Luminous Times: U2 Expand “The Joshua Tree” for 30th Anniversary

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For the first time ever, U2 are taking a year to look back. The summer will see them tour North America and Europe to mark 30 years of their bestselling album The Joshua Tree–and today, on the exact anniversary of its release, the group has announced a new super deluxe edition of the album for release in June.

The Joshua Tree found the band on the precipice of earning the mantle of biggest rock band in the world–Europe had been conquered not long after a definitive performance at London’s Wembley Stadium for Live Aid, and America was soon to follow thanks to a spot on Amnesty International’s Conspiracy of Hope Tour, which found them sharing the spotlight with Bryan Adams, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed and Sting (who famously reunited The Police on the last three shows of the tour and symbolically traded instruments with U2 after their set).

Bono’s increasing political awareness and the diverse American locales the band visited contributed to a more “cinematic” sound, with producers Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno bringing out their most atmospheric and pop-friendly tunes. Singles “With or Without You” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” topped the charts in both the U.S. and the U.K. (with England giving them a third No. 1, “Where the Streets Have No Name”), and the LP took home a Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

In 2007, U2 picked The Joshua Tree as their first of ultimately eight albums they’ve remastered and expanded, celebrating its 20th anniversary with a reissue that includes a bonus disc of B-sides and outtakes and a DVD featuring a live set from Paris and the making-of documentary Outside It’s America. Now, The Joshua Tree will include a wealth of new and old material in this new deluxe edition, to be released as a 4CD or 7LP box set:

  • A previously unreleased live concert, recorded at Madison Square Garden in New York City on September 28, 1987. The show is edited from its original set, omitting covers and a performance of “Bad.”
  • A disc of newly commissioned remixes of Joshua Tree tracks, with previous collaborators Daniel Lanois, Steve Lillywhite, Flood and Jacknife Lee
  • A disc featuring all the bonus B-sides and outtakes of the 2007 reissue (minus the single mix of “Where the Streets Have No Name”), with the addition of two tracks: a vintage alternate mix of “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” by Steve Lillywhite and a new take on “One Tree Hill” with producer Brian Eno
  • An accompanying 84-page hardcover book in the super deluxe edition will include unpublished photos from the iconic album cover photo shoot in the Mojave Desert in 1986, with a new foreword by guitarist The Edge. Eight individual prints of photos by Anton Corbijn will also be included.
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A new 2CD edition will feature the remastered album alongside the live disc; new pressings of the original album on CD and vinyl will also be released–with the deluxe CD sporting a new color edition of the unforgettable album sleeve.

Each format is available in stores June 2. Pre-orders are live below!

The Joshua Tree: 30th Anniversary Edition (Island, 2017)

1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada (TBD) / Amazon U.K. (TBD)
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada (TBD) / Amazon U.K. (TBD)
2CD Deluxe: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K.
4CD Super Deluxe: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K.
7LP Super Deluxe: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K.

Disc 1/LPs 1-2: Original album (released as Island Records U2-6, 1987)

  1. Where the Streets Have No Name
  2. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
  3. With or Without You
  4. Bullet the Blue Sky
  5. Running to Stand Still
  6. Red Hill Mining Town
  7. In God’s Country
  8. Trip Through Your Wires
  9. One Tree Hill
  10. Exit
  11. Mothers of the Disappeared

Disc 2/LPs 3-4: Live At Madison Square Garden, New York City – 9/28/1987 (previously unreleased)

  1. Where the Streets Have No Name
  2. I Will Follow
  3. Trip Through Your Wires
  4. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
  5. MLK
  6. Bullet the Blue Sky
  7. Running to Stand Still
  8. In God’s Country
  9. Sunday Bloody Sunday
  10. Exit
  11. October
  12. New Year’s Day
  13. Pride (In the Name of Love)
  14. With or Without You
  15. Party Girl
  16. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
  17. “40”

Disc 3/LP 5: Remixes (previously unreleased)

  1. One Tree Hill (St Francis Hotel Remix)
  2. Bullet the Blue Sky (Jacknife Lee Remix)
  3. Running to Stand Still (Daniel Lanois Remix)
  4. Red Hill Mining Town (Steve Lillywhite Remix)
  5. With or Without You (Daniel Lanois Remix)
  6. Where the Streets Have No Name (Flood Remix)

