decades, many fans have even made pilgrimages to the tree (which fell in 2000), leaving journals, photos, guitars, mementos and more. Sadly, the site has been vandalized, and one fan even sawed off part of the tree for a personal souvenir.
To ensure that the site will be preserved for generations of future fans, TheJoshuaTree.earth is creating a digital archive of the tree’s location. The website launched February 6 of this year.
Today, on the 33rd anniversary of the album’s release, TheJoshuaTree.earth team released its second project update. Based on nearly 4,000 photos, the team was able to create the first iteration of an augmented reality tour of the site, allowing fans to walk around the area and view it from different angles. Plus, all artifacts and gifts that have been left at the tree are being digitally remodeled for the site as well.
TheJoshueTree.earth team invites all fans to share their stories of visits to the famous site. Submit your story here.
Bono And Ali On Broadway
Bono and his wife Ali Hewson saw West Side Story on Broadway last week and sent cases of champagne and Guinness to the cast backstage, along with instructions on how to mix a Black Velvet cocktail. Slainte!
U2’s Record Store Day Release Announced
Last, but not least, U2 will participate in Record Store Day again this year (April 18, 2020) with a vinyl re-release of “11 O’Clock Tick Tock” to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the original release of the single. See our previously reported story here.
@U2/Myers, 2020