The "Best Of" the 90s in a Perfect World

[Hoodlem]

I know this has been done several times before, but not for a while.

Pretty much everyone agrees that the Best Of 1990-2000, was a missed opportunity for U2. It is pretty obvious that that album does not acurately represent the band during that decade.

I have come up with a tracklist that is accurate and represents that decade as it should have been represented. These are all realistic (no live versions or other stuff that would not qualify) tracks. What I am most proud of is the flow of the collection I have assembled. It doesn't load all the biggest hits at the beginning and it doesn't have a huge lull in the middle (like the real disc). This mix stays strong right up until the very end. I have kept some of the thing I do like about the real one, i.e, EBTTRT as opener and First Time as closer. I have included most of the singles that are mysteriously left off of the real disc and of course, excluded the ATYCLB songs. I myself am not opposed to the "New Mix" versions of songs, as long as those songs improve on the originals. Of course peoples ideas of improvements will vary, so feel free to exchange "New" and "Old" mixes of songs as you see fit.

So without further adu, here is the mix I have deemed the best I have ever seen (and heard). Please listen to this order and notice how well it flows and represents U2s most experimental decade.

1. Even Better Than the Real Thing
2. Gone (New Mix)
3. One
4. Lemon
5. Staring At the Sun
6. Numb (New Mix)
7. Until the End of the World
8. Miss Sarajevo
9. Discotheque
10. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
11. Mysterious Ways
12. Stay (Faraway, So Close)
13. If God Will Sedn His Angels (Single Version)
14. The Fly
15. Please (Single Version)
16. The First Time
    [/list=1]
    
    So please give this a listen and come back with any comments you may have.
    
    Please listen before you judge.

 

[00Kevin]

I think you did a pretty good job with this, the one exception being i'm not sure the first time is really a "best of" quality track, perhaps replacing it with the fly would benefit the overall quality of the tracklist, but overall

 

[BigMacPhisto]

I'd replace "Please" with the single mix of "Last Night On Earth".......and where's "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses"?

 

[mobvok]

I'd replace "Please" with the single mix of "Last Night On Earth".......and where's "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses"?

It's concievable your two opinions differ on this song.

I would recommend bumping Mysterious Ways up before One, I've liked the Mysterious Ways --> One transition but of course that's just personal preference. One --> Lemon is fairly unique. I know there's a four and a half minute long single edit of Lemon floating out there, if U2 had decided to put it on the Best Of I know they would have gone with that.

Overall this is pretty good.

 

[Aygo]

I often make U2 best of's for my friends and I separe the songs by decades, cause they usually ask me for the most known ones, and my playlist for the 90's usually is...

1. even better than the real thing
2. mysterious ways
3. last night on earth (single version)
4. hold me, thrill me, kiss me, kill me
5. who's gonna ride your wild horses (temple bar mix)
6. staring at the sun
7. discotheque
8. lemon (edit)
9. numb
10. the fly
11. please (single version)
12. one
13. until the end of the world
14. stay (faraway, so close!)
15. if God will send His angels (single version)
16. sweetest thing (single mix)
17. miss sarajevo (album version)

 

[Hoodlem]

I'd replace "Please" with the single mix of "Last Night On Earth".......and where's "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses"?

I definately wanted those 2 songs on here but I had a goal of keeping it under 80 minutes so that it could be released as a single disc. Unfortunately, those were the 2 that got the ax. I definately disagree about "Please" as I feel it is the better song and I think most would agree. I do feel sad about WGRYWH, I do feel it deserves to be on this compilation, it just didn't fit. I suppose some could argue that "The First Time" doesn't really belong there and one of these songs could replace it. I definately thought of that, but I LOVE TFT as a closer and it was a nice surprise to have it on the best of as I feel it really qualifies as a true 'best of" and not just a popular song.

 

[Hoodlem]

Anyone else tried this 90's playlist yet?

 

[BrownEyedBoy]

Add Lemon.

 

[Tombola]

Mine:

1.) Where Did It All Go Wrong (re-worked B-side)
2.) The Fly
3.) Even Better Than The Real Thing
4.) Mysterious Ways
5.) One
6.) Until The End Of The World
7.) Numb (combination of new mix and original)
8.) Lemon
9.) Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
10.) Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
11.) Miss Sarajevo
12.) Discotheque (original)
13.) Mofo
14.) Staring At The Sun
15.) Please
16.) The Ground Beneath Her Feet

 

[tommycharles]

The only thing I don't like about your listing, Hoodlem, is Miss Sarajevo-->Discotheque. Flip Disco around with Hold Me Thrill Me, and I think you've got a winner.

 

[LMP]

1. MoFo
2. Discotheque (Radio Edit)
3. The Fly
4. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
5. Gone (New Mix)
6. Until the End of the World
7. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses (The Temple Bar Mix)
8. Night and Day
9. Lemon
10. Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
11. Last Night on Earth
12. Mysterious Ways
13. One
14. Miss Sarajevo (Radio Edit)
15. If God Will Send His Angels (Single)
16. Please (Single)

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

my mix would have none of these "new mixes" you guys speak of. to me they're like the black sheep of the family.

mayhaps i can come up with a list

 

[Zoots]

my mix would have none of these "new mixes" you guys speak of. to me they're like the black sheep of the family.

