Best of 1990-2000: The INTERFERENCE REVIEWS

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Ronald42

The Fly
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My toughts about Best of '90 - '00

Well I've read a couple of threads of you all and just thought I would give my opinion. Why not?? :wink:

The CDcase looks great just like the previous best of CDset silver this time although IMHO this one should have had the gold look. The addition of the DVD was nice to say the least and was enjoyable to watch. (But my hit mix was better :lol: )
I wish I could have bought it in the US cause the price was much better there. I paid almost twice that ? 29 but that was ? 5 cheaper as what they told me last week so it wasn't that bad.
First listened to Mysterious ways because of the mysterious changed line I liked it still think the original is better but it's always nice to have something different. The same goes for the new mixes. Discoth?que is way better this way although the missing of the Boom-cha is a loss. I also like the version of SATS but I was really hoping for a version sounding like the acoustic one they did on the ZOO TV CD-V and VHS. Still think that, that is the best version up until today. It was kind of strange to hear songs like Gone, THTBA and The first time because they were never released in any kind of single form. And there were some songs that should have been on like The fly, Last night on earth and perhaps Lemon which was a single in Australia. But like said in other threads U2 decided differently.
Lemon made his way onto the second CD but in the worst vocal remix there was made shame. Salom? well all I could think was oh no not again. Great remix but I had it a couple of times already. Same goes for EBTTRT but that was a hit and a video so I can understand why they included it. HIAWG the worst track they made in a very long time and since I really feel Night and day should have been included, why put this shitty on there.
If it weren't for the new mixes and the bonus DVD I probably would not have bought the set already but I'm very happy with it the way it is. I would have done some things just a little different but you just can't keep/make everybody happy.
I rate it 85/100

:wave: Ronald
 
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Hi everyone!

In the interest of saving space - I'm going to put all Interferencer reviews for the new Best of in this thread.

Let's hear what you think! :wave: :)
 
Well , it is a good cd compilation for fans and people who know want to know the band closer .
1cd ,
Good set-list , bad : new mixes of songs ( Numb , Gone , Discotheque , Staring at the sun )
Good : two new U2 songs
2cd everything is great about tracks 1 - 8 , after that something goes wrong , tracks 9-14 ( remixes only ) are for hardcore fans only .

Overall : great booklet , pictures , + nice surprise extra dvd with very entertaining visual stuff .

I recommend this double cd , if you like what U2 were about during the 90's , you'll love this .

70/100
 
The new Best Of goes toe to toe with the 80's Best Of... at least up until the B-Sides.

Electrical Storm is a beautiful song (take your pick) and The Hands that Built America, while not as great as ES, is still a solid U2 song in its own right.

There are some great new mixes too! A beefed up Numb is bound to win over more fans than the original. Doesn't Larry sound great! ;) There is also Gone, a song that I never really thought needed a new mix. It remains as strong as the original if not better.

If you know your 90's U2, then you also know that there were some great gems on the B-sides of their singles. Holy Joe, Satellite of Love, Paint it Black, Where Did it All Go Wrong, Night and Day (Steel String Mix) and more. Unfortunately, somehow it was more important to give you a second mix of Numb, Even Better Than the Real Thing, Mysterious Ways, and Discotheque on the B-Sides disc instead. This just does not compare with an 80's B-Sides that gave you something other than recycled A-Sides material.

The bonus DVD is a nice treat. Please from Helsinki is the gem off it. A must for the fanatics.

3 1/2 stars (out of 5)
 
I'm not buying this CD, but based on listening to these songs on the Internet I'd give it a 3 out of 10. Which is unfortunate because I think U2 was amazing in the 1990's. I'm just glad this CD is behind us and I can start dreaming about the new album.
 
I like it, dammit. And I'm not afraid to admit it.

The DVD kicks ass....the B-Sides are good and I think they did a reletively good job of selecting the songs.

My first copies were "lost" CDNow so I went out today and just bought them. I've been listening in my office all day and I think they are great.

I love the fact that they included both versions of ES.

Two thumbs up from me!

:up: :up:
 
I honestly think this was made for the more casual fan. I think it's a great representation of their work from 1990-2000

Most of the diehard fans are not going to be entirely pleased with what made or didn't make the setlist. Although I personally wish the song list was different in several ways, I have no reason to complain. I still need time with Hands to let it sink it. Although ES sounds good in my car.


:heart: the new Gone
 
Layton said:
I'm not buying this CD, but based on listening to these songs on the Internet I'd give it a 3 out of 10. Which is unfortunate because I think U2 was amazing in the 1990's. I'm just glad this CD is behind us and I can start dreaming about the new album.

I don't think you get to post a review if you haven't listened to it.

The CD isn't behind you....you aren't even going to buy it!

