U2 : The Joshua Tree

I HAVE SPOKE WITH
TONGUE OF ANGELS
I HAVE HELD
THE HAND OF THE DEVIL

 The Joshua Tree

 is the fifth 

studio album 

by the

 Irish rock band

 U2. 

It was produced by 

Daniel Lanois 

and Brian Eno, 

and was released on

 March,9th 1987

 by Island Records. 

In contrast to

 the ambient experimentation

 of their

 1984 album

 The Unforgettable Fire,

 for 

The Joshua Tree

 the band aimed 

for a 

harder-hitting sound

 within the 

limitation of 

conventional song structures. 

The album is 

influenced by 

American and Irish roots music, 

and through 

sociopolitically 

conscious lyrics 

embellished with

 spiritual imagery,

 it contrasts the group's

 antipathy for the

 "real America" 

Recording began in 

January 1986

 in Ireland, 

and to foster a relaxed, 

creative atmosphere,

 the group primarily

 recorded in two houses. 

Several events during 

the sessions 

helped shape the

 conscious tone

 of the album,

 including the band's 

participation in

 the Conspiracy

 of Hope benefit concerts

 for Amnesty International,

 the death 

of their roadie

 Greg Carroll, 

and lead vocalist 

Bono's travels to

 Central America. 

Recording was completed

 in November 1986; 

additional production 

continued into

 January 1987.

 Throughout the sessions,

 U2 

sought a 

"cinematic"

 quality for the record, 

one that would evoke 

a sense of location, 

in particular, 

the open spaces

 of the U.S. 

They represented this

 in the sleeve photography

 depicting them in 

American desert landscapes.

The Joshua Tree

 received critical acclaim,

 increasing U2's

stature significantly. 

It topped the charts

in over 20 countries,

including the U.S.

for the group's

first number-one album there,

 and it became the

fastest-selling album

 in British history

at that point.

It produced the hit singles 

"With or Without You", 

"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", 

and 

"Where the Streets Have No Name", 

the first two of which

became the group's

only number-one singles

in the U.S.

Frequently listed among the 

greatest albums of all time, 

The Joshua Tree

 is one of the world's

 best-selling albums 

as well as

U2's best-selling album, 

with over

25 million copies sold, 

including a

 diamond certification

 in the U.S. 

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