The Joshua Tree - 30th Anniversary (Super Deluxe 7LP Box Set) [VINYL]

Great cd.... great condition..

When it comes to anniversary deluxe editions I believe that artists and record companies owe it to the fans to provide the maximum amount of material that is available including any bells and whistles that might be lying about. This should be the case especially when it comes to re-releasing ground-breaking, era-defining albums. It goes without saying that U2's "The Joshua Tree" is one of those albums. This was the one that made them the biggest band in the world and most artists have tended to struggle to keep this level of quality after they've conquered Mt Everest. Fortunately, U2 were able to produce one other must-own classic album in the left-turning Achtung Baby. There have been very good albums since then of course, but it's hard to look past TJT and AB as the two definitive U2 albums. With respect to this 30th anniversary box set of The Joshua Tree, I don't think it could have been done any better. This is a brilliantly packaged set that ticks all the boxes for vinyl junkies like myself. It looks and feels like a proper super deluxe edition. If you were being picky you'd probably argue that a 5.1 mix of the album should be mandatory for an album this important. Truth be told the inclusion of a high-res mix would have been nice - but this is a vinyl release and I can understand why they stuck with the 7 slabs of 180g wax. As a point of comparison, Fleetwood Mac have done this for all but one of their super deluxe releases and it's definitely an audio treat to be able to choose between the vinyl or 5.1 mix. But this is about what this release includes and for me, this is a worthy super deluxe edition and comes highly recommended if you're a fan of U2 and this gem of an album then it's simply a must-buy.

Decided to replace my long-lost copy recently, and very glad I did. There isn't a bad track here, and this is the album which really established U2 on the world stage. For me it's a reminded of what music sounded like in the 80's. There may be a lot of younger listeners who only know U2 from their 'Greatest Hits' collections, and they would do well to listen to this- an album of songs intended to be heard together. This, like Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumors', is an album you can revisit over and over.

This was purchased as a gift for my husband who is a U2 fan. The gift went down very well.

Wow better than I remember the vinyl at least to me is flawless sounds amazing excellent packaging as well

An iconic album but not much more to add music wise in this package. Yes, you get a live album but it's not their finest. The b-sides are also widely available. The remixes are interesting, the Flood remix of Streets is weird but strangely enjoyable. Why score it 4/5? Firstly, the remastering is top drawer. The vinyl pressing is of a very high quality and add to that WAV file downloads which on studio quality headphones brings a new depth to the tracks. The additional photographs (book and prints) are also a nice keepsake but a bit samey. Overall a good, not great, reissue in terms of issuing rare tracks, demos, session or live versions. -2 * for that. +1 * for the quality of the vinyl and download.

I am a younger U2 fan and this is there best album in my opinion. Out of the ones I have listened to this is the most consistent and sophisticated. What makes it great for me is the lyrics. Every song is passionate written and I love the variety of topics ,from war in Bullet the Blue Sky to Bono's Māori friend in One Tree Hill. I love how U2 blend rock and blues and in the same way Led Zeppelin did. If I was forced to pick a favorite I would have to say Running To Stand Still. It is pure passion and magic. The Joshua Tree is a masterpiece and easily one of the best albums of the 80s. If you new to U2 don't bother with the greatest hits and just start here.

I have listened to this album repeatedly for fifteen years. Why, then, review it now? Because with every increase in the technology of my audio equipment, the amazing complexity and sheer musicality of this album has become more and more apparent. Also to say that as well as the genius of the band and their totally inspired music the engineering and production techniques of Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, enhancing Steve Lillywhite's strong foundations, gelled together to create this work which must surely be one the best albums ever made. And that is without a remastering. Other reviews point to the strength of individual tracks - and they are substantially different from one another, but all jaw-droppingly good - so there is no need to repeat this detail. There isn't a weak track. Some albums are particularly strong on melody, harmony, rythmn, vocals, ambience or lyrics. However, JT is remarkable for being strong on all of these, but more than that is a totally coherent work as a whole, like a book. I hope that any readers who have not really concentrated on a dedicated listen to The Joshua Tree will find time to do so, and they will soon see why all the fuss is made about this album dedicated to an unusual Yucca plant from high altitude in the Mojave desert.

Note: this is a review of the MFSL Gold CD version of The Joshua Tree. Since many other reviewers have amply debated the artistic merits of this album (the phrase, "beating a dead horse," comes to mind), I'll direct my review solely to those people considering purchasing the MFSL version, who might be wondering if it offers any sonic improvement over the standard CD version of the album, and, if so, if those improvements are worth the price of purchase. There is no question that the sound on this MFSL release is an improvement over that on the Island Records CD, still featuring the original 1987 mastering, done when the album was first released. However, the improvements on the MFSL disc are subtle. The most noticeable difference between the two discs upon first listen is the difference in volume; the MFSL disc is decidedly louder. I decided to rip a few tracks from both CDs into waveform and then compare them in a wave editor to see just how much louder the MFSL disc is. The MFSL's signal gain is roughly 50% greater than that of the original CD. If one were to compare the two discs without compensating for the difference in volume, that difference would contribute to the perception of improved sound quality in the Gold version. This perception is not entirely inaccurate, however; the signal-to-noise ratio on the original version is lower, and by increasing the volume of the original version to match that of the Gold version, one is also increasing the base noise level. There is noticeably less background noise on the Gold version, even when played at higher volume levels. This helps present a cleaner sound picture. That aside, once I compensated for the volume difference, I really had to focus closely to hear the differences in sound between the two discs. The MFSL disc has consistently cleaner, more focused, more dynamic sound than the original, and generally sounds like a higher quality mastering, but those differences presented themselves to my ears only upon close listening on good equipment. In many "real world" listening situations, the differences will be subtle, to say the least, and quite possibly unnoticeable. The MFSL mastering does not improve the basic quality of the recording or the mix, which is still dense with atmospherics and highly ambient. Reviewers who complain about the sound quality of the original disc and blame it on old mastering techniques may have missed the mark: U2 specifically asked engineer Flood for this kind of sound (as he explained in the "making of" DVD), and as such, I suspect a lot of what is considered poor mastering is actually intrinsic to the original recording. The MFSL version does not alter that. It just presents a slightly cleaner, more accurate version of a rather murky soundscape. So, is it worth getting? Cost and availability notwithstanding, this is definitely the better CD version of the album to have. However, those expecting miraculous improvements might find themselves disappointed. The diminishing returns theory applies here: you will spend a lot for incrementally slight improvements. Moreover, Island Records can't hold out forever; one of these days, they'll likely issue a remastered version of The Joshua Tree, one which most likely will improve on MFSL's nearly two-decades old mastering, for a much lower purchase price. Until that time comes, the MFSL version is the best one out, but given the cost, I suspect only collectors or those whose ears are extremely particular would find it to be a worthy investment.

Un gran clasico del rock, vale mucho la pena ya que el contenido de los booklets e inserts son buenisimos, y el audio fenomenal.

Muy bien

This was to be a gift. I know its used but the cover had more ware than expected. I never played the album so can't say the quality of that (yes, I know that is more important but being that it was a gift I wanted better). I returned it and bought another one.

This copy is pressed in Germany which supposedly a better copy, what a pleasant surprise! It's released in 2019 according to Discogs but the sleeve and label would say 2017. Anyone looking for a good quality LP this is the one to get.