MERGED ----> Definitive collection tracklisting predictions/discussions

[schnumi]

U2 need to put a POP song on the album.

If anyone here can explain to me why on earth Please shouldnt be on a best of "best of" album please explain.

Because Please is one of the two best songs U2 have ever produced, namely Stay is the other.

 

[bsp77]

U2 need to put a POP song on the album.

If anyone here can explain to me why on earth Please shouldnt be on a best of "best of" album please explain.

Because Please is one of the two best songs U2 have ever produced, namely Stay is the other.

Well, U2 does not think it is good enough to be on The Best of 1990-2000, so I wouldn't hold your breath for this release, which may have, at most, 4 tracks from AB, Zooropa and Pop combined.

 

[david]

Does anyone think songs off HTDAAB will be left off this greatest hits package? The only reason I ask is because I wonder how the band would feel finishing a tour in support of their last album which has songs already on a greatest hits album. That would be kind of weird.

Plus, you have 16 songs and you have to divide that by 3 decades of a band's output...

 

[BigMacPhisto]

Well, it's 18 singles, so.....

no Until The End Of The World.

At least we now know what the third AB track will be (if they have a third track from that album)........EBTTRT is the only one left that was on all versions of the 90's Best Of......

"Sunday Bloody Sunday" is also cutting it close........a single, but only in some areas. However, it's definitely one of their most well known songs.

"Bad" is now out of the running, but its length made it DOA to begin with.

My updated track guess:

1. I Will Follow
2. New Year's Day
3. Sunday Bloody Sunday
4. Pride
5. With Or Without You
6. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
7. Where The Streets Have No Name
8. Desire
9. Mysterious Ways
10. One
11. Even Better Than The Real Thing
12. Stay
13. Beautiful Day
14. (some ATYCLB track)
15. Vertigo
16. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
17. The Saints Are Coming (feat. Green Day)
18. Window In The Sky

 

[LMP]

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me is a definite possibility now.

I think it was one of their bigger successes of the '90s right?

 

[BigMacPhisto]

Indeed it was, but how often has it been played in concert lately? It's a great tune, but ultimately forgettable when one thinks of the highlights of the U2 canon.

If it is included, it will likely take the place of EBTTRT in my proposed tracklist.

 

[LMP]

Indeed it was, but how often has it been played in concert lately? It's a great tune, but ultimately forgettable when one thinks of the highlights of the U2 canon.

If it is included, it will likely take the place of EBTTRT in my proposed tracklist.

If they're going by single success, it'll be on there.

They can't completely disregard the mid-'90s

 

[justinlacy]

18 Singles

New Stuff. 2 songs
- The Saints are Coming
- Window in the Sky (?)

After reading the book "U2 by U2", I think the 16 remaining tracks will be what the band feels best represents their entire body of work ..from the officially relaesed singles

1. I Will Follow
2. New Year's Day
3. Pride (In the Name of Love)
4. With or Without You
5. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
6. Where the Streets Have No Name
7. Desire
8. Mysterious Ways
9. One
10. Even Better Than the Real Thing
11. Stay (Faraway so Close)
12. Beautiful Day
13. Walk On
14. Stuck in a Moment
15. Vertigo
16. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own

Though memorable to most fans, no songs from October or Pop will make the cut because clearly the band do not feel these albums were their best work.

The songs on this list are those the general pubilc most easily identify with.

Thats my take anyway!

 

[ozeeko]

This will be the tracklisting:

1) 11 O'Clock Tick Tock (superior alternate version)
2) A Day Without Me
3) Gloria
4) A Celebration
5) Two Hearts Beat As One
6) A Sort Of Homecoming
7) In God's Country
8) Night and Day
9) The Fly
10) Lemon
11) Your Blue Room
12) Please
13) I'm Not Your Baby
14) Elevation
15) Verticrap
16) Fast Cars extended instrumental voodoo remix

17) That greenday song
18) The best song ever

hidden track...Deep In The Heart

 

[shortfuse]

I will follow
Sunday bloody sunday
new years day
pride
streets....
ISHFWILF
With or without u
desire
one
the fly
stay
discotheque
beautiful day
elevation
walk on
vertigo
the saints are coming
window in the sky

 

[An Cat Gav]

I notice that many of you arent putting All I Want is You on there, I'd be very surprised if it isn't included. Also, I'd be surprised if Sunday Bloody Sunday is there, simply because it wasn't a single in many places, it certainly didn't chart in the Uk at the time, though I'm sure Axver is about to come and prove me wrong

 

[Axver]

Also, I'd be surprised if Sunday Bloody Sunday is there, simply because it wasn't a single in many places, it certainly didn't chart in the Uk at the time, though I'm sure Axver is about to come and prove me wrong

Yep, here I am to do just that.

