Episode 3 — The Joshua Tree

[justinmh05 1968]

I know this is an episode to late, but out of all of the new wave bands of the 80's, can we all agree that Scritti Politti is by far and away the worst of them?

 

Agreed.

[Joe Lerini 7329]

How dare Harris use "Sounds like the Breakfast Club soundtrack" as an insult?!

 

*flips over a table*

[Gym Sockerman 1326]

I ask this as someone who isn't very familiar with U2. Do they play any music on their albums or is it all just ambient noise?

[BLOOOR 13]

I answer this as someone who isn't very familiar with U2. They do play music on their albums that is all just ambient noise!

[ClayAddy 1]

The biggest laugh for me came right near the end when Scott asked Adam: "If you could create something as good as 'The Joshua Tree'...would you?" Adam's response: "No"

[Kickpuncher 5012]

The biggest laugh for me came right near the end when Scott asked Adam: "If you could create something as good as 'The Joshua Tree'...would you?" Adam's response: "No"

 

I was fully expecting an answer of "If I could, yes I would. If I could, I would."

[matte 588]

Full res over here.

[Booze Hammer 3]

Fucking Scotty Aucks got Tenacious D stuck in my head.

[WEdidITagain 458]

just gonna put this out there, I'm going to be kinda controversial with this but uhh,

 

I love I love films.

 

Any hopes for longer episodes of I love films!?!?!?!?

 

I want to start a podcast about my love for this podcast.

[robbiegoodwin 29]

More like Hater Wittels! It was kinda hilarious that he finally got to throw Analyze Phish back at Scott a little bit.

 

BTW This podcast is the greatest. The fact that I can hear a bad joke as amazing as "from boy to boots; get on them that is" and also hear talk about the Joshua tree b-sides (which are as good as advertised) is dope

[BobDooley 0]

My vision of The Joshua Tree..

[Mikeyfazed 65]

I know this is an episode to late, but out of all of the new wave bands of the 80's, can we all agree that Scritti Politti is by far and away the worst of them?

I thought Scottrick was making up Scritti Polittli, like a Kooky Cavemen type thing.

I googled Boom Boom Bap and made it through about 25 seconds on youtube. It's every bit as bad a Kulap implied with her mocking.

[justinmh05 1968]

I thought Scottrick was making up Scritti Polittli, like a Kooky Cavemen type thing.

I googled Boom Boom Bap and made it through about 25 seconds on youtube. It's every bit as bad a Kulap implied with her mocking.

 

I said this in the other thread as well, but I'd rather listen to GG Allin on a loop than have to sit through The Boom Boom Bap again.

[seanotron 2307]

I never found Scritti Polliti *that* terrible, but they have always sounded like a weird collab between Erasure & Culture Club that misfired. I think 'Perfect Way' is their biggest hit and even that sounds kind of like a b-side.

[robinsbruce 4985]

Fucking Scotty Aucks got Tenacious D stuck in my head.

 

That's also truuuuue!

[JasonVanderhill 2]

I became a fan of U2 right after the wave of public opinion had turned against U2 during Rattle and Hum. Part of the joy of discovery for me was tracking down all the singles and B-sides, and the Joshua Tree B-sides were a big part of that love. Truth be told, I also played Wide Awake in America on repeat perhaps more than any other U2 album.

 

And although I may be jumping ahead with Rattle and Hum content, I wanted to mention these points on the chance that they might get a mention in the next episode. First, I loved the album, partly because it was SO LONG! AND I loved the B-sides, and even the movie, (minus a bit of the pretense, though I was young and impressionable enough to absorb it all). I really did love the remixes of God Part II (which I think predicted some of the forthcoming sound of Achtung Baby) and the Desire Hollywood Remix was crazy (but I still thought it was fun!).

 

But the one thing I loved the most was the video to All I Want Is You. Perhaps this video should get it's own I LOVE FILMS segment?! The circus, the unrequited love, the cameos of the band in the video, the sweeping cinematic style, which according to wikipedia, was shot by Meiert Avis (though I would have guessed it was Anton Corbijn). Speaking of Anton, he is also one of the major reasons why I loved U2 so much; his photographic imagery was such an integral component of the band's image, I'd consider him the fifth member of the band (though that's traditionally been Paul McGuinness).

 

My biggest regret is that they didn't include the video to All I Want is You at the end of the Rattle and Hum film, but I realize now it had not yet been shot (release date of the movie was November 1988, and the video was shot in April 1989.)

 

Well, I hope I don't get banned for chatting slightly off topic, or ahead of topic, but if this does get deleted, I suppose I could add my comments to the next episode!

