MTV - U2 Outside, It's America - The Joshua Tree Tour (1987)
U2 with Bono (vocals, guitar), The Edge (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Adam Clayton (bass), and Larry Mullen, Jr. (drums) burst onto the scene at the onset of the '80s with a majestic, uplifting, earnest approach and a unique textural sound that endeared them to fans and critics alike. They spent the rest of the decade growing up in public, solidifying their status as post-punk icons, marrying the good intentions of old-school alternative rock with the epic sonic scale of classic '70s rockers, never sounding less than totally original and never pausing for a hits compilation–until 1998. In 1987, The mega-seller JOSHUA TREE, recorded at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin, was more than a hit album. It was part of a phenomenon – and one that would change the band forever. Never before has the band taken such a long break from publication as between THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE and the current work. They rehearsed and worked extensively, resulting in what was probably the most mature and captivating album in the band's history up to that point. America and its two faces is the central theme of many of the tracks. On the one hand, fascinated by the diversity of the land of unlimited opportunities - on the other, repelled by the dark side, a phenomenon that obviously remains unchanged to this day. The vastness of the American desert (“In Gods Country”) was set to music as well as the anonymity of the big cities (“Where The Streets Have No Name”); the inhuman US military policy in Central America (“Bullet The Blue Sky”), the disregard for human rights in South America (“Mothers Of The Disappeared”) or the hopelessness of the “victims” of the American dream (“Exit”). “With Or Without You” offer deep insights into Bono's inner life; “I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For” and “Trip Through Your Wires”. Deep sorrow for band friend Grag Carroll speaks from “One Tree Hill”. The biography of a drug addict (“Running To Stand Still”) and a family of miners (“Red Hill Mining Town”) are oppressive and gloomy. Despite this content, THE JOSHUA TREE is not a sad or even desperate album. It is almost a social inventory of the late 1980s, in which anonymity and equanimity increasingly come to the fore. An album with no weak points or snags full of musical specialties and things never heard before. A warm musical glimmer of hope in a cold time. This 48-minute mini-documentary, titled “Outside It's America”, was a 1987 MTV production about The Joshua Tree Tour. Directed by Barry Devlin (who also directed the video for “Where The Streets Have No Name”) and Meiert Avis (director of “With Or Without You”). It was filmed in Gila Bend, Arizona, USA - Houston, Texas, USA - Las Vegas, Nevada, USA - Los Angeles, California, USA and Tempe, Arizona, USA. The great attraction of this special was the inclusion of two unreleased promotional videos of the band “Spanish Eyes” and “In God's Country”, which were only aired when this special was broadcast in the 80's on MTV. This documentary is a younger sibling of the feature “Rattle And Hum”, featuring previously unreleased footage, color images and the addition of two unreleased videos made to promote 'The Joshua Tree' album. It's not a leftover from “Rattle And Hum”, because that feature was shot by Phil Joanou, and this documentary was directed by Barry Devlin and Meiert Avis. “Outside It's America” was officially included in the 2006 deluxe 2xCD+DVD+book Box Set of the 20th Anniversary Edition of 'The Joshua Tree'.
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