:rant:
 
U2SavesTheWorld said:


I don't think you get to post a review if you haven't listened to it.

The CD isn't behind you....you aren't even going to buy it!

:rant:


Okay, okay. Let's try to keep this friendly. It's not a big deal in the whole scheme of things, and certainly not worth "ranting" about.

We all have our beliefs about the new Best Of, and so long as we can be nice about it, I will leave this thread open.
 
i love it. sure, some of the songs have been redone, but if i want to listen to the original discotheque, i'll put in pop. :tongue:

i'm kinda pissed that they didn't include the fly at all, but oh well. i'd give it an 8.5/10 or maybe a 9, i'm not sure yet.
 
Bought it yesterday........It's a great CD. Any casual fan or newcomer to U2 is getting great value for money - some of the best songwriting, rock, ballads and cutting edge stuff of the last decade.

As a longtime fan though, I think it's ok for me to say I'm not too happy with the track order......would've preferred them in order of release or when recorded..........I reckon it would have shown the evolution alot clearer. Yeah there are some that shouldn't be on it, some that should have been on it and some that shouldn't have been altered (IMHO). But I still love it.........It's U2 and it's got alot of the tracks that kept me company throught the ups and downs of the last decade. Like a good friend I love em........warts 'n all. :drool:
 
HelloAngel said:



Okay, okay. Let's try to keep this friendly. It's not a big deal in the whole scheme of things, and certainly not worth "ranting" about.

We all have our beliefs about the new Best Of, and so long as we can be nice about it, I will leave this thread open.

Sorry, my fault.

There has just been so much Best Of bashing.

My sincerest apologies, Layton.

:der:
 
Well, here it is: Best of 1990-2000. I still believe it's five years to early for this album, but hey, they do what they want. Now, down to business.

I think, on the whole, this album is much better than the first Best of because it really is eclectic, it covers all that they did, gives the casual fan a good idea of what they did over the time period without relying on just the songs that they would know.

EBTTRT - I was surprised that this song was on the album, but I think it works. It's a good song, better on the album than live IMO. I always felt it was a "concept" song for AB, more about conveying the idea of the album than being a really strong song, but I think it works here.

MW - A live staple, a radio friendly song. I like it here. The lyric change: I wonder if this was an alternate take that they did when making the album and felt like it needed a place that it didn't get on the album. While I like the origional lyric better, it's kindof interesting to have it here.

BD - A draw for the casual fan. Not sure if it would have made it on the album had they had waited five more years. I can think of other songs from the album that might stand the test of time better.

ES - I question why the put the William Orbit mix on the A-side. I think the B-side mix is superior. I love this song, but I question this move. For those who don't get the B-sides album, I think this will be a dissapointment.

One - A classic that deserves it's place here. Works really well after ES. Good track placing IMO.

Miss Sarajevo - While a great song, I don't agree that it has a place on the album. It's a B-side technically (if OS1 songs even have a place on this compilation). I think there are other songs that could have taken it's place.

Stay - A song that was rejuvinated on this last tour (much to my suprise and delight :) ) Definately a good pick. Love it!

Stuck - I love this song live, but the album version is so-so. I love the acoustic version of this song. I think the inclusion of this song show's the weakness of ATYCLB. It just doesn't really fit on this album.

Gone (New Mix) - THANK YOU!!!!!! God, as a huge fan of POP who believe's that a remix of the album would do it justice, I rest my case right here. A fantastic song that showed it's might during this past tour. This remix really does let it shine.

UTEOTW - U2 seem to have a real love for this song. It seems like we will see this song popping up on tours for many years. Surprised that it made it on this album what with other songs from AB that are, IMO, stronger. If you're going to pick a non-single song, why this one?

THTBA - It's an okay song. I'm neither here nor there on it. Nice to have new material. I think two new songs on this type of compilation is nice.

Disotheque (New Mix) - Again, a new mix that does the song justice. Much grittier. Me likey.

HMTMKMKM - Again, interesting to put a non-album song on this album, but it's such a fantastic song. Listening to it today it made me say to myself, "This is how you write a fucking SONG!" Does that say something :confused: ????

SATS - Larry always complained that this song should've been #1 if they had done it justice. Well, it's a few years late, but they did. They should just remix the entire album and re-release it as a limited edition or something. I can dream, right?

Numb (New Mix) - I don't understand why they remixed this. There are aspects of this new mix that I like, the louder Larry vocals are a mistake. I hestitated to write that, but I just listened to it again, and yeah...it just is. Well, one major blunder is okay...

The First Time - A beautiful song that deserved it's place on this album. Very pleased to see it. I think this is a classic song, and listening to the lyrics today, it really grabbed me all over again.

The B-Sides

Tracks 9-13 are weak. I would have expected Big Girls Are Best to make it on the B-sides, and maybe Satalite of Love. Oh well, it's interesting at least...

