U2.com launches Joshua Tree minisite

U2’s official website, U2.com, is celebrating the 20th anniversary release of The Joshua Tree with a minisite containing tracklisting and details, scans of magazine articles published at the time of the original release, as well as audio and video previews. We’re getting a bit lost clicking around the minisite, but we blame our old age.

You’d probably already heard this, but the DVD in the package will contain the often mentioned but never seen, Neil Jordan-directed promo video for the song Red Hill Mining Town. Finally we’ll all find out what happend to the dwarf canary!

If we were organised, we’d treat you to a picture taken on the set of said promo video… but we’re having trouble finding it in our archives.

U2 Prepping Joshua Tree 20th Anniversary Edition

U2 Joshua Tree

Only 20 years young, U2 are re-releasing The Joshua Tree to celebrate its birthday:

Though the always-exciting format details are still trickling in, we know this: new liner notes abound, and the CD/DVD combo contains five portfolio prints, whatever that might mean. The DVD supposedly sports both film from a July 1987 show at Paris’ Hippodrome and the documentary Outside It’s America, but, again, that’s tentative.

It’s set for release November 20th.

via PitchForkMedia.com

Step up for the U2 Marathon

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Tune in to WBWC 88.3fm The Sting today to hear Todd Richards and Mary Cipriani host the 2007 U2 Marathon, back by popular demand.

In this 20th anniversary year of The Joshua Tree they will bring you 18 hours of U2 music featuring rare tracks, classic cuts, and a preview of the new 3-D film U23D. Fans take note, a representative from 3Ality will be joining the show at 1pm to discuss their U23D project.

Find more details at wbwc.com. Phone the request line at 440-826-7846, email requests to request@wbwc.com or use the request form.

U2 still hot with Cloggies

U2’s The Joshua tree is number 1 in Dutch broadcaster Veronica’s Album Top 1000. The band retained last year’s number 1 spot way ahead of the numbers 2 and 3 in the chart, Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms and the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts ClubBand. Chosen by the station’s listeners, the chart will be broadcast between May 7 and 18.

Fifteen of U2’s albums made it to the list, seven of which are in the top 100. The Unforgettable Fire ended up in 13th place, while All That You Can’t Leave Behind sits at 24. U2’s acclaimed master piece Achtung Baby slipped from last year’s 21st place to a sad 41. Poor misunderstood ‘Pop’ got stuck at 351. The lowest charting U2 album is ’18 singles’, a new entry at number 848.

The Joshua Tree’s powerful impact

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the release of The Joshua Tree, Andrew Collins looks back on the album and its powerful impact.

“But for an instance, U2 had the world in the palm of their hand. None of the irony that would dog them in the 90s, less of the piety that still puts people off them, and more of the wonder. They had such a profound, moving, mobilising, even politicising effect on the young, grant-assisted, long-haired me, I will probably always love them, like the old Stones fans love the Stones.”

Read the full review and enjoy more of BBC 6 Music’s trip down the memory lane.

Where were you when you heard it first?