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U2 - The Best of 1990 - 2000
Four stars
The War was at a ceasefire, the Unforgettable Fire extinguished and the Joshua Tree splintered and turned into kindling. For U2, rock's biggest band, the '90s were a disparate all-nighter ? a lucid dream of electronica and industrial sampling. As the '80s ended, Bono and the boys traded in songs that packed a political punch for ones that seemed more self-fulfilling. The majority of their tracks this last decade were about God, women or U2 themselves, which, when compared to the Irish struggles in "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and the Martin Luther King Jr. homage "Pride (In the Name of Love)," conveyed the message that they didn't need dictators or disasters to sell records.
Ironically, after Sept. 11, their already-released All That You Can't Leave Behind became a musical beacon for a healing nation. The songs took on a different meaning altogether, such as "Walk On," a tribute to Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, which became a source of strength for listeners and the closing number at U2's concerts (It's not included in this album, however).
The first compilation, The Best of 1980-1990, was U2's call to civic duty. The sequel, the appropriately named The Best of 1990-2000, is a testament to the band's staunch musical bravado that proves that if U2 still hasn't found what it's looking for, it's certainly left a trail of brilliance.
The Best
"Until the End of the World" (Achtung Baby, 1991). Jesus and Judas do battle in this, U2's insidious masterwork. The Edge's signature sound ? that kinetic, sonic tone that openly competes for supremacy with Bono's vocals ? is at its sparkling best. These four minutes are some of U2's finest.
"Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" ("Batman Forever" Soundtrack, 1995). A comic-book quality to U2's most wicked offering. As schizophrenic as Bruce Wayne, evil ? in the form of an orchestera and a distorted guitar ? has never sounded so damn satisfying. Listen closely: Bono name-drops his own band twice.
"Beautiful Day" (All That You Can't Leave Behind, 2000). U2's most successful pop offering yet. "Beautiful Day" takes flight at the get-go with its pulsating beat and doesn't lose altitude. A soaring, liberating chorus that says you may have lost everything in life, but you should still come out to smell the roses. Let freedom ring, baby.
Surprise Entries
"Numb," "Gone," "Staring at the Sun," "Discoth?que" (The New Mixes). Producer Mike Hedges has remixed four tracks, incidentally, three of them from U2's maligned Pop album. Purists need not mention, but tampering with the source is sacrilegious and should be left for a B-sides album. Like the title of another of the band's tracks, these had the chance to be "Even Better Than the Real Thing." It's not.
The Unfairly Excluded
"Lemon" (Zooropa, 1993). A dizzying spectacle, motion captured in strobes from U2's most ambitious album. The lyrics are as epic as they go in music ? think Homer writing "The Odyssey" in a Martini lounge.
-?Kevin Pang, Staff Writer
U2 - The Best of 1990 - 2000
Four stars
The War was at a ceasefire, the Unforgettable Fire extinguished and the Joshua Tree splintered and turned into kindling. For U2, rock's biggest band, the '90s were a disparate all-nighter ? a lucid dream of electronica and industrial sampling. As the '80s ended, Bono and the boys traded in songs that packed a political punch for ones that seemed more self-fulfilling. The majority of their tracks this last decade were about God, women or U2 themselves, which, when compared to the Irish struggles in "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and the Martin Luther King Jr. homage "Pride (In the Name of Love)," conveyed the message that they didn't need dictators or disasters to sell records.
Ironically, after Sept. 11, their already-released All That You Can't Leave Behind became a musical beacon for a healing nation. The songs took on a different meaning altogether, such as "Walk On," a tribute to Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, which became a source of strength for listeners and the closing number at U2's concerts (It's not included in this album, however).
The first compilation, The Best of 1980-1990, was U2's call to civic duty. The sequel, the appropriately named The Best of 1990-2000, is a testament to the band's staunch musical bravado that proves that if U2 still hasn't found what it's looking for, it's certainly left a trail of brilliance.
The Best
"Until the End of the World" (Achtung Baby, 1991). Jesus and Judas do battle in this, U2's insidious masterwork. The Edge's signature sound ? that kinetic, sonic tone that openly competes for supremacy with Bono's vocals ? is at its sparkling best. These four minutes are some of U2's finest.
"Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" ("Batman Forever" Soundtrack, 1995). A comic-book quality to U2's most wicked offering. As schizophrenic as Bruce Wayne, evil ? in the form of an orchestera and a distorted guitar ? has never sounded so damn satisfying. Listen closely: Bono name-drops his own band twice.
"Beautiful Day" (All That You Can't Leave Behind, 2000). U2's most successful pop offering yet. "Beautiful Day" takes flight at the get-go with its pulsating beat and doesn't lose altitude. A soaring, liberating chorus that says you may have lost everything in life, but you should still come out to smell the roses. Let freedom ring, baby.
Surprise Entries
"Numb," "Gone," "Staring at the Sun," "Discoth?que" (The New Mixes). Producer Mike Hedges has remixed four tracks, incidentally, three of them from U2's maligned Pop album. Purists need not mention, but tampering with the source is sacrilegious and should be left for a B-sides album. Like the title of another of the band's tracks, these had the chance to be "Even Better Than the Real Thing." It's not.
The Unfairly Excluded
"Lemon" (Zooropa, 1993). A dizzying spectacle, motion captured in strobes from U2's most ambitious album. The lyrics are as epic as they go in music ? think Homer writing "The Odyssey" in a Martini lounge.
-?Kevin Pang, Staff Writer
