10 Perfect Rock Albums For Production

There’s an ongoing joke around everyone close to you U2 saying that the only time a record is finished is when it actually comes out. Even though we have the raw sounds of what these songs are like at the time, these are ever evolving ideas that take on a new life whenever they play them live. And for as many times as they got more and more artificial in the ‘90s with Zooropa and Pop, there’s something about the Joshua Tree that always feels human.

It’s not like they don’t flirt with new sounds here though, as the Edge brings in more delay effects to create different sounds around your head. That’s just one small part of the puzzle though, as Larry Mullen Jr. plays different world music style drum parts all the time, switching up the feel on songs like Bullet the Blue Sky and making a marching rhythm sound like the most important thing in the world on I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.

And you don’t even need to get started on Bono during this era of the band, having the kind of vocal chops that could translate just as well live and they could on record. Most of the best albums of the ‘80s really show their age these days, but the Joshua Tree almost feels like a record out of time. With almost 40 years under its belt, it still feels like you’re stepping into the future when you hear it.