Even before U2's The Joshua Tree arrived on March 9, 1987, it was clear something big was on the horizon. The Irish band had been building buzz ever since its debut album, Boy , was released in 1980.

In 1987, The Joshua Tree reached Number 1 around the world and won a Grammy© for Album of the Year, while U2 won the Brit Award for Best International Act and Time Magazine put the band on its ...