Disco de U2: “The Best of 1980-1990”

I'd like to summarize the objections other people have to this compilation, while adding one of my own that (amazingly) no one else has mentioned yet. First of all, I have no problem with U2 cutting off this compilation at 1990 like others do; post-Achtung Baby U2 is a remarkably different band, and those songs would've sounded jarring here. Furthermore, there simply wouldn't have been enough room to include hits from Achtung Baby, Zooropa, and Pop along with the early stuff - the later period work deserves a compilation of its own.

What I completely object to is the foolishness of the track selection here and the length of the CD. Of the four songs from Rattle And Hum, only two ("Desire," "All I Want Is You") should have been here (although tastes will differ), while their early career is grossly neglected. One song from Boy, possibly their best album? No songs from October except a hidden track? (Have they disowned this album?) Only two from their big breakthrough War? Meanwhile, let me repeat: FOUR from Rattle And Hum? Among the MIA tracks (all of which are important milestones, not merely personal favorites) are "Out Of Control," "11 O'Clock Tick Tock," "Gloria," "Two Hearts Beat As One," (an ENORMOUS hit single, no less) and "A Sort Of Homecoming."

Unlike everyone else here, I don't mind the "edits" on this disc; they were the single edits, and that's why they're on this CD. What truly makes this an obscene ripoff is the fact that it's only 60 MINUTES LONG! Yes! They could've put up to 20 more minutes worth here, but simply decided not to. Why? All those songs I mentioned above? They WOULD HAVE FIT! There is absolutely no excuse whatsoever, in this age of 80 minute CD running times, for not filling this disc out completely. It's simply infuriating, and it almost makes me wonder if the record company is bilking us intentionally to make sure we still buy the individual albums.

What's more, the sequencing is problematic; if they're going to mix up songs and eras for dramatic effect, fine - I actually prefer that approach to most "greatest hits" discs because I like the idea of a compilation that's sequenced for flow - but if that was the idea, then why are all the Rattle And Hum tracks bunched together at the end?

In the end, this just wasn't thought out well, which is supremely disappointing, as it could have been a truly definitive compilation. As it is, the music is (mostly) marvelous, but you'll be left feeling strangely incomplete if you know what was left unsaid.

If you already have any of U2's CDs from the 80's, I wouldn't bother buying this. If you don't though, this is a pretty good place to start. I'd probably recommend just saving up your money and buying all their 80's CD's instead, since all of them are great. This best of CD doesn't completely fill the disc, has edited versions of "New Year's Day" and "Where The Streets Have No Name," and "When Love Comes To Town" isn't a very good song. The compilation isn't perfect or anything, but it still isn't too bad. I just gave it a 5 star rating because it turned me into a fan. After I listened to all of their songs off the albums, I ended up just making my own best of cd. This is what it looks like.

1. I Will Follow

2. A Day Without Me

3. Into The Heart

4. Gloria

5. October

6. Sunday Bloody Sunday

7. New Year's Day "edited version, so one more would fit"

8. Two Hearts Beat As One

9. A Sort of Homecoming

10. Pride

11. The Unforgettable Fire

12. Where The Streets Have No Name

13. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

14. With Or Without You

15. Red Hill Mining Town "This is probably the most underated song from The Joshua Tree, but it's the best one!"

16. Desire

17. Angel Of Harlem

18. All I Want Is You

19. The Sweetest Thing "single remix"

It fills the disc over 79 minutes and it gives a way better representation of the them! ...Oh yeah, I wouldn't bother buying U2's Best of 1990-2000. It's put together even worse. I'd just get Achtung Baby and download the song "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" instead.

Well, first of all: to all those freaks whom think this sold out U2 2000 is "back to their roots", you must listen to this seriously. Is there any Bad, any With or Without You, any Sunday Bloody Sunday, any All I Want Is You in their 2000 commercials ?... do I have to say the word ?

Ok, let's go to the compilation. It's fairly good, really...but it lacks something: it's just 65 minutes long. So they could have put 2 more songs on it !!!.

Which songs could have been ?. A hard question, but I think they should have put Gloria ( because there's nothing from October here, except the hidden track after All I Want Is You ) and probably a Joshua Tree one as One Tree Hill, Running To Stand Still or In God's Country.

It's a good compilation anyway, far better than the spoiled "best of" 1990 - 2000.

If you're a casual fan, start with this one plus Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, Zooropa and Pop. Don't even listen to U2 2000, don't waste your time. Also don't buy The best of 1990 - 2000.

Rounding up U2's first decade here is the The Best Of 1980 - 1990 and this features all their memorable hits With Or Without You, Pride and other classics of the 80's. Every song here is worthy of its inclusion here but my thoughts are that why have such seminal tracks in their career been omitted such as Two Hearts Beat As One and Gloria which were both hit singles not just album tracks like Bad. I know this has to cater for the whole world and so some songs that were hits in one place and not another have been left out but would it not have been better filling the full 80 minutes of the CD or even adding a second disc to add even more great songs and just to here more of Bono's great voice. Despite some great songs being missing you can't fault what is actually on offer. Pride was that track that pretty much broke them worldwide and sounds as good today as it ever did. With Or Without You is just pure genius and will never go out of fashion as neither will any tracks here. I like Desire as it is just a great tune with good guitars and also Sunday Bloody Sunday which was how the band felt about Ireland's troubles and this is brought across really well in a quite amazing song. If i had to fault the CD i would say When Love Comes To Town doesn't quite live up to the hype and just isn't that good. This would be the only criticism to a great album and also the re-recording of Sweetest Thing is just brilliant. Long live Bono and U2 and all we can hope for is that they continue making quality music until the day they die.

Although one could argue that this isn't a "Best Of" as much as it is a "Most Well Known" collection of U2's eighties work, as a fan, I couldn't help but pick it up if only for the remastered tracks and remade version of "Sweetest Thing", originally the b-side to "Where the Streets Have No Name" (if you can still find the version of this compilation with the b-side disc, it's definitely worth the inflated price). Most of their earlier work is neglected...Boy has one track present, October has none (sacrilege!), and War has two. I can understand the lack of their lesser known singles like "Fire" and "A Celebration," but the absence of "11 O'Clock Tick Tock," "Gloria," and "Two Hearts Beat As One" is downright blasphemous.

"The Unforgettable Fire" is well-represented, with not only the definitive U2 anthem "Pride" ringing in the album, but the title track and the live favorite "Bad," which is the only track on the collection that was not released as a single. The three obvious picks off "The Joshua Tree" are here as well, but are somewhat more skippable in this setting.

The track list is rather good, if you excuse that the four Rattle and Hum selections (and as much as I adore "Angel of Harlem" and "When Love Comes To Town," they're a bit unnecessary here) that were just thrown on the end of the disc. The entire section from "Bad" to "Sweetest Thing" works surprisingly well.

It's not a bad place to start if you're new to the band, although you may as well just pick up "The Joshua Tree" and "Achtung Baby," which are far more rewarding experiences. There is only one new track (the live versions of "Bad" and "Bullet the Blue Sky" that the Edge once said would make it didn't), so it's a little light, and the edited versions of "New Year's Day" and "Bad" are just plain annoying, but the track order makes it very listenable regardless.