Disc 4/LPs 6 (Tracks 8-15) and 7 (Tracks 1-7): B-Sides and outtakes

  1. Luminous Times (Hold On to Love)
  2. Walk to the Water
  3. Spanish Eyes
  4. Deep in the Heart
  5. Silver and Gold
  6. Sweetest Thing
  7. Race Against Time
  8. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For (Steve Lillywhite Alternative Mix) (previously unreleased)
  9. One Tree Hill (2017 Reprise – Brian Eno) (previously unreleased)
  10. Silver and Gold (Sun City)
  11. Beautiful Ghost/Introduction to Songs of Experience
  12. Wave of Sorrow (Birdland)
  13. Desert of Our Love
  14. Rise Up
  15. Drunk Chicken/America

Tracks 1-2 from “With or Without You” single – Island Records IS 319, 1987
Tracks 3-4 from “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” single – Island Records IS 328, 1987
Tracks 5-6 from “Where the Streets Have No Name” single – Island Records IS 340, 1987
Track 7 from “Where the Streets Have No Name” 12″ single – Island Records 12 IS 340, 1987
Track 10 from Sun City (Manhattan Records 24 0467 1, 1985)
Tracks 11-15 from The Joshua Tree: 20th Anniversary Edition (Mercury/Island/Interscope 1750947, 2007)

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Mike Duquette
Mike Duquette

Mike Duquette (Founder) was fascinated with catalog music ever since he was a teenager. A 2009 graduate of Seton Hall University with a B.A. in journalism, Mike paired his profession with his passion through The Second Disc, one of the first sites to focus on all reissue labels great and small. His passion for reissues turned into a career, having written at and worked for all three major catalogue music labels and contributing to Allmusic, Billboard, Discogs, City Pages and Ultimate Classic Rock. He's penned liner notes for Verve, Chess, Mondo and Soul Music Records.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Mike lives in Astoria, Queens with his wife, a cat named Ravioli, twin daughters and a large yet tasteful collection of music.

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8 thoughts on “Luminous Times: U2 Expand “The Joshua Tree” for 30th Anniversary”

  1. I think I will go with the 2CD set just to get the live disc from MSG. I already have the two disc set from 2007 with all of the great B-sides (The Joshua Tree was the FIRST album where I began to appreciate the uniqueness and quality that B-sides could have. Just because they do not make an album does not mean that the songs are any lesser, in some cases they are better!).

    The new mixes I am sure are interesting, but usually I never go back and listen to those again.

  2. Re: “Singles “With or Without You” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” topped the charts in both the U.S. and the U.K. (with England giving them a third No. 1, “Where the Streets Have No Name”),”

    Unfortunately, the 3 singles mentioned did not “topped the charts” in the U.K. U2 first U.K. #1 came in 1988 with “Desire” from Rattle & Hum.

    The singles

  3. And not to mention the exorbidant over the top price similar to Paul Macs reissues, 158 Pounds for the 7 disc vinyl & 108 pounds for the box set & you add postage although it’s a few weeks away and most of us will have the 20th Anniversary edition, the chances of a reduction in price, i guess with Bono’s ego & wealth could the box set be reduced hmmmm, what are the chances?

  4. Eight remasters: Boy, October, War, Under A Blood Res Sky, The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby & ……….. ?

  5. Keith T Brittain

    The U2 set may be expensive, but you do actually get real music for it – versus Paul McCartney who just wants to take your money, then poke you in the eye and tell you that he’s not going to give you what you want – b-sides, 12 inches mixes on a real CD, instead of a download. Maybe I’ll luse the money I would have used to buy the “Flowers” set and buy “The Joshua Tree” instead.

  6. Keith true too on that front i have to totally agree on the Macca recent remasters and bonuses, and the extravagant prices on his anniversary editions are a little over the top, i often look back at some of his previous
    reissues and the prices are virtually still the same, although i have the 20th anniversary of The Joshua Tree, it is
    almost one of the finest rock albums ever to be released, as the 30th edition is due in June it may go down in price? Even better than the real thing as i have been shopping online since 2004 @ Amazon UK they’re quite good to me and i always get a pretty good discount especially in box sets! On the way too are 3 Uriah Heep remasters too,

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