Sunday Bloody Sunday, despite not being a single in the UK, still hit #7 on the UK charts, at least according to U2Wanderer.org. That was higher than the highest chart position of the actual UK single at the time, Two Hearts Beat As One, which charted somewhere around #18 or so.

 

[An Cat Gav]

Good to see you appear so quick bud
I don't doubt it says that, but if you were to look at lists of the UK top 40 charts from 1983, you wont find Sunday Bloody Sunday there. Or at least so my older brother claims who for some bizarre reason knows every UK top 40 off by heart from the late 70's to 80's. I know that you can get a Sunday Bloody Sunday CD single with New Years Day and 2 hearts remixes as extras but I think this is only an import thing, kinda like wide awake in america originally was. I guess U2.wanderer is calculating that SBS would have got to #7, but in actual fact it didn't. I could be wrong though
I've probably asked you this before Ax but was one tree hill number 1 in NZ? If so you should be proud of your country!!

 

[ponkine]

Well, U2 does not think it is good enough to be on The Best of 1990-2000, so I wouldn't hold your breath for this release, which may have, at most, 4 tracks from AB, Zooropa and Pop combined.

Bono hair cut like Popmart days...

The Saints Boom Chas ...

Best of 1990-2000 DVD featuring 7 songs of POP (Discotheque, Staring, If God, Last Night, Please, Mofo and Gone) even more Achtung Baby (6 songs) or any other album ...

 

[Axver]

Good to see you appear so quick bud
I don't doubt it says that, but if you were to look at lists of the UK top 40 charts from 1983, you wont find Sunday Bloody Sunday there. Or at least so my older brother claims who for some bizarre reason knows every UK top 40 off by heart from the late 70's to 80's. I know that you can get a Sunday Bloody Sunday CD single with New Years Day and 2 hearts remixes as extras but I think this is only an import thing, kinda like wide awake in america originally was. I guess U2.wanderer is calculating that SBS would have got to #7, but in actual fact it didn't. I could be wrong though

Nope, it very much did get to #7 on the charts. It's not a U2Wanderer.org estimate; if they don't have chart figures, they put in a question mark rather than providing any kind of estimate or guess. You can actually see this on the SBS single's page, as there are no figures for the US or Canada. The link: http://www.u2wanderer.org/disco/sing012.html

For comparison, the actual UK single at the time: http://www.u2wanderer.org/disco/sing011.html

We could just settle this once and for all by going to the Peeling Off The Dollar Bills subforum and asking the chart experts there.

I've probably asked you this before Ax but was one tree hill number 1 in NZ? If so you should be proud of your country!!

Yep, definitely hit #1. I don't know for how long, but I think for a few weeks at least. Talk about good taste.

 

[ponkine]

U2 need to put a POP song on the album.

If anyone here can explain to me why on earth Please shouldnt be on a best of "best of" album please explain.

Because Please is one of the two best songs U2 have ever produced, namely Stay is the other.

I have pointed out this countless time but it's worth repeating:

In the early days of www.u2.com (before u2.CON) there were a massive poll (biggest www.u2.com poll at that time) with the participation of more than 50000 fans
They voted for the best song per album, and many fans (included me) though that all these songs were going to be included on a compilation:

1- I Will Follow
2- Gloria
3- Bad
4- With Or Without You
5- All I Want Is You
6- One
7- Stay (farway so close)
8- Please


Please and Gloria are still waiting

 

[phanan]

I haven't read through the entire thread, but has anyone considered the possibility that different areas of the world might get different tracklistings?

If we are strictly talking singles here, Sunday Bloody Sunday wouldn't be on it in the U.S., but should be on it elsewhere. Likewise, as Axver mentioned, One Tree Hill was a huge single in Australia and New Zealand, but wasn't even released as one elsewhere.

I'm sure everyone will most likely get the same thing, but multiple versions would be intriguing.

 

[kevink]

Since U2:18 will include "16 of the band's best known songs", I thought it would be interesting to try and figure out the tracklisting based on how well U2's singles have charted.

Using wikipedia, I found how each single charted on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. I then took only the singles that charted in BOTH countries and found the average chart position for each song. For example, Beautiful Day reached #21 in the US and #1 in the UK, so it's average chart position was #11.