 

[impy13]

I've said it before, I'll say it again.

1. Zoo Station
2. Even Better Than The Real Thing
3. One
4. Until the End of The World
5. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
6. So Cruel
7. The Fly
8. Mysterious Ways
9. Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World
10. Ultra Violet
11. Acrobat
12. Love Is Blindness

 

[Zoots]

^ My Achtung buddy!

 

[WinnieThePoo]

1.Zoo Tv intro /Zoo Station
2.The Fly
3.Stay
4.Even Better Then Real Thing
5.Mysterious Ways
6.One
7.Love Is Blindness
8.Your Blue Room
9.Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me
10.Numb
11.POP Musique /Mofo Phunk force remix
12.Discotheque
13.Last Night On Earth
14.Until The End Of The World
15.Please
16.THe Ground Beneath Her Feet
17. The Wanderer

 

[ClaudeF]

I agree that the "new mixes" are an act of historical revisionism. They give a false impression of what U2 was doing in the '90s.

If they REALLY want to fix "Pop" -- and by all acounts they do -- they should just release a tenth anniversary edition in 2007 with all of the "new mixes" that they think are required to bring the album up to their standards. But to remake favorite songs and put them on a best of set smacks too much of what New Order did with its "Substance" set in 1987, remaking "Confusion" and "Temptation," thereby altering history. It was a bad call then, and it was a bad call when U2 engaged in the same thing years later. Not that the new renditions are necessarily awful, but, again, they paint a picture of U2 that DID NOT exist in the 1990s because the new recordings did not exist int he 1990s.

 

[intedomine]

I often make U2 best of's for my friends and I separe the songs by decades, cause they usually ask me for the most known ones, and my playlist for the 90's usually is...

1. even better than the real thing
2. mysterious ways
3. last night on earth (single version)
4. hold me, thrill me, kiss me, kill me
5. who's gonna ride your wild horses (temple bar mix)
6. staring at the sun
7. discotheque
8. lemon (edit)
9. numb
10. the fly
11. please (single version)
12. one
13. until the end of the world
14. stay (faraway, so close!)
15. if God will send His angels (single version)
16. sweetest thing (single mix)
17. miss sarajevo (album version)

This is a high quality best of that is pretty much perfect.

The only thing lacking is a promotional single release, and someone else mentioned in the thread that it should be, like with the 80's best of, a reworked bside. (Where Did It All Go Wrong for example)

I'd fiddle with the track order a little and add this extra single release.

Otherwise, this is perfect and the way the best of should have been.

 

[redhill]

This last tracklisting is good...

However... how anyone could think IGWSHA (single) is better then the album version is beyond me.. The ending of the album version (and the entire song) is studio mastery... The way the different tracks come and go...

Also... Lady With the Spinning Head needs to be on there.

As well as Dirty Day perhaps...

Maybe Do You Feel Loved.... and Your Blue Room since Bono likes it so much and it is a great song...

 

[blueyedpoet]

Okay, here are the songs that should've been included - not in any particular tracking list order as of yet:
UTEOTW, One, MW, UV, Wild Horses, Love is Blindness, The Fly
Zooropa, re-worked Dirty Day (to sound more live), Stay, First Time
Miss Sarajevo, HMTMKMKM
Discoteque, Mofo, single versions of God, Please, Last Night on Earth, the new mix of Gone, and Staring at the Sun
Here's a proposition:
1) Zooropa
2) Discoteque
3) Mofo
4) Mysterious Ways
5) Until the End
6) Miss Sarajevo
7) One
8) Please
9) Ultraviolet Light
10) Love is Blindness

1) Gone (extended intro)
2) Last Night on Earth
3) Stay
4) Wild Horses
5) Staring at the Sun
6) God will send his angels
7) Dirty Day
8) The Fly
9) The First Time

A double album....it could be really cool. I feel like i just haven't cut the grain right though....it's a start

 

[Aygo]

Originally posted by Aygo
I often make U2 best of's for my friends and I separe the songs by decades, cause they usually ask me for the most known ones, and my playlist for the 90's usually is...

1. even better than the real thing
2. mysterious ways
3. last night on earth (single version)
4. hold me, thrill me, kiss me, kill me
5. who's gonna ride your wild horses (temple bar mix)
6. staring at the sun
7. discotheque
8. lemon (edit)
9. numb
10. the fly
11. please (single version)
12. one
13. until the end of the world
14. stay (faraway, so close!)
15. if God will send His angels (single version)
16. sweetest thing (single mix)
17. miss sarajevo (album version)



This is a high quality best of that is pretty much perfect.

The only thing lacking is a promotional single release, and someone else mentioned in the thread that it should be, like with the 80's best of, a reworked bside. (Where Did It All Go Wrong for example)

I'd fiddle with the track order a little and add this extra single release.

Otherwise, this is perfect and the way the best of should have been

thankx mates. Like I said before, I make this playlist because my friends ask me for the songs the mostly know from tv videos and/or radio, so the sinle versions and the edited versions make sense there. I myself prefer the reworked versions too, they sound more cohesive, but as nobody's got the same tastes...
Sometimes I change IGWSHA or UTEOFW for MoFo because there are some guys that love the song, and I change it to be in a cd. But that happened only once or twice.
I use the same technique to the 80's compilation...