There is no doubt that "The Joshua Tree" was U2's finest hour, before their success turned to hubris and they sacrificed their musical evolution for mass appeal — and with it, a certain degree of mediocrity. At some point, U2 became the U2 machine, staging colossal tours. With "The Joshua Tree", they reached their musical and compositional peak. Thanks to Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, the album is perfectly produced, transporting the Irish band to the heart of the USA, from the major cities to the endless expanses and surreal swamps of the southern states. The album opens with three of the band’s best-known and most popular songs: ‘With or Without You’, ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’ and ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’. The standard remains consistently high throughout. U2’s fascination with 'mythical America' – a romanticised vision of the USA – is portrayed through musically consistent yet astonishingly diverse tracks. From the sombre swamp sound of the southern states to straightforward rock numbers, it has it all. Although the album begins with the three singles, it is anything but top-heavy, maintaining the high standard of the first section. In fact, the tracklisting is also very well thought out, which is why "The Joshua Tree" is regarded as one of the best albums of the 1980s. Remarkably, even 40 years after its initial release, it has lost none of its lustre and still sounds utterly compelling.