Here are the results:

Desire #2
With or Without You #2.5
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For #3.5
Discotheque #5.5
Where the Streets Have No Name #8.5
One #8.5
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me #9
Mysterious Ways #11
Beautiful Day #11
Angel of Harlem #11.5
Staring at the Sun #14.5
Vertigo #16
Pride (In The Name of Love) #18
Even Better Than The Real Thing #22
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses #24.5
Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of #27
The Fly #31
New Year's Day #31.5
Stay (Faraway, So Close!) #32.5
The Sweetest Thing #33
Last Night on Earth #33.5
When Love Comes to Town #37
Electrical Storm #40.5
All I Want Is You #43.5
In God's Country #46
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own #49


Take the top 16, put them into chronological order, and the tracklisting for U2:18 would be as follows:


1. Pride (In The Name of Love)
2. With or Without You
3. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
4. Where the Streets Have No Name
5. Desire
6. Angel of Harlem
7. Mysterious Ways
8. One
9. Even Better Than The Real Thing
10. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
11. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
12. Discotheque
13. Staring at the Sun
14. Beautiful Day
15. Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of
16. Vertigo
17. The Saints Are Coming
18. Window in the Sky


Overall I think that's a pretty good set, but I don't like the fact that New Year's Day isn't on there. I'd probably take off Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses to make room for it, because we don't really need 4 songs from one album when there are only 16 songs total. However, it would be nice if they put the single version of WGRYWH on it for those people who have never heard it. Oh, well.

EDIT: If U2 does in fact put POP songs on this collection, hopefully they use the original single versions and not new mixes, because the new mixes were never singles.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

This album better have the damn single mixes! You can't call it 18singles yet not have the gorgeous Single Mix of "Where The Streets Have No Name".........

 

[UKTan]

This album better have the damn single mixes! You can't call it 18singles yet not have the gorgeous Single Mix of "Where The Streets Have No Name".........

Noooo....no mixes, please...i want u2 songs as they were meant to be

 

[04072511]

Another Interesting way of picking the track listing would be to compile it taking all U2's #1's from the following charts:

UK Singles
US Billboard Hot 100
US Billboard Modern Rock
US Billboard Mainstream Rock
Australian Singles

This would be in Chronological order:

With Or Without You - Hot 100 (3 Weeks), Mainstream Rock (5 Weeks)

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - Hot 100 (2 Weeks)

Desire - UK (1 Week), Modern Rock (5 Weeks), Mainstream Rock (5 Weeks), Australia (3 Weeks)

Angel Of Harlem - Mainstream Rock (6 Weeks)

The Fly - UK (1 Week), Modern Rock (2 Weeks), Australia (1 Week)

Mysterious Ways - Modern Rock (9 Weeks), Mainstream Rock (12 Weeks)

One - Modern Rock (1 Week), Mainstream Rock (2 Weeks)

Even Better Than The Real Thing - Mainstream Rock (3 Weeks)

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me - Australia (6 Weeks)

Discotheque - UK (1 Week), Modern Rock (4 Weeks)

Staring At The Sun - Modern Rock (3 Weeks)

Beautiful Day - UK (1 Week), Australia (1 Week)

Vertigo - UK (1 Week), Modern Rock (4 Weeks)

Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own - UK (1 Week)

Then I would add Pride and Streets as the final 2 songs to balance up the ratio of 80's to 90's to 00's a bit and because they were the 2 biggest hits on the HOT 100 not already included.

So in Chronological Order the Track Listing would be:

1) Pride (In The Name Of Love)
2) With Or Without You
3) I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
4) Where The Streets Have No Name
5) Desire
6) Angel Of Harlem
7) The Fly
8) Mysterious Ways
9) One
10) Even Better Than The Real Thing
11) Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
12) Discotheque
13) Staring At The Sun
14) Beautiful Day
15) Vertigo
16) Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
17) The Saints Are Coming
18) Window In The Sky

There are no songs from the first 3 albums, but if they are calling it a Singles album , they should go for the biggest singles, and they didnt have many big hits before Pride.

 

[sniggirb]

I don't imagine a new Best Of in the next 10 years.

Unfortunately I can see that happening at the end of the decade.

 

[ponkine]

Excelent info 04072511 and Kevink

So the definitive tracklisting is basically the same
I think The Fly should be included because it was a number one hit in the UK and introduced everyone to Zoo TV and Wild Horses reached #14 in the UK and #35 in the US
The definitive tracklisting is a mix between 04072511 and Kevink compilations (they have just 2 differences, the other 16 tracks are the same)

1) Pride (In The Name Of Love)
2) With Or Without You
3) I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
4) Where The Streets Have No Name
5) Desire
6) Angel Of Harlem
7) The Fly
8) Mysterious Ways
9) One
10) Even Better Than The Real Thing
11) Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
12) Discotheque
13) Staring At The Sun
14) Beautiful Day
15) Stuck In A Moment
16) Vertigo
17) The Saints Are Coming
18) Window In The Sky

For the POP haters around there It would be a HUGE surprise to know that Discotheque was bigger hit than One, Where The Streets Have No Name, Beautiful Day, Vertigo, etc

I just have a doubt 04072511: Why including Sometimes You Can't Make It when songs like New Year's Day or Stay ranked better?

 

[BigMacPhisto]

"New Year's Day" will most definitely be on there, but "Sometimes" truly is there because they'll want at least two tracks from HTDAAB, which is regarded by the band as one of their best tracks. It was a huge hit worldwide, however, just not in the US.

 

[ponkine]

"New Year's Day" will most definitely be on there, but "Sometimes" truly is there because they'll want at least two tracks from HTDAAB, which is regarded by the band as one of their best tracks. It was a huge hit worldwide, however, just not in the US.

I think it's better to keep this tracklisting based on their truly biggest hits instead:

1) Pride (In The Name Of Love)
2) With Or Without You
3) I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
4) Where The Streets Have No Name
5) Desire
6) Angel Of Harlem
7) The Fly
8) Mysterious Ways
9) One
10) Even Better Than The Real Thing
11) Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
12) Discotheque
13) Staring At The Sun
14) Beautiful Day
15) Stuck In A Moment
16) Vertigo
17) The Saints Are Coming
18) Window In The Sky

If the band don't release what have been their biggest hits, the reputation of U2 18 will be just the worst. U2 18 singles ... They have no other choice but including these 18 songs, and if they want to include more HTDAAB ... no problem, there's an excellent DVD solution!

They could include New Year's day, Sometimes You Can't Make It, Sunday Bloody Sunday, etc, etc on the Milan DVD instead so we'll have what have been their truly biggest hits of U2 career (instead of a arbitrary and predictable selection that isn't shy about favouring the latter years) and we'll have a DVD with such classic songs (New Year's Day, Sunday Bloody Sunday, etc) and the most representative material from HTDAAB and other memorable songs (Sometimes You Can't Make It, Original Of The Species, Miss Sarajevo, etc)

U2 can make a quite good DVD with 10 songs from milan not repeating one single track of U2 18

For example:

1- I Will Follow
2- The Electric Co
3- Elevation
4- New Year's Day
5- City Of Blinding Lights
6- Miracle Drug
7- Sometimes You Can't Make It
8- Sunday Bloody Sunday
9- Miss Sarajevo
10-Original Of The Species

and you'll have 4 songs of HTDAAB on the DVD and Vertigo on CD, and more important, you still have their truly biggest hits on U2 18

 

[Michael Griffiths]

What?! No 'Stay', Ponkine? That was a hit single, wasn't it? And it's just sooooo much better than 'Stuck in a Moment', 'Even Better Than The Real Thing', 'Staring at the Sun', or 'Discotheque'. Wouldn't you agree?

 

[ozeeko]

It's useless in trying to predict. U2 are going to release the obvious big hits, and probably nothing off POP (except maybe a 5th remake of Discotechque), and only Stay off Zooropa, and probably more than 2 tracks off each of the two newest albums. Oh, and no Gloria. Yet again.

 

[ozeeko]

And I know by offering my own prediction I have succeeded in contradicting myself earlier when I said predicting is useless.

 

[LMP]

Like I said, I'd rather see each band member

pick 10 of their favorite songs
give a reason why
and put it on itunes like a "celebrity" playlist

stick a double single of new songs on iTunes too and that's money in the bank.

 

[chocky]

"16 of the band's best known songs" does not necessarily mean "highest selling". Many singles that never sold well in U2's early years are better known today than recent singles.

An extreme example is Sunday Bloody Sunday.

It didn't chart back in 1983 but is on the albums 'War', 'Under a Blood Red Sky' and 'Best of 1980-90', it's a b-side of 'If God Will Send His Angels', features on the live videos of 'Under a Blood Redy Sky' and 'Popmart', it's in the the movie 'Rattle & Hum', and on the DVDs of 'Elevation: Live from Boston', 'U2 Go Home' and 'Vertigo: Live in Chicago'. It is surely one of the "band's best known songs". Same applies for I Will Follow.