This is the Irish band's second best-of compilation. While the group's 1980-1990 collection boasted strong songs but was underwhelming overall, this new collection's attractions are two new songs and four new mixes of older material by producer Mike Hedges. NEW ON CD
"The Best of 1990-2000"
U2
Island/Interscope
U2’s best from the ’90s
should satisfy most fans
Review by Gary C.W. Chun
gchun@starbulletin.com"Electrical Storm" and "The Hands That Built America" (to be featured on Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York" soundtrack) are produced by William Orbit. The dance-influenced sound man adds a moody, ambient feel to both tracks. The new mixes of "Numb," "Discotheque," "Staring at the Sun" and "Gone" sound like, to these ears, six of one and half a dozen of the other. One of these could have easily been sacrificed to include "Walk On," an important recent song that's not included in this collection.
The decade that's documented here was bookended by two of U2's better albums, 1991's "Achtung Baby" and 2000's "All That You Can't Leave Behind," and the important songs from those albums are included here.
The rest of the collection is filled out with some of the stronger songs from the band's lesser albums, "Zooropa" and "Pop," and the tracks "Miss Sarajevo" (from the Passengers side project that included a guest vocal by Luciano Pavarotti) and "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" (from "Batman Forever").
This U2 best-of collection should satisfy most of the band's fans.
Also new on CD: "Away from the Sun," 3 Doors Down; "More Than a Woman," Toni Braxton; "Testify," Phil Collins; "Under Construction," Missy Elliott; "Gift of Love," Barry Manilow; "Riot Act," Pearl Jam; "Loose Screw," Pretenders; "3D," TLC.
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