Mix Tape of the Day: March 9, 2015 - The Best of U2 (The 1980s)

Today marks the 28th anniversary of The Joshua Tree, one of the best albums of all time [citation needed].  I was tempted just to include the whole album plus a couple of B-sides to round things out, but I realized that I may not get the chance to feature some of the other U2 hits of the '80s besides today.  So will this is a Joshua Tree heavy mix, there are still some other tracks as well.

1. Red Hill Mining Town - U2 (1987) Nearly every great song on The Joshua Tree was released as a single.  "Red Hill Mining Town" almost was as well, but it got shelved to make way for four others.  It remains one of my favorites from the album.

2. I Will Follow - U2 (1980) Pre-Joshua-Tree-U2 is kind of a mixed bag.  I have trouble getting into the heavy imagery and poetry.  Thankfully, their first single is so cheesy that it makes up for all the dramatic material that was to follow.

3. October - U2 (1981) Maybe that's why "October" was so easy for me to like.  It's mostly instrumental, so I don't have too many lyrics to get tripped up on.

4. Sunday Bloody Sunday - U2 (1983) Despite owning their War album and listening to it multiple times, I only find myself only coming back to "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day."  This was U2's first overtly political album, which firmly defined who the band was and what they would stand for for years to come.

5. Bad (Live) - U2 (1985) The Unforgettable Fire introduced that iconic "U2 ambience."  From the album, the best track is of course "Pride," but since I already featured that on MLK Day, I went with "Bad."  It's one of those rare songs where the live version is the definitive option to listen to.

6. Where the Streets Have No Name - U2 (1987) After years of perfecting their sound and message, U2 finally knocked it out of the park with The Joshua Tree.  And it all starts with the mesmerizing intro of "Where the Streets Have No Name."

7. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - U2 (1987) When I was younger, I thought this was a cruel love song.  "You're nice and all, but I still haven't found what I'm looking for."  Now I realize that it's about life.  I'm so much wiser now.

8. With or Without You - U2 (1987) Here it is, Ross and Rachel's signature song.  And also, the best U2 song ever.  No question.

9. In God's Country - U2 (1987) Deserts are great.  There should be more songs about deserts.

10. One Tree Hill - U2 (1987) Wait, they just used the same cover art for both singles!  Anyway, "One Tree Hill" is a hauntingly beautiful song and it seems to encapsulate The Joshua Tree as a whole.

11. The Sweetest Thing - U2 (1987) A B-side that almost made it onto The Joshua Tree, "The Sweetest Thing" was finally released as it's own single at the end of the '90s to promote the best of the '80s.  I think it was a good choice to keep it off the album, as it doesn't feel like it meshes with the rest (even if it was supposed to be played back-to-back with another track on the album).

12. Hawkmoon 269 - U2 (1988) Apparently, this was the 269th take of the song.  Well, that was time well spent (even if the whole of Rattle and Hum was a bit too overblown).

13. All I Want Is You - U2 (1988) But sometimes, you just need to put the politics aside.  Sometimes, a beautiful love song just hits the spot.  And it doesn't get much better than this.