 

Thanks for your podcast series! Superfun to listen to!

[ClayAddy 1]

What's the over / under in how many times Scott/Scott will say "AAACTUNG bebe!" during the actual "Achtung Baby" episode? 35?

[mthomassteele 20]

I still don't quite get the backlash to Rattle & Hum, but I suppose they'll get into that in the next episode. I get it, they came across as incredibly self-important and self-indulgent, but I really think U2 always gave off that vibe, to be honest. Not that that's a bad thing; the same could be said about The Beatles.

[treiphish 38]

I feel very similar to Harris with his opinion about U2. but I agree that it's not simply that it sounds dated. Cause anything can sound dated. I grew very tired of U2 similar to the Stones where I got so sick of their radio hits that I just didn't like them. Then you couple that with their public persona and you just want them to go away. But with the Stones I went deeper and discovered great albums with tracks I've never heard. I never gave U2 that chance, but perhaps I should because some of these B-sides sound interesting.

 

It's very tough to vocalize, cause it's like U2 just "feels" like a 90's pop-rock group. But I think it's just that they make hits. Everything just seems like a single. It's like they were saying about this album, just starts with 4 monster hits. But the stuff from Zeppelin or the Beatles that is great are albums, not just their big pop hits. I don't know everything just sounds like a stadium anthem or something. I guess there's no way to breakdown "meh, it's just not my thing."

[TheRoboticLover 1]

A "clunker". That's how Scott referred to my favorite song from The Joshua Tree. I love Exit. It didn't jump out right away, but over the years it's become one of my all-time favorite U2 songs. But after about 30 seconds of the ambient intro, it was callously dismissed as a clunker by Scott (and to a lesser degree by Scott). Needless to say, I was crestfallen. Scott, and also you, Scott, I urge you to give Exit a proper listen If Acrobat is treated similarly when the Achtung, Baby! episode hits, I'm booking a flight to L.A. in order to defecate all over the Earwolf studio mics. Love the podcast!

[Anonymous37 22]

I love

of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For". It was a footnote in U2's career, but that cover ended up getting the band into serious legal trouble with both U2's record label (The Edge noted that the band itself was not consulted before Island Records went nuclear on Negativland and SST Records, and did not agree with their heavyhanded tactics) and Casey Kasem.

[MikeMcGee 18]

Harris cutting off I Love Films was amazing.

 

Also, "Where the Roof Has No Top" hit me unreasonably hard.

[ocean_machine 56]

Scott, and also you, Scott, I urge you to give Exit a proper listen

 

I get the feeling that they both have listened to The Joshua Tree album, in it's entirety, multiple times, so I think they're pretty familiar with that song...

[AaronSteinmetz 8]

So you guys talked about The Joshua Tree almost being a double length album. Got me to thinking: what would my double length version be?

 

Well here it is:

 

1. Where the Streets Have No Name

2. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

3. With or Without You

4. Running to Stand Still

5. A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel

6. Red Hill Mining Town

7. Desire

8. In God's Country

9. Sweetest Thing

10. Angel of Harlem

11. Trip Through Your Wires

12. One Tree Hill

13. All I Want is You

14. Exit

15. Silver and Gold

16. Bullet the Blue Sky

17. Mothers of the Disappeared

 

Boom, dog. I'll be the first to say it: some of these probably aren't from the Joshua Tree sessions. I don't care. I just listened to this playlist and it kicks serious ass for several reasons.

 

Reason one: symmetry. Side One is tracks 1-4, ending with Running to Stand Still, a perfect side closer, at around 20 minutes. Side Two: 5 - 9, clocking in around, oh, twenty minutes. Side three? Tracks 10 - 13 at right around twenty freakin' minutes. SIDE FOUR!? *ahem* Tracks 14 - 17, nineteen minutes. But pretty damn close to TWENTY MINUTES!!!

 

Reason two? Flow! One problem I had with Joshua Tree is just as you were getting into the darker, grittier side of U2 (Exit) it shifted right back to the tragic, operatic side (Mothers of the Disappeared). And let's be honest: Bullet the Blue Sky had no business being on side one. Splitting up With or Without You and Running to Stand Still was downright criminal. I skipped BTBS for literally DECADES because I wanted the album to slow down at track four which it damn well wanted to.

 

Reason three? Southern Comfort. And lemonade. Of which I've had quite a bunch tonight.

 

Reason four? Even if most of the tracks I've added to this were from the Rattle and Hum sessions it would only mean one thing: no Rattle and Hum. I rest my case.

 

And my head. Against my pillow. I've got a long headache waiting for me tomorrow.