Deep in the Heart was a b-side for "I still haven't found what I'm looking for". Realising that "U2 had no tradition" and that their knowledge of music from before their childhood was limited, the group delved into American and Irish roots music.[51] Friendships with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and Keith Richards motivated the band to explore blues, folk, and gospel music and focused Bono on his skills as a songwriter and lyricist.[52] For their fifth album, The Joshua Tree,[53] the band wanted to build on The Unforgettable Fire's textures, but instead of out-of-focus experimentation, they sought a harder-hitting sound that used the limitation of strict song structures.[54] U2 interrupted their 1986 album sessions to serve as a headline act on Amnesty International's A Conspiracy of Hope tour. Rather than being a distraction, the tour added extra intensity and focus to their new material.[55] In 1986, Bono travelled to San Salvador and Nicaragua and saw first-hand the distress ! of peasants bullied in internal conflicts that were subject to American political intervention. The experience became a central influence on the new music.[56] The tree pictured on The Joshua Tree album sleeve. Adam Clayton said, "The desert was immensely inspirational to us as a mental image for this record."[57] The Joshua Tree was released in March 1987. The album juxtaposes antipathy towards America against the group's deep fascination with the country, its open spaces, freedom, and ideals.[58] The ...
0 comments: