U2 – The Joshua Tree

mine is U26 A-1 U-1 - 0 -4 (the zero could be an "Oh" and its stamped deeper than the rest) maybe a D stamped on the other side. Its very lightly stamped. U26 B-1 U1 - 3 - and townhouse dmm in script. This was bought by me in London on the day of release. Still sounds great. No idea what its worth.

I have a sealed copy from 87 with a black and gold ‘U2’ sticker on the cover. Does anyone know which pressing this is?

I've owned a US pressing, two separate Canadian pressings and currently the 2019 German 2 x Vinyl, Reissue, Remastered 30th Anniversary Edition and none is better than this UK early version I now proudly own. This one is everything I could have hoped for from this classic album. If you're as big a U2 fan as I and are looking to own one of the best pressings, consider yourself lucky to possess a clean copy of this one.

Update: I have recently purchased a US DMM Masterdisk Allied pressed promo copy and have to it it is an overall better sounding LP than my first UK.

The VINYL of my copy is exactly the same as this BUT the sleeve has 9 (nine) lines of text incl additional credit and asterisk after Red Hill Mining Town. Bought new on day of release.

I cannot see this combination anywhere in this listing.

From the moment they started making waves in 1980, U2 earnestly pandered to high-brow musos and were determined to be taken seriously. Naturally, such emphasis on lyrical obscurity and musical minimalism meant that their early albums were more often detrimentally abstruse. Contradictorily, as the desire to play bigger venues and broaden their audience took effect, their music became increasingly distinctive and melodic, not to mention commercially successful, thus alienating those who had invested in them primarily due to their political and social consciousness. In spite of a significant leap forward in of realising their true potential, none of the albums they produced during this time would be a definite contender for "classic album" status.

Thanks to critical and public excitement generated by successive hit singles, popular MTV videos and exuberant live performances, U2 were on the cusp of international stardom. After a period of experimentation to prime their artistic muscle, the band consolidated and refined the unfinished elements from all of their previous records, developing said textures and attributes into an anthemic, expressive and hard-hitting set of songs linked by an artistic objective that would fully separate them from the post-punk scene they were once so closley associated with. "The Joshua Tree", released in 1987, was their most focused album yet, heavily influenced by spiritual imagery, Irish roots music and mythical America. Its savage beauty and ominous disposition, courtesy of Bono's superb songwriting, is pervasive, but not to the extent that it becomes overwhelming. In fact, this is possibly the most uplifting album in U2's catalogue.

As diverse, challenging and aggressive as their previous records, "The Joshua Tree" had the additional benefit of overt immediacy, lushness and grandiosity that gave each of the 11 songs contained within an undeniable and utterly rewarding cinematic quality. From the compelling opening salvo to the more intimate though no less blissful and catchy subsequent tracks, the album flows incredibly well and sustains its most distinctive elements without becoming too bombastic or stately. Quite simply, all involved, including the recording personnel, are operating at the peak of their powers, and the results are not merely an extension of "The Unforgettable Fire". ittedly, "The Joshua Tree" is the consummation of their biting political edge and art rock inclinations, but the brilliant melodies, tensions and rhythms showcased herein feel more exceptional and remarkable somehow, as if the corresponding cascading guitars and arena-ready choruses were the handiwork of another band entirely. Without exaggeration, Bono's wrenched wails at this point can almost be described as aurally pleasing as opposed to immoderate and grating, clearly indicating how far this band had come from their primitive Dublin days.

Every soul stirring stadium singalong is culturally momentous, capturing the very essence of the era whilst sounding conversely caustic and canorous. Needless to say, "The Joshua Tree" is a masterpiece, much less the widely celebrated classic album that U2 had been working towards over the course of seven years. Indeed, the Americanization of their aesthetic may not have impressed their staid fanhood, but these cavernous, thought-provoking, moody and evocative compositions collectively exposed the masses to alternative music and its ideologies, which is what the group always sought to do.

Rating: 5/5

Gifted a version of this record by a friend a few years back. I am struggling to make out the matrixes. I make out the following:
Side 1: U 26 A-1U-1-1-H
Side 2: U 26 B-4U-1-1- Town House DMM

9 lines of "Thanks to" notes on rear cover.

Is there any particular value to this pressing or is it relatively standard?

I have a Joshua Tree vinyl with the matrix run out side b as U26 B //4 (upside down triangle) 420 H.
Can anyone tell me what version it is as I have looked through all the variants and I can't seem to find this version

Need some help figuring out which release I have. It seems I may need to make a new entry?

Catalog number is U26

Back cover has 9 lines of “Thanks to” notes, and the insert has the Additional Rhythm Guitar credit. Red Hill Mining Town has an asterisk.

My matrixes are:
U26 A-1U-1-1-D
U26 B-4U-1-1-TOWN HOUSE DMM

I'm not exactly sure how this pressing is so much better than my German first press but I couldn't recommend it highly enough. Fantastic press.

i have Island 90581-1 Are there few entries for this album?