I'm dissapointed that Zooropa didn't make a better appearance. Dirty Day and Lemon (not the remixes) I felt had a place here. Likewise Elevation, Love Is Blindness or So Cruel. Considering that they didn't rely on radio/single hits for this compilation, I am surprised by some of the lesser known tracks that did make it here.

Overall, I give it a 4/5. I think it is a great album for fans who thought U2 lost the plot in the 90's and ignored their albums. I think it serves as a good introduction into how GOOD they were during this period.

Now....where do we go from here :evil:
 
I paid $22.99 (plus tax!) in the US, and I'm STILL glad I bought it. I really like it overall.

Favorite features:
1. I LOVE the placement of "One" after "Electrical Storm." I think that works beautifully!
2. Track 1 Choice
3. Love the Remixes. Its great to have new takes on some of these songs (esp. Pop-era songs)
4. The Buffaloes and the packaging overall

Least fave features:
1. I miss the line "She sees the man inside the child" from "Mysterious Ways"
2. Still don't like "Hands that Built America." Not even as a B-side (and much less as a "Best Of")
 
i absolutely love it. sure, everyone including myself would have liked to maybe have tweaked the tracklisting a bit to suit their personal tastes, but i think they were bang on. i love the remixes, especailly gone and numb.

well done boys! oh and the b-sides are great too!

the nineties were the best for u2.
 
My 2 cents:

This was the first time I'd heard the William Orbit mix of ES, and I am surprised that U2 would let this anywhere near a radio! Its a horrible job on a good song. But anyway.....

The new Gone is inferior to the original, IMHO, but SATS is great!

As for the B sides, they should have used the Perfecto mix of Lemon. And what about Big Girls are Best and Pop Muzik? Either (or both) of those would have made a much better addition than HIAWG....if they wanted to put someone else's song on their record, they should have used Night and Day.

Overall, when considering the potential of the decade's material vs. what is actually on there, I would rate this as a weak 7/10. But I did buy it, fully knowing what was on there, because, well, they are U2, and I would rather hear no-one else
 
I :heart: the new remixes of Discoth?que, Numb, Gone and Staring At The Sun. I never really used to like the latter three, but the remixes brought a whole new light to the songs. :)

Sorry if this has been asked before, but is that Adam singing/saying "I feel numb..." along with Larry and Bono? If it is, then that has got to be the only instance where you can hear all their voices in one song. :hyper:

Not too fond of EBTTRT (Perfecto mix?) though. They could've put in another song instead of that. :rolleyes:
 
Re: My toughts about Best of '90 - '00

Ronald42 said:
I also like the version of SATS but I was really hoping for a version sounding like the acoustic one they did on the ZOO TV CD-V and VHS.

:eyebrow:

:huh:
 
best of 80-90 vs. 90-00

these are just my thoughts on these best of discs and i was wondering if anyone thought the same thing.

i am bothered about the b-sides of the 90-00. do we really need to hear so many different versions of mysterious ways, discotheque and even better than the real thing?

why not do like the 80-90 and put quality b-sides on there like where did it all go wrong, paint it black, fortunate son, the non remix version of salome, satellite of love or holy joe???? to name a few.

also, i do not have a hidden track on either of my discs for the 90-00. does anyone else?? i thought the fly was going to be on there somewhere. anywho, that's all for now.
cheers
 
The double dosing of songs was my only gripe about this otherwise beautiful collection. The 80's Best Of only repeated The Sweetest Thing. This new one repeats 5 songs! Electrical Storm, Discotheque, Real Thing, Mysterious Ways, and Numb. 2 I could handle. 5? That is a lot.
 
Why must we always complain about something. U2 has given us what we've wanted and let's accept it.
 
Re: Re: My toughts about Best of '90 - '00

DaveC said:


Originally posted by Ronald42
I also like the version of SATS but I was really hoping for a version sounding like the acoustic one they did on the ZOO TV CD-V and VHS.
:eyebrow:

:huh:

Yup MAJOR mistake :huh: but I think most of you knew what I meant. The accoustic version of course from the Please CDsingle. And than to think they preformed it right into my face. OOOPPSS. I must have been thinking of the Satelite of love of love version. Hey with so much good music it's sometimes hard to get it all straight. :p

Ronald
 
I really like the album. though I find myself skipping to the remixed versions and new songs only cause I know what the other songs sound like.

The bsides could have been better, but they must have thought those songs did not match up well against the 80's best of bsides.

quick things i like and dislike:

like:
new mix of numb: I love what they've done. It's a very harder sounding song. Especially after the middle break, there are a lot more sounds coming from my speakers than the original.
Disco: I like this version, maybe not as much as the original, but I still think it rocks.
Hands: I really like this song. Especially the "with all of the promises" part.

dislike:
they had more bsides to chose from. nobody really wants dance remixes.
 
- I thought that the buffalo cover for Best Of was pretty damn boring until somebody mentioned that they look like Bono's fly shades if you squint. Nice touch, although I still think that the cover looks a bit too sombre and monochrome for a decade that had so much visual overload. I also wish they did something a bit more creative with the booklet rather than sticking a bunch of (admittedly fantastic) photos. Oh, welleth...

- I'm very happy with the remixes, especially Gone, although I'm still puzzled about the line change in Mysterious Ways. I looove "Hands" and I've warmed up to the William Orbit mix of ES. The B-Sides disk is a bit of a disappointment; I just didn't find most of the remixes particularly interesting, but the DVD add-on is cool beyond words and really makes you realise how much great stuff 90s U2 produced.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the Greatest Hits and as far as the selection of songs goes, I find it much better and more varied than the first one.
 
Saracene said:
although I'm still puzzled about the line change in Mysterious Ways.
i'm surprised no one asked this in the chat they had. actually, i guess i should say that i'm sure someone did ask them, but i'm surprised they didn't tackle the question. i was hoping they'd do a radio interview (or maybe they did and i missed it) with rockline (i think??) like they did for the 1980-1990 greatest hits. i remember taping that! :D

i'm sure they would've asked them that on there. i remember the guys asking why they put bad on there, and essentially asked why they chose so many hits when it's a best of, and not a greatest hits. cool interview.
 
Great collection.

The Good:

ATYCLB's inclusion on this record. After all, the disc is called the Best of 1990-2000. To all of the complainers: There are only 3 songs from this period out of 30 songs. Also, BD is already a classic....I still hear it played on the radio almost every day, and it won 3 grammies.

The continuation of the same theme, in regards to the artwork of this disc and the Best of 80-90.

The placement of Stay/Stuck, it keeps the melancholic mood going.

The fact that this band gave us two brand-new songs, instead of just one remixed b-side (but I did like ST), + a bonus DVD for the price of 2 CDs. Way above the call of duty.

The inclusion of Miss Sarajevo...I don't have Passengers but I finally discovered this gorgeous song because of this Best Of.

The SATS remix.

Gone remix - I like the addition of more guitar.

The Bad:

The overload of remixes...what was wrong with b-sides such as Satellite of Love? The first Best of had cover songs.

The Fly's absence...it was the band's first single off AB and signalled where the band was headed for the 90's.

The Numb and Discotheque...what was wrong with the originals? Also, I miss the BOOM-CHAs. :(

Final rating.....4.5/5! Great collection. :wave:
 
Overall: 9 out of 10 is my rating

As a fan who owned nearly all of the tracks on the cd, I didn't need to be sold on this disc. I wanted it no matter what songs were included, mostly because I already had 95% of the B-Sides and 100% of the tracks (the exception being Electrical Storm and Hands That Built America). The idea of there being a U2 album that I didn't own would keep me up at night, and we all need at the minimum, 6 hours of sleep per night.

The Greatest Hits disc was near-perfect. I say this because I consider Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses to be one of the band's most moving, vocally demanding, and memorable tunes. To put it in place of Until the End of the World would be understandable, but choosing The First Time made me turn away....Of course I turned back around and sholved over my $20, but nevertheless.

The remixes of Gone, Discotheque, and Staring at the Sun prove that U2 is still ashamed of Pop. Why this is, I don't know. Each U2 album has it's own personality and while Pop does resemble the equivolant of one's howdy, rowdy teenage years there's no reason to attempt to erase their memory. By remixing the songs U2 let's it be known the years spanning from 1996-1999 where a fuzzy dream. A time with no direction and little less confidence. Don't get me wrong, the remixes added worth to the album. If you count the number of remixes and new cuts, a casual U2 fans would have over twenty new tunes to lush over. I just don't think remixing was the way to go.

The two new songs are fine. That's about all I can say. Like when The Ground Beneath Her Feet arrived in the LP rack, my expectations were grounded with medocrity. Electrical Storm is predictable, but enjoyable. Hands That Built America is somber yet etheral. Where the songs to make it on a completely original album they would be consider a ballad lacking in depth and filler to set the mood.

The B-Sides, as we all now know, contained more remixes than originals. It's true that everyone made it as a B-Side, technically. But where are the Where Did It Go Wrong's, the Two Shots of Happy, One Shot of Sad's, the Big Girls are Bests', the Paint it Blacks', just to name a few. There absense might not be missed by the masses of U2 fans, but do they really think that Joe Smoe would enjoy a remix of Even Better Than the Real Thing better than Fortunate Son? Okay, that's a stretch, but you get my point.
 
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