The Best of 1980-1990

by

U2

Edit

For the casual fan, this is a fairly good collection of U2 singles from the 1980s. If you would like to explore this era further, I recommend the following records (in order of priority): (1) 'The Joshua Tree' (1987); (2) 'Under a Blood Red Sky' (1983); (3) 'Rattle & Hum' (1988); (4) 'War' (1983); and (5) 'The Unforgettable Fire' (1984).

For the diehard fans, it should be noted that there are a few glaring omissions here (see "*" below), including no singles from 'October' (1981) (only the hidden track at the very end - "October"). Second, with this running order, the songs don't seem to fit together. That said, I would have included the following (in roughly chronological order, which sounds suprisingly coherent):

*1. "11 'O Clock Tick Tock" (4:30)

2. "I Will Follow" (3:31)

*3. "Gloria" (4:13)

4. "New Year's Day" (5:38)

*5. "Two Hearts Beat As One" (4:03)

6. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (4:38)

7. "Pride (in the Name of Love)" (3:51)

8. "The Unforgettable Fire" (4:56)

9. "Bad" (5:50)

10. "With or Without You" (4:56)

11. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (4:37)

12. "Where the Streets Have No Name" (5:36)

*13. "In God's Country" (2:57)

14. "Desire" (2:58)

15. "Angel of Harlem" (3:31)

16. "When Love Comes to Town" (4:17)

17. "All I Want Is You" [Single Edit] (4:40)

18. "Sweetest Thing" [Single Mix] (3:03)

All of these songs would have fit on a single CD (clocking in at less than 78 minutes) and would have represented a more comprehensive and coherent compilation of the 1980s. Those tracks added would be gems like the pre-LP 1980 single "11 'O Clock Tick Tock" (which was included in the live set throughout the 1980s), "Gloria" (the best single from the 'October'), "Two Hearts Beat As One" (one of their best early pop songs from 'War'), and 'In God's Country' (a successful single from 'The Joshua Tree' and a nice segway into 'Rattle & Hum' material, which was so acutely inspired by American music).

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.