Socrates

Airone, to understand the motivations, you could read the reviews from dozens of specialized magazines from every corner of the globe, even from different backgrounds. The burden of proof would be on you, but it doesn't seem to me that you have provided a well-argued judgment thus far.
If you want my opinion, and to keep it brief so as not to bore the debaserians, I would say that the roots of that cactus on the cover are nourished by the blood of great rockers (Jim Morrison), by the same sap that has fed the Rolling Stones, the Who, and Lou Reed himself; by the water blessed by the devil that made blues and gospel bloom. The U2 achieved cold fusion: combining Celtic sounds with America as embodied by Dylan and Neil Young. And then the lyrics are true short stories, born of fevered inspiration, with language that is both simple and rich at the same time. Sure, as caz says, the sentimental value of "Joshua" will also carry some weight for some from my generation, but that isn't the only reason I speak of it in these terms.

Heron, don't ask the lover what he sees in that woman... nor is it appropriate to point out other beauties that you think are more appealing.
We understand that for you and others, U2 is not a fundamental group, but don’t pretend to pass that off as an absolute truth. Leave the lovers like y2j and admirers like me in peace. What does "what albums have you listened to in the last 20 years?" mean? The same question could be directed at you, and perhaps we would discover a different scale of musical values.
But I hope you don't believe you possess that objectivity...

I’ll share my thoughts and thank Van for relieving me of the burden of reviewing it (I was thinking about it...). In my opinion, "Unforgettable Fire" gives more emotions, "Boy" is more energetic, but "Joshua" is undoubtedly the most complete, a shimmering bridge thrown between Ireland and America. Everything can and should be discussed, but for me, it’s a top ten album of the decade.

I must confess that I too prefer reviews that are more descriptive than evocative or poetic, but that doesn't take away from the fact that this one is well done.

Best wishes to Hal. What can I say? Many of the albums, including this one, that you speak about so brilliantly, I could have reviewed myself, certainly in a less effective way, with judgments very similar to yours. I think our collections are quite alike. :-)

It's second on my playlist from the past year, but despite albums like X/0 and "Figure 8," I can't help but feel an inexplicable sense of guilt over his tragic death. I tell myself I should have written to him, I should have let him know how much I admired his musical genius; but perhaps the guilt would only have worsened.
Hi, Elliott.

I listened to "of this blood" by Detachment Kit and I really liked it a lot: post-rock sounds, post-punk, post "grandma in a wheelbarrow" very diverse, powerful, and intriguing.

It's just a matter of days and you'll be served. Kosmo, though, you could have put me in place of Massimo Ranieri! :-)

Finding the material won’t be a problem for sure: my friend will be happy to lend me the entire discography of Cannavacciulo, with whom, it seems, he is also in email correspondence. Following his advice, I also bought the latest from Daniele Sepe, "Nia Maro," which, although it's not an easy album, provides quite a bit of satisfaction. Forza Napoli!!

Grass, just a milestone... do you want to fill in all the gaps of the database? It's going to be quite